Besides the Obvious

You are about to know if someone is a good travel partner for you. Have you ever wondered if your friend, partner or relative could be a compatible travel mate? Probably you know already that a bad company can ruin a nice trip. Nevertheless, you may think that those things you could never know until you try. I am afraid that by then it might be too late.

Don’t make your vacation unbearable if you can avoid that. So Keep reading, we will point out the most important matters you should consider before you agree to spend your holidays with someone!

Suitcase or backpack

This is much more than a simple way of carrying your stuff along. To prefer a suitcase rather than a backpack is to want a completely different experience. Comfort rather than flexibility. And the other way round, adventure rather than relax. Personally I respect both ways and I could enjoy either way or another but you need to clarify before departing what kind of experience you desire on the current trip. 

Maybe you can love this person you chose and you could be good partners for cooking lessons or for yoga sessions but if you cannot agree on this basis just choose another partner or just go alone. It will be good for both of you.

Slow travel or border jumping

There are travelers who enjoy visiting calmy village by village on the go, stopping for coffees where they can talk to locals, and admire the small things of the local vibe. Otherwise, there are some others who cannot stay more than two hours in a town without checking when the next transport departs to the following destination. If you are one of those who wants to visit as much as you can, and you enjoy collecting cities and counting countries, probably a slow trip would be too boring. If you think the opposite, a partner who presses you constantly to reach the limits of his map can be very stressful. 

My advice for you is to be honest and talk out loud about your expectations, share and show your plans if you have and try to clarify your expectations. 

Budget

Nobody who reads Besides the Obvious is rich. Even though there are different budgets among travelers. I can imagine very few things more annoying than traveling, counting your savings and being worried about if dinner with your friends could bankrupt you. On the other hand, maybe you would prefer to travel with one who could pay an entrance fee with no drama or choose a more comfortable hotel to share a room with. 

Check the cost of living at the destination you choose and plan your budget accordingly. Be realistic and don’t lie to yourself. 

Eating (and drinking)

More important than you expect depending on the place you go. There are countries that often use some ingredients you may not handle, either because you don’t like some spices in India or Mexico, or because you cannot eat them for healthy reasons, religion or others. There are countries where alcohol is forbidden and maybe you wanted to go parting to pubs. It is very important to check if you will be comfortable with the food at the destination you have chosen so as not to ruin your trip nor your friend’s.  

Biorhythms and nightlife

Once upon a time, I met a couple of girls who started a trip to Vietnam together. One of them loved to get out at night and come back to the room they shared late at night. Otherwise, her friend prefered to stay for reading after a long day sightseeing once they arrived everyday to the guest house. Obviously, both of them complained often about their partner’s behavior. They didn’t know in the beginning of the trip that their vacation would be a challenge and a hard test to their friendship. 

Topics 

If you hate sports, why travel with someone who always speaks about football? Probably you think that friendship requires a bit of patience and you are right. But, have you considered that he or she will be eager to visit stadiums and not natural gardens as you might prefer? Can you imagine yourself entering every pub to check how the never ending games are going on? 

To travel with someone is a big brother session and you will spend a long time alone with this person or persons. Take your time and space and be honest at the moment but better verify beforehand if you have the same interests or some things in common. 

Open air or museums

Are you one of those who cannot take indoor places? Make sure then your partner doesn’t like the opera sessions when traveling. It is very important to match in what you like and how you want to enjoy that thing. 

Privacy

Maybe you think you know everything about your travel partner. Even though, it is not nice to discover once on the go that he or she is uncomfortable sleeping in the shared dormitory of a hostel you booked for both of you. The concept you have and the care you take about your own privacy or the other’s is critical to feel comfortable in accommodations and transports. 

Connectivity

I remember a young backpacker who was always connected to the only free computer they had in a hostel in Cambodia many years ago. The rest of the backpackers complained since that was the only easy way to contact their families to say hello. That guy was already there, chatting and googleling, every morning when I woke up and he was still there every evening when I came back to sleep. That time I just wondered why he moved to the other side of the world just to get blind on a screen. Well, know if someone is a good travel partner, just keep in mind that now we have smartphones and WIFI almost everywhere and many virtual addictions. Check on your partner that you have a compatible understanding about the correct level of being an addict of your networks. 

Transports

Do you feel dizzy on the ships? Do you panic on a plane? Make sure you know what your partner feels about a needed way of transport. It is nice on every part to share the way you prefer to move from an A point to a B point and how to move around. The experience can be very different if you drive a car or you take a train, if you want to move on local buses or you can rent a motorbike. 

Special healthcare needs

Just share what is very needed or important for you. If you have a mandatory routine, you need any kind of medication, you have an allergy or, for instance, you cannot stay long under the sun. It doesn’t matter what it could be but for your own sake you have to tell and let your friends help on that or just agree that your ways are not matching on that specific kind of trip. 

Snoring and other hustles

I think it is a mandatory point to consider. Sleeping is a very nice thing and you will need your rest to enjoy your trip. If you cannot solve it just have in mind if you can handle it when you decide to accept someone as a travel company. 

Smoking

There are people who cannot take it when the others smoke around. You should know what is more important to you but this is something else we should consider in order to find out how to know if someone is a good travel partner.

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