There are two main decisions you need to make before you start traveling. First of all, is where to go. The second is who you are going with. More than any country you will visit, people create a certain atmosphere that influences your travels for better or worse, depending on the sort of attitude they have and how well they match your own aims and individuality. It’s quite a big decision and it’s harder to make than you probably think.
Traveling with a friend reveals a side hidden from your sight and the accountability of life in your native country. For a short trip abroad, these can be overlooked when you spend a small amount of time together. Over such a long time though, even the way someone chews can become irritating, let alone their preferences on when to arrive at the train station. Friendship can get deeper or shattered forever. This means that finding a travel friend for going abroad is a tricky deal. However, we have some advice to help.
Should you travel with someone?
This is the first question you have to answer when going thinking about traveling abroad with somebody. Do you really want to travel with hem? There are pros and cons to having a travel partner, so take them into account before making a decision.
The pros
- It can be easy to fall into travel-weariness, in which you stay in the hostel for several days. It’s only once you leave that you understand you didn’t take benefits of the place you were in. With a travel partner, it’s much more likely that you will want to do or see something.
- It can be also easier to avoid that feeling of detachment from home when you take a part of home with you.
- It sucks to run out of money, to forget to set an alarm or lose something. Having a buddy who has your back can be the difference between making a train or being forced to look for a little cash.
- The simple way of asking a friend to travel is a big business, but the stories forged along the way can make a friendship really strong.
- Sometimes it’s easier to make friends when you can face a group with a partner in crime. If you are both energetic people, it’s likely strangers will come join you in conversation. More friends, please!
The cons
- Staying inside is a good thing sometimes, if that’s what you need. Being dragged to a place you aren’t interested in is a surefire way to ruin a relationship.
- Even if you’re best friends, traveling can bring out the worst in you. Sometimes the best people can reveal bad sides of themselves when they’re pushed too far. And when that happens, it can change the way you see your friends. Forever.
- Traveling is all about finding out who you are and what you’re already capable of, and it’s harder to do when you have a friend with routines. Who wants to put themselves out there and make new friends if you’ve already got a nice one right by your side?
How to choose a travel partner?
So you decided to take a friend along for your trip. But who do you choose? Traveling can make or break a friendship, so the best travel friend is either the person who can take it, or the friend you don’t mind losing. Here are a few things to consider:
Budget & Money
It’s important to remember the reasons you are traveling in the first place. Some of the most similar people want absolutely different things for their time abroad, and it usually requires some money. Are you sure you want to live in dirty hostels, eat street food and take local night buses between your destinations? Or do you need a few nights in a good hotel?
Even the most seasoned traveler may wish to sprinkle in a few treat days here and there, but if your budget doesn’t allow for that, tension can build until a separation becomes necessary. No one wants to lose a friend like that. It can be avoided if you know each other’s budget and the level of comfort each requires beforehand.
To be continued…