What happens when you’ve found your next destination, but are not feeling up to traveling alone? How do you decide who to invite? Have you ever been on a trip with someone that seemed like would be the perfect person, but wish you had left them at home? If you’re planning to travel with a friend/friends, here’s a few things I’ve picked up along the way:
1. Pick a travel partner based on the type of trip. Your best friend might be the perfect person to attend an out of state concert with, but might not be the person to take on a international trip. Throw in a foreign language and different customs, some people cannot handle it!
2. All parties need to agree to the itinerary, so do not let your friend be an inactive participant. If all parties are on the same page, once you get on the plane/train or car, your trip will be a lot less complicated.
3. Be upfront about things you are willing and are unwilling to do. If you are afraid of heights and will never go zip lining in a forest, share that information when the trip is being planned.
4. If money is an issue, make sure all parties are aware of the budget.
5: If your friend has never stayed in a hostel, make them understand what hostels are and how they differ from hotels. This is especially true if someone is from the US, where hostels are not as popular as they are in other countries.
6. Compromise, compromise, compromise! If you do not know how to compromise, travel alone because it’s better for everyone!
7. Be flexible. If your friend gets mad and leaves you alone when traveling overseas, it can turn into the best trip instead of the worst! Traveling alone is sometimes the best thing that can happen.
Do you have any lessons learned from traveling with friends? If so, please share!