10 Things to Consider Before Choosing a Travel Partner

Travelling, especially to some place for the first time, is an exhilarating experience. That is why it is imperative to choose the right person to travel with. Choosing a travel partner — much like a life partner — will require you to carefully consider the compatibility of your personalities, spending allowances, and even hygiene levels! Putting enough thought into whether or not these factors would complement each other (or clash like a horribly put-together outfit) will make or break the trip.

So, if you’re planning a vacation with a friend (or even a romantic partner), here are some things you should discuss with them. (And yes, you should probably talk these about it before your actual trip!)

Also read: Yes, Travel Can Make or Break Relationships & Here’s How

Questions to ask when looking for a travel partner

1. What’s your budget for the trip?

Finding out how much your travel partner is willing to spend is going to help make the trip a more pleasant one. When the two of you are clear on each other’s budget, you can easily agree on how much to spend on food, accommodation and all the activities that you will be planning to do together. It might cause a lot of problems if one of you would rather scrimp and save, while the other person is more willing to splurge.

Also read: 11 Money Tips If You’re Not Earning Well Enough to Build a Travel Fun

2. How physically active are you?

If one of you prefers spending the entire day doing outdoor activities while the other rather spend it in pretty cafes, this might pose as a problem. Making sure that your partner is on the same page as you in terms of how much ground to cover and the pace at which you would like to travel is important. This will also help you two to plan what to do for the day, instead of over-planning or under-planning!

3. Are you a good conversationalist? Or do you appreciate (awkward) silence?

Are you someone who can talk non-stop or are you more of an introvert? When it comes to choosing a travel partner, finding the right balance in accordance with your own personality is key. After all, it would determine how much you’ll enjoy their company and vice versa. If you’re the type who can strike up a conversation about anything and your travel partner is as quiet as a mouse, it might be a mismatch in terms of conversing habits and will make for some pretty awkward silence (or the dreaded monologue). Essentially, it all comes down to knowing how much chit-chat the two of you can tolerate.

4. What are your interests?

This is where it might get a little tricky. Having a travelling partner who has the same interests as you would make it easier to plan activities together but that shouldn’t stop you from trying new things too! But if you rather just stick to doing things that you like, then you would be better off finding someone who likes the same things too.

5. What are you expecting from this trip?

Establishing the purpose of the trip is going to help planning a whole lot easier. Imagine if someone’s main goal is to shop, but the other’s is to sightsee or try out different dishes; that might create a lot of rifts and arguments — especially if you intend to experience the place together. So, it will be best if you two share the same purpose, or are willing to compromise on some activities. This should definitely help make the trip a lot smoother!

Also read: Self-Care for Travel: Tips & Tricks That Are Bound to Get You on Your Feet Again

6. Are you a Complain King/Queen?

If you’re stuck with a complain king/queen for a travel partner, then that’s going to be a huge headache. Things are bound to not go according to plan sometimes, and there’s a reason why there are contingency plans. If your travel partner has a knack for finding fault in every little thing and has a habit of nitpicking on everything that doesn’t go their way — well, good luck to you, my friend.

7. Would you consider yourself independent or clingy?

Depending on your own personality, you have to make sure that this aspect of your travel partner’s personality complements yours. If you’re more of an independent, I-need-my-alone-time kind of traveller, then you won’t do so well with someone who is comparably clingier.  Especially if you’re the type who needs personal space, you won’t want to keep fending off a needy travel partner who must stick by your side 24/7 either.

Also read: 6 Bad Travel Habits That Are Ruining Your Vacation

8. How spontaneous are you?

Another important thing to consider is how adaptable and easygoing your travel partner is. If you’re a spontaneous traveller, you won’t do so well with a stick-to-the-itinerary kind of travel partner. In any case, having someone who is adaptable is extremely important because it would determine how many unplanned spontaneous adventures you can have during the trip.

9. Are you nocturnal or are you an early riser?

When it comes to choosing a travel partner, having the same sleeping pattern would warrant careful consideration. It might cause a lot of conflicts if you’re an early riser while your travel partner would rather snooze till noon (or vice versa). One of you might have to spend a lot of time waiting unless the two of you have agreed to be able to go out sightseeing by yourselves.

10. On a scale of 1-10, how hygienic are you?

If this is not the most important thing to consider when choosing a travel partner, I don’t know what is. (Well, at least to me, it is.) Whether or not your travel partner makes a habit of leaving her/his dirty underwear or trash lying around in the hotel room is definitely going to make or break that trip.  Make sure that he/she has the same level of hygiene that you practise, if not higher. Having a clean travelling partner is going to make your trip a whole lot easier and not to mention a lot more pleasant.

Also read: Call Me Weird, But I Hate Travelling in Groups — Here’s Why!

So before throwing a pokemon ball at your travel partner and shouting “I choose you!” at the top of your lungs, give these questions some real thought. Travelling should be an adventure and enjoyable. So, make sure you pick the most compatible person to do it with. With the right travel partner, the trip is going to be that much sweeter.

---

Featured image credit: Leung Cho Pan via Canva Pro