Need a travel buddy?
Traveling solo is great but it's also fun to have a travel companion with you to share your travel memories with! I have traveled solo several times and it's fantastic, but to be honest having a travel buddy can definitely be beneficial for both you and him/her. When you have a travel buddy, you have someone to watch your back. You have someone to watch your luggage/suitcase or carry-on, especially when you need to use the restroom. Another great benefit of having a travel buddy is that they can help you carry some of your stuff when your hands are full. Also, your travel buddy can take your pictures when you travel or when you feel sick during your travel, they can buy your medication at a nearby store or pharmacy for you while you rest at your hotel or accommodation. Now, if you don't have a travel buddy that you can take along with you on your journeys, here are some websites that I found that can be extremely helpful for every traveler. You don't necessarily have to travel with them on the airplane, but you can also meet with other travelers while you are in their country, or even someone who can tour you around their hometown. I do want to be honest though, please be careful and cautious at ALL TIMES! If you are unsure about meeting that person, don't ! Do your research first. When you meet up, make sure it's in a lightly lit environment and that it's in a public place. I don't want you to take a risk if you feel you are not safe. I repeat, be careful and at the same time, if possible get to know them first, or even better do a background check on them!
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Find the Travel Buddy Who is Perfect for YOU!
Congratulations on finally making the decision of wanting to take the vacation of a lifetime or simply wanting to start traveling more! I have done a lot of traveling alone over the years, which has allowed me to absorb the absolute best of so many areas of the world! However, I can understand how you may not want to travel on your own. After all, there is something fabulous about having someone else to help you keep an eye on your luggage and help watch your back! Therefore, if you truly want a travel buddy, you need to know how to find the perfect one. So, do know what you should do as you are attempting to choose the travel buddy who is perfect for you? Don’t worry, not many do, and this is an issue that so many travelers like yourself have, but there are so many things that you can consider, to make the best decision for both of you!
Here are 5 things that you need to have in common with a potential travel buddy to have a fabulous vacation together:
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1. Always Have Mostly the Same Interests!
Okay, so you probably already know that your perfect travel buddy is not going to be a person who wants a sandy beach vacation if all you want to do is traipse along the mountain trails! However, did you know that you should also have at least a few of the same interests? I suggest that you make a list of the things that you like to do while you are on vacation and have those travel buddies you are considering do the same. Once you compare them, you will instantly see who you may be a better match with. A piece of advice for this step… If you find a travel buddy that has most of the same interests as you but has one or two things that you have either never done before, or are not sure of, do not discount them immediately. Who knows, you may enjoy doing those activities and just don’t know it yet!
2. Consider Your Budgets
Your perfect travel buddy is not going to have a budget that is completely different from yours. If you are looking for vacations on a dime, then please do not choose a travel buddy that will think nothing of wanting to spend $200 for one meal! Of course, the same holds true if you want an extravagant vacation and a potential travel buddy wants to spend as little as possible.
3. Consider Your Communication Skills
It can be difficult to find a travel buddy that has the communication skills as you do, yet this is key to a successful vacation! If you are a talker, yet your potential travel buddy won’t speak up, even if something is wrong, you are both going to have a few problems. Travel buddies must be able to communicate with each other about anything or everything, even if it is just to say that they need an hour or two for themselves.
4. Consider Your Schedules
There are no true schedule guidelines for vacations, but if you are an early riser who likes to hit the sack earlier at night, you are not going to want to travel with someone who considers noon the perfect wake up time! And don’t even think that you can work with the other person when the vacation begins, because it will never happen!
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5. Consider Common Sense
Not everyone has the same amount of common sense, which is why you are going to want to consider your travel buddy carefully. If you have quite a bit of common sense, and the person that you want to travel with has very little, it may become an issue when you are traveling. You definitely will not want to be caught rolling your eyes, as you explain for the millionth time why you can or cannot do something in a foreign country.
Now, family members, friends, and even co-workers and acquaintances can be your perfect travel buddy, especially if they check off all the boxes from the list above. However, if you think that you can choose a person that you are normally at odds with on occasion, please think again. If you and your best friend cannot get along for an entire evening without having a small disagreement, a vacation together most likely would never work!
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You should also be cautious when choosing co-workers, as a rough vacation together could lead to issues in the office afterwards. And I know that you are not going to want to start looking for a new job to get away from this person when you return!
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If you do not seem to have the perfect travel buddy within your circle, you may want to consider attempting to find one online. There are plenty of websites that cater to matching travel buddies, including Lonely Planet Travel Companion, Trip Together, Travel Companion Exchange and so many more I have listed below.
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A word of caution though when using those sites… You never know when someone is being authentic when signing up for them or when they are trying to find someone to take advantage of. I recommend making sure that you choose a reputable site that does everything that they can to keep their clients safe and that you spend quite a bit of time getting to know the travel buddy that you are considering. The more time you spend talking to them and getting to know them, the better your chances are of seeing if something could be wrong, and if they truly are the perfect person to go on vacation with.
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Your perfect travel buddy is out there! You just need to take your time finding them, and if you can’t, then go on that vacation anyway! You’ll still have a blast by yourself!
Anyway, I have listed some useful sites below to help you find a travel buddy just in case you aren't able to find one on your own. These sites have been helpful for many fellow travelers! Again, be responsible, careful and select the one that's right for you!
Lonely Planet Travel Companion - I love Lonely Planet! This site has access to many travelers just like you, who are registered on their site and are looking for a travel companion. There is a forum on their site which lists all the travelers destination and what kind of travel buddy they are looking for. On the forum, they will even tell you how long they plan to visit that country and what kind of hobbies/activities they are planning on doing there, so I think that's very helpful - because it gives you an idea of what that person is like and if you are able to go along with their flow. I say, definitely check out this site because there are lots and lots of travelers looking for a travel buddy to make their travel dreams a reality.
Travel Companion Exchange allows you to view profiles for no price. So before you find a travel companion from this site, you can look around and see what it is about. The profiles are very straightforward and allow you to post what kind of travel buddy you are looking for, what kind of trip you want to take, etc. etc.
TripGiraffe is really easy to use. It offers the options of finding a travel buddy, exploring all travelers on the site, and looking for meetups. You can search for trips coming up soon as well as create your own.
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Each mini profile is straightforward listing the exact places you will be going, the dates you will be traveling, your gender and age, as well as the type of trip and budget.
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Check out some of the profiles before you build your own – you might just want to hop on someone else’s trip!
How about a new site called Trip in Touch. “Same place. Same time. Same interests. Trip in Touch – find your next Travel Buddy!”
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Other travelers, on the other hand, love traveling solo, but they wouldn’t mind spending some time with a fellow traveler for a dinner, a coffee, or to simply share the travel expenses.
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Trip in Touch is a Digital Platform that helps people find the perfect Travel Buddy for any kind of trip or adventure, no matter if i’ts a solo traveler or a group of wanderlusters!
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The app is on its way, for now, you can subscribe and join their Facebook groups to connect with other travelers.
Travello is an app designed to make travel social. Known for where travelers connect, Travello asks you what you are interested in and then helps you to connect with other travelers nearby.
This is an excellent way to meet a travel buddy, whether you’re at home before the trip takes place or on the actual trip!
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If you meet someone at home with similar interests and who loves to travel, chances are it could be a good match! This also eliminates traveling far to meet up before the trip.
Tourlina is specifically for females looking for female travel buddies. Another option to browse other trips, create your own, and speak with other females about their trips too!
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The app promises a trusted and secure network of individuals.
Select a time and a place and see who will be there! Flip the Trip is another app to help you meet other travelers on your trip!