Your travel buddy can make or break an adventure, so thinking through some ideal qualities for your perfect companion might be wise. I am extremely lucky to have travelled around Europe with my best friends, and Asia and Australia with my boyfriend- so these would be the traits that I would look out for.
A good place to start is with someone who is reliable. If you are anything like me, you will need someone you can trust to drag you out of bed in the mornings in order to make the most of the day. You also don’t need the stress of somebody who loses their passport every week, or even decides to cancel on the trip entirely at the last minute.
Organisational skills are also important. If they can organise themselves, that’s great, but if they can organise your life too, even better! Perhaps they remembered to pack a water bottle for you or researched the best mode of transport to make your way around the city. These things may seem menial, but they will affect the ease with which your trip unfolds.
If they can organise themselves, that’s great, but if they can organise your life too, even better!
It’s the little things, like sneakily making lunchtime sandwiches at the free breakfast that can really cut the cost of your trip down, therefore a resourceful person is key. If your buddy is not prepared to occasionally fold napkins in a restaurant to help pay for dinner, you’re in for an expensive trip.
However, it is also important that your companion isn’t too frugal. You want someone who knows when to splurge. For example, activities such as skydives or boat trips are not cheap, but well worth the money. I think it’s important to strike a balance between knowing when to save, and when to spend.
Lastly, your buddy definitely needs to have a sense of humour. You will need a friend who will be able to make you laugh even on a 15 hour bus journey. Somebody who lacks hilarity when finding your way back to a hostel in the early hours of the morning, would not be ideal.
Overall, as long as your travel buddy possesses similar qualities to yourself, I’m sure that your trip will go smoothly. Whoever you pick to travel the world with, make sure you relish every moment of such an incredible opportunity.