Today’s guest post comes from Emily Starbuck Gerson at Maiden Voyage. Emily is a professional writer based in Austin, Texas. She adores travel so much that she runs her own travel blog. When she’s not traveling or writing, Emily loves photography and playing cello.
5 Ways to Avoid Problems with Your Travel Partner
I have had moments where I have been at my absolute wit’s end with my travel partner, and I get the feeling that I’m not alone. I encountered this most recently with a travel partner who was a family member. We love each other like crazy, but our travel styles were different and we just couldn’t get along. It put a real damper on the trip for both of us.
Traveling can be stressful, and whether it’s with a family member, a romantic partner, or a friend, it’s not uncommon to occasionally clash with the person we’re globetrotting with. Here are some ways you can avoid conflict with your travel partner.
1. Do a Test Run
If you’re thinking about traveling with someone for the first time, and the trip is long (several weeks or several months), go on a small trip together first. Maybe a quick weekend getaway somewhere. Do they want to party non-stop in nightclubs while you prefer a mellow night at a café? Are they single and trying to hook up with people while you are committed to someone at home? See if your travel styles and interests mesh, and consider if you enjoy being together 24/7 before you commit to traveling together for a long period of time.
Getting along in Italy
2. Find Common Ground
Not everybody loves museums, and some people can’t stand loud bars. Some travelers enjoy boisterous hostels, while others (like me) can’t stand the thought of sharing personal space with strangers. Before you book your trip, discuss what you both do and don’t want out of the trip together. This includes transportation method, accommodation type, drinking style, and interest in attractions. Make sure you both feel like your needs will be met. Traveling with someone else takes compromise, so you both might have to make some concessions — just make sure you don’t give up something that’s a deal-breaker for you, or you might be resentful and miserable.
3. Have a Plan
Maybe you’re going to be traveling with a family member who you know can push your buttons. Perhaps you are planning to travel with a friend who has a flair for drama. Before you leave for your trip, make a plan for what you will do if you get in a fight or make each other crazy. Acknowledge that nobody is perfect, and that you may at some point find yourselves not getting along. Agree that you are both allowed to step away and have some alone time if you need it, and that you won’t get mad at the other for requesting it.
4. Step Away
Whether you plan for it ahead or not, be willing to separate, even if just for 30 minutes, to cool down and have some space. If you are clashing because one person wants to explore the Louvre for five hours while the other would rather spend that time going shopping along the Champes Elysee, consider splitting up to give each other space and the opportunity to do what you each really want to do.
Making new friends in Ireland
5. Make Other Friends
If you don’t want to spend any of your time solo, one great way to break up tension and enjoy the company of others is to make new friends. One method is to go to a bar or pub likely to be frequented by people in your age group, or you could go on an organized tour. There are several companies, such as Contiki, that specialize in tours for younger people. You and your travel partner will be so busy meeting and having fun with interesting people from around the world that you’ll forget why you were giving each other the silent treatment earlier that day.
Visit Emily’s site: Maiden Voyage
Follow Emily on Twitter: @themaidenvoyage
Note: Photos by Amanda
I’m planning a year long trip and I couldn’t do it with someone I didn’t mesh with. In every day life I gotta have my space, I don’t care how well we get along. I imagine on the road that need for space would be magnified. Thats a big reason why I’m doing it solo. Taking a break from each other I think would be key.
Nick Laborde recently posted..Held Hostage By The American Dream
I agree. There’s nothing worse that being stuck 24/7 with someone that you can’t stand.
I need to use this advice, I hate Kirsty.
I’m only kidding but sometimes you do have to say ‘shut up’. It’s nasty but better than geting wound up and saying something worse after keeping it all inside. Luckily me and Kirsty spend all day taking the piss out of each other anyway so it doesn’t normally get that far!
It’s good that you guys have a light-hearted relationship and travel style most of the time. Being able to laugh at things (and each other) can only be a plus when traveling as a couple.
But the “shut up” moments, while liable to sting for at least a little while, are important, too. Like you said, better to get it out and over with than to let the anger or annoyance or whatever it is build up and explode later.
I’m going to Thailand in Feb with somebody who I have never travelled with before… looking forward to it but anxious at the same time!
We get on really well as friends… but I live on the other side of the world so maybe that’s why? haha.. who knows! We’ll see soon!
Dan Collins recently posted..The Countdown begins!
Traveling with somebody new is always an adventure. Hopefully you two get along! And, if not, hopefully you figure out how to still have a good time.