Do you want to go on a trip with me?

WRONG. 

Before we decide to travel with someone, there are many factors we need to take into consideration beforehand. And as much as you want to take that epic best friends trip to this exotic location, are you SURE you really want to travel together? Or maybe you want to take an amazing trip with your significant other. Are you SURE they’re the right person to share this trip with? I’ve traveled with my family, my cousins, my aunts and uncles, friends, strangers, and my significant other. Here are five questions to ask before you decide to travel with someone, that could save you your trip!

1. Can you survive hating each other for a short period of time?

Traveling brings with it the excitement of uncertainty! And with that uncertainty comes the adventure, spontaneity, and the frustrations. Especially while traveling in a foreign country that doesn’t speak your native language, this can cause problems and mishaps. Can you survive hating your travel partner for a period of time? You’ll be spending every minute with them, going through the travel mishaps and excitement, but also going through the moments of annoyance and frustration. Will all of that affect your relationship afterwards? These are all important things to consider before planning who you want to travel with. If you both know you can survive being VERY annoyed with each other and hating each other for a short period of time, and still love each other afterwards, you’re on the right track!

Although I love my family and my friends, I know I wouldn’t be able to travel with them on certain trips. Good thing my family HAS to love me, no matter what, because I’m sure I annoy them just as much as they annoy me!

2. Do you have the same travel goals?

Everyone travels for a different reason. Some people travel to experience museums and all the tourist spots, others travel to meet people abroad, and some just travel because they think it’s what they need to do. Does your travel partner have the same travel goals as you do? This is one thing that I’ve learned is an important question to ask before planning a trip (or really anything you do)! You may have different travel goals than what your travel partner has, which may make your trip a bore, chore, or something that you end up not enjoying. One thing I always try to do is share my intentions BEFORE we leave. That way, whomever I’m traveling with, we can work through the itinerary and compromise where necessary.

You don’t want to travel with someone who has a completely different travel goal than you do! The trip might be more awkward, frustrating, and less enjoyable for both of you. If your heart is set on traveling with this person, or people, compromise!

3. Do you have the same or similar budgets for the trip?

There is nothing MORE uncomfortable than traveling with someone who doesn’t have the same budget as you do. Whether you’re a big spender or a budget traveler, everyone spends differently. I consider myself to be in the middle ground of a budget traveler, but am willing to spend a bit extra for certain activities or food that will enhance my experience in a city or country. If you’re more of a lavish spender and traveling with a budget traveler, there are definitely constraints. And if you’re a budget traveler with a lavish spender, there tends to be a bit of exclusion.

While I travel, I enjoy being with people who have the same or similar budgets as I do. It makes me feel more comfortable knowing that they also understand my financial situation. I’ve traveled with extreme budget travelers before. Although I always try to be respectful of everyone’s financial situations, we both ended up feeling as though one person was holding the other back. I’ve also traveled with very lavish spenders and we weren’t able to compromise about activities because one of us didn’t want to do it, or the other couldn’t afford it.

4. Are you comfortable with traveling solo during any parts of the trip?

Kindof a silly question to ask if you plan on traveling with someone, right? But, this is actually pretty important! I love traveling with one or two other people because it allows me to share my thoughts, talk things over, and be able to try more things (food priorities?). But, I also love traveling solo because it pushes me out of my comfort zone, allows me to meet different people, and I’m on my own time and schedule. Just because you travel together doesn’t mean that you ALWAYS NEED TO BE TOGETHER.  Actually, that should be a life lesson (HAH!), but really.

When I traveled with various groups of people, there were plenty of times we ended up having “group think”. Which meant that because no one wanted to hurt anyways feelings or we were all trying to be likeable, we ended up doing the same thing because no one else spoke up. I am totally guilty of this. I’ve agreed to going places that I didn’t care for, done things that I didn’t have the money to do, or sat at home because everyone else wanted to rest, when I didn’t want to. This is something I still struggle with when I travel with people! I’m learning that it is FINE to go off by yourself if you want to.

5. Can you both hold your liquor?

To be honest, I probably should have put this question as number one! Can you both hold your liquor? Unless you both don’t drink, experiencing the party/bar scene in a new place is half the fun of being in a different place. But, what isn’t fun is traveling with someone who cannot hold their liquor. I’m all about having a great time and enjoying a few drinks! But, while I am on a trip, it’s hard for me to go “PARTY MODE” because I never want to be hungover the next day (unless we really have nothing else to do).

Ask yourself if this person can hold their liquor, because it isn’t fun to be taking care of someone while you’re in a different area and expected to be exploring the next day. It also isn’t fun to be traveling while hungover, it just makes everyone slow.

So, do you want to go on a trip with me?

While these are a few questions to ask before you plan to travel with someone, I trust y’all’s judgement. Like I mentioned before, I’ve traveled with my family, my extended family, with friends, with strangers, my significant other, with my dog, and have been a third wheel on various trips. Each destination was different, but the one thing I learned was that no matter how AMAZING a place is, having the right people to share it with makes an enormous difference. Who is your favorite person to travel with? Why does it work? Let me know in the comments below! 

I will leave y’all with some pretty darn good advice from Bill Murray (even if you don’t plan on getting married with this person!):

Enjoyed this post? You might like these, too!
Finding Time For Travel
5 Websites For Easy (and cheap) Travel!
Traveling In A Group (& How To Survive!)
Why You SHOULD Travel