5 Things to Cover with Your Travel Buddy Before the Trip – Travel Planning Tips for Women – Lifestyle and Travel Blog
Hearing that you’re going on a trip with a close friend is super exciting, but how do you make sure that you come back from the trip equally as close? For some reason, I found that friendships really struggle when you are spending a great amount of time together; especially when you have different sleeping times, travel styles or how people prefer to act in a new place. No judgment at all, it happens; but there are a few things that you should cover before your trip to make sure that you are just as good afterward. Here are five things to cover with your travel buddy before the trip:
Best Tips Before Traveling with a Buddy:
Your expectations for the trip
First thing I recommend you talk to your travel partner about is your expectations for the trip. A lot of us go on trips with different intentions and if you weren’t clearly stating them beforehand, the mismatch and preferences can cause a rift in your travel plans. What do I mean by this? What I mean is, do you intend for this trip to be leisurely or are you trying to maximize your itinerary with the most that you can do while in a new place? Is a huge difference between going on a trip for rest and relaxation & needing to relax after a jam-packed vacation.
There is nothing wrong with wanting to relax while on vacation or wanting to thoroughly explore a new place, but not being on the same page can have either of you feeling like you’re ideals do not align. Is the two of you build your itinerary make sure to establish the days that you will be waking up early to explore and the others that you may want to stay in for the morning and relax; this clarity before the trip will allow for a frictionless experience while on vacation.
Your travel style
Although this is very similar to establishing your expectations, distinguishing your travel style is just as important. I’ve been a budget traveler for as long as I can remember – as you can see by my free travel guides – but it’s true that some of my friends prefer bedding with a higher thred count. While I may pack snacks to avoid overpriced food, some of my friends think that the price is part of the experience; both aspects are okay. There’s nothing wrong with being a budget traveler and there’s nothing wrong with wanting to best, talking to your travel buddy about what your travel style is will allow the two of you to figure out if you would even be staying in the same hotel throughout your stay.
Budget
Another important conversation to have with your travel buddy is your budget; it’s always possible to have a trip on a cheaper budget or a more expensive budget, but it may feel impossible to appeal to someone who is dead set on spending or overspending by a certain amount. I like to open the conversation talking about the things that I’m willing to splurge on while also considering the things that I don’t feel as important to spend money on; sharing your budget early and working on it together will allow for a more synchronized understanding of the elements of your itinerary.
this may sound like a no-brainer, but it’s actually something that gets overlooked all the time. You and your friend may book a cheaper hotel for the sake of keeping costs down, but what happens when a single excursion is just as much as a several nights day at your accommodations? Would you still be as willing? Another thing I like to bring up is people who travel frequently aren’t always building grand budgets for these trips, spending a few nights at cheap accommodations so that you can splurge on a single night somewhere else isn’t unheard of.
Time management
Similar to travel styles and figuring out if you’re looking to relax or if you’re looking to hit the road running, time management is really important. Some of us take just short of forever to get ready in the morning while others could just brush their hair, brushed their teeth and go. There’s a saying that, “you don’t truly know someone until you go on a vacation with them” and I strongly believe that a quote is true.
this may be my type a personality, but I do believe that more than just the transportation on your itineraries should have travel times. Figuring out how long you need to prepare as well as how long it takes to go from point a to point B or tremendously help you maximize your time and be more aware of what’s going on.
Possibly spending some time apart, even in the same space.
Some of us are totally fine with being solo, while others picked a travel buddy because they wanted to experience this trip with someone else; making sure that your itineraries both has time together and time apart will allow you guys to recover without the strain of a travel partner. I highly recommend being communicative with your needs so that you can have a great time on this vacation; you’re traveling with someone you feel safe with, right?
Spending time apart can include doing two totally different activities, but it also can include doing something else while in the same place. If you’re in a museum, the two of you can see separate Exhibit and circle back to tell each other about it; if you’re in the same room, the two of you can mindfully read, research the next spots or enjoy different snacks. I know it might sound weird at first, but you’ve met people who prefer silence before their coffee? Is it uncommon to need some points to decompress.
Any more tips on what to ask your travel partner?
I love to hear about any tips or questions that you ask a potential travel partner; this may not be a big deal to you, but for some people it can make or break the time they have. I don’t think that this list is a 100% way to weed out a mismatch in travel styles, but I do think that vacation should be equally fun for everyone. I don’t see the harm in asking a few questions so that you can tailor the itineraries to something that you both enjoy.