So often, it's nice having a travel companion, but traveling together can sometimes make or break a friendship. Below are some topics to discuss with your prospective travel mates before even getting to the planning stages in a trip to avoid hurt feelings or severed relationships. This is what to discuss before booking a trip with someone:
MONEY/BUDGET This is definitely the most important piece to discuss. You can't assume that just because your travel companion makes a similar salary to you, that they are willing to spend it on a trip. Some people save all year to take one trip and spend a lot of money. Some people value taking multiple trips, but sticking to a tight budget. Discuss the budget and so that no one feels pressured to spend more than they are comfortable spending.
ACTIVITIES Are you looking to walk around the city? Do you want to do a Hop On/Hop Off Bus Tour? Are you looking to day drink? Should your days be filled with hiking? Do you want to shop until you drop? There are so many options, and you need to be on the same page about what the activities are going to be. Talk about what you are hoping to do in the destination to get a sense of if this trip is something you should be looking at doing together, or if you may want to seek out a different travel companion.
ACCOMMODATIONS What are the expectations when it comes to accommodations? Are people ok with a cheap budget hotel? A co-ed dorm hostel? A luxury hotel room? Where area do you want to stay in? Some people like to stay right in town, while others are looking for a more remote stay. Have this conversation to ensure you are traveling with someone who is looking at the accommodation in a similar way.
FOOD What is the expectation with eating? Some people look at a vacation as a time to eat out for every meal and really look forward to that. Someone like me, who tries to really save money while traveling; I like to look for accommodations with free breakfast and then I utilize grocery stores for lunch and sometimes for dinner. The way I travel can really throw someone off if they were planning to eat out for each meal. Have the conversation and get on the same page. Both travelers might need to compromise a bit.
SLEEP SCHEDULE If you don't know me well, you may now know that I love going to bed early and waking up early and getting going with my day while on vacation. But, I am also completely ok coming in right after dinner to rest up for the next day. Some of this, of course depends on if I am traveling for a quick weekend away, or if its a longer trip. But it's good to know what your travel companion's sleep habits are. If they aren't compatible, you just want to communicate that someone waking up earlier may get going on their day and just meet up after the other person wakes up.
PARTY PARTY PARTY! What is the expectation with going out and drinking? Be on the same page about this, otherwise it's going to end up with at least one person not having their needs met and not getting out of the trip what they were hoping for. Traveling is expensive and you want to make sure you feel like your money is being well spent.
PLANNED or OPEN With shorter trips, I like to have a rough plan for the days, but I like it to be open to whatever happens. I like to have ideas, while being fairly open. I have heard of people that plan their trips down to the minute, including bathroom breaks (not joking) and I could never travel with someone like that. It's another reason I don't ever want to take a trip with a tour company, because I don't like everything planned out on an adventure. You want to discuss before booking a trip with someone what their thoughts are about a travel itinerary.
SPLITTING THE BUDGET How are you going to split costs? A lot of people I travel with, it's very "you grab this check and I'll grab the next one". It doesn't matter if one check is $50 and the other is $75. But, I have always traveled with people who wanted to use the app SplitWise and put every dollar into the cost of the trip to ensure that everyone was spending the same amount down to the penny. Neither method is wrong or right; they're just different and you should discuss how you're planning to split, before taking the trip.
Talking through these 8 different topics can ensure that you are enjoying your adventures without having negative feelings about any of them. Do yourself a favor and discuss before booking a trip with someone, and then enjoy your next adventure!
Spot on!