Travel guide: Five ways to know if someone is a suitable travel companion

I have travelled and vacationed extensively across Europe, the Americas, South East Asia and Africa, and one thing I have learned from these trips: the people make it. 

Whether you are solo travelling, or are bringing a friend or family member along for the ride, those you connect with and share the special moments (and especially the stressful ones) with is an essential part of travelling, writes Travel News Blitz’s Chloe Willis.

So below is a list, in no particular order, of five ways to know if someone is going to make a good travel companion, with a few anecdotes along the way of when it worked for me (and when it didn’t!). 

1. Could you live with them?

Now this is a crucial question, because when you are travelling, you are spending every waking moment (and often un-waking moment) with this person or people. 

I spent 8 weeks travelling around Europe in a motorhome with my parents and younger sister, where the only privacy you get is when you traipse over to the toilet and shower block to relieve yourself. 

And sometimes that isn’t even fully private - with my mum shouting over the cubicle next to me, asking if it is alright if we cook the kebabs tonight rather than tomorrow. 

But, I of course lived with my family for 23 years of my life, having only just moved out a month ago, so I am used to the dynamic and how things work. 

We wash the dishes straight after dinner and there are no shoes (and definitely no number twos!) in the camper.

The unspoken and unwritten rules that we all abide by ensure the smooth running of the trip, and keep arguments to a minimum.

Although, of course, they do happen. 

I am lucky to be close to my family and we all seem to want to do the same things: exploring local towns, hiking up mountains and eating out as much as possible! 

But what is really important is aligning on how you like to keep your space, how you like to spend your time and how each individual fits into that. 

Living together isn’t the same as spending a weekend together, and travelling is on a spectrum that is much more closely aligned with a living situation. If you don’t think you could live together, I wouldn’t recommend travelling together. 

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2. Do they view travel in the same way as you?

Travel is a very individualised experience, with each person having their own unique perspective and journey, so making sure someone wants to get the same things out of the trip as you is essential. 

When I travel, I want to find off-the-beaten-track places; I want to immerse myself in the food and the culture of the place. 

I want to visit the markets on a Sunday, and drink coffee in the square on a Saturday afternoon. 

I want to paraglide off the mountains over a lake and spend the afternoon reading my book on the beach, reflecting on the morning.

I want to drink cocktails in bars with live music and make friends with locals and travellers alike. 

And if you don’t want the same, I will probably come to the end of the trip, feeling just a little hard done by. Because I didn’t get to see the painting, or speak to the cafe owner, or just wander aimlessly through cobbled streets. 

I have experienced this feeling before, a small sink of the heart, and it isn’t one I want to repeat.

My ex-boyfriend and I took many trips, including a city break to Copenhagen for the Christmas markets. 

I wanted to be up early in the morning, as the sun set at around 4pm, meaning the days were only short. 

He wanted to lie in until 11am and go out for lunchtime. 

This sort of clash meant someone had to compromise, and unfortunately that someone was me. It meant that I felt the trip was a little bit wasted. He wanted to relax after long days at work, while I was eager to explore as much as possible. 

Our differences meant the trip maybe didn’t live up to what we had both hoped, and that sort of disappointment stays with you. 

I didn’t realise how different our ideas of travel were until I went to Vietnam with my best friend, Alice, earlier this year. 

She is the epitome of the perfect travel companion and she inspired me to write this, because everyone needs to find their Alice. 

We both wanted to be up early to explore the streets of Hoi An, sit with coconut coffees and talk about life and our mutual existential crises, spend way too much on dresses we didn’t need, and then dance the evening away, chatting with new friends until 5am. 

Then do it all again the next day! 

We didn’t even have to think about accommodating the other person, we simply wanted the same thing.

And that was part of the reason it is my favourite trip to date - it was just so easy. 

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3. What is their budget? 

Money is a topic that often causes friction, in many relationships, and is a sensitive subject area for many. 

Having an open and honest conversation about how much you intend to spend on the trip is important, to make sure one person doesn’t feel disappointed and the other doesn’t feel pressured into spending more than they would like or guilted when they refuse to. 

Before my last two trips, myself and the person/people I was travelling with made a rough budget, with a breakdown of all the costs, including flights, accommodation, internal transport, eating out, activities, etc. 

Often there are unintended costs, or things that you have not accounted for. 

For example, in Peru, one of our hotels cancelled on us so we had to rebook at the last minute, which incurred higher costs than we had factored in. 

Being aware that things can change and having a sort of financial safety net is advised. 

People also like to spend their money on different things - I like eating out, so would rather splash the cash in this area, whereas others like shopping or souvenirs and would rather have a cheese toastie from 7/11 (which are delicious!). 

Your budget and how you like to travel are often one and the same, and it is important that you stick to what you are happy and comfortable with, to ensure you get the experience you are looking for.

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4. How do you spend your downtime? 

Travelling can be go, go, go!

So, winding down and relaxing at points across the trip allows you to recharge ready for the next part of the adventure. 

How you like to wind down after a long day or even how you would like to spend a whole day relaxing, can be a very individual experience. 

Personally, I like to sit by a pool with a good romance novel, pina colada in hand. 

Other people like an afternoon nap or to watch some trash hotel TV.

I think the biggest thing to acknowledge when you are travelling with someone else is that they may want to spend their downtime differently, and being able to accept that. But also understanding that some people like more time for relaxing than others. 

It again comes back to whether you view the trip or travel as a whole in a similar way. Do you want to be spending your days by the pool, relaxing, or do you want to be out and about exploring markets and historic sites. 

I think having a balance of both is important, and taking each other’s ideas and preferences into consideration is crucial. Sometimes, compromise is the only option! 

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5. Are they sociable?

This is one of the most important factors, in my opinion. 

Part of the reason I love travelling is that I love to meet new people from different places around the world and build a connection, even if it is for a few hours. 

Whether I am on a day tour, on a wander around the shops or out for a drink at a bar, I like striking up a conversation with the person next to me and finding out about their life. 

And when you are travelling, it seems to happen all that more often. 

If your travel companion doesn’t share this same love, it can make it difficult to get the most out of these social interactions and can sometimes lead to awkwardness or discomfort for all parties.

When Alice and I travelled around Vietnam in May, we met and made friends with so many people, some of whom I am still friends with. 

When queuing outside a restaurant, an English girl asked to look at our menu. 

The sound of this familiar accent is impossible to ignore, so of course, I invited her to join us for dinner. 

We ended up meeting again the following night, alongside a group of girls we had made friends with at different points along the trip. 

Being able to share these moments, eating Pho with a view over the river that runs through Hoi An, exchanging anecdotes and funny stories with new friends from across the globe is what makes travel truly special. 

Your travel companion should therefore align with this, and add something to these interactions, not take away from them. 

Because like I said, the people make it!

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