Alright, I’ll be honest, traveling alone is one of the best things anyone can do for themselves. The confidence you develop by being able to successfully navigate yourself in a foreign country is priceless. Not to mention, the complete and total freedom to do as you please, at all times, is unbeatable. However, since that is not always the case, let me give you some tips on how to make it work with others around.
Tip #1- Be Considerate
When you guys begin to plan the trip, start talking about what each person wants out of it. What are your priorities? What sights do you want to see? What kind of places do you want to visit or experience, and what do you want to eat? But the most important one of all is what kind of budget everybody has.
While I enjoy roaming around the streets aimlessly for hours, some would find that to be a waste of time. I know plenty of people that have luxury as a priority. While I, on the other hand, I am perfectly content in a dorm room with 24 beds and bodies. To each their own, so remember to be considerate of how people would like to enjoy certain experiences.
Allow people the freedom to make their own itineraries so you can all enjoy your travels.
–Wait a second, make their own itineraries?
Yup! That’s exactly what I said.
Tip #2- Keep an Open Mind
I don’t know about you, but whenever I went traveling with someone, I assumed we had to do everything together. Now I have no problem with that, as long as both people are on the same page. Still, I found myself dismissing what I wanted to do because I felt obligated to be in that person’s company. This later led to unnecessary resentment that could have been avoided.
Traveling together does not mean spending every single second glued to each other’s side. You don’t do that when you’re home, so why would you think it would work while on vacation? There are going to be things that each of you wants to do, so allow each other the freedom to do so. The point of the vacation is to have fun and relax, no?
In one of my travels I came across a couple that really set the bar for me in terms of companionship:
While I was in the Netherlands, I had the honor of working alongside a beautiful couple from Argentina. Flor and Pela had been traveling together for almost a year by the time I met them, and everywhere they went they carried over 100 pounds of luggage. Why?
Flor is an artist—a painter, to be exact. Her art supplies and pieces are about half the weight, yet neither of them ever considered leaving it behind. When it was time to go somewhere new, they packed everything up and carefully transported all her materials to their next location.
Pela, on the other hand, collected knick-knacks from every new place. This added some weight as well, yet they still remained unfazed by the amount of weight they carried. I remember watching them pack the night before they left for Italy and cracking up because they were running out of hands to carry all their stuff.
It took an incredible amount of teamwork, to say the least, but it was awesome to see how well they worked together within each other’s limits.
(Check out some of Flor’s collection HERE)
Moral of the story? Traveling with a significant other, or a group of friends and family has its difficulties. But like any problem, there is always a solution, you just have to be willing to find it. What are some things you would recommend?
Let me know in the comments below!
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For more tips and tricks on how to make traveling a reality, follow my adventures or Venmo a donation to @taynaho for a personal consultation on any questions you have.
-Taynahmite