I almost exclusively talk about solo travel since that is almost all that I do but recently I actually took a trip with a friend of mine and I thought that it could be an experience that other solo travelers could find useful. My first real trip was with my mother and sister. It is the primary reason why I decided that I needed to permanently travel by myself. However, things change and I think that it is important to adapt. Here are some tips and tricks of how to find a travel buddy and what you should be looking for.
Why You May Want a Travel Buddy:
Finding a travel buddy isn’t for everyone and it may be something that you only do on a few trips. One reason why you may want a travel buddy is that you want to hit the clubs or enjoy nightlife. When I travel alone, I make it a practice to be up early and to be back to wherever I am staying in the early evening if not earlier. If you are looking for someone to hit the town at party hours then I am not your girl. So, if you feel like you might want to have a couple of drinks or meet a couple of hook ups then you probably want to bring someone with you. This way, you can have a backup that is close enough to actually provide help if something were to happen.
Are You Going International?
Another reason you may want to get a travel buddy is if it is your first time going international. I was super confident in my ability to travel alone so my first international trip was by myself. However, it can be an overwhelming experience if you aren’t used to catching different flights, maneuvering through different languages, fighting public transportation, and a number of other tricky issues that comes with travel. If you think that you will have a more pleasant experience with a bit of backup then you should find a buddy even if it isn’t for your entire trip.
Is The Area Slightly Dangerous?
A third reason why you may want a travel buddy is because you are going to a place by yourself where you don’t feel comfortable being by yourself. For instance, I want to go to the Caribbean but I haven’t gone because I don’t want to go alone. I have read way too many stories about sexual assaults and I don’t want to be part of that number. Now, I am in no way saying that if you go to the Caribbean alone that you will be assaulted. I’m just saying that for safety reasons, it isn’t the place that I want to go alone. For this reason, I have been on the hunt for someone who can go with me and that I can check in with.
Where to find your travel buddy:
Let me introduce you to my travel buddy. Like me, her name is Khadijah. I literally found her online. We happen to be part of the same online travel groups and also the same Facebook book club. I wrote a post about Facebook groups that you can join to expand your travel network and I am here to tell you that they actually work. Earlier in 2019 I sent Khadijah a Facebook message and stated that I wanted to be friends because we spell our names the same way. A few weeks later, I asked her if she wanted to go to Hawaii with me and boom! There we were.
If you don’t live the kind of life where you run into people that travel like you do in your daily life, then online may be where you find a travel buddy. If you join an online group then you already know that you have narrowed down the human pool to people who want to travel and more than likely are actively traveling already. You can find a Facebook group for just about any type of traveler and I am part of several that are just for women or just for Black women.
You can also build your travel tribe through travel. When I am traveling I make it a practice to speak to strangers. I don’t put all of by business out there but I do make it a practice to strike up a couple of conversations while waiting for a plane, train, or automobile. At the very least you should be able to get a few tips of places to go and different things to see since other people may be doing different things than you. I’m in no way suggesting that you just randomly run off with strangers from the airport but you may find that you want to meet up with them for a meal.
What you need to look for:
I want to cover a few hot spots that any traveler should want to discuss with their travel buddy before making any sort of concrete plans.
- When are you waking up?: If you are an early bird like me and you want to catch the 6AM sunrise, you should be weary to make your travel buddy a night owl who wakes up 10AM or later. They will be up when you are trying to sleep and asleep when you want to be doing things. This goes the other way as well. It’s important that you find someone who want to do the things that you want to do at a mutually convenient time or you all need to agree that there will be certain activities that will have to be done alone.
- Diet restrictions or desires: If you are a meat eating, southern, BBQ queen then you might now want to hitch your wagon to a gluten free vegan who does intermittent fasting. Food is a big part of the travel journey and you want to enjoy it. Make sure you discuss with your buddy what they like to eat, if they have any diet restrictions, and what their food budget is BEFORE you buy that ticket.
- How are you doing transportation: To me, anything under 2 or so miles is walkable. If we walk 5-6 miles or more in a day then I am completely okay with that. If you hate walking and want to Taxi everywhere then I am not the girl that you want to be traveling with. It’s important to talk about how you will be getting around the city before you arrive and find out that you and your buddy want to travel differently.
- What is your budget: If you are a budget traveler that doesn’t want to see any attractions then you don’t need to attach yourself to someone who is trying to make it rain. I personally travel a lot throughout the year. Every trip that I take isn’t about spending a bunch of money. I try to be honest with the people that I travel with about how much money I am willing to spend and where I am willing to put that money.
- In case of emergency: When an emergency happens, what are you and your buddy planning to do? You pop a tire on a road trip? One of you gets sick? Who do you contact if someone goes missing and you can’t find them? These are all things that you should talk about to make sure that you are both on the same page.
If this doesn’t work out:
Part of being an adult is dealing with disappointment. There will be many times that things don’t work out. I was blessed to have a wonderful time with my travel buddy but I know some people where it all goes to shit. With that being said, you need to make sure that you have a backup plan. If it doesn’t work out can you all still be cordial and kind to one another. If you don’t think that this is something that you can do or the other people can’t do, then pick a different travel buddy. No one has time for that shit.
There you have it. A short guide on how to find a travel buddy. Let me know what you think in the comments. Also, drop a few lines about your experiences in finding a travel buddy.