Tips About Finding People to Travel With

One of the most fun and exciting parts about studying abroad is getting to travel to so many incredible new places alongside incredible new people. With that being said, sometimes finding these incredible new people to travel with can be a process that you won’t always get perfect every time. Like how it goes with new people in general, sometimes you hit it off instantly, and sometimes you don’t; and sometimes, it might take a while to get fully warmed up to each other before realizing you’ve made a friend for life. But when it comes to traveling together, things can become hectic very quickly due to hefty (and often early) schedules, long wait times, and stressful transportation experiences, among other stipulations that are a natural part of traveling. 

And likely, you won’t have that much time to get to know a person before you embark on life-changing adventures together. However, there are still plenty of things you can think about beforehand to make sure you end up having the experience you want. So, here are a few tips on how to decide if you’ve found the right person/people to travel with!

1. Make sure your values align when it comes to your ultimate goals of the trip

Some people might want to take more time to lounge and enjoy the environment of the new place you’ve journeyed to, while others want to do as many things as physically possible to get the most out of their time. Both are entirely valid, but they might clash when put together. I would recommend that before starting to plan a trip together, you ask everyone what they are (and maybe aren’t) willing to do, especially when it comes to having lofty schedules, inconvenient flight/train itineraries, and budgets. It could end up saving everyone a lot of time if it turns out you don’t match when it comes to standards of flexibility or what you want to get out of the trip.

2. Make sure you can communicate with them

When traveling, things can come up very often and very quickly. Someone’s metro is running late, a passport was forgotten, a phone is about to die. These are all issues that can be handled, but it’s important when you’re traveling with others that these problems are communicated when they come up so everyone is kept in the loop. Knowing beforehand that someone is or isn’t a very good communicator, or even in the instance of not feeling comfortable fully communicating with someone, once again can save you a lot of time prior to traveling.

3. Know that you don’t always have to do everything together

A common misconception about traveling with other people is that you always have to be together 24/7. While that is definitely possible and can be a lot of fun, it’s also important to keep in mind that if you want to do something that another person doesn’t want to do, you can still do it! Sometimes traveling with others works only in the best interest of having someone you know in the same city as you and splitting the cost of a hotel room, and that’s perfectly okay! You don’t have to have the same preferences, but it is important to communicate these expectations beforehand so that everyone knows what the trip will look like and no one is disappointed.

4. Enjoy being around them

You don’t necessarily have to be best friends to enjoy someone’s company, and when it comes to traveling together, this is especially true! You will most likely find yourselves in very stressful, chaotic, or close situations, and being able to get through it together, and even laugh at the situations at times, will make all the difference. Your travels will likely be an extremely memorable experience for you and who you travel with can help dampen or brighten the adventure. And while compatibility is important, also know that what you make of the experience is ultimately up to you!

I was very lucky in my own experience when it came to traveling with others. I had two amazing traveling partners when I went to Paris and Amsterdam, and it really helped that we all were very flexible, good communicators, and were willing to jam as much sightseeing as possible into a quick two days. But truthfully what I remember most about the trips was all the laughter that we were able to have together, even if most of it was from pure sleep deprivation or finding ourselves sleeping in what I can only imagine was the smallest room ever made for three people. And for me, I think the greatest part of this experience was that I didn’t know either of them particularly well before these trips, and yet we were still able to not only have such a great time together, but also really got to know each other. I think it really shows that the best parts about these adventures might not necessarily be the expectations you have beforehand, but the little moments you share with the others around you. Those moments just might end up being the best memories you can make.