LOOKING FOR A TRAVEL COMPANION?
Are you looking for a Travel Companion?
Things to consider though, before you start the search for a Traveling Companion.
Clarify what is your budget and your destination and your time frame. I have made the mistake in the past as to agreeing to travel with someone, only to find out that they wanted to do luxury travel, while my budget was moderate travel. Also, the amount of time involved in trip. Because I travel so much, I prefer to be gone on tours, no more than 8 days. My friends, though want to make the most of their trips and want to spend 2-4 weeks. For me, though cruises are the exceptions. I prefer a minimum 14-16 day cruise and in 2021, this will be upped to 21 days +. And my friends prefer 7-10 cruises.
Do you and this companion have common interests? I prefer visiting museums and churches. My friends like to shop and eat. See the difference. Are you a night-owl-I'm not. I'm in bed usually by 10pm and I rarely do breakfast, I prefer to sleep in. I've had many people ask me to go on hiking trips-I'm not a hiker.
What about food restrictions? All of this needs to be dealt with ahead of time. Traveling with a Vegan, this person may not be comfortable with you eating a steak every night. On the other hand, is this person a "foodie"-this can become quite expensive. Me, when I travel internationally, I tend to live on french fries & salads-no mystery meats for me.
How independent are you? How independent is your travel companion? Some travel companions I have traveled with can never be on their own. I am a very independent traveler.
Are you or your travel companion planners or more off the cuff, plan as you travel? Things to think about. What about shared expenses?
Now that you have a travel plan in mind, how are you going to meet someone?
How about family and friends? Is there someone that they could introduce you to? Your friends and family are always concerned about your safety, so this could be the best way.
How about meeting someone to travel with you while you're on your trip? I have done this many times. I remember meeting a woman in Athens, Greece at the hotel desk at the airport and we ended up being roommates for a week. It just worked out. We went sightseeing together, had meals and shared a room.
There are a few Tour Operators and Cruise Lines that will still match you with a same sex roommate. Princess Cruises and Vacations To Go (cruises only) offer this on their hosted Single Cruise Sailings. Princess has between 3-6 Singles Cruises per year and Vacations To Go usually has 10 Singles Cruises per year. There is also Adventures for Solo Travelers that will assist with roommates on their tours. There used to be many more, but the numbers are dwindling, nobody wants to accept the liability of not getting a good roommate.
How about Meetup.com . I have a Travel Meetup for Singles 50+ with over 3500 members in Las Vegas, NV. Many of these people have found travel partners through our monthly meetups. I started mine as a Social Hour for Travelers with similar interests. Start your own Travel Meetup!
If possible, how about taking a short trip with this new friend before taking on the bigger trip.
Of course, one thing I should stress is to always keep safety in mind. If you're traveling with someone on a trip and things or the person has changed as the trip goes on, bail out of that relationship and continue the trip on your own. It may cost a little more, but who wants to be put in a dangerous or bad situation.
Will I/Have I traveled with males? Yes, I have recently on my cruise to Japan. I traveled with a good friend who was a male and we had a great time, but... we each had our own cabin. I have also traveled with male roommates in the same room and that never works out. I won't do that anymore.
I have mentioned certain companies and I am not being paid to talk about them. These are just companies that I can recommend from my own personal use.
I hope I have inspired you to travel today.