Traveling is one of the most wonderful things you can do in life but doing it with company is even better.
So, how do you find travel companions? This is a question people often ask themselves, especially because in our hyperconnected and hypersocial world, it's not always easy to relate to others.
Undoubtedly, it used to be easier to form relationships, even if not lasting: there was no social stigma attached to being alone and, in fact, the ongoing lack of evidence of relationships could even be a “green light” for the shyest.
Nowadays, however, discovering how to find travel companions is a bit more complex, and it requires better thinking on how to solve this kind of problem.
The simplest and most immediate solution to understand how to spend holidays with company might be to start alone and find travel companions directly on the road,as was done in the past, but why complicate life?
Traveling alone is undoubtedly an activity thatoffers advantages, but not everyone appreciates solitude, and, even worse, not everyone has the courage to travel without the so-called safety net..
Now let's try to understand together what the advantages and disadvantages of traveling alone are.
Why Travel Alone?
Why would anyone ever want to travel alone?
Traveling alone in a new place or generally in the world is a great way to embark on an introspective journey with oneself,to start with.
Having no one to talk to means you have to talk to yourself, and this can be very important during difficult moments in life.
Along the same less practical lines, consider that traveling alone, in a way, forces a person to push themselves and step out of their comfort zone. If you don’t have a friend who speaks the local language, for example, you will have to do it yourself;if you don’t have someone to explain things to you, you will have to do it yourself..
In this way, traveling alone becomes a tool for growth..
Why Travel With Company
Traveling with company means sharing potentially life-changing experiences with someone, but not only that. Traveling with company offers a number of significant advantages.
For example? Traveling with company allows you to save money:when traveling as a pair, you can split expenses and thus save!
This is because, in hotels and accommodations, single rooms often cost almost as much as doubles. This way, two people can better absorb costs, making the vacation more valuable for both; returning to work will be less painful knowing you spent a reasonable amount.
Traveling with company, especially if you are a woman, means having access to a higher level of safety. As sad as it is to say, it’s undeniable that traveling alone exposes a person to greater risks,which can be avoided simply by having someone nearby during the trip. Bad people are definitely more hesitant if there are two potential victims instead of one.
Perhaps a note should be added here: traveling with someone means being with that person 24/7, always seeing their strengths and flaws. Sometimes relationships aren’t all rosy, so you have to be prepared to compromise..
How to Find a Travel Companion? 4 Foolproof Methods
There are a plethora of ways to find new travel companions: to simplify this topic as much as possible, we’ve decided to summarize 4 methods we believe are foolproof.
Join a Group Tour
Let’s start with what is perhaps the most obvious but undoubtedly the most effective option. The world is full of group tours where you are put together with other people, sometimes “solo travelers.”
Here at Meeters,for example, we organize many events, even multi-day ones, where you can meet potential travel companions. Our website has all the resources you might need to find the activity that suits you; by joining one, rest assured you’ll meet someone.
If you want something more physical, you can look around for travel agencies specialized in creating trips for solo travelers; then you just have to hope the agency is located in your city.
Find Travel Companions Online
The internet is a powerful tool, as we all know worldwide. Thanks to the internet and the sites on it, you can do a plethora of different things, even related to vacations. If you want, just search around forums and websites to find people eager to share the same travel experience.
This is how practices like couchsurfing and similar ones were born; the key is finding the right website based on your needs. Some sites allow focused searches with a destination in mind, so you can find other travelers interested in the same route. Others link to groups on popular social networks where you can plan, message by message, the same thing with other users. So, not a specific site, but rather a series of tools, apps, and tips to reach the final goal.
Travel Alone and Find Companions Along the Way
Although traveling alone can be scary, in the end there’s nothing better than going somewhere and meeting people who are there with you for some reason.
Staying in a hostel, for example, is an incredibly effective way to make friends.
Starting a conversation with roommates or with people you meet in common areas is a very smart way to build connections, just like attending events organized by the hostel.
If instead you don’t stay in a hostel but prefer a more private accommodation, don’t worry: just use social networks a bit to look for an event linked to a hostel to “crash.”.
Solitude is a great way to challenge yourself; letting fear dominate is a waste!
How to Choose the Best Travel Companions?
Let’s start from the assumption that you’ve found the right activity to find travel companions: now you need to understand how to choose them.
What are the criteria to consider in this situation? Who are the best people to make friends with in these cases?
When thinking about a travel companion, it’s wise to make a careful choice to make the trip a pleasant experience for both. For this reason, it’s important to focus on practical commonalities but even more important to consider aspirations, outlook on life, and the desires you want to fulfill through travel.
Travel style, budget, and interests are therefore the three most important things to consider. If you love budget travel, it makes no sense to travel with someone who prefers luxury hotels and exclusive transport.
In this sense, a good way to find a travel companion is to leverage common topics: two people looking for the best mountain backpack will probably want to use it on a similar trip.
That’s it: remember that a good way to find reliable travel companions is to participate in one of the activities you can find on our events page. Additionally, we recommend signing up for Meeters to stay updated on the best events in the areas that interest you.