TRAVELLING TOGETHER OR TRAVELLING ALONE?
Both come with their fair amount of upsides and downsides. Below are some tips to help you navigate the positives and negatives, which may help you decide which sounds more appealing to you: exploring with others or going away as a lone ranger.
Travelling with your significant other:
considerations.
QUESTION ONE: is it for you?
It’s not going to be the same for all couples, but we would always rather travel together because travelling makes our relationship what it is, and is probably our main common interest in life, luckily!
It’s incredible to have someone to share everything you do with, the ups and downs; having someone who will understand if you’re having a bad day for a personal reason or maybe even for no reason. It’s the perfect way to make memories and grow together.
But it’s intense! It’s a lot of time and a lot of stress sometimes so it’s good to know before setting out on a big expedition together, to try smaller trips to see how you fair when you’re under pressure together. Plus, it’s important to make sure you both like similar activities so one of you doesn’t end up wanting to do nothing the other person is interested in!
If you’re on the same page when you set off, things can’t really go wrong between the two of you if you’re open minded, understanding and up for anything! Of course arguments will happen, but don’t hold grudges and think how lucky you are to be where you are in that moment.
Not being equipped to travel together at a young age isn’t necessarily a negative, it gives you time to develop yourself as an individual or go on trips with your mates!
QUESTION TWO: is this a couples break?
You should talk before booking anything, about what you want to get out of a big trip. For us, new friends was a huge part of it and turned out to be one of the most important! If it’s the same for you: bear in mind… one of the biggest hurdles of travelling as a couple are people’s assumptions that you don’t want to be ‘intruded on’- friends have admitted to us that they had concerns in this regard before getting to know us, which they quickly realised were unfounded when they did! If you’re away to meet others, as a couple, keep the PDA, in-jokes and alienation to a minimum in group settings. Take opportunities together and separately to bond with new people – do some activities separately, sit at other ends of the dinner table every now and then! Let people know you are individuals and not just away for a couples break. There’s no need to be joined at the hip and doing different things and getting closer to different people gives you something to share with one another at the end of the day sometimes! So mix it up!
It’s also best to realise before you go, staying in 20 bed sharing rooms and doing everything with other people isn’t going to be the height of romance, but there’s plenty of time for all that when you get a house together in twenty years or whatever.
If you are wanting to remain quite introverted as a couple, that’s completely understandable and don’t feel bad for doing so! It’s still nice to chat with people so as not to make them uncomfortable as many people may be travelling alone and looking for new friends themselves. The things you book such as private rooms can offer you a more couples holiday vibe so consider that! It might just be more expensive than a sharer room!
People may think you’re away for a couples break, and some couples really are and keep themselves to themselves! If that’s not what you’re up for though, and you’re interested in making new friends together, keep the PDA to a minimum and don’t alienate anyone!
QUESTION THREE: can anyone join you?
We have the most amazing friends that joined us on our trip and they really broke up the intensity of our time together. Our friends from home joining really made the whole thing what it was because we were able to make memories to last forever.
Couples and groups of established friends can be intimidating! Don’t treat others like outsiders.
Travelling with Friends:
CONSIDERATIONS.
QUESTION ONE: do you know your friends?
Whether in a group or with one other, it’s important to consider how well you know your friend(s) and what they are in this for, compared to what you are in it for. As with couples considerations, you should really just make sure that you’re on the same page. Your friend may want someone to sit with on a long flight, then say see you later at the arrival gate, other friends might want to stick to you like glue! Just find out before you go so you aren’t unpleasantly surprised.
Couples argue and it isn’t the end of the world because it’s probably happened before but this may not be the case with friends. Make a deal before you set off to be in open communication with one another, if something they are doing or have done has really wound you up, don’t let the anger build just let them know, they will likely be more than happy to listen. And if your friend is off for a couple of days, offer them space. If you argue, don’t hold grudges. Not every day will you like each other 100%, as with couples, but take each day as a fresh start and look at the bigger picture!
QUESTION TWO: trust.
Make sure you’re with people you can trust and that you’re trustworthy yourself. Travelling can be genuinely dangerous amongst all the positives, so don’t end up in a situation where you’ve had a drink too many and decided you have to abandon a friend in the club because you’ve met some new people, for example. You need to put the person you’re with above anything else and vice versa, to ensure you don’t end up in a sticky situation. Make sure you always have your phones on you and keep in touch if you are separated unexpectedly!
You should also be in open communication about money and budget to make sure you’re on the same page although it may be an awkward topic for friends.
QUESTION THREE: are we intimidating?
As is the case with couples, any pre-established pair or group can be intimidating to newbies so make sure you go out of your way not to alienate others or make them feel unwelcome, if you have gone away with the intention of meeting new people!
NOTE: If you’re with people you’ve known for a long time, don’t hold each other back. That will only lead to resentment and you’ll only regret what you didn’t try.
TRAVELLING ALONE:
CONSIDERATIONS.
This isn’t something we can speak about from personal experience but we’ve met a lot of people who have been travelling alone and have picked a few tips up!
QUESTION ONE: do you have a plan?
The great thing is, you don’t really need one! As long as you know you have the essentials, you can do whatever you want because you have total freedom and everything you do, you do because you want to! That’s the beauty of this method. You grow so much as a person from the independence of it all too!
QUESTION TWO: will you feel unsafe?
It is important to think about countries where you are less likely to feel safe being alone, and in those countries maybe book a few things in advance, make sure you have spare money and make sure someone at home knows where you are. Keep in touch with people as much as you can, to give them and yourself peace of mind. That’s not to say you should be scared to do anything, but you will always be grateful you avoided a situation that could end up making you uncomfortable or a situation that is genuinely dangerous. An example, we got into an argument with a taxi driver we didn’t believe was charging us fairly and he got quite aggressive. Just make sure you stay in safe situations!
QUESTION THREE: are you shy?
I am! And I think that’s wonderful in so many ways, but if you have anxiety you can end up not speaking to people and going to bed wishing you had. It’s complex and different for each individual of course. But basically, if you’re shy on your own but wanting to put yourself out there, start with baby steps. Get yourself booked into group tours, group activities, meet someone and ask where they’re going- they might be going your way or doing something you’re doing too. People are the best bit, in our eyes, and you shouldn’t let being shy get in the way of your experience at all. Maybe talk to one nice person, they may introduce you to another and so on. You may never end up addressing the group at large with a tale, but you may make friends for life! Take time alone reading or listening to music when you feel like you need it too, 24/7 interaction with new people can be exhausting!
And if people are rude or dismissive, it’s their loss. Don’t let yourself be intimidated by people who weren’t worth your time in the first place.
IMPORTANT ADVICE FOR EVERYONE: KEEP IN TOUCH WITH THOSE YOU MEET!
An example of how things can work out: we ended up meeting up with people we had met in India and New Zealand when we got to Sydney, Australia because because we all happened to be going there at the same time! Through social media we arranged a meet up! Our friends from home had also joined us in Australia so we had a huge reunion/introduction and even ended up skydiving with some of them further up the coast of Australia at Byron Bay!
We have also met up with people we met away, even after getting back to England. The bonds you make with people you haven’t known for long because you do crazy things together, are really incredible!
We hope you found this useful!
Please let us know if you have anything to add in the comments!
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