For me, there's a few tips I would advise for picking a travel partner or even going about the process of finding one. First and foremost I usually ask my friends if they know people that want to travel but are traveling solo. A few of my trips have come about because of those suggestions - and I ended up making new friends in the process too! That's probably my favorite method, because it's the safest in my opinion! If I can trust a friend, I know that their other friends that haven't met should also be people I like! Other times I've looked online on forums. We have the travel partners section here, but there are also forums and websites out there dedicated to just finding travel partners. I think with the internet though there's always that concern of not knowing the person in real life. I'd always recommend getting to know someone that you plan to travel with - these days we're lucky with things like Skype and FaceTime, so try and talk to the person before you make any plans. As wonderful as the internet is, it can also be a little scary! I also think using forums about your interests can help. For instance, if you love cooking, or love hiking, check online forums related to those topics. You might find someone who is a budding travel partner that would love to go hiking with you, or experience the food of another country with you! Does anyone else have any good ideas on different ways to find travel buddies?
"First and foremost I usually ask my friends if they know people that want to travel but are traveling solo. A few of my trips have come about because of those suggestions - and I ended up making new friends in the process too!" This is what I'd do. It's safe because it's a friend of a friend, or even a direct friend at times - someone you can trust and someone you know wouldn't like, stab you and leave you to die or something horrible like that I really dislike the idea of using forums to find travel partners. I generally don't trust anyone online (aside from a very selected few people, and they don't like to travel). It's a bad call all around.
I'd also be put off from using a forum to find a travel partner also, and while it shouldn't be that way, I guess it's a sad sign of the times that a lot of people online can't be trusted, so I would worry about arranging something with a stranger.
I'm not nearly as hesitant when meeting people online, because I'm smart about it and have been doing it for a number of years. I think it's nice to get to know someone and find out what things you have in common, and then plan a trip with them around that. Sometimes you can meet the best people that way.
I don't think it's about being smart, we can all have an instinct or a gut feeling about a person online, that doesn't necessarily mean I'd want to go and spend a few weeks with them. I understand what you mean and the internet is a great place to meet new people, I'd just be wary about what their intentions are I think, until I really got to know them.
I think it depends. You obviously have to take precautions and there's no way that I'm going to just meet up with some random person after chatting to them on a forum just once! I think it's about using common sense and logic. Yes, there are some bad apples out there, but there's also a lot of good people. In no way am I saying to go and just meet up with any random stranger -- I hope it didn't come across that way!
Yes, I'm in the same boat! I've met a number of people online and I've only had good experiences. I just use my common sense, I think you can manage to get a decent feel for someone online - and that's why I also said use Skype or FaceTime to talk to them first, because then you're able to get used to them more. I think sometimes the internet gets a bad rap, that everyone on there is a serial killer or something in disguise! Obviously it's important to take precautions - but assuming everyone online is out to hurt you is the same as assuming everyone walking past you in the street is out to do that too! If we all believed that we would never leave the house!
I think the internet gets so much bad publicity because we tend to only hear about the cases were people do meet up and it goes wrong. There's loads of people that have met up and everything as worked out fine, school reunions and things like that but I think care does need to be taken. Again...it's that's common sense we need to judge.
True, like anything I think the media tends to report on the bad stuff because that's what sells newspapers and gets viewers. No one is going to be buying a paper that has "online meetup goes incredibly well" as the subject line! Common sense is always the key - best to do some research and get to know a person!
All of the sensible comments on here concerning personal safety are absolutely correct, we all have to consider our own safety and of course its sensible to get to know anyone you've met over the internet as well as possible before you travel with them. Its also a good idea to travel with people of similar ages, if you're a lady, other ladies rather than single men. Travel in larger groups for added security and ensure that the people you are travelling with have similar interests and are pursuing a similar journey as you. If you have any doubts or concerns, its probably best to reconsider your plans.
That's certainly true about the media prefering a bad story headline over a good one. The thing is though, I'm sure we've all read the stories about people that have met online, met up in person and they've been murdered or kidnapped and we've thought "how stupid can you be to put yourself in that position in the first place?" So in that respect the news stories do act as a warning to others.
Oh yes, guilty as charged there -- even though I have met up with people I've gotten to know online, I still often read stories about people getting into dangerous situations or even getting killed as a result of someone they've met through the internet and thought "how did you not see the warning signs and why didn't you take more precautions?!" (kind of makes me sound like a hypocrite, a bit!) I don't know if some people are just good at hiding their true intentions or if some people are just very naïve but yes - there are of course some bad people out there with bad motives.
The scary thing is it only seems to be getting worse, either that or it's just bring reported more these days than ever before? We shouldn't have to be on our guard all the time and if we go to a site to find a travelling partner, we shouldn't have to worry about how legitimate they are. It's just a sign of the times I guess, but a sad one.
I do wonder that a lot of the time not just with meetups from people online but crime in general - I think to myself "is society just going down the drain or is it just that we have so much more ease of access to news reporting?" Hard to say exactly which is the cause (maybe it's a mix of both) but I agree 100% that it's a bit sad to think we can't just assume everyone is a good, safe, trustworthy individual. A sign of the times though, like you said.
I often wonder though if it's just a sign of OUR times in OUR countries? If we lived in other countries like India for example, or some of the other regions aswell that this site covers, is it the same over there? I know there's good and bad in every country but some do seem to be worse than others.
I wish I had a way to find a travel partner. I am just a little worried because I want to travel with someone I can trust and with someone who will conduct themselves in a respectful manner. If I am in a country where I know no one then I do want someone to look out for me, but it has to be someone I can trust with my life.
I've always wanted to visit India, but I've never been able to find someone to join me. Unlike other countries I've recently visited alone, I think that India would be a little too overwhelming for a single traveler who has never been there before. I'd be open to finding a travel partner online, but that does seem like a last resort. It might probably be easier to ask a bunch of close friends and hope that at least one of them says yes.
I seem to be in the minority in that I far prefer to travel alone! While I understand that travelling with friends could be fun, I would personally find it stifling having to make arrangements that work for everyone. Maybe I'm just something of a hermit, but I could not give up the freedom of being able to go where I like, when I like and do what I like when I get there.
I don't actually ever 'pick' someone to travel with. It's generally a plan made between friends. I wouldn't even entertain the idea with all of my friends, but it is pretty easy to choose between the ones I would have fun with while travelling.
I would agree with you Aja that deliberately seeking and selecting a travel companion is not instinctive, it would almost feel like some sort of TV show audition! For me, travel should arise naturally when the opportunity occurs, so I would think that the best times would be those that happen spontaneously with friends.
Although I want to save money, I don't think I would want to travel in the company of strange people. I would much rather gather a group of friends together, if a large group means getting a discounted trip.
I think TV shows make great entertainment so maybe the audition process of finding a travel buddy wouldn't be too bad! In all seriousness though I get where you're coming from. There's a certain authenticity to finding a travel buddy in a natural way, rather than having to put the call out for one. But sometimes there's just no one in the immediate circle of people I'm hanging out with that wants to travel! Sad but true!
I guess it depends only on you, you should find a friend you trust and that wants to go to the place places and is whiling to spend as much money as you do. I would only go with a friend, so we would share the costs and have fun!
I like travelling alone, because you are free to go where you want, do what you want, stay as long as you want, etc. I probably wouldn't do that, though, unless I had been there before, and sort of know a little about the place. Being alone in a strange land is not really a good idea.
There are both good and bad things about travelling alone, Barty. However, in a foreign country, anything can happen, and it could be a while before anyone even realized you were missing.
I think social networks, forums, websites like this one right here, are all great ways to find a good travel partner. But I also think that a great travel partner might require a connection deeper than just travelling- like a lifelong friend, or your significant other- those could make great travel partners, because you have a deep emotional connection with them.
A real issue is to make sure you both have the same energy and interest. If you are the type to see every ruin, every temple, and walk up and down every street twice, but your friend likes to sleep in and then hit the bar, you will not be able to work together. Find out if they have the same interests and plans. Do they want to sight see? Are they there for culture, or humanitarian causes? Do they just want to relax on a beach? And, be honest with yourself. Do you know what you want? That has to be communicated before agreeing to travel.
If you're in college/university I would recommend travel groups. They're usually the most passionate and fun people. I'm just not a very trusting person so I don't dare to look elsewhere
It's also always a good idea to actually meet up and spend some time with the person, just doing some random activities together, before you decide to travel with them. Someone might be really easy to get along with online, on the phone, etc. but have a personality that you just can't stand to be around in person.
You'll have to look for somebody you share interests with so that you can enjoy travelling. Look for a partner who likes eating the same food you like and who will want to visit the places you want to visit. You may also want to travel with someone who'll like to learn about different traditions. Don't travel with a partner who may be restricted by their religion to do certain things like avoiding eating certain foods.
It's not all about the interests, it's mostly about finding people you can trust in order to travel along with them, of course it's a really dangerous and also a risky thing to travel along with a stranger, there are many things that could happen to you in one of those situations, it's better to be careful than sorry.
I am open to travel with people I meet online, but I am kind f cautious about it too. Of course, you can be smart in choosing the right person, but things can still go wrong. And I am not talking only about the security aspect, it is very easy for someone whose interests doesn't align with yours to ruin your moments especially when it comes to something like travel. So, for me yes, I can probably trust friends of friends more than meeting a complete stranger I found online. At least I will have more information and a better idea about the person.
I usually use paltalk. It's an online chat room filled with persons from all walks of life. I usually find my travel partners there.
