How to choose the perfect travel buddy

Choosing the right person to travel with is a difficult decision and can often make or break your holiday. Here are some of the most common travel types.

The super-organised traveller:

This type is extremely organized and goes nowhere without a carefully planned itinerary. They will usually get up early to cram as many activities into one day as possible. While having a plan is certainly sensible as is seizing the day, organized travellers often lack spontaneity and flexibility. Unless you can convince them to stray off the agenda, your journey could get boring very quickly.

The lazy traveller:

The exact opposite of the super-organized, this type travel without plan and relies solely on spontaneity. While this style of travelling often sounds exciting and adventurous, the lazy traveller is not the best companion to have when things go wrong. Also, you might not get as much done as you wanted to.

The high maintenance traveller:

We all have that one friend. The high maintenance traveller would rather spend thousands to fly to a tropical destination and spend every day by the pool without seeing the country or getting to know the culture. If you’re the opposite, you will be setting yourself up for a holiday full of tantrums and complaints when things don’t go their way. Save yourself the headache.

The naive traveller:

This type of traveller will lose their passport, take unmarked cabs, walk around at night in unsafe neighbourhoods, and accept a ride from virtual strangers. Much less than a travel buddy, you will probably end up having to babysit for the entire trip. Not a reliable companion to have.

The independant traveller:

The ideal companion. This type of traveller is often well-travelled and street smart. They’ll be organized enough to get up early but flexible enough to stray for the agenda. The independant traveller will give you space to go off on your own but will happily join you later for more activities. Most importantly, you know you can rely on the independant traveller if things go wrong. This is the perfect travel buddy.

So while you’re planning your next holiday, think about which kind of travel buddy you would like to have with you as well as which travel type you are.