Searching for the right travel buddy is almost as hard as trying to find the love of your life. You can spend years booking trips with weirdos, clashing personalities and even chronic bailers before finally finding your travel match. 

 Unfortunately, taking off with disappointing companions can shatter your faith in people and send you down the route of solo escapes (which are exciting and fun in their own way).  

But then one day, a new person will convince you to give them a chance. They seem genuine, compatible, and best of all, they’re nothing like anyone else you’ve travelled with before. 

So, you book that holiday and take off to another bucket list destination. And despite having your guard so high up, you have an incredible time. You and your new buddy are so in sync, you know exactly when to give each other space, you communicate well, you almost always agree on what to see or do next, and you’re both willing to compromise on dining locations. 

To save you from the stress of holidaying with the wrong person, we’ve created a combability check-list that’ll help you determine whether you’re travelling with the right one: 

1. You match each other’s emergency energy 

While travel is meant to be fun and mostly made up of positive, lasting memories, it’s also unpredictable and can sometimes lead to unexpected situations. 

In these instances, you need someone that can match your energy when it comes to problem-solving or getting out of sticky situations. This doesn’t mean that you both think or behave the same way in emergency situation, it could actually be that you’ll be the one that panics and they’ll be the voice of reason, or vice versa. 

Ideally, the person you choose to travel with is someone that can get you through the good and bad times, and someone that you’re willing to have significant life experiences with. 

2. You’re both willing to compromise 

Compromising is the key to any successful and lasting relationship however it needs to be implemented on both sides. 

Over compromising on one side can lead to one person feeling as though they’ve sacrificed everything they want to experience on the holiday to make the other happy. It’s not fair and it’s unacceptable. 

At the end of the day, this is both your holiday and you should both get out of it what you want. This means openly communicating your expectations and then meeting each other halfway to come up with a travel plan or itinerary that satisfies you both. 

3. You have similar travel styles 

It seems so obvious, but we’ve all ended up on holidays with someone who has a completely different definition of what it means to have a fun holiday. 

If you’re a ‘lay by the resort pool and enjoy cocktails throughout the day and night’ type of traveller, then you’re probably not going to want to hit the road with a ‘rock climbing, bungee jumping, let’s take the unmarked hike’ adventure seeker. 

You don’t want to spend half your holiday convincing someone to go somewhere or try something you want to try, only for them to complain and/or decline the whole trip. 

Find someone who wants to experience similar things to you while on vacation and someone that matches your travel style. This will avoid you feeling extremely bored and/or extremely out of your comfort zone. 

4. You wake up around the same time 

It sounds random. It sounds weird. But it’s critical that you and your travel buddy wake up around the same time. 

Why? Great question. 

It can get quite frustrating waiting for your travel buddy to rise from their slumber if you’re an early riser who likes to conquer the morning. Vice versa, it can be quite irritating and exhausting if you’re forced to wake up early when you prefer to get the most shut eye during the am. 

Finding someone who wakes up around the same time as you will make a significant difference in the way you interact in the mornings and throughout the day. 

5. Financially, you’re both in the same, or similar, place 

Another unexpected area where you and your travel buddy need compatibility is in your finances. 

Having the same amount of money to spend on vacation means you’re both willing and/or able to invest in the same types of holiday experiences.

If you make more than your travel companion, then you may have to sacrifice certain events or tours because they can’t afford it, and vice versa, you may end up spending beyond your limit if you’re on holiday with someone who has a bottomless budget. 

6. Create an ‘ideal partner’ list

Similarly, to dating, travelling with another means spending a significant amount of time with that person. So, getting along, while important is also a mere minimum requirement.

You need to create a list of characteristics and qualities that you want in a potential travel mate. This can be as simple as ‘someone who wants to party’ or ‘someone who showers daily’. It can also be as detailed as you want it to be without being unreasonable. For example, your ideal partner doesn’t hesitate to try new things whether it be unfamiliar foods or bungee jumping.   

Sometimes, the best way to develop this list is to travel with the weirdos and bad eggs, and decide what you don’t want in a holiday buddy. But you can also look around at the people in your day-to-day life to determine the types of attitudes and behaviours you’re willing to accept or won’t tolerate locally or internationally.  

We highly recommend opening your ‘notes’ app and write out the traits you want or need in a travel companion before taking off. Happy travels!