You might have a friend who wants to do the same trip as you, which is great but many people reading this will find themselves planning to go travelling alone. Some even try to find travel friends online to avoid having to travel alone. Here we will talk about who you should travel with or not as the case may be.

Travelling With A Friend

If travelling with a friend, you must be pleased to be travelling together and sharing the experience but its important to agree to a few things before you leave. There will be times when maybe one person will want to stay in a certain place longer than the other - can you both compromise? Would it be better to split up briefly if such a situation occurs so you are both doing what you want? You can always meet up again at a place later on. Its things like this that need to be discussed beforehand, you may be the best of friends but when you are living in each others pockets for a long time, its important to both be happy and reduce the chance of arguing and tensions. We know many people who have gone away backpacking as friends and have had a great time together, similar interests and very flexible in what each other wanted to do. On the other hand, there are people we know who have gone away and ended up splitting up for an amount of time, but have met up again later on - its not a problem when you both realise you are both getting the most out of your trip and not having to compromise to a large extent.

Travelling Solo?

If you are planning to travel solo, don't worry - many people travel solo when taking a gap year or backpacking. Many see it as an advantage as you have total control over what you do, where you go, and how long you spend there. If you are worried about going alone, don't worry as you will meet plently of people in hostels and elsewhere as you are backpacking around - sometimes they will have the same immediate plans as you or perhaps plan to be in the same place as you a few months on. There are lots of opportunities to make friends while travelling so don't worry too much.

Want To Find Travel Mates?

Still unsure about travelling alone? If you feel the need to go with with someone else or have people to meet up with later in your trip, why not use our messageboards to search for travel mates? Post a little about your plans (rough itinerary), a little about yourself and wait and see if anyone replies!