Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Next, determine the types of activities each person would like to do while traveling.
Someone who wants to go shopping all the time could butt heads with partners who want to
spend all day in museums.
Travel pace is another important factor. You may be more interested in soaking up the cul-
ture and ambiance whereas your partner would rather see as much as possible. Both styles are
perfectly good choices but it has potential to cause tension.
Another thing that people forget about is finding out if your travel partners are morning
people. You may want to be out the door by 8 a.m. but your partner would rather sleep in a
bit more. It's all about coming to an agreement so everyone is on the same page.
Finally, it's important to remember that your travel partner's personality will be amplified
after you've spent so much time together. If they're overbearing, uptight, negative, unadven-
turous, worrisome, etc., you will want to take that into consideration.
DURING THE TRIP ADVICE
Schedule alone time. Don't forget that you don't have to do everything together. This is huge
and every experienced group-traveler will tell you this. Let the group split up and have every-
one do his or her own thing. his will help keep everyone sane and hopefully out of jail. I
recommend actually planning alone time into your schedule from the very start. Don't wait
for emotions to boil over because the alone time will be painted in a negative light.
Everyone pay separate. I prefer that everyone pays for their own stuff during the trip. Some
people suggest having everyone put in a small amount of cash if you're going to cook a meal.
Settle any “debts” the same day.
Communication. Everyone should speak up and give their input about what the group
does. Don't bottle it all up and get frustrated because people can't read your mind.
Be on time. Your time is limited, so it is important to stick to the agreed times. The biggest
problems usually arise during the morning because many people have trouble getting up on
time. Also, being on time is especially important when you have to catch a train/plane.
Figure out the food. One of the biggest causes of tension while traveling is food. There
never seems to be a restaurant around when you start to get hungry. This causes the group to
wander around while trying to find something to eat that everyone can agree on. And when
people are hungry, they get grumpy. Write down a handful of restaurants (or grocery stores)
in the area of the city you'll be exploring. If you have this list ready to go, you'll prevent a lot
of stress.
Be flexible and compromise. Things are going to go wrong and you can't always get your
way—but you have to deal with it.
Chill out. Travel is stressful and every group will have conflict. It is important to remember
to step back and relax. Don't take out your frustrations on the people you're traveling with. It
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