Traveling with a Friend – What to Know Before You Go After planning, scrimping, and saving for months, you’re about to embark on your long-awaited Grand Canyon tour with your best friend. It will be the trip of a lifetime, full of fun and amazing experiences—until you miss your flight connection, or you can’t find your hotel, or there are no vegan restaurants to be found—and, suddenly, your best friend is ranting and raving, and blaming you for all of it. Traveling with friends, significant others, or just about anyone, is an experience that can go from the best of times to the worst of times in seconds, but a few simple techniques can help avoid conflict and hurt feelings. While you can’t prepare for every situation that might arise, having an honest and open discussion about how to handle conflict on the road is key to having a great trip. No matter how well you think you know someone, until you have spent several hours with him or her on a plane or in a car, you really don’t know how they will react to an unexpected change in the itinerary, and you may be really surprised (read: annoyed). Knowing how to move past the conflict is as important as where you go and what you pack. Play 20 Questions – Really. Take some time to ask questions to learn more about each other’s personality and style. Knowing if your traveling companion is a morning person, or likes to visit every museum the guidebook suggests, or is completely spontaneous, may make the difference about how issues are handled on the trip. If you find areas where you are complete opposites, plan for them, and learn to honor the differences without sacrificing what you want to do. Spartan or Foodie – Eating is a huge part of the travel experience, and it’s important to note your culinary differences. If you’re happy with a granola bar but your buddy wants to eat a complete meal, or you’re up for fast food if it gives you more touring time, but your friend will only eat local cuisine, these may all be things that disrupt your plans. Even how often you each like to eat can influence your schedule, as low blood sugar can affect your energy level and moods, and turn your BFF into the terrifying Chucky character. Do Not Disturb – There’s a reason these words are printed on a card in every hotel room. Sometimes you just need some quiet time, but when you’re traveling with someone, finding that alone time can be hard, and may be awkward to declare. No matter how much you love the person you are with, they will at some point get on your nerves. Depending on the type of trip you are on, you may be together a lot with no other distractions, like other friends or work to break it up. Creating a sign or having a word that means you need a little “me” time will help alleviate those uncomfortable moments. You’ve Got a Friend in Me – This is not only a great song from the movie Toy Story, but it should serve as a reminder to be considerate of your traveling companions. No matter what your actual relationship, deep down there is a friendship that needs to be preserved. So, remember to talk when something is bothering you, don’t sweat the small stuff, be kind, and find the humor in every situation.
Traveling with a friend can be amazing, aggravating, and everything in between, and completely worth the risk. Be flexible, be open to compromise, and communicate at all times, and, above all, don’t forget to take in the breathtaking sights and sounds that surround you. It’s why you planned the trip in the first place.