The Ideal Travel Partner/s

Some people ask me whom they should travel with.

Here are some suggestions from my travel experiences:

The Independent Traveller

Travelling alone can be fun and at the same time lonely, but there are a plethora of different experiences that you will gain as compared to when you travel with a group of people.

The Good:

As an independent traveller, you plan your own journey and go to places you desire, without the need to argue over travel itinerares with travel mate/s. Also, it is much easier for you to make friends with locals and other tourists. This is because naturally, since you would feel lonely and would like a companion at times, they can be an option for you to socialise with; at the same time, they are also curious as to why you are travelling alone, so it makes interaction a smoother two-way traffic.

The Bad:

Of course there are the obvious dangers of travelling alone, being the easier targets of pickpockets and other petty crimes. Loneliness can set in too when sometimes you just want someone to share you experiences or hear your grumbles. Also, travelling alone can usually be costlier, e.g. booking a single room (unless you are contented with a hostel) and taking a taxi.

On a recent trip to Zhuhai, China, I met a stranger who was dressed in a religious suit (I guess she was a nun?) who tried to give me a talisman. Upon my first rejection, she continued to insist that I take it, on the pretext that it is free and it’s meant for protection. Again, I rejected her offer, knowing that free lunches are very rare in this world, and that this may be a prelude to more chargeable offers. Despite the rejection, she followed me for a short distance and suddenly, she held my wrist! Combining anger and instinct, I managed to shrug her off (I think she was scared off by me too, haha!).

Travelling In A Pair

Travelling in a pair eliminates loneliness and also allows one to discover more of his/her travel mate.

The Good:

“Two heads are better than one”, so when you face problems overseas, you won’t have to go through it alone. Travelling in a pair naturally allows one to discover more of his/her partner, and usually, it is through overseas trips that you discover more of the other party, instead of at home. Needless to say, too, when at times you may need help (say, forget to bring some equipment for the trip or you fall ill), he/she will be there to help. Travelling in pairs can allow you to make friends easily too, given the small number, and provided both of you are not engrossed in your own world of enjoyment.

The Bad:

When travelling with a partner (or partners for a matter of fact), conflicts can arise, be it a sudden disagreement in the places to visit or naturally, when you have to face each other for prolonged periods in the trip. And unless one or both parties is/are willing to compromise, if not, things can get ugly and relationship may be affected. Of course, travelling in pairs eliminates loneliness but it also lacks the fun and enjoyment that you get when you are in a group.

The Year 2007 recorded one of my most memorable trips to Melbourne, Australia, partly because it marks the turning point of an emotional downturn, and the pleasant weather with beautiful landscapes, in addition to a good travel partner. We planned an itinerary which we followed rather closely, but a sudden change in plan on one day in the trip created quite a misunderstanding, but which was resolved within hours. Apart from that, we had great fun visiting the attractions in the State of Victoria, and made many friends too thanks to a friend I know who was studying there. Post-trip, I was glad that we now know each other better and partly due to the similarity of interests in the things we do, the trip was great fun!

The Bigger Group

More people, more fun. But again, depending on destination and travel mates, things can go the right way or the wrong one depending on how the group dynamic works.

The Good:

If you can’t stand loneliness, and can’t face a partner for too long, than this may be ideal for you. Travelling in a group can be fun, especially when you can “talk cock, sing song and play mahjong” together. The more the merrier, they say, and you can play card games in the hotel room together, share a great variety of shopping tips and experiences together, look after each other etc.. Safety comes in number too, so when you have a big group, it’s generally safer for you. Bulk discounts sometimes come into effect here too, as it’s cheaper to book a hotel room for four as compared to a single room for yourself.

The Bad:

The airline will help you, but don’t always expect a seat together in all circumstance. Okay, this is mild, but my point is that the whole group may not always be together during the trip, and unless the many people in the group can come to a consensus on a common itinerary and follow it, else there are bound to be separations along the journey. Guys, you know it when you want to visit attractions/watch sports and the gals want to shop, and gals, you know it when you want to shop and don’t want the guys to go with you (except to carry you shopping luggage, =) ). When such things happen, the group exists as two or more separate groups, and conflicts can sometimes arise as well. Moreover, any unhappiness in an individual or a few people can affect the whole group, although the good thing is that you get to seek solace in other groupmates who are not affected. If you are an attention seeker, you can either find happiness in the group, or risk being neglected.

On a year-old trip to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, I concluded the trip with Wanzhen, Sarah and Alvin with enjoyment. At the start of the trip was a traffic jam at Tuas Checkpoint, and so our bus journey took slightly longer that expected (luckily we had on-board entertainment from the business class seats), and some of my group mates were grumbling, so at least now I know that it may be better to take the airplane with them the next time we travel together, both are equally cheap and good anyway. We did not thoroughly plan our trip beforehand, but Sarah and Alvin were good at directions and attractions in KL, so we weren’t afraid of getting lost. And usually as a person who likes to chart my own directions, ironically this time I really enjoyed having these two friends as my tour guides. On the second day, for a few hours, our group separated into two as Sarah and Alvin went their way and Wanzhen and I went our way, before meeting at a location to catch our train back. I’m glad everyone was on time, so things could proceed as planned. The last day, we arrived back in Singapore with smiles on our faces, having tasted cheaper and good food in KL, and seen the things we wanted to see.

Travelling With An Organisation

Depending on the size of the group and the intention of the trip, the experiences are pretty much the same as the above except that there is usually a common goal to be met when travelling with the organisation, such as on community service trips, and so everyone works towards it. Since the group that you go with usually include people you may see for the first time in your life, it takes a bit of effort and loads of compromise to make one another’s trip a memorable and fun-filled one.

In a nutshell, travelling can be fun as long as you have the right travel partner/s, have the proper plan and are willing to make compromises. Remember, after all, your travel mate/s and you most likely travel to enjoy, to relax and to see different cultures and sceneries. With this in mind, I certainly hope that those reading this journal will enjoy their next trip overseas!