Written by: Debbie Martinez • August 10, 2023• Travel

Pick Your Traveling Buddy Wisely

I personally love to travel alone, but there are times I want to have someone to tag along with. However, I have learned from experience that the mom I associate with at my child’s school or my happy hour cohort doesn’t necessarily equate with being a good travel buddy. Going on vacation with someone and spending days together takes some careful examination in order for the vacation not to turn into an “I can’t wait to get the heck home and away from this person.”

Here are some things to ponder:

The Debbie Downer — This is a person who is negative, as there seems to be a problem with everything. Your consummate complainer, they can manage to look glum even if they were at a party with Brad Pitt. And their body language is negative and closed off; impenetrable.
The Oscar Winner — This is a person who is overly dramatic about everything. It is the person who will be huffing and puffing over things (has to wait to check in, menu isn’t what she expected), inflexible if there is a change in anything (and I mean anything), demanding of your time or others (think waitstaff) and selfish (only her itinerary will do).
The Spendthrift — Nothing is more frustrating and can put a cramp in your vacation than being with someone whose spending patterns are different than yours. This is a person who is watching every penny and commenting on the price of every activity you want to do or every meal you sit down to. This is one of the biggest downfalls for friends on vacation. Talking about finances is always an uncomfortable conversation to have for many reasons, but it is a very necessary one if you want to have a memorable time away and maintain a friendship upon your return. Make sure that your budgets are not unbalanced or else you both will end up resenting each other. You will resent that you were not able to do all the things you wanted to because, more than likely, you are not going to leave your friend behind. She will resent that you are unable to understand her budget and that she feels bad because she is keeping you from doing things.
The Partier — This person’s mantra through the whole vacation is “Where are we going for happy hour?” Hey, don’t get me wrong, I love happy hour. But when I am on vacation, especially to someplace I haven’t been before, there are other things I want to do. However, this person’s itinerary centers around partying and meeting guys. Y’all have different interests and expectations going into this. Be clear on what you want to do before you ask someone to join you. If you are a foodie and are excited to explore all the eating establishments, don’t invite a friend you know is watching her weight. If you are the outdoor enthusiast and want to be on the go all the time, don’t extend an invite to the book-by-the-pool type of person.

We all work hard and look forward to our vacations so we can have fun and get away, so don’t set yourself up for a bad time. Just remember, the friend you have wine with and share secrets with might be a very close friend but not the most ideal traveling buddy. Choose wisely.

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Last modified: August 10, 2023