It occurs. You’re an inveterate solo traveler however generally you get fed up with your personal firm. You don’t essentially wish to ‘hook up’ or journey with a gaggle.
You simply need some girlfriend journey.
You want a feminine journey companion.
Why would a solo traveler wish to journey with another person? Possibly…
- it’s your first journey and also you’re simply not able to go it alone but
- you’ve been by way of a disaster and also you want a little bit of companionship to get your thoughts off issues
- you’re frightened about coping with journey loneliness and really feel you’re too shy to only meet folks on the highway
- you don’t know the language
- you’re involved about attracting undesirable male consideration
- proper now, you’re simply not within the temper for solo journey
All very legitimate. However when you’re used to touring solo, you may wrestle to search out folks to journey with.
So the place do you discover that elusive feminine journey buddy?
The benefits of touring with others
Let’s face it – nonetheless a lot you like solo journey, often there will be actual benefits to touring companions:
- journey will be cheaper if you share
- you’ll be higher in a position to take care of loneliness if it hits
- you could really feel safer and safer – security in numbers – when you’re headed someplace dodgy
- maybe you’re the gregarious kind who desires somebody to speak to
- you may additionally be extra comfy in societies that frown upon solo journey for girls
- you gained’t must wave across the dreaded selfie stick – somebody can take your image for you!
And the disadvantages
There are additionally some disadvantages to having a journey associate:
- you could not wish to go to the identical place on the similar time
- you could have totally different journey rhythms or life (you’re an early chicken, able to hop on a bus at 6am, whereas your journey companion doesn’t emerge from deep sleep till lunch)
- you could have totally different hopes or expectations
- you could have totally different budgets, outlooks on life, pursuits… totally different all the things.
- you could be a solo traveler at coronary heart!
Typically, issues simply occur. So allow them to
I met Tim and Nica in a Harare visitor home, the place I spent a month.
As I traveled throughout Africa, I reached my visitor home in Blantyre, the capital of Malawi. A weak voice known as my title – Tim was bent over, pale with bilharzia. He would quickly fly off to get well in Kenya.
Some months later, in Kenya myself, I stayed in part of city often off-limits to vacationers, particularly non-African ones – and who however Tim ought to come ambling down the lodge hallway? The world was beginning to really feel like a small place certainly.
Months later, persevering with my Africa journey to Asmara, Eritrea, I used to be sipping an espresso at an out of doors café when a gaggle of vacationers talked about assembly a pair known as Tim and Nica. I left a notice within the Poste Restante (Basic Put up Workplace, in pre-cellphone days) and ended up assembly them once more later that month.
We turned good buddies, as folks do after they preserve tripping over each other throughout a continent. Typically we traveled collectively, often for a couple of days. Since then we’ve met up in Bangkok and Costa Rica. Or was it Stockholm… Every time I noticed them, it was a pleasure. However after a couple of days, I’d be by myself once more, and that was good too.
So that you by no means know what form your journey companionships will take…
HOW TO FIND A FEMALE TRAVEL COMPANION
What when you’ve checked out all the plain potential journey “victims” however nobody desires to go together with you? Your associate, if in case you have one, your pals, your relations – everybody is simply too busy, too poor or nobody occurs to wish to go to the Galapagos if you do
Don’t hand over: you may nonetheless discover a journey associate.
Don’t despair: there are many journey sources on-line devoted to serving to you discover somebody to journey with, listed below are some solutions to get you going.
- A few of the greatest journey boards, akin to Lonely Planet’s Thorn Tree, have threads devoted to discovering journey companions. Put up a message there!
- Ask on Fb. Somebody you realize could also be planning to journey too, so this can be a good spot to start out searching for somebody. Simply be sure your privateness settings are correct – set for Mates and Household, for instance – so the entire world isn’t alerted to your departure.
- After all, there’s Good Ol’ Google. You possibly can strive trying to find “feminine journey associate wanted” and see what comes up (a few of it fairly questionable!) When you’re up for group journey, even for a short time, strive trying into firms that don’t cost a single complement.
These websites (free and paying) specialise in connecting folks – some are for girls particularly, others for vacationers extra usually:
- Ladies Welcome Ladies World Vast (5W)
- Meetup
- Journey Collectively / Your Journey Mates
- Journey Giraffe
- Tourlina app
- Backpackr app
- Solo Traveller app
FIND A TRAVEL BUDDY: A FEW SIMPLE RULES
Please watch out. Anybody can put up a notice on a bulletin board, and also you don’t know who’s lurking behind that notice. On the lookout for a journey companion requires discernment!
So please train some warning and customary sense.
- Make sure that your first assembly is in a well-lit public place and is throughout the day. There’s each likelihood your contact will become, similar to you, somebody keen on touring with one other girl (fairly than a legal posing as one). However be good – watch out.
- Take your cellphone to the assembly, and let somebody know the place you’re going. It’s most likely completely secure, however we’ve all heard sufficient tales about Web conferences to at the very least be cautious. Higher but, take a good friend.
- Whenever you’re looking out on-line, be strict with your profile. Fill in sufficient to point out your compatibility and honesty, however not sufficient to allow anybody to search out or determine you.
- Be sure to present sufficient particulars in your proposed journey – if you’re going, the place, and your fashion of journey. In any other case you may find yourself weeding by way of tons of of incompatible proposals!
IS YOUR TRAVEL COMPANION COMPATIBLE?
You’ve made the choice to hunt out a journey associate, you’ve received a couple of nibbles of curiosity from potential companions, however now, you need to slim it down.
How do you resolve? How do you are taking that remaining step which will bind you to a different individual for weeks and even months?
Listed below are some factors to think about when making your choice:
- Causes for journey: is she operating away from a nasty scenario, touring to search out herself, or just out for enjoyable?
- Journey fashion: whether or not she’s comfy backpacking or is extra of a luxurious spa traveler, whether or not she’s shy and retiring or outgoing and wanting to fulfill native folks in all places – there’s no proper reply, however it’s worthwhile to be suitable and have the identical fashion in thoughts
- Private rhythm: if she’s a morning individual or an evening individual, if she wants a siesta day by day or gained’t even cease for meals – it’s worthwhile to match effectively collectively
- Flexibility: is she easygoing and adventurous, or inflexible with color-coded itineraries ready per week forward of time?
- Price range: how a lot cash does ‘not costly’ truly imply?
- Likes and dislike: what she likes to do on the highway – purchasing versus sightseeing, lounging versus sports activities, spending the afternoon in a museum or bungee-jumping…
- The ‘alone issue’: you’ll every want some house, so be sure she’s not planning on being joined to you on the hip
How does she mesh with you? What do you might have in widespread? That’s the query you need to reply.
After which… you want some floor guidelines: find out how to resolve disagreements, how to decide on locations and lodging, find out how to… all the things. Issues will go far more easily if you know the way to speak and begin out with an agreed plan.
Right here’s what I counsel: do a check drive.
That’s proper – journey collectively for a short time, a day or a weekend near house. Sharing schedules, meals and a room for a couple of days: that ought to provide you with an inkling of whether or not this may work for an extended journey.
