How many times have you decided not to travel because you don’t have a partner to travel with? Or perhaps you do have a travel partner but they are simply not interested in the same destinations. It could also be that they have a different style of travel from you.
If you don’t yet have the confidence to travel by yourself or you just want to switch things up and do something new, then an orientation might be for you.
Traveling the world with friends can be such a rewarding experience. While it is possible that traveling with friends could destroy a relationship (we’ll give you tips to avoid that in this blog post) there are so many wonderful reasons why it can be so enriching. Keep on reading and if it resonates with you, then find a friend and get traveling!
1) You will have someone to talk to
It’s not surprising that traveling alone can get a bit lonely. The idea of even going on a short trip alone might sound daunting, especially if you’re an extrovert.
While it is true that being by yourself means that other travelers will be more likely to reach out to you, and of course you’ll meet new people as you travel, traveling with a friend will mean you’ll have someone to talk to all the time.
2) You will find that things become more affordable
One of the most unfair things about traveling alone is that hotel rooms pretty much cost the same whether you are one person in the room or two people sharing a room. This means that the costs become higher if you are traveling alone.
In other words, your budget might only allow you to travel in a less comfortable way or stay in cheaper forms of accommodation, compared to if you shared a room or shared a private overnight train sleeper. Besides, you might often find that tours and activities only run if there is a minimum group of two.
3) You will get to experience new things
Chances are traveling with friends will require a bit of giving or take, as your friend might want to do different things from you. One of the friends we traveled with before is a big classical music fan and when we were in Germany, he desperately wanted to see the home of Wagner when in the area.
While we are not big classical music fans, we went along with him and ended up being fascinated by the museum and house. To be honest, we would never have visited a place like this if it wasn’t for our friend’s passion for classical music.
4) You will have someone to keep an eye out for your safety
Traveling is generally very safe and as long as you practice some basic safety rules, you will probably come home from vacation as you left. That being said, knowing you have someone else who knows where you are and what you are doing can feel very reassuring.
5) You will get to make your friendship stronger
It’s true that travel can destroy relationships but it can also make them stronger. If the two of you have been friends for many years, you’ve most likely spent a lot of time in the same restaurants or bars over the years, talking about the same work or relationship problems.
If that’s the case, then seeing and experiencing new things will surely take that relationship to the next level. In the case of a long-distance friendship where you have not seen each other in many years, a trip together might be just the right thing to get your friendship where you want it to be.
6) You will get someone to encourage you trying out new things
If you have a tendency to avoid challenging things like bungee jumping or ziplining, then your friend who knows you well will be able to encourage and nudge you to get outside your comfort zone.
7) You will get someone to stop you from doing anything you might regret
We’ve definitely been guilty of this. Once we’re on holiday, we tend to get way too deep into the carefree holiday mode that we might do things that our friends would definitely have stepped in and advised us against had they been there.
If you tend to let your hair down to the point where you do things you might regret, a sensible travel companion that knows you well might be a helpful person to travel with.
8) You will get someone to organise the travel together
Independent travel can require a lot of planning and preparation. Researching the best tickets, deciding on the best itinerary, researching the hotels, figuring out who will look after the fur babies, etc. If you’re a busy person, doing this all alone is daunting.
While traveling with friends, you’ll have someone to collaborate on the itinerary, and dividing up all the tasks is a great way to get organized. Of course, nothing beats the excitement of counting down with your friend in the weeks and days leading up to your trip.
9) You will have someone to reminisce the trip with when you get home
Are you one of these people who forgets a lot of details about your trip? That much-loved trip you took with a dear friend means you will always have someone to reminisce about for the twentieth time about that amazing night in Paris, where you tried the most amazing French vegan food and got chatted up by the cute Parisian in that cafe!
10) You will get a chance to restore a relationship that’s on the rocks
This one might be a bit of a risky reason to travel with a friend but it COULD be the best thing to happen to a friendship in trouble. Travel requires us to be different from how we normally are and vulnerabilities can come to the surface.
However, with lots of time and space to talk about them without interruptions from children or partners, perhaps you’ll get the chance that allows you to focus again on your shared values, memories, and the reasons you are friends in the first place.
11) You will get someone to take pictures of you
You don’t need to be an Instagram influencer to want some nice photos of yourself in front of that iconic landmark. While we can surely ask strangers for help, but it can be hard to ask them to take enough pictures to get one that we’re REALLY happy with.
Whereas with your friend, you don’t have to feel guilty about asking for that 5th try, because chances are they want pictures of themselves too and you will be repaying the favor.
12) You will get to share the responsibility with someone
Independent travel can be a lot of work, especially if you are moving every couple of days and the responsibilities fall solely on your shoulders if you are traveling solo. When traveling with a friend, with some shared agreements before traveling, you can divide the responsibilities between the two of you.
For instance, one person can be in charge of finding the best vegan restaurant that both of you will love, whereas the other can be in charge of navigating. It’s important to speak up when you feel like you are taking on more than your fair share, like when your friend is slacking off and taking advantage of your amazing organization skills, because you deserve a holiday too.
13) You will probably get your non-vegan friends to make more vegan choices
While traveling with nonvegans might have its challenges, you’ll probably be fine as long as you create some ground rules before you get on the plane. We always tell our nonvegan friends that we have a few restaurants that we REALLY want to try out and ask if we can add them to the itinerary.
Who knows, you might find that your friend actually really loves the food and will probably have that “You-can’t-travel-as-a-vegan” mindset smashed.
Group travel is for you if you want all the benefits of traveling with others or traveling alone with hardly any of the disadvantages. If you’re vegan or vegan-curious, like to travel in style and be spoiled, then you should definitely consider traveling with World Vegan Travel!
