If you have got the travel bug, you know there is no getting rid of it; wanderlust can take you to spectacular places, in the US, and outside of it, and like many other things in life, it is always better when shared.
While most journey enthusiasts would like nothing more than to travel with friends or family members, it is not always possible. Luckily, we live in the ear of the internet that allows us to find partners in just a few clicks. If your travel bug is urging you to pack up and go on a trip, here is how you can find the perfect partners:
Set Travel Goals
To have fun on your trip, you need like-minded people who want to go in the same places as you do and on the same dates. So, before you get on a plane or into your car, set some goal: where you want to go – abroad or in the US? What season do you want to travel in? What kind of trip do you want – backpacking and sleeping under the starts of sleeping in hotels?
Your decisions will help you find people you will have fun with and those who share your taste in travel.
Use Websites Dedicated to Finding Travel Partners
GAFFL, Trip Giraffe, and Trip Together are just some of the websites that are dedicated to traveling and finding travel partners. With the help of these and similar sites, you will be able to find the perfect travel buddies based on the criteria you decided on. To have as many options as you want, go to several websites and type in what you are looking for; if you cast a wide net, you will have a better chance to find like-minded people you can travel with.
Choose People Who Complement You
Finding people who are exactly like you can be a little dull, so you should travel with people who complement you. For instance, if you are a good driver but are not an expert in reading maps or concentrating on GPS directions, you should go with people who prefer not to be behind the wheel. To choose those people, you should speak with the individuals you find in tour websites and set expectations, for both sides, on how the trip is going to be like.
Do Your Background Research on the People You Find
Finding strangers to explore with can be exciting but also risky, so you should be careful with the ones you choose for your travels. You can never be certain that the people you speak with tell you the truth about who they are, so it is up to you to find out who, if anyone, is lying.
A simple social media search will not do because people can lie on these types of sites, so you need to dig a little deeper; go to background check sites, like GoLookUp, that have access to public records, and run a search on the people you are considering traveling with.
With this type of search, you will have access to arrest records, criminal records, sex offender registries, birth records, contact information, real names, aliases, and much more. You can never be too careful with who you let in your life, especially if you are going to travel with them to unknown locations, so a background check is always a good idea.
Get Together With Your Travel Buddies
If it is possible and if the people you speak with about your trip live relatively close to you, you should meet them at least once before you travel together. There is nothing else like a face to face encounter with people you do not know to size them up and get a feeling of who they are.
When searching for touring partners, you should get together over coffee and meet one another. That way, you can see if the person you are considering traveling with is right for you and if you feel comfortable with them. Think about it like a blind date without romance.
Be Open-Minded to Changes
If you are planning to travel for a while, let’s say more than a month, then you should keep an open mind about the people who come with you. You are not obligated in any way to travel with the same person for the entirety of your trip.
If you find out that you are not getting along, or that your travel plans have changed, you can always find new travel buddies. You should talk to the people you want to go with and tell them that everyone should have fun in the trip, and if anyone decides they want to travel with other people, it’s cool. That way you will begin the trip without tension, and knowing that everything is open.
Try Travelsisters.com
This one is just for the ladies; unfortunately, we do not live in a world where women feel safe with every strange man they meet. That is exactly why Travelsisters.com was launched; the female-only travel app allows you ladies to connect with other women who share your wanderlust and travel along with them.
The app is great if you want to go to remote places and see everything the world has to offer. The Travelsisters.com is currently a desktop app, and it is meant to empower women to travel the world without fear. With the site, you can build a profile and after you finish, you will be able to see similar profiles of women who have the same goals as you. You can also use filters to find your buddies and have a fun girl’s trip whenever you want.
Traveling in the US or abroad is an experience like no other, and those of you who are avid travelers know there is no fighting the urge. With a few simple tips, you will be able to find the perfect travel buddies and who knows? Maybe they will be your travel partners for life.
