Buddy-up and Keep Travelling Part 5

Buddy-up and Keep Travelling Part 5

Welcome back to our travel buddy series, where we explore the art of travelling with a specifically chosen other – one who isn’t your partner, or even a close friend, but who loves travel as much as you! In this article we look at how to interview a potential travel buddy.

Travelling is meant to be fun but also has the potential to be stressful. That’s why, once you’ve whittled down your possible travel companions to a short-list, interviewing them is essential. When you do hold interviews, keep your questions open-ended rather than those that require ‘yes/no’ responses, because the more you let a candidate talk, the more you’ll learn about them. Don’t hurry their answers, either. Silences are important – they tell you a lot about whether a person is naturally anxious or relaxed. Finally, be sure to use the interview to share your own thoughts on the topics you’ll be discussing. Now … on the with questions:

Circadian rhythms

Circadian rhythms refer, in part, to a person’s natural cycles of sleeping and waking. They’re what help define us as ‘a night owl’ or  ‘a morning person.’ While the partner you live with doesn’t need to share your own circadian rhythms, a travel buddy needs to approximate them, or you’ll never get out of your hotel room! So, be sure to ask what time your candidate likes to turn in for the night, and what time they like to rise in the morning. While you’re at it, check out how comfortable they are adapting those patterns when it’s necessary. Once in bed, is it going to be ‘lights out’ or screen or book-reading for an hour? While not every detail needs to be decided in advance, the issue of sleeping and rising is an essential that must be sorted.

Domestic duties

It’s not that your potential travel buddy has to be identical to you in their daily habits, but knowing in advance what they do and don’t prefer can go a long way towards compatibility. So don’t be afraid to ask detailed questions such as: do you like to shower in the morning or the evening? Do you like to use washing machines or hand-wash and drip-dry clothes in the bathroom? Are you a fifteen minute or hour-in-the-bathroom kind of person? Do you like breakfast before you go out or brunch on the way? How long can you survive without a morning coffee? Are you a ‘drink’ a day, or a ‘drinks a day’ person, or a teetotaller? Your candidate shouldn’t be offended by questions like these, especially when you’re happy to share your own patterns of domestic life when on holiday.

Accommodating

By the time it comes to interviewing a candidate, you probably already have a reasonable idea of what level of accommodation they’re prepared to accept (from hotel to backpacker). But interview time is when you get down to details. For example, they may be happy with a backpacker’s but do they require a private room, or will a dorm bed suffice? If you’re planning to stay in hotels, what’s their lower and upper star-rating limit? If you’re going to be Airbnb-ing, do they feel comfortable in a shared room in a home, or do they need a separate building? Do they require the security of booking in advance or are they comfortable winging the odd night or two? Is ‘glamping’ out of the question?

Money matters

As with accommodation, you’re candidate is already likely to know whether you plan to travel budget or luxury. So use the interview to get down to tin-tacks. For example, do they prefer to split restaurant meals and accommodation, or pay separately? When it comes to small purchases (such as coffees or wines) do they prefer to buy their own or take turns with ‘shouting?’ How often do they prefer to square up expenses (while you travel or when you return home?), and what method of carrying funds do they prefer (believe it or not, some travel buddies have failed to get along because one or other is forever hunting for cash from ATMs because they refuse to carry a credit card)?

These questions are starters, only. Before you interview anyone, make a list of everything you want to ask, leave it sitting around for a few days, and add to it as you go. Remember, no questions are off-limit, so don’t be afraid to ask them. The more you know about each other, the more likely your travel plans will succeed!