4 Types of Friends That Are Terrible Travel Companions

If you don’t want to risk years of friendship for a week of travel, then you might want to re-evaluate about travelling with a (wrong) friend. It can be tricky to determine friends who make good travel companions if you have never gone anywhere with them. But there are a couple of ways to help you spot who would be a terrible travel buddy.

It all boils down to attitude and personality. If a friend belongs to any of these categories, you might want to avoid planning overseas travels with them.

1. The Cheap Friend

Unarguably, travelling is expensive; and it can get even more expensive if your friend refuses to pay for her share in your cab fare or the car rental that drove you throughout the city the entire week. You want your travel buddy to be responsible financially. A good travel buddy should have enough money without mooching off of you, but also have the willingness to spend on things that will make the experience more fun and pleasurable.

2. The High Maintenance Friend

These people are easy to spot. These are usually the friends who ask ridiculous requests on their food at a restaurant or ask for extra blankets, pillows and towels at a hotel ‘just in case.’ These are not the kind of people you want to be stuck with when you’re halfway across the world. When you’re in an unfamiliar place, you don’t need someone who is too picky and demanding.

3. The Homebody

When travelling to a new place, you want to be spontaneous and have fun exploring the new environment, but you can’t do that with a homebody. You’ll constantly find yourself telling them, ‘It’s okay.’ It’s okay that they don’t want to go to the bar. It’s okay that they don’t want to try the zipline. It’s okay that they don’t want to go hiking. And it’s true! You don’t want to force anyone to do anything that makes them feel uncomfortable. However, at the end of the day, it’s really not okay to be stuck travelling with a friend who would rather stay home and watch movies.

4. The Romantically Involved

Just because someone is in a relationship doesn’t mean they’re no longer fun, but let’s face it, most of them are not. They may not be as excited to hang out with people you met at the beach. They might not even like the idea of meeting new people at all. When you’re in a new place, you don’t want to explore it with someone who is constantly on her phone instead of appreciating the view with you. Travelling with them may only leave you feeling alone, annoyed or ignored—or all of the above.

Travelling is supposed to be fun and memorable; it is supposed to be experienced for the right reasons. Make the most out of your trip by choosing the right friend(s) to travel with.