I really enjoyed the trip, no question, but every now and then I was thinking about the differences between this trip alone and with somebody else. Thinking about this I realized, that there are many kinds of travel partners, which all have pros and cons. You will encounter different problems and situations regarding who you travel with. It totally matters if you travel as a couple, with one or more friends or an organized group.If you travel with somebody else you always will have tension between the involved parties. Of course, traveling is exhausting, sometimes stressful and everybody wants it to be a nice experience. Often people have a certain perception and expectations towards the travel. However, usually these expectations are totally over the top and impossible to fulfill. People tend to get disappointed and this creates tension. Often this tension reveals the true personality of someone and shows how good (or bad) you get along with each other. If you want to get to know a person, go traveling together.
Organized groups are a good possibility to reduce this tension. The stress for each person is reduced, since the guide is mainly in charge of the accommodation, transport and other things, which can be difficult to organize in some countries, due to language barriers or other circumstances. This takes a lot of pressure away and the organized program of the trip leaves few opportunities about what to do or where to go. Another advantage of course is that if you do not get along with one of the members, you simply hang out with other people of the group, easy as.
However you are pretty fixed to the schedule and the route of the tour. If you come to a place you would like spend more time with at is hard to break out and quickly change your plans. Since traveling is exactly about this freedom of going wherever and doing whatever the travel group restricts you in a way. It’s much easier then to just travel with a friend or your partner.The partner thing is nice. You normally know (or should know) each other pretty good (if not, you will find out during the travel anyways) and can be sure, that you share certain interests and needs. Of course, there are a lot of people splitting up after traveling together, but then these couples were anyways not fitting together. Normally, as mentioned, it’s working pretty well, you understand each other and you are less willing to let an argument escalate. However, it is hard to meet new people during the trip, when traveling as a couple. Many people in hostels have a negative perception towards couples and often do not want to “interfere” with them. On the other hand, if you feel down or homesick you will always have somebody to hold you and build you up again.
Especially this is different when traveling with a normal friend and you are not extremely close or a touchy and physical kind of person. Also you are more likely to make your point and be stubborn in arguments. Even though this is less likely to happen, the better friends you are, it can become a crucial issue and destroy the whole trip experience. On the other hand, of course, if you have nice memories you will for years be able to sit down together and recap the highlights of the trip.
When traveling alone you normally don’t have anybody to share the experiences with. Of course, you are more likely to meet new people and maybe when you meet up after the trip you have mutual moments to remember, but who knows, if these acquaintances will last so long. Especially if you do not go out with the people you meet and walk alone through the sites you visit you will have nobody to share funny moments with. However, this solo tripping can also be an advantage. You are more likely to come in contact with the local people and try to communicate with them.
As mentioned before, traveling is, in a way, always about if perceptions and expectations are met or not. When being alone you have nothing but your own expectations, your own needs and wants that have to be fulfilled. You can make your own schedule and itinerary and change it whenever however you want. This gives a lot of freedom. You can walk instead of taking a bus; you can eat where and when you want, you can sleep as long as you want, take as much time as you want for everything, you don’t have to worry that your company might be bored or tired, there is nobody stressing you in any way.There are a lot of pros and cons (and I did not mention all, which were in my head) for the different kinds of travel company you are going with. All have their positive and there less positive (I avoid the word “negative” here, since some people might appreciate things I see as a downside) aspects. After all everybody has to decide himself/herself what he or she wants of a trip. If it is a hassle free trip with a fixed and organized route, where it is easy to meet new people, or a trip with the maximum freedom, where one just has to care about one self’s needs.
I, myself, have to say, that I like to travel with somebody else. I am too communicative and social to sit alone in a train, where nobody speaks English, for hours and hours. I am too talkative and extrovert to be on the road alone.
~M~
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