I’ve been traveling alone most of my life. Many people are genuinely surprised by this and almost always ask the same question: “Aren’t you bored by yourself?”
No, it’s not boring.
I like the freedom that independent travel gives. If I wanted to stay in a beautiful place for a few hours, I’m staying. I changed my mind about going to the museum and decided to climb the mountains — no one will wait or persuade me to change my plans. I manage my own time when traveling, and that’s why this format suits me.
A traveling companion can help you take photos))
But that doesn’t mean I avoid people at all. On the contrary, sometimes you want to meet an interesting person, go to a new place together, go skiing, go hiking, or just sit in a cafe in the evening after a busy day. Without romance, without looking for a relationship, it’s just good company.
That’s why I still look for fellow travelers from time to time.
In recent years, I have accumulated a lot of observations that I think it’s worth sharing.
My fellow travelers have become noticeably more mature
The first thing I noticed is that the audience of travel search services has changed a lot.
Previously, most of the ads were posted by young people, but now there are a lot of travelers over the age of fifty. And it’s not just about fifty-year-olds. I have seen ads from people aged 73-74 several times.
And you know, it inspires respect.
A person has already lived most of his life, but he does not stay at home, but continues to discover new countries, meet people and make plans for another trip. In my opinion, this is a great example that it’s never too late to travel.
Probably, the reason is quite understandable. If you imagine a circle of communication in the form of several circles, then in youth it is constantly expanding: school, university, first job, new acquaintances. Then it gradually begins to narrow. Someone moves, someone completely leaves the family, someone changes interests, someone just loses touch. It also happens that there are fewer friends for the saddest reasons.
At some point, it turns out that the desire to travel remains, but the company is no longer there. That’s when ads about finding a traveling companion appear.
What kind of people do you meet
During all this time, I managed to see a variety of ads.
There are girls who clearly expect to find a man who is ready to pay for their vacation in full. Some would call it a sponsorship search, others a disguised escort. Personally, I don’t see the point in judging anyone. If both people understand what they expect from the trip, then it’s their choice.
There are men who, on the contrary, are willing to pay for a trip in the hope of a holiday romance. Usually such people find each other pretty quickly.
There are also some very unusual ads.
Sometimes the requirements take up half a page. You can’t stay up late here, you have to get up early, you only live in a certain area here, and once I even saw an ad where they were looking for a traveling companion with a hotel next to the church to attend services every day. You immediately realize that a vacation with such a person is likely to be very “stuffy.” Although, perhaps, this is just the perfect option for someone.
Of course, everyone has the right to look for the right person. But personally, I’m usually alarmed by the large number of restrictions.
Another fairly large category is girls who want to travel, but are afraid to go alone. Many people immediately write that they are only looking for a traveling companion. However, for some reason, this rarely stops men, and they start writing anyway.
In general, travel companion search sites are somewhat similar to dating sites. But only externally. After all, people here often come not for a relationship, but for a trip together.
Where to find a traveling companion
I am often asked where to find a traveling companion.
Personally, I’m not limited to one site.
I usually place an ad on Tourweek first, and then duplicate it in Telegram and thematic communities on VKontakte.
I’ve tried using other services before. But over time, I realized that many of them work according to the same scheme. At first they write that everything is free, and then gradually they offer to buy paid placement, raise the ad higher, open a correspondence or use some other additional service.
For example, Mahnem.ru Personally, I was left with the impression of a dating site rather than a travel service. About the same feelings arose from some other sites.
Perhaps they are suitable for someone. My experience was not the most successful.
In general, my advice is simple: place an ad in several places at once.
On specialized sites, it usually remains available for a long time, so new users can see it even after a few weeks.
It’s different on social media. The feed is updated very quickly, and almost no one will see the publication within a day. Therefore, if you are looking for a traveling companion via Telegram or VKontakte, it is better to repeat the ad periodically.
And don’t just wait for incoming messages.
View other people’s ads. Sometimes it’s much easier to see a person with similar interests yourself and write first.
I’ve actually been lucky a few times
In my life, I’ve traveled with fellow travelers about five or six times.
And I remember most of these trips with pleasure.
One day we went snowboarding together in Kirovsk. My traveling companion already knew the city very well and showed me places that I would hardly have found myself. He recommended good cafes, told us where to eat delicious and inexpensive food, and showed us a sanatorium with a buffet. It seems to be small things, but it is from such small things that the impression of the trip is formed later.
Another successful experience was already in Turkey.
I was looking for a person with whom I can share the cost of a room during a ski vacation. A guy from Trabzon responded to the ad.
As a result, it turned out not only to save on accommodation.
We found ourselves at about the same level of skiing, we spent days on the slopes, constantly choosing new routes, and the rest turned out to be really cool.
I remember he even said that he had never seen anything before.I have met such an active traveling companion, next to whom you can get tired yourself.
Another interesting experience I had recently while hiking in the Hakkari Mountains. I have already described it in detail in a separate article, so I will not repeat myself here.
The situation was a little different there. I wasn’t looking for one particular traveling companion. Through Instagram, I found a Turkish company that was gathering a group of participants for an autonomous hike, and joined them. As a result, there were 12 of us. One participant spoke Russian and Turkish, while the others spoke only Turkish.
It also became a great language practice for me, because at that moment I was actively learning Turkish.
Hiking companions in Hakarri
This trip has shown well how different people can be. I had a normal relationship with everyone, and I didn’t have any problems personally. But to be honest, out of the whole group, I would not hesitate to go on a trip with only two people again.
And this is absolutely normal.
When a group gathers randomly, it’s always a kind of lottery. No one selects participants in advance based on their character, habits, or pace of life. It’s just that there are twelve completely different people who are going to spend a few days together.
By the way, even in our group there were several conflicts between the participants. Not with me, but between other people. Somewhere the expectations did not match, somewhere the characters, somewhere the views on the organization of the campaign. It happens, especially when people see each other for the first time.
Fortunately, it was an autonomous hike, and everyone spent the night in their own tent. There was enough personal space for everyone, so even after minor disagreements, they could calmly disperse and relax.
After this trip, I became even more convinced of one thought. If you have the opportunity to get to know your future travel companion in advance, have a quiet chat, call up and understand how much you match in character and views on vacation, this opportunity is definitely worth taking advantage of. The chances of a really successful trip become much higher.
Why do I have almost no unsuccessful trips
There is one habit that I think has saved me from a lot of problems.
Before going on a trip together, I always communicate with a person for a long time.
We correspond, call each other, discuss various household issues. I can ask any questions that I consider important.
Some people are embarrassed to do this.
But in vain.
It is better to understand in advance that a person is completely unsuitable for you than to find out in another country.
For me, the ideal traveling companion is a calm, respectful and non—confrontational person. Someone who understands personal boundaries, doesn’t ask unnecessary questions and doesn’t try to impose his opinion.
There are also simple everyday moments.
It is important to me that a person does not smoke in the room, does not abuse alcohol and generally behaves appropriately.
This is almost the end of the list of requirements.
It seems to me that the simpler people treat each other, the more comfortable the trip is.
A mistake that many people make
Recently, a friend of mine went to Sri Lanka with a traveling companion she found on the Internet.
Before the trip, they met, talked, and decided that everything would be fine.
But already on vacation it turned out that they are completely different.
One loved parties and wanted to go to bars every night.
The second one doesn’t drink alcohol at all.
One of them dreamed of going on excursions every day.
The second one wanted to lie quietly near the ocean and not rush anywhere.
As a result, they had several serious quarrels. So serious that on the last day we no longer talked to each other, but sat separately on the plane. It was only after returning home that one of them apologized for her behavior.
When I heard this story, my first thought was very simple.
Didn’t you discuss all this beforehand?
These are the things that need to be clarified before buying tickets.
How does a person imagine a vacation? Does he like excursions? What time does he usually wake up? Does he want to spend his evenings in bars or prefers to walk quietly? How important is personal space for him?
All these questions may seem like small things.
In fact, they make up the whole trip.
What to write in the ad
If you decide to look for a traveling companion, do not write two dry sentences like “I’m going to Turkey. I’m looking for a company.”
Tell us a little about yourself.
Tell us what kind of vacation you like, what your approximate budget is, whether you like active trips or prefer to relax by the sea.
Don’t be afraid to talk about your habits right away.
If you can’t stand cigarette smoke, write it down.
If you don’t drink alcohol, it’s also better to say it right away.
If you like to get up at six in the morning for a beautiful sunrise, this is also important information.
Now it’s quite easy to make a good ad. You can sketch out the main thoughts and ask ChatGPT to help you formalize them into a clear and lively text. The main thing is that everything you post afterwards really corresponds to reality.
Don’t try to appear better than you are.
Honesty saves much more time than beautiful language.
There are no good or bad fellow travelers
Over all the years of traveling, I have come to the same conclusion.
There are no good or bad fellow travelers.
There are people who are right for you.
And there are people with whom your ideas about rest simply do not coincide.
This is completely normal.
Finding a traveling companion is not a competition for the title of the ideal person. This is an attempt to find someone with whom it will be easy for you to spend several days or a week on the same trip.
Personally, I still travel alone more often.
I like this freedom.
But if you manage to meet someone with whom you have the same interests, pace of life and attitude to travel, a joint trip may be even more interesting than a solo one.
The main thing is not to rush into a choice. A few honest conversations before traveling can eliminate a lot of problems and make your vacation exactly as you imagined it.
