Travel Tips: the people

Tyler Goodine returns with more advice for the avid travellers. This week: what are the critieria for travel companions?

When heading on a trip, bringing along some friends can go a long way. The partners taken on a backpacking adventure define the trip. For the cheaper traveller, small group travel is a way to safely get to where a lone traveller may be unwelcome or uncomfortable.

Some things to keep in mind:

Groups of more than four hamper the decision process. Good decisions and judgements are key for the expense aversive, and can mean the difference between a poor decision causing all sorts of problems, and a less bad decision only causing some discomfort.

While a single person can make their own decisions quicker without others complaining, this can complicate a trip and lead to second-guessing decisions. While two is company, three is a crowd, four group members is the maximum amount of people that can fit together in a cab, book a private train room, and that don’t need anything larger than a mini-van (or modified motorcycle-carriage) to get around.

Group decisions mean that you’re all in for it together; no one gets left behind. In a group larger than four, splits and separations caused by the frustration from not “pooping-or-getting-off-the-pot” when deciding something can cause more trouble than what it’s worth. Four is the golden number!

Like-minded travel partners will be less painful than opposites. Whoever said opposites attract has never sat together with their opposite in the steaming back-end of a truck with dust spewing in their face. Partners who want more than a hole to crawl into after a long day may end up costing you some extra bucks; but partners who are content with any ol’ place can miss out on some once-in-a-lifetime hospitality experiences. Get to know the person you would like to travel with and get a feel for their tastes!

Don’t be lame and skimp out on beer or cards. While everything in moderation and knowing your surroundings are important, sometimes backpacking involves long periods of sitting on a dock or in an empty train car. Get a deck of cards, some small change that you keep with you or chips, and teach everyone to play games that are social and kill time. For extra fun and for trips involving many different countries with foreign currencies, games like poker involving petty cash can take on another dimension of guessing how much coins are worth. Try not to get too competitive or offended if someone wins; keep the games in good fun, the humour in agreed-group tastes, and winnings small: You may need to use this guys’ shirt for toilet paper later.

Don’t let the group change the way you think, or make bad decisions. Don’t be a jerk about it, either. If a group is walking into a seedy looking back-alley, won’t listen to reason, or are just tough to get along with, come up with a plan B that you can use to get yourself out of the situation, or to save your collective arses when/if things turn south. While you’re all in it together, that’s no excuse to stop thinking: Be aware, and be diplomatic with your disagreements.

Have fun! Don’t be afraid of things going wrong within a group – any good travel group goes through high times and low times. Try new things, and get to know the people outside of their comfort zone. Picking a group is the most important step – and a series of very personal decisions for those organizing what they want to do on a trip. Worst case scenario: If a group sucks, you will still have fun, but you likely won’t travel with those people again. Best case? You make a lifetime group of friends, and have some of the best times of your life.

Tyler Goodine is a volunteer writer for the Baron and has worked as a salesman for the West Edmonton mall. He has taken part in the UNBSJ student abroad program and promotes safe and cheap travel to students interested in seeing the world or to current and potential exchange students here at UNBSJ.