Travel companion HELP!
 

I would like to take a trip to Europe this winter, but cannot find a friend to go with me. I have looked on websites for travel companions and I was HORRIFIED by the people listed. Mostly they were just people looking to hook up on vacation, to have a fling. I am just a nice young woman who doesn't want to travel alone. I am not interested in finding romance. Any advice for how to go about finding someone to travel with? Thanks! I'm desparate!

Do you want a traveling companion because you want to share the cost of lodging? Because, if that is the primary reason, it's a crap shoot that you'll find someone that you're compatible with on the Internet to travel with. Even the best of friends don't want to be and should not be attached at the hip 24/7 during a vacation; do you really want to do that with someone that is practically a complete stranger to you? Once you find someone, it's going to take numerous email messages and telephone calls in advance to even decide if you're compatible. And, it might even require a meeting or two to get to know each other. There are so many additional variables too - just to mention a couple: budgets may vary, you and your companion may be coming from different origination points that might be thousands of miles apart, and you would still need to agree on a destination.

Saying all of that, you might also look into tour groups, tour clubs, ski clubs, and your church. You might even post an "ad" on one of the sites you've already surfed and found the undesirables on. There may be like-minded people like yourself that feel discouraged by the ads that they have seen and someone might be interested in responding to your ad and traveling with you.

If you do decide to go alone, go on city tours where you will meet other travelers that you may want to hook up with for a day, an afternoon, or even to join for dinner. Most of the trips I have made to different destinations in Europe have been by myself. I have met people along the way, and enjoyed the time that I have spent with them and the time I have spent by myself. The best part about traveling alone is that there is no compromising. You get to do what you want to do when you want to do it.

Go by yourself rather than risk ruining a great vacation with a rotten traveling companion. What are the chances you can find someone you're compatible with in terms of what you want out of your travels? Plan your trip day by day, then allow for flexibility. I bet you will find lots of people along the way to talk with, share a dinner or perhaps a tour. Cities like London and Amsterdam are easy to navigate and tourist friendly.

a friend of mine took a 2 week tour of italy with a tour group. there are tour groups for every interest and age group..singles, all women, GBL...
my friend really enjoyed the trip...though she said to make sure you get a group that allows you the freedom to come and go from group activities as you please.

Traveling by yourself is great! Have you considered staying in hostels? You will meet people there, but you don't have to hang around with them anymore than you want. It's way better to be traveling on your own than with a difficult traveling partner.

It's better to be alone than to wish you were.

Said about relationships, but equally true for travel partners.

I met a wonderful man in the pool of Two Bunch Palms back in '95. Of course, he was gay. (What can I tell you? I'm a magnate, I mean magnet.) His work was science and he lived alone in Nebraska (of all places). I found him incredibly smart, charming, and well read even though he needed help with fashion advice. By the end of our desert retreat, he had offered to fly me to Italy (to be his first time), first-class, if I agreed to be his tour guide. Less than a month later our trip was good to go.

To get maximum charm benefit, I decided to share our two-bed suite in each hotel we stayed. I took him to Venice, Florence, and Rome. We agreed to share all the expenses while there but he couldn't resist being more generous.

I considered him a perfect stranger before Italy and a dear friend after. What a delightful surprise to find such a wonderful travel partner. I haven't seen him in years but when he calls, I can't stop giggling. I've always believed in miracles.

Hi
It's a dilemma for single people. I have traveled duo and solo, and there are pros and cons to each, but imo there's nothing better than a miserable travel companion for trip spoiling.

The occasional wistfulness of not sharing a trip is still much better, at least for me, than putting up with someone else's craziness--or their having trouble putting up with mine.

There are people who are very dear to me and whom I love, that I cannot live with or travel with, not if I'm going to have a good time.

If nothing else, traveling alone is a challenge, and you'll be justly proud of yourself for having done it. If you need specific advise on what to do, hints, etc, ask away right here.
Independent travel is easy enough as long as you are in good health, but you could even do an organized tour as a compromise.

that should have been, "advice"