Becky

<BR> <BR>On a recent trip to France, the relationship with my travel partner went downhill quickly. I had broken up with him before the trip, but thought we could still get along as friends even though he still liked me. Wrong. We argued, avoided each other, etc. On top of that he developed a stomach ailment that kept him in the bathroom for three days. I was grossed out. I loved France, but I was glad to come home. Can anyone top that? Also, any general advice on choosing who to travel with if you are not married? <BR> <BR>

Lara

Becky, <BR> <BR>Before I was married, my favorite travel partner was...myself! I took a six-week trip to Europe and had the most wonderful time. I got to see and do exactly what I wanted, and I met a ton of people. I definitely had a better time than if I had been travelling with someone I didn't have a perfect relationship with. I've even noticed there are several books on the market geared toward women travelling on their own.

kimerley

<BR>I went away last September with 2 work friends.We drove around England for 5 weeks, staying in B & Bs. <BR>We agreed before we left that we would be honest with each other if we got a bit edgy. <BR>It was amazing how the little things, like needing a cup of tea first thing etc, can upset the equilibrium. <BR>I washed and blowed dried my hair each morning, plus ironed a shirt on the floor. This upset one of my friends no end. We just talked about it and laughed. <BR>

Nancy

I can top that! <BR> <BR>My husband & I planned a cruise to Mexico. Originally it was just for us but a friend & his wife ended up going also. They drove to the port. They did absolutely NOTHING on the cruise but stay in their room waiting for the meals & said that there was nothing to do on the ship. <BR> <BR>We took a taxi to a resturaunt, it was raining & the dead of night. The driver "didn't speak english" (yeah right), my friend picked the taxi apart, made fun of the driver and his country. The driver that didn't speak english let us out as far away from the resturaunt as possible & sped off. <BR> <BR>After the cruise we had planned to stay in town and relax then head back home the next day. My friend got us in his car, said that he wanted to go home & drove straight to the nearest "burger joint". He said that the food on the cruise was too prissy, he needed some grease!!!! <BR> <BR>My husband & I came to two conclusions that night. <BR> <BR>1. Always drive our own car. <BR>2. Never travel with friends. <BR> <BR>We saved up for too long to have parts of it ruined by our "friends". <BR> <BR>We did have a wonderful time but it makes you wonder how much better it could have been if it had been just us!

elvira

I have travelled alone and with a gaggle of other women. I love travelling by myself, wandering around at my own pace, visiting what I want, eating when I want, staying up late or getting up early, etc. I also love travelling with the girls, sharing experiences, my attention being drawn to something that otherwise I might have missed, being able to try a little sample off someone else's plate, etc. <BR>We have one rule: NO WHINING. You know what you're getting yourself into before you hit the road, so shut up. If something really does bother you (I like the blow-drying story; that's a pet peeve of mine too BUT we too laugh about it), speak up. Suffering in silence, or making those faces is NOT acceptable! <BR>Worst time we had was our weekend in Milan; agreement among us has been carry-ons only, but the girls decided to check big bags. Not me, I had my carry-on. So you can guess what happened...their bags were lost, so we spent 3 hours in Malpensa dinking around about the bags, then HOURS 'shopping' to get clothes for them until the bags arrived, another couple of hours on the phone with the airlines and the airport about the lost bags. Wouldn't be a big deal on a 15 day trip, but on a FIVE day trip...I was not happy at all. The one good thing that came out of it was... THE SWEARING ON THEIR MOTHERS' HEADS THEY'LL NEVER CHECK ANOTHER BAG. Much better than any "I told you so" I could have spouted...

judy

I've been waiting for this thread. A few years ago my husband gave me a Paris/ London trip for my birthday. He had arranged for my life-long friend who lives 150 miles away to go with me. I had traveled to England before, but my friend had never gone abroad. After two weeks of her incessant whining and complaining, our friendship of 45 years was quickly waning. Her side of it was that I was bossy, so I suspect we were both to blame. HOWEVER, she's a lovely person, but it takes her an hour to put on makeup and longer for her hair. She wanted to sleep until 10:00 each morning but insisted I couldn't leave her because she wouldn't know what to do without me! The morning we went to the Louvre she complained the entire time about my dragging her out of bed and how hot it was and why did we have to be on the go all the time! We argued about the seating on the plane on our way back, and how our friendship survived is beyond me. We have laughed about it since, but our friendship barely survived. I've told her I will never travel with her again, and she agrees... <BR>

Name Withheld

Question for debate: if a woman is a slow to get ready type, and therefore gets up 1 hour earlier than the traveling companions in order to be done and out of the way and tries to be as quiet as possible, is this person's makeup and hair routine still annoying? Especially when the early riser never keeps anyone waiting?

Diane

Why should it take any one a full hour to do hair and makeup? Try to find a shorter regimen -- save the extra effort for when going out to "dress-up" dinners. Maybe once or twice a week go the whole route, if you're really uncomfortable about it, but, yes I think it would be annoying.

Tony Hughes

I think its pretty lame not to put your name on a posting, mate. What do you think is going to happen to you? <BR> <BR>Dont be scared to voice your opinion. You may be ridiculed (I have experience of this) but so what, at least you have stated your mind.

Kimberley

<BR>I can't imagine why anyone would think it's annoying for a travel partner to take as long as she wants getting ready if she isn't waking anyone up and she isn't keeping anyone waiting. Many people on this forum seem so judgemental of travellers who spend time grooming, yet it's also frowned upon to travel without looking groomed (who could ever forget Ray Seva's tacky tourist thread last summer?). If people want to look nice when they travel, I know a large number of you can relate to that. If they choose to allocate an hour of their time to grooming instead of sleep I can't see why that would bother anyone. The key to travelling with others is simply to be considerate and flexible - which is exactly what our nameless friend is doing! KK

dan

Once I was on a business school trip. We had a free weekend to go anywhere, and a few of us went to Prague. My wife and I went sightseeing with a good friend and his wife. We actually had quite a good time, but I had planned a lot for seeing as much of Prague as possible, and his constantly standing in one spot video taping things did slow us down a bit. We decided mutually to spend some time apart the next day and then meet back up. We all got to do what we wanted and had no problems. I think this is the way to go if you travel with someone else besides a spouse. Travelling with others can definitely be a real pain sometimes. I doubt I will ever travel with a group again. It might be ok for special interest travel, such as photography or wildlife.

marilyn

I do think that people tend to be too judgmental here. Why in the world would Diane be annoyed by someone who takes an hour for grooming but isn't waking her up or keeping her waiting? Well, she TELLS us why, when she questions why it would take ANYONE that long to get ready!! Surely there is room for personal preference and/or idiosyncracy here in the absence of legitimate annoyance due to being kept waiting or woken up? <BR> <BR>Yes, it can be annoying to travel at a different pace or get hungry at different times, but USUALLY the rewards of the other person's company make up for such petty things. I agree with previous posters who said no whining and be open about what annoys you! <BR> <BR>My husband likes to tell me it is rude to--for example--ask if I can have caffeine coffee when the host or housepartners want decaf, but I don't see why I can't make MY preference known, as long as I am not so inflexible as to be unable to cope unless I get my way. <BR> <BR>There are certain friends I would not attempt to go on any trip involving extensive touring in a car because I know they like to cram in way more that I like to, but a trip like a cruise or a ski trip would be possible. Other friends might not like to travel at the same level of hotels and restaurants we like, whether higher or lower, so I wouldn't travel with them, either. But usually, and especially for a short trip, the fun of companionship and sharing compensates for such minor annoyances.

becky

I really don't understand what anyone could find so alarming about taking an hour to get ready. Some people just take that long. Not all of us are "adventure travelers" or obvious tourists who go about with messy hair, wearing the same pair of jeans for days on end. If you are travelling with someone who gets angry that you spend time getting ready (and you're not holding them up), THEY are the one who has the issues here.

judy

Ha! I'm the one who posted the message about my friend who took an hour to put on makeup when we were in Paris. I love some of the responses- somehow I think that those who think that's not a problem are probably those who also take an overly-long time applying makeup. Now I would NEVER leave home without my makeup on (and I change clothes at least once a day, too), but folks, unless you're a model, you don't need an hour to apply makeup. Time yourself...then you'll see how antsy you can become when this fascinating world is outside your door and you are stuck inside with a traveling companion applying three shades of base so she can sculpt her face into the proper shape! I love her anyway - just not as a TC. <BR>

Moriah

<BR>I thought this post was about travel partners but it seems to mostly be about woman's make-up. I myself never wear any make-up and never have. Men (including my husband) have often told me they like that about me. My husband is actually 100% against any make-up on me and complained the two times I tried on some eye make-up. It all seems so silly to me. <BR>As to the posts subject as it started: I once travelled for a week with a woman I met through my overseas college classes. She was 15+ years older than me. One morning I woke up early in our small pension room we shared and looked up from my twin bed to find her standing at the sink near me with shaving cream all over her face and she was shaving her whole face with a razor! She also was very bossy and was always ordering people about.

Tony Hughes

Judy, I agree wholeheartedly with you. One particularly memorable girlfried would spend upwards of two hours putting her face on and I would always say 'You looked fine BEFORE all that stuff was on your face'. Pardon the pun, but that wouldn't wash with her. <BR> <BR>Moriah, wasn't the beard a dead giveaway?

Bpb Brown

Every time I read these horror stories, I give thanks that my travel companion of 40 plus years is quite acceptable. <BR>I just wish she had some knowledge of a continental European language and could read maps better. To touch off an argument, is it the norm that women cannot read maps as well as men??

Jo

Regarding Map Reading - well you are looking for a bit of an argument aren't you! I map read for four months through France, Spain, Italy, Portugal, Germany, Austria, Czech... etc. At first I was a bit out of my league - but practise makes perfect and now I consider myself to be an excellent map reading! Maybe the woman in your experience just haven't been given the opportunity to map read <BR>Jo <BR>

s.fowler

I'm the map reader in our caravan. I'm just better at it! My husband is slightly dyslexic when under stress, but he drives like a dream I, on the other hand, can hold a route in my head as well as navigate on the fly! Once you learn that you can turn around eventually it becomes easier <BR>

s.fowler

AND I ask directions when needed. Do all men have this unwillingness to ask for directions? &lt;grin