You’ve saved your hard-earned cash. You’ve bought the Lonely Planet guide books. You’ve got a wish list of all the places you want to hit when you’re away on your great adventure. But now you have to make a big decision: do you go it alone? Do you buddy up with pals? Or do you take your partner?

This is no easy decision to make, and it’s one you should consider carefully as it will strongly affect the kind of holiday you have. Here are some pros and cons to consider for each option…

Travelling alone

Pros

Going it alone holds a certain allure for many. You’re unencumbered, pleasing no one but yourself. There are no arguments about who misread the itinerary, no negotiations about when or where to go. In the great tradition of finding yourself while on the road, the journey is yours to chase however you wish – popular choices for solo backpackers include treks across Europe, south-east Asia or South America.

Cons

Loneliness. The cold hard fact is, if you’re travelling solo, while you do have the opportunity to meet fellow travellers in hostels, none of these people know you like a friend, family member or partner does. Additionally, you’ll lack that second opinion that can sometimes be invaluable when travelling – making decisions that much easier.

Travelling with a partner

Pros

There’s no better way of getting to know your partner than going travelling with them. You’ll learn new things that you didn’t know before, even if you’ve spent a lot of time getting to know each other online dating or working together. The things that make you strong as a couple will also make you strong as travel buddies.

Couples might like to opt for romantic hotspots such as Paris, New York or Venice, but look for the lesser-known places that might bring some romantic magic too: for couples dating Adelaide, Edinburgh or Dubrovnik are often overlooked yet truly distinctive travel destinations.

Cons

Pressure can certainly be intensified on the road, especially in a backpacker situation. You might find that minor disagreements can be taken personally, or that competing interests (should we go to the museum? the beach? shopping? to the pub?) might cause tension. And if you’re staying in hostels, your ‘together time’ will be seriously reduced.

Travelling with friends

Pros

Your mates are the family you get to choose – they know you best and share your interests and activities, dreams and hopes. Backpacking with friends can be a 24-hour party – especially if you go to somewhere that likes to party hard, such as Berlin, Ibiza or LA.

Cons

No matter how well you get along with someone in daily life, travel can reveal surprising things. You may discover that you’re keen to be active but your travel buddy wants to lie on the beach – and that can lead to friction.

You might now have a clearer idea of what each travel route might bring you, but the main thing to remember is to have an open discussion with any travel companions about what you want from your trip and to be honest with yourself about whether you would prefer to travel alone, with a friend or with a partner – or a combination of all three!

This entry was posted on Thursday, May 3rd, 2012 at 1:00 am and is filed under Travel Tips. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.