Travel companions can make or break a vacation: Who you should avoid
By Brian Miller
When we travel, we tend to travel with people we know, are related to, dating, or we travel with friends. Most of the time it’s fantastic but the wrong person can ruin your trip and erase every good memory you had.
With COVID once again highlighting our world with a new variant spreading quickly, countries are reassessing their open borders. Take for example the United Kingdom. They have opened travel for those who have been vaccinated but here in the United States, vaccinations do not necessarily get you a free pass into the country. In fact, the U.S. still has a travel ban in place from most of Europe.
Whether you are traveling by plane, car, boat, or train, you can expect to be in close proximity to your travel companion/s. We need to lean on past experiences and the experiences of others when we choose or travel partners and with COVID, now is a pretty important time.
The “you are wrong” person
No one will always share the same views you have. It’s literally impossible to carry on a debatable conversation and not find differences of opinion. This is a current problem especially in America with the “vaxers” and non-“vaxers”. It is easy to get into an argument before you ever step off your front porch.
It’s not just COVID and vaccinations or mask-wearing. Traveling with political differences can also become tumultuous especially if you completely disagree on the subject. Avoid it you can and if you can’t. Simply walk away. It’s better to let a hothead win an argument than ruin your vacation.
The slow mover
If you are a fast-paced person or someone that has to always be on time or far that matter an early riser who wants to get into the day, then traveling with someone that is much slower-paced is not an ideal travel partner.
Whether it is your spouse, brother, sister, father, whoever, you can find yourself impatiently waiting for them to get ready, wake up or, even walk a little faster. Everyone tends to have their own pace but if you know that someone is going to take longer to get going, then try to get them started earlier.
The politically incorrect sense of humorist
In this era, there is little room for what is termed politically incorrect. Nowadays, almost everything offends someone and while most grown adults know how to handle themselves, there are always those who either don’t care or won’t stop.
It can be a considerable embarrassment when it is in public, maybe not so much behind closed doors. There is always that crude person in your group that everyone just shakes their heads at but it’s really that person who doesn’t know when to turn it off when around strangers or public places.
The space invaders
We have all been around someone who smells. We deal with it most of the time but when you hit the vacation spots and are mingling with others, it’s a bit of put-off, even for you.
Of course, you can walk away from that person pretty easily, it’s the people who don’t have any boundaries and consistently invade your personal space that you can’t get away from. Avoid them as travel partners if you can because nothing will ruin your day more than someone constantly in your face.
The continual talkers
We all know this person and who knows maybe you might be that person. While they can often be the life of the party, they can also make you miss important information or take away from what you are trying to hear. Maybe you are just trying to enjoy the ocean view and the sound of the waves but instead, all you hear is the annoying voice, which is often way too loud.
The drinkers
Most travelers love to unwind on vacation with a drink in their hand but there is always one or two that have a little too many. Sure, you can laugh the following day because after the night out you practically had to carry them back home but it’s when they become belligerent or start throwing up and it happens every night that’s a problem
Drinking is one of those areas that demand a delicate approach. Even spouses have problems sometimes slowing their partner down and when it’s not your partner it is far worse. Nothing will ruin a day or an evening when alcohol goes too far.
The freeloaders
There is nothing wrong with picking up parts of a trip for someone else. More than a few times our groups have split hotel charges, food bills, and more, less one person because we knew money was tight. We also knew that going into the trip. There is nothing wrong with saying, “Hey we want you to come with us and we got you covered”. Leaving someone out over money never really feels right even when it can be avoided but the freeloader is completely different.
Most freeloaders never tell you they don’t have money or they do and would rather you spend yours while they save it. These are the people that will ask if they can sleep on the couch of your hotel room because they didn’t book their own. They are the ones who will ask you to drive them somewhere because they don’t have a car and won’t pay you or Uber to drive them.
We all know these types and it really digs at you. The worst part is they rarely say thank you when you say yes and most often don’t appreciate it. It’s one thing to need a night when your flight is canceled, it’s quite another when you just go along figuring someone will offer.
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For all of us, knowing who we are traveling with helps eliminate the unease because we know what to expect but it doesn’t lessen the impact they have on you or the rest of your party. Don’t be afraid to walk away or do something with someone else. Don’t be too worried to take some time for yourself. There is always a way to find some space to take a deep breath.
The best vacation plans can be ruined by one person and the only thing you can do to avoid it is leave them at home.