How to Find Your Travel Soul Mate

expect an Oscar nomination for this one

I was slumped against a wall in the Boston Logan Airport last, my laptop plugged into the wall so that I could watch the underappreciated cinematic classic “Step Up 3” while hoards of panicked travelers grew steadily more agitated at our increasingly late airplane when my traveling companion looked over at me and said “Thank God you’re easy to travel with”. I couldn’t help but smile from this compliment. I had never excelled at sports, could not hold a tune to save a life and my artistic capabilities never exceeded the back of the Friendly’s menu, but dammit- I could travel! I had mastered the art of shimmying out of my jacket and shoes before the person in front of me had even finished fully removing his belt. I had dominated the oddly enjoyable trivia-like games the Israeli security asked you at the airport and was especially proud of my capability to know every single item on the Passover seder plate. Sleeping in airports have become natural to me and I have mastered the art of maneuvering around the armrest so as to enjoy my full eight hours. I live and breathe to travel. I devour travel books and regard Lonely Planet as my own personal Bible. So, when I was offered that simple compliment I could not help but be proud.

It also made me think about the various traveling partners that I have had in my life and what makes some of them “good” and others “I rather be strapped down in a Thai prison than here with you right now”. There are certain obvious factors that need to be considered when traveling with someone, especially when you will be traveling extensively with them. The first most obvious one is budget. You both need to be on some sort of understanding so that when you land in Paris and look for lodging, you will not be staying in a hostel with a rat for a roommate in the Latin Quarter while they are enjoying Egyptian cotton sheets down by the Champs-Élysées.

you can spot a foodie miles away...

Also you need to determine what your travel style is. Are you traveling across India in search of beautiful Hindu temples? Or are you looking to spend a month passed out in a shack in Goa? For me, ideally there would be a balance between the two. I have also been lucky to have foodies as my travel partners. It is basically decided upon by the gods or fate or whatever you call it that when foodies unite, a rare and beautiful thing happens: a sort of truce is created. This truce between foodies assumes that while money will be, of course, used for (bare minimum) lodging, whatever money does remain will be spent in the pursuit of fine food and drink. Foodies forgo the buying of “I love NY” t-shirts and instead focus their attention on the elusive best pizza of NYC. An “authentic” black beret for 12 euros? Please, I could buy eight croissants for that and still have money left over for a brioche.

Also to consider: are you a planner or a more “let’s just follow the guy in the blue hat because he kind of looks like he knows where he’s going and take it from there?” kind of person. Both are great in their own respects- but I have never followed an itinerary in my life and am loathe to ever commit myself to one. It is nice, however, when you do have a slightly more type-A around for guidance and a bit more structure in the day. And the best part about type-A’s is that they can very quickly become type-B’s and C’s with a little help from my friend, Jack Daniels.

luckily I did snag a photo of that
adorable monkey

For me, it is also a luxury to have a photographer on the journey. I like to approach life and travel with the slightly obnoxious attitude that “every moment is so precious so let’s not ruin it by flashing around cameras”. True, every moment is precious but so is that adorable baby monkey climbing up that tree but oh no you won’t be able to show off its adorableness to anyone because you didn’t take out your camera you damned fool. Moral of the story? If this sounds a little like you, make friends with photographers.

Also, especially for the ladies out there- you need to protect yourself. I have only rarely had the luxury of traveling with a male companion and when I have, the difference is night and day. In reality, however, I must acknowledge that there is an overall severe dearth in the lack of men in my life and therefore it is pretty much fact that I will be traveling in sole female groups. So if you also find yourself in this position, good for you. Betty Friedan smiles down upon you.  But seriously- travel smart. Apply the same rules to travel as you would to the sketchy frat house or any party hosted by the Duke Lacrosse team. Also come up with some code words so that the minute that word leaves one of your mouths, you both are out of there. Pick something simple to remember that is ordinary, but not ordinary enough to necessitate its use in everyday conversation (I’m thinking of something like “banana” as opposed to “the”).

making a fool of myself at Oktoberfest. I wish I
could say I remembered this...

Lastly, try to find someone to travel with who has the same spirit as you, but will also challenge you. Does it make you skirmish to hop on top of a table at Oktoberfest and belt out a German lied in front of thousands of strangers? Get a partner who will make you chug down a beer and grab your hand to pull you up to sing with her. Did you take a class in art history? Play tour guide and bring them to a great museum in Milan. Complement each other and push each other. Meet new travelers in your hostel, couchsurf for a night and make friends with the locals or hop on a bus and just get off and wander the city. Your travels are what you make of them and this is a much easier task when it is done with a compatible travel partner.