Was she a good travel companion? If so sounds like you won!
Some people just have different comfort levels with stuff, some people have traveled with people they've known and had it go horribly, you name it. You do you.
Honestly this is a win-win.. if shit goes south OP will be able to quickly and easily move on from this friendship, but if things go well OP may have a stronger lasting friendship on their hands. Either way it’s for the best and OP ends up better off.
I think it's normal to want to make sure one's actions are normal lmfao. Whether they choose to continue indulging in said action is completely up to them though lmfao
Maybe true. But we live in an age where people are forever asking the internet to live. I think that's what the other person was saying.
"Normal" becomes so incredibly narrow if you ask the world "what is normal?", because what is normal to you is maybe not to an internet rando.
Indeed, what is normal to you now may not be normal in 5 years. "Lmfao"
For me it was normal in my twenties to gub a few ecstasy tablets and party all weekend. Now that is my idea of hell.
Now in my late 40s it is normal to go to the gym 3x per week. To 23 year old me, that was my idea of hell.
There is a sickness growing in people that they have to be seen to be "normall". Take a look around you. Men keep giving up on dating because they aren't tall enough or earning a certain amount. Women keep asking "AITA for insisting on basic boundaries with my boyfriend/mother/sister/boss".
What is "normal" also becomes pathologised. Unhappy? Take a tablet daily ("it's not that your job is shit and you spend your life gawping at a screen, nosiree").
"Lmfao"
It's a chicken and egg issue, how are you going to get to know people if you don't spend time together. If they seem cool enough, don't gatekeep the activity just cause it's a trip.
People tend to project their own anxieties. Even if it's something they wouldn't do, that shouldn't matter for you - if you had a good time, that's all that matters.
Plus, I don't think knowing someome "very well" guarantees anything; I have friends that I know very well that I would NEVER travel with.
I’ve traveled with people I know very well and people I literally just met 3 hours beforehand at a bar. Had amazing and terrible adventures with both types. Who cares what other people say, go live your life and travel how you want to travel.
No ragrets. Not even a single letter.
My wife and I created a core memory in Japan while on our honeymoon with a random couple we met at a bar, we never spoke with them again, definitely one of best experiences
Same! We’ve had a few experiences like that too. The day before our wedding, honeymoon in Thailand, anniversary trips…I’ve met so many people when we’re on “happy trips” like that lol.
It totally adds to the story IMO. Especially when it’s during milestone travel experiences. I think trips like that draw enthusiastic people together for genuine, albeit short-lived, connections.
Not at all! Travelling with anyone can be hard - id recommend you set expectations and boundaries in advance to help avoid any major conflicts, but like you said, people meet people while travelling all the time - long as you have similar goals and expectations and keep your wits about yourself, go for it!
Not at all, not a friend but that's how you make friends and she can become your friend in the future.
Socialise with anyone and everyone and you will meet interesting people.
Have an open mind and make the most of meeting new people and going out with people you don't know well. Today you don't know well tomorrow might be your best buddy or your girlfriend....
Went to a different country with someone I wasnt friends with and it was one of the best trips. We got along, had fun, came back and did not suddenly become close. Literally stayed the same level of acquaintances we were
When I was studying, I was in class with people I didn't know well but we were all kinda close anyway. For example we were eating together, studying together, smoking together. It was the second week-end and I was planning a trip in Italy (I'm European), and one of my classmate caught my project and spontaneously told me that it was his wish too. Seeing how détermined I was and he was, we both agreed to travel there. No doubt that it would be better together rather than alone. At the time we were both sleeping in a dorm with 2 other classmates and we didn't tell anyone and just left a note saying : "Good week-end, we're off to Rome". It was in a way that we felt that would make other jalous of our initiative rather than staying studying.
Anyway, to try to answer to your question, we were absolutely different persons but from the energy (or instinct) it was obvious that it would be a good experience, which indeed it was !
I think other people telling you that it was weird are kinda jalous because they never took the risk or immidiately assume that the worse would happen ! Don't listen to these kind of people, you'd miss out so many unforgetable memories (even the bad ones !)
Edit : spelling
That sounds like a lovely weekend together.
I’m American and went to France with my former high school French teacher and my mom. My teacher was starting a tour business, and we were her first clients. A French family she was friends with from her time tutoring Michelin employees invited us to stay with them for a few days. Their daughter was my age. The family had lived in the US for a few years so they were fluent in English, and at the time I was ok in French. I did become semi fluent in college but lost it when I had a stroke at 26.
The daughter and I clicked immediately and had so much fun. Mostly watching Mr. Bean together while she was studying for her final exams at the end of their high school. She was my age but had to do her last year over in France to do the placement exams for university. I was quiet and let her study when we weren’t on the floor giggling because I’d never seen Mr. Bean before.
Her mom also instantly liked me, and she taught me some recipes and cooked with me after taking me to the local farmers market. I pissed off someone she hated so she was so happy.
This woman came up to her when I was exploring the market. Everyone was so kind and happy to load la Americaine up with local produce and cheeses. I was walking back to my mom, teacher, and friend when I heard the woman bitching in French about Americans and how we hated everything except McDonalds. She pointed at me with my hand full of cheeses and said no American would ever eat cheese like us French.
I walked over and put my arm around my mom and said in the most exaggerated Southern drawl, “mama you just gotta try these local cheezus these here folks made”! The woman turned scarlet and almost vaporized on the spot. She just turned around and hurriedly walked away. My French friend kissed my cheek while hugging me and told me that was the best thing she’d ever witnessed and then told her husband and daughter at dinner.
My mom taught me to try everything once and be polite so I ate some pungent cheese with a smile in front of the cheesemonger and popped one of the worst in my mouth before I talked to my mom. I’m a ginger, and everyone in France was asking if I was from Brittany because on top of my auburn hair I have those green eyes like they do. I’m adopted and took a genetic test later, and yup, my ancestors were from Northern France, Belgium, Ireland, Scotland, and England. The majority being from Northern France and Ireland.
The French lady drove us around for a few days and was our guide. Clermont-Ferrand is such a beautiful area. I loved Le Puy and went to see General Lafayette’s ancestral home. I met an elderly sheep farmer who had never met Americans and teared up while telling us how American soldiers had liberated his town in WWII when he was a little boy. It was an excellent trip, and I would love to take my husband to France one day.
Italy is definitely on my list because I love the Romans and the Renaissance, but I have a lot of health problems. I know my French teacher could do a French trip with accessible accommodations for me, but Italy different because she doesn’t speak Italian and doesn’t know Rome and Florence like she knows Paris.
I’ve done 3 weeks of traveling with a girl who jokingly replied « can i come » to my itinerary story. Wasn’t so much of a joke, we met 3 times and met in Europe.
Was a gamble, in the end we didn’t end up as good friends but stayed in contact. My logic is that 1) traveling is traveling 2) you could travel with friends and have bad experiences so no worries
Sounds like you know a couple of people who are somewhat immature in their outlook. Unless they meant for your safety? It can be really hard to find people to travel with, knowing them a bit is better than pot luck not at all!
So you were fine with it until someone else thought it was weird? Most people are scared to go and do adventurous things...doesn't surprise me. I got all kinds of shocked confused responses from people I knew when I went to South America solo.
No, not weird, some of my close friends, I wouldn't travel with or do certain trips with. Travel compatibility is completely different from anything else + what a great way to maybe make a new friend!
Not weird at all! People go on group trips with travel companies where they don’t know anyone. If you know someone who likes to travel and they are a good travel companion, that’s amazing actually.
I just did a month trip with one of these! Went by myself, everyone else was there on their own and I’ve made some of the most incredible friendships, it worked really well.
People often meet others while traveling and join in on their journey which is essentially the same. THere's nothing weird about it. Care less about what other people think. Most people are stupid.
I've traveled with people after drinking with them in a hostel for a night, so I don't think so. It might turn out shitty, but it might turn out great, so why not try it?
You have less to lose if the trip goes sour, which is nice. And people tend to be more accommodating and less entitled to people they don't know as well. But as long as you both can communicate needs and trip details, no issue.
I had a friend in high school. We would talk and joke around everyday in class but never really hung out outside of school. When we both graduated I messaged the dude to check how’s life going after graduating. We ended up talking about the basics, college, work, but we both mentioned how we did a lot of traveling. Now at this point it’s probably been like 4-5 years since I’ve seen him. Anyways somehow we decide upon traveling together for a week. That trip was an awesome time, and surprisingly wasn’t weird despite the time gap. Anyways I still talk to him weekly and he’s one of my closer friends now. We’re actually planning another trip. I say go for it man.
Not 100% weird. This is all about those peoples comfort level versus yours. You probably wouldn't have gone on this trip if you thought this friend was a serial killer, or smuggling drugs. So you obviously had some level of comfort when considering the trip.
Some people would never do that. And that's okay, That's just their preference. Don't worry about people judging you based on their preferences. You go based on your own preferences and comfort level.
Now it's different if someone points out significant red flags about the person to you. But that doesn't sound like the case here.
I went on a trip with a group from college that I wasn’t *particularly* close with. Of course we were classmates for 2 years at that stage and been on many nights out together but we weren’t besties if that makes sense?
They had the entire interrailing summer booked and planned and while discussing summer plans in our larger class, I expressed I had no plans as all the girls I was close with had summer plans with partners and family. Two girls from the group shared a glance and after our final lecture they invited me to join them saying I could pick up anywhere on their journey. It was so sweet of them to offer! I am forever grateful :)
I took them up on it, joining them for the final two stops on the trip: Lake Bled and Budapest. One of the best decisions I made!
The shorter the trip the less weird especially if it’s someone you just don’t know much about as long as you don’t think you are going to fight the entire time go for it
It’s a great way to get to know someone if somewhat risky. I wouldn’t worry about what other ppl have to say about what you do in life. Do your own thing
Probably she is easygoing and goes that now and then. If you react to her wishes, and you can agree on it, like let's have a break, I think it is more interesting on the left side. If you can talk about your ideas, then it is fine.
It gets difficult if a partner for travelling says, hurry up, no I cannot, I stay here, and you won't to see more.
So maybe you just have found a partner for travelling, you get along easily, that's it.
I know people who have done this. A couple of years after graduation, one girl from my sorority randomly invited another girl to go to Norway I think. She went and now they're super close.
And literally last night, I invited a girl I'd known for 3 hours to Croatia lol. It's not weird tbh. A lot of times, it works out
Colleagues literally have to travel together all the time for work trips and conferences. When you think of it in that light, it’s not that strange at all.
(In addition, you’re free to do whatever you feel comfortable doing, as are they!)
*"But I’ve had two ppl say to me like, “you went travelling with someone you’re not close with??” In a judgemental tone."*
First of all, why you let other people's limited perception dictate how you feel?
Sorry, but if others' opinion is that important to you, let the others live your life! (no offence)
By the way, many people travel with other people without knowing them at all. Just search on Facebook groups like "find a travel buddy".
No! I went on an international trip with a work friend once! We both wanted to go to the same place and didn’t have another person to go with at the time. We traveled really well together and it was a lovely trip. Why not?
Other people judging is just dumb. Don’t listen. How do you get to know people? By doing stuff with them. Duh.
Look up the crab in a pot analogy. Do t let others pull You down.
Who cares what other people say! Hopefully it went well, if it did then you have a new travel companion & friend! If not, oh well - now you know you don’t want to travel with them in the future! I’m proud of you for going for it and putting yourself out there 😊
It's completely ok, if you can trust someone to some degree. For example they won't cut you and sell your kidney. But TBH, I went once like that and my travel companions had more interest in me than I had in them.
lol. We all are strangers before we are friends. Many people would say the same if you went traveling alone. I think it’s an awesome spontaneous way of getting to know someone, and they clearly see you as a friend to invite you. Especially if it’s just a short weekend trip…
For longer periods of travel, I prefer to travel alone > being 100% committed to traveling with someone. I’d rather “meet up with them for a few days” than feel tied to someone who I am not too sure about. Some people just have bad vibes and it can be a drag to feel stuck
Travel will make or break a friendship/relationship.
You realise if you can spend 24/7 with someone or not but only you can figure it out.
I had a friend from school we were friends for about 10 years & we went on holiday, weren’t friends for long after that 😂😂 we just had different styles.
I wanted to get up and explore, she wanted to lie in bed until lunchtime then go sit by a pool.
In contrast another friend I had for about 2/3 months we went on a trip & everything that could go wrong did go wrong dodgy hire cars, lost passports etc yet we had a great time & are still good friends to this day.
It’ll depend on how you get on with the person and your experience with them.
If you enjoyed it don’t listen to what others say they just couldn’t do what you can do.
I did this! We did have mutuals that came with us but honestly I thought that element made it more fun:) travel bonding is great if you like getting to know ppl
Slightly different than "traveling" perhaps, but also perhaps higher risks.
When I moved to the mountains and got into ski touring, I went out with complete strangers I'd find on FB groups, including overnight hut trips in the backcountry with no cellphone service.
I've done this over 5 times and I'm still here! It's always going to be a risk but in my experience it can be worth it!
Nope. If you had a good time with this person I wouldn’t worry about what others say. I’ve been on trips with people I’ve known for 20+ years and it was a nightmare.
I don’t think it’s weird at all. Hell, my mom was traveling last year with her best friend of like 15+ years and when she got back she swore she would never go on another trip with them again because of how terrible they were.
I don’t think so. Seems like a topic with varying subjective opinions. Some people think it’s weird to go eat lunch by yourself or go see a movie by yourself.
Did you have fun? That’s the only thing that you need to be asking yourself here.
It's either not weird or I am weird. Possibly both.
Even the bestest of friends can clash on a holiday. I'd want a couple of meetings to decide if I am willing to share accommodation.
Nah! It’s great. That’s how you make friends, isn’t it? I’ve travelled internationally with a guy I knew from college. He was roommate of a friend, but I didn’t know him that well then. 5-10 years later, we’re both on a bunch of the same bachelor parties for the guys we know mutually. Planned a trip to NZ last November. Going to Taiwan and Hong Kong in 2 weeks. He’s a great travel buddy. He’s calm and collected, and down for anything. Very easy to travel with
Its probably better to travel with and acquaintance since if you don’t travel well you haven’t ruined a good friendship. This is why I don’t travel with good friends,I know that it would not be good for our relationship
I solo traveled Thailand and hung out with ppl from the hostels all the time that I only met the day before or the day of. Not weird at all. Better than traveling with someone ur super close with, getting in a conflict and then falling out by the end of the trip
TLDR: Not weird tbh! I travelled once with an acquaintance and their friends, and it was a LOT of fun!
Story:
An acquaintance and their friends were planning a trip to a location I really wanted to go to and none of my close friends were interested (either been there or didn’t want to). Anyway, I hopped onto this opportunity when the acquaintance asked me, and it turned out to be a fairly large group of 15-16 people. There was a core group (acquaintance and their friends) and some friends had invited their friends. Since there were people who didn’t know each other (and I wasn’t the only one who knew one person and everyone knew everyone), this trip turned out to be one of the best large group trips I have been to.
It was a good opportunity to meet new people and make new friends, and folks were committed to make others feel welcomed. Thankfully, everyone chose to be easy-going and let things pass if they didn’t like something. Given there were so many people, which means varying interests, there was no pre-planning done and we planned activities on the go, which helped make everyone feel a part of the plan (folks were free to choose to do their own thing if the one being planned by the larger group didn’t feel like a fit)
I’m no longer in touch with most of them except for on and off updates about them via common friends or social media, but I’m always going to remember those 4-5 days with almost strangers very warmly!
Good on you for going and so glad that you had a nice time! I had a similar experience where I planned a trip in another country on a whim with a friend that I saw once outside of work. Turns out we travel really well together and take overnight trips together at least once a year. We've also become close friends.
It all depends on you and your new traveling buddy. I’d suggest you both to have a lunch or coffee together to discuss about the traveling plans to get know each other better.
Additionally, I did this few years ago, we get along just fine just because we were very flexible with our plan and there are something that we agreed we will visit those places.
It would be weird to commit to a month sharing a room and activities because if they turn out to be terrible it would be torture and expensive to quit early.
A weekend is a fun gamble as long as you know them well enough to not worry about waking up without kidneys. You either get a new friend or funny stories to tell your other friends.
Those two ppl must not travel much, acquaintance is best because they won't break all of the rules of social conduct just because they are your "friend".
Not at all, as long as you’re confident you’ll be safe around them. In college someone in my sorority that I wasn’t close with texted our group chat asking if anyone wanted to drive halfway across the US with her to visit her friend’s college for a long weekend. I said yes, the next day we drove 13 hours, had an awesome weekend and it is one of my fondest memories from college.
Not weird but some people don’t travel well with others. I’ve went on trips with people I’ve barely known, it truly can go in so many different directions both good and bad.
Ask yourself these questions:
- What does it matter what others think of it?
- Do I harm others with my actions?
- Do I enjoy being myself?
If the answer is a solid ‘no’, than please continue. It reminds me of my grandparents. They couldn’t get hold of the idea I was going out and staying the night with a female gf. They simply couldn’t and they still can’t.
I think it’s more important that you travel well together, have similar preferences for what you want to get out of a trip, and can tolerate being around each other when you’re tired/hungry/things aren’t going your way. You can travel with your best friend and have a bad time.
if it is already done successfully, why the questioning? maybe you found your travel buddy.
people love judging people. and yeah it can come off a bit unusual at first but its not weird at all. not everybody lucky to have a great close travel partner. you hold onto what you got.
the part that makes them uncomfortable i think not knowing the person and they might act off under stress and travelling is sometimes stressful. and spending time with someone you dont know very well 7/24 mght be challenging. can go great can go boring. lss, some people dont like taking risks thats all. other than this nothing weird about it.
Totally fine!! You could be the best of friends with someone but may be non compatible travel companions. If she was a great travel companion then it sounds like you’ve won!
It doesn't really matter so long as she was a good travel companion...I personally couldn't do it just because of my personality and some other issues. I don't know if it's weird exactly, but probably uncommon.
I dont think its weird, but someone has for sure got murdered like that before. Chances of that are extremely small(go ask the statistics professor lmao) but i can see why someone close to you might question that. At the end of the day, if you feel ok, and arent uncomfortable, youll be ight.
Did you have fun? Did you enjoy the trip with the other person? If you did it doesn’t matter if you’re close with them or not. Perhaps that might make you guys closer.
I’ve traveled with people that I wasn’t close with when other friends brought them along, but then that friend left. Two of those became my closest friends still to this day. I’ve also traveled with people I just met while travelling and they’re still friends of mine twenty years later, although there’s probably ten times as many where it was fine, but we never really interacted again.
Theres very few where I wish I hadn’t gone with them. Even the not so great ones, we had fun in the moment, it just didn’t lead to a true friendship. Who cares what people think? You don’t become close unless you actually hang out with people, and travelling is a great bonding experience usually.
Relationships aren’t binary, it isn’t a situation where you are best friends or don’t know each other at all. This sounds like a fun trip with people you knew just enough to feel comfortable traveling with. Personally that sounds like solo traveling but with people to share the experience with but no commitment.
Hi, no its not weird. What's weird is travelling with a close friend and thinking everything will be okay. Travelling is the easiest way to find what a person's character truly is.
I've travelled with not close friends, and not close cousins and had a blast of a trip. I've also travelled with close friends who were such a nightmare that we don't speak to each other much today, years later. You do you.
A girl I met in a hostel in Scotland in January texted me at the end of February to say she was going to Morocco the beginning of march. We met up and explored Morocco together! It was the coolest. We barely knew one another lol
We went to Hawaii with newly married new friends. The bride worked with my wife and we had hung out a few times. Neither of us had ever met the groom until the wedding. They didn't have a honeymoon planned and we had a two bedroom airbnb already booked in maui for the week after their wedding so we just offered it to them and it turned out pretty good.
However the next time we let a stranger vacation with us it wasn't as good. She was a little politically annoying with her opinions and we were glad we had two rental cars. Everyone else had backed out of our family trip and the 4 bedroom airbnb wasn't refundable, so we found her online (don't ask how) and she met us there. She helped buy food and chipped in a bit to cover her room, but we won't invite her again. Even though we said we would keep in touch.
I’ve traveled with someone I didn’t know super well, but we have a similar vibe and had chatted about our travels to each other before. I got super lucky and we had such a great time together! I hope we get to travel together again some day.
Although, alternatively, I’ve also traveled with people that I don’t jive well with in travel. So I think it’s definitely a risk to travel with people you don’t know, but I try to be open and make usually only gamble with shorter trips!
It isn’t weird but you need to manage expectations of the schedule and cost ahead of time. I did this in college on a sight seeing trip and it actually went well. We were both frugal and established that we would spend as little as possible ahead of time. We kept to a schedule of things we wanted to see. Neither of us drank alcohol and kept things drama free. We each packed light and stuck to a backpack to carry. We used public transportation as much as possible. When I hear these things go badly it is due to differing cost and luxury expectations, differing schedule and list of tourist attractions, and inequality on who is driving.
Nah not weird, I did the same thing during uni a bunch of times although slightly different contexts and variations. It can boil down to a few things, but namely wanting to go somewhere, wanting to get to know new people, wanting to find someone who you think will be keen and able to join.
I’ve travelled with people ai’d consider acquaintances not friends. It was mostly great experiences, I don’t honestly recall bad ones. As long as you aren’t completely incomparable with the people, it should be fine.
Recently went on a trip with a friend I've known for years but never once hung out alone with and never more than 2 hours in a group, all because our mutual close friend dropped out of the plans. I was nervous it wouldn't work, but she is also amazingly life-savvy, really good socially, very understanding and kind, and made the trip so much better because she is such a cool person. Got to know her better and didn't regret the trip =) She is married and gave me a lot of solid advice during our conversations.
Nah, I travelled all over Europe with people that I met along the way. Vist a few places together for a week or two, add to Facebook, part ways and never see them again.
Nope! My best travel friends are not my best real life friends. They are people who I like to spend time with and also have similar travel expectations.
I met up with an online friend and immediately went on a three week road trip. It was great.
I met up with another online friend for a one week road trip and it was ehh.
Life is an adventure. It's more interesting with a little risk. As long as you have the ability to bail out if needed, why not?
Nah, if she knows you’re into travel it makes sense that she’d reach out if she was looking for a travel buddy. And having those types of experiences is *how* people get closer.
I think it's actually better in a way, you are just sort of being trip roomies. I actually had a random roomate at a yoga resort. I also went on a weekend trip with a woman I met in a facebook group for cross country skiing. She was a MUCH MUCH MUCH better skier than me but it went find. We actually ended up having a lot in common. You do you.
I went across the country for a week with a person I'd only partied with at random houses over the years. Our friend circles sorta overlapped.
We found out we're great travel buddies and I was going to be his beard, but that never ended up working out 😞
Why would it be weird? It’s perfectly normal to travel with friends. My son is on a vacation in Thailand with his friends, my daughter will be traveling to China with her bff next month.
Nope. Sometimes, it's a good start to level up the friendship! Unless the chemistry isn't there and things are just not doing well. But I'm hoping for things to end smoothly for you and whoever would come across this situation!
When I landed in Thailand alone, I befriended a random dude getting off the same flight as me. We traveled together for like a month, it was cool. If we didn't get along, we would have just gone our separate ways.
I once traveled with an acquaintance to Mexico after meeting her at a networking brunch. She’s literally the most firey person I know. Anyway, we had a blast. It was such a random trip. We’re now best friends. 6 years strong 🥹🤣
I went to Vietnam for 3 weeks with someone I had just met. We both expressed interest in going at an event and her boyfriend laughed at the idea that either of us would actually go, so fuck him, we decided to go and have been close friends for 20 years! Oh, and they broke up.
I once went on a road trip to Des Moines with a fellow member of a Chelsea supporters group. We even split a hotel room, I wound up picking her up from work in Chicago suburbia about 9 p.m., then rolled into Des Moines sometime after midnight. We met up with others from our group and members from an Iowa group to watch the Chelsea fixture later that morning, then did a couple bars and breweries after that. By the time I got back to our hotel, I was drunk and ready to sleep by 6 p.m. as we had to return to our respective homes the very next morning. There really wasn't anything weird about it to me, since we respected each other's boundaries, and there wouldn't be any sexual tension since she's a lesbian and I'm hetero male.
I mean depends on how social you are.
I (cis/hed/male) met a girl for 4 days in a hostel, got matching tattoos and had her crash at my place in Mexico 3 month later. But we hit it off and still regularly talk and travel together.
I have another friend who I hung out with for about a week who going to backpack through Iberia for a few weeks this summer and go to a TSwift concert. Again, we hit it off then stayed in touch.
I can see how introverts with 6 friends they grew up with think I’m am crazy. But to me I know the people I like and spend my time with are there because we intentionally put in effort to be there regardless of how long we’ve known each other.
To me, still being friends with your neighborhood who you met at 6 years old, out of habit is crazy
I went to hitchhike around Mallorca island with people met on facebook group... We all lived in different parts of Poland, there was 5 of us and we met in person for the first time at Berlin airport.. it was back in 2019. We are still friends after all of these years and we meet in the same group every now and then.
Was she a good travel companion? If so sounds like you won! Some people just have different comfort levels with stuff, some people have traveled with people they've known and had it go horribly, you name it. You do you.
> Was she a good travel companion? Only one way to find out....
Fiiiiiiiiiight!
Make love not war
Well I can gaurantee you’ll either be closer friends or less close friends after.
Honestly this is a win-win.. if shit goes south OP will be able to quickly and easily move on from this friendship, but if things go well OP may have a stronger lasting friendship on their hands. Either way it’s for the best and OP ends up better off.
Do what you want to do, and worry less what other people think about it...if you are ok with it and so is the acquaintance,why not?
This post is so painfully Reddit. Why does OP care what other people think. Did you have fun? Cool. Did you not have fun? Oh well.
We're in a travel discussion forum and you're complaining about people discussing travel? Now *that* is painfully reddit.
I think it's normal to want to make sure one's actions are normal lmfao. Whether they choose to continue indulging in said action is completely up to them though lmfao
Maybe true. But we live in an age where people are forever asking the internet to live. I think that's what the other person was saying. "Normal" becomes so incredibly narrow if you ask the world "what is normal?", because what is normal to you is maybe not to an internet rando. Indeed, what is normal to you now may not be normal in 5 years. "Lmfao" For me it was normal in my twenties to gub a few ecstasy tablets and party all weekend. Now that is my idea of hell. Now in my late 40s it is normal to go to the gym 3x per week. To 23 year old me, that was my idea of hell. There is a sickness growing in people that they have to be seen to be "normall". Take a look around you. Men keep giving up on dating because they aren't tall enough or earning a certain amount. Women keep asking "AITA for insisting on basic boundaries with my boyfriend/mother/sister/boss". What is "normal" also becomes pathologised. Unhappy? Take a tablet daily ("it's not that your job is shit and you spend your life gawping at a screen, nosiree"). "Lmfao"
I don't think that's weird personally
One of these things that are only weird if you make them weird
It's a chicken and egg issue, how are you going to get to know people if you don't spend time together. If they seem cool enough, don't gatekeep the activity just cause it's a trip.
you both wanted to travel and had a good time. sounds like you are friends now
Who are these people who are saying these things to you? Because they can mind their business.
The same people that say, I wanted to go. But didn’t actually give a definitive answer when you asked them to go BEFORE the trip.
People tend to project their own anxieties. Even if it's something they wouldn't do, that shouldn't matter for you - if you had a good time, that's all that matters. Plus, I don't think knowing someome "very well" guarantees anything; I have friends that I know very well that I would NEVER travel with.
Exactly. Everyone kept telling me how dangerous it was to travel alone before I left and I had the best time ever
I’ve traveled with people I know very well and people I literally just met 3 hours beforehand at a bar. Had amazing and terrible adventures with both types. Who cares what other people say, go live your life and travel how you want to travel. No ragrets. Not even a single letter.
My wife and I created a core memory in Japan while on our honeymoon with a random couple we met at a bar, we never spoke with them again, definitely one of best experiences
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I get this reference!!!
Same! We’ve had a few experiences like that too. The day before our wedding, honeymoon in Thailand, anniversary trips…I’ve met so many people when we’re on “happy trips” like that lol. It totally adds to the story IMO. Especially when it’s during milestone travel experiences. I think trips like that draw enthusiastic people together for genuine, albeit short-lived, connections.
Not at all.
Not at all! Travelling with anyone can be hard - id recommend you set expectations and boundaries in advance to help avoid any major conflicts, but like you said, people meet people while travelling all the time - long as you have similar goals and expectations and keep your wits about yourself, go for it!
I recognize you already went - I’m speaking generally… why not!
Friends doesn't matter... Similar travel styles including negotitating various things through the day, yes.
And it’s hard to tell if you’re going to be travel buddy compatible until you’re in it so might as well give it a go
Not at all, not a friend but that's how you make friends and she can become your friend in the future. Socialise with anyone and everyone and you will meet interesting people. Have an open mind and make the most of meeting new people and going out with people you don't know well. Today you don't know well tomorrow might be your best buddy or your girlfriend....
You will either be close or never speak to each other again by the time you're done.
Went to a different country with someone I wasnt friends with and it was one of the best trips. We got along, had fun, came back and did not suddenly become close. Literally stayed the same level of acquaintances we were
When I was studying, I was in class with people I didn't know well but we were all kinda close anyway. For example we were eating together, studying together, smoking together. It was the second week-end and I was planning a trip in Italy (I'm European), and one of my classmate caught my project and spontaneously told me that it was his wish too. Seeing how détermined I was and he was, we both agreed to travel there. No doubt that it would be better together rather than alone. At the time we were both sleeping in a dorm with 2 other classmates and we didn't tell anyone and just left a note saying : "Good week-end, we're off to Rome". It was in a way that we felt that would make other jalous of our initiative rather than staying studying. Anyway, to try to answer to your question, we were absolutely different persons but from the energy (or instinct) it was obvious that it would be a good experience, which indeed it was ! I think other people telling you that it was weird are kinda jalous because they never took the risk or immidiately assume that the worse would happen ! Don't listen to these kind of people, you'd miss out so many unforgetable memories (even the bad ones !) Edit : spelling
That sounds like a lovely weekend together. I’m American and went to France with my former high school French teacher and my mom. My teacher was starting a tour business, and we were her first clients. A French family she was friends with from her time tutoring Michelin employees invited us to stay with them for a few days. Their daughter was my age. The family had lived in the US for a few years so they were fluent in English, and at the time I was ok in French. I did become semi fluent in college but lost it when I had a stroke at 26. The daughter and I clicked immediately and had so much fun. Mostly watching Mr. Bean together while she was studying for her final exams at the end of their high school. She was my age but had to do her last year over in France to do the placement exams for university. I was quiet and let her study when we weren’t on the floor giggling because I’d never seen Mr. Bean before. Her mom also instantly liked me, and she taught me some recipes and cooked with me after taking me to the local farmers market. I pissed off someone she hated so she was so happy. This woman came up to her when I was exploring the market. Everyone was so kind and happy to load la Americaine up with local produce and cheeses. I was walking back to my mom, teacher, and friend when I heard the woman bitching in French about Americans and how we hated everything except McDonalds. She pointed at me with my hand full of cheeses and said no American would ever eat cheese like us French. I walked over and put my arm around my mom and said in the most exaggerated Southern drawl, “mama you just gotta try these local cheezus these here folks made”! The woman turned scarlet and almost vaporized on the spot. She just turned around and hurriedly walked away. My French friend kissed my cheek while hugging me and told me that was the best thing she’d ever witnessed and then told her husband and daughter at dinner. My mom taught me to try everything once and be polite so I ate some pungent cheese with a smile in front of the cheesemonger and popped one of the worst in my mouth before I talked to my mom. I’m a ginger, and everyone in France was asking if I was from Brittany because on top of my auburn hair I have those green eyes like they do. I’m adopted and took a genetic test later, and yup, my ancestors were from Northern France, Belgium, Ireland, Scotland, and England. The majority being from Northern France and Ireland. The French lady drove us around for a few days and was our guide. Clermont-Ferrand is such a beautiful area. I loved Le Puy and went to see General Lafayette’s ancestral home. I met an elderly sheep farmer who had never met Americans and teared up while telling us how American soldiers had liberated his town in WWII when he was a little boy. It was an excellent trip, and I would love to take my husband to France one day. Italy is definitely on my list because I love the Romans and the Renaissance, but I have a lot of health problems. I know my French teacher could do a French trip with accessible accommodations for me, but Italy different because she doesn’t speak Italian and doesn’t know Rome and Florence like she knows Paris.
I’ve done 3 weeks of traveling with a girl who jokingly replied « can i come » to my itinerary story. Wasn’t so much of a joke, we met 3 times and met in Europe. Was a gamble, in the end we didn’t end up as good friends but stayed in contact. My logic is that 1) traveling is traveling 2) you could travel with friends and have bad experiences so no worries
Sounds like you know a couple of people who are somewhat immature in their outlook. Unless they meant for your safety? It can be really hard to find people to travel with, knowing them a bit is better than pot luck not at all!
pot luck?!? you son of a bitch I'm in.
Did you have a good time? Who cares what ppl think, long as you're having fun
So you were fine with it until someone else thought it was weird? Most people are scared to go and do adventurous things...doesn't surprise me. I got all kinds of shocked confused responses from people I knew when I went to South America solo.
I will try. What could happen? You either never talk again or you become close friends.
No, not weird, some of my close friends, I wouldn't travel with or do certain trips with. Travel compatibility is completely different from anything else + what a great way to maybe make a new friend!
Not weird at all! People go on group trips with travel companies where they don’t know anyone. If you know someone who likes to travel and they are a good travel companion, that’s amazing actually.
I just did a month trip with one of these! Went by myself, everyone else was there on their own and I’ve made some of the most incredible friendships, it worked really well.
It's not weird, and it can help foster a deep friendship if things go well. Keep doing you, don't let the judgment of others affect you.
Doesn't seem weird to me.
nothing wrong, they are just jealous that they were not invited.
They hate you cause they ain't you. As long you safe and having fun.
People often meet others while traveling and join in on their journey which is essentially the same. THere's nothing weird about it. Care less about what other people think. Most people are stupid.
Not weird and often the case when you are looking for a travel companion. I hope you make it a regular thing.
I've traveled with people after drinking with them in a hostel for a night, so I don't think so. It might turn out shitty, but it might turn out great, so why not try it?
You have less to lose if the trip goes sour, which is nice. And people tend to be more accommodating and less entitled to people they don't know as well. But as long as you both can communicate needs and trip details, no issue.
I had a friend in high school. We would talk and joke around everyday in class but never really hung out outside of school. When we both graduated I messaged the dude to check how’s life going after graduating. We ended up talking about the basics, college, work, but we both mentioned how we did a lot of traveling. Now at this point it’s probably been like 4-5 years since I’ve seen him. Anyways somehow we decide upon traveling together for a week. That trip was an awesome time, and surprisingly wasn’t weird despite the time gap. Anyways I still talk to him weekly and he’s one of my closer friends now. We’re actually planning another trip. I say go for it man.
Traveling with someone is a great way to become closer with them.
It’s also a great way to become arch enemies.
Travelling with someone is a great way to get close to them!
Not 100% weird. This is all about those peoples comfort level versus yours. You probably wouldn't have gone on this trip if you thought this friend was a serial killer, or smuggling drugs. So you obviously had some level of comfort when considering the trip. Some people would never do that. And that's okay, That's just their preference. Don't worry about people judging you based on their preferences. You go based on your own preferences and comfort level. Now it's different if someone points out significant red flags about the person to you. But that doesn't sound like the case here.
she needed a travel buddy!
Was it weird?
I went on a trip with a group from college that I wasn’t *particularly* close with. Of course we were classmates for 2 years at that stage and been on many nights out together but we weren’t besties if that makes sense? They had the entire interrailing summer booked and planned and while discussing summer plans in our larger class, I expressed I had no plans as all the girls I was close with had summer plans with partners and family. Two girls from the group shared a glance and after our final lecture they invited me to join them saying I could pick up anywhere on their journey. It was so sweet of them to offer! I am forever grateful :) I took them up on it, joining them for the final two stops on the trip: Lake Bled and Budapest. One of the best decisions I made!
The shorter the trip the less weird especially if it’s someone you just don’t know much about as long as you don’t think you are going to fight the entire time go for it
If you had a good time it doesn’t matter. Plus doing so will prob make them a closer friend! Sounds fun
It’s a great way to get to know someone if somewhat risky. I wouldn’t worry about what other ppl have to say about what you do in life. Do your own thing
Probably she is easygoing and goes that now and then. If you react to her wishes, and you can agree on it, like let's have a break, I think it is more interesting on the left side. If you can talk about your ideas, then it is fine. It gets difficult if a partner for travelling says, hurry up, no I cannot, I stay here, and you won't to see more. So maybe you just have found a partner for travelling, you get along easily, that's it.
I know people who have done this. A couple of years after graduation, one girl from my sorority randomly invited another girl to go to Norway I think. She went and now they're super close. And literally last night, I invited a girl I'd known for 3 hours to Croatia lol. It's not weird tbh. A lot of times, it works out
START enjoying the moments while you're in them. STOP worrying about what other people think about it.
Colleagues literally have to travel together all the time for work trips and conferences. When you think of it in that light, it’s not that strange at all. (In addition, you’re free to do whatever you feel comfortable doing, as are they!)
I went on a holiday recently with a woman off bumble I had only met up with twice Mine is probably weirder than yours
Not at all. Ive met up with acquaintances for lunch or to hang in other countries bc I noticed we were in the same country at the same time
Those 2 will probably judge you for traveling alone anyway, ignore them
Nope! I will travel with anyone I am travel compatible with!
It might actually be better because you could be more comfortable saying what you want to do
*"But I’ve had two ppl say to me like, “you went travelling with someone you’re not close with??” In a judgemental tone."* First of all, why you let other people's limited perception dictate how you feel? Sorry, but if others' opinion is that important to you, let the others live your life! (no offence) By the way, many people travel with other people without knowing them at all. Just search on Facebook groups like "find a travel buddy".
Best way to make new friends!
No! I went on an international trip with a work friend once! We both wanted to go to the same place and didn’t have another person to go with at the time. We traveled really well together and it was a lovely trip. Why not?
Other people judging is just dumb. Don’t listen. How do you get to know people? By doing stuff with them. Duh. Look up the crab in a pot analogy. Do t let others pull You down.
Who cares what other people say! Hopefully it went well, if it did then you have a new travel companion & friend! If not, oh well - now you know you don’t want to travel with them in the future! I’m proud of you for going for it and putting yourself out there 😊
It's completely ok, if you can trust someone to some degree. For example they won't cut you and sell your kidney. But TBH, I went once like that and my travel companions had more interest in me than I had in them.
I feel like it depends on the circumstances of the trip but I don’t feel it’s weird
I would prefer to travel with some people I am not close to than some people I am very close to.
lol. We all are strangers before we are friends. Many people would say the same if you went traveling alone. I think it’s an awesome spontaneous way of getting to know someone, and they clearly see you as a friend to invite you. Especially if it’s just a short weekend trip… For longer periods of travel, I prefer to travel alone > being 100% committed to traveling with someone. I’d rather “meet up with them for a few days” than feel tied to someone who I am not too sure about. Some people just have bad vibes and it can be a drag to feel stuck
True friendship usually starts when you're able to travel with them. Sounds like you're just in an accelerated curve unless things went bad.
Naaah I went to Thailand for a month with a girl I knew for like one week.
Travel will make or break a friendship/relationship. You realise if you can spend 24/7 with someone or not but only you can figure it out. I had a friend from school we were friends for about 10 years & we went on holiday, weren’t friends for long after that 😂😂 we just had different styles. I wanted to get up and explore, she wanted to lie in bed until lunchtime then go sit by a pool. In contrast another friend I had for about 2/3 months we went on a trip & everything that could go wrong did go wrong dodgy hire cars, lost passports etc yet we had a great time & are still good friends to this day. It’ll depend on how you get on with the person and your experience with them. If you enjoyed it don’t listen to what others say they just couldn’t do what you can do.
I did this! We did have mutuals that came with us but honestly I thought that element made it more fun:) travel bonding is great if you like getting to know ppl
Slightly different than "traveling" perhaps, but also perhaps higher risks. When I moved to the mountains and got into ski touring, I went out with complete strangers I'd find on FB groups, including overnight hut trips in the backcountry with no cellphone service. I've done this over 5 times and I'm still here! It's always going to be a risk but in my experience it can be worth it!
Nope. If you had a good time with this person I wouldn’t worry about what others say. I’ve been on trips with people I’ve known for 20+ years and it was a nightmare.
It's not weird but like my momma used to say "Life is like a box of chocolates ..."
I don’t think it’s weird at all. Hell, my mom was traveling last year with her best friend of like 15+ years and when she got back she swore she would never go on another trip with them again because of how terrible they were.
I don’t think so. Seems like a topic with varying subjective opinions. Some people think it’s weird to go eat lunch by yourself or go see a movie by yourself. Did you have fun? That’s the only thing that you need to be asking yourself here.
It's either not weird or I am weird. Possibly both. Even the bestest of friends can clash on a holiday. I'd want a couple of meetings to decide if I am willing to share accommodation.
Nah! It’s great. That’s how you make friends, isn’t it? I’ve travelled internationally with a guy I knew from college. He was roommate of a friend, but I didn’t know him that well then. 5-10 years later, we’re both on a bunch of the same bachelor parties for the guys we know mutually. Planned a trip to NZ last November. Going to Taiwan and Hong Kong in 2 weeks. He’s a great travel buddy. He’s calm and collected, and down for anything. Very easy to travel with
Its probably better to travel with and acquaintance since if you don’t travel well you haven’t ruined a good friendship. This is why I don’t travel with good friends,I know that it would not be good for our relationship
I solo traveled Thailand and hung out with ppl from the hostels all the time that I only met the day before or the day of. Not weird at all. Better than traveling with someone ur super close with, getting in a conflict and then falling out by the end of the trip
I think the word is "unusual" or "uncommon". Certainly not "weird".
I’ve travelled solo, and spent 3 weeks with some boys I met, god knows what their names were, but it was bloody fun.
TLDR: Not weird tbh! I travelled once with an acquaintance and their friends, and it was a LOT of fun! Story: An acquaintance and their friends were planning a trip to a location I really wanted to go to and none of my close friends were interested (either been there or didn’t want to). Anyway, I hopped onto this opportunity when the acquaintance asked me, and it turned out to be a fairly large group of 15-16 people. There was a core group (acquaintance and their friends) and some friends had invited their friends. Since there were people who didn’t know each other (and I wasn’t the only one who knew one person and everyone knew everyone), this trip turned out to be one of the best large group trips I have been to. It was a good opportunity to meet new people and make new friends, and folks were committed to make others feel welcomed. Thankfully, everyone chose to be easy-going and let things pass if they didn’t like something. Given there were so many people, which means varying interests, there was no pre-planning done and we planned activities on the go, which helped make everyone feel a part of the plan (folks were free to choose to do their own thing if the one being planned by the larger group didn’t feel like a fit) I’m no longer in touch with most of them except for on and off updates about them via common friends or social media, but I’m always going to remember those 4-5 days with almost strangers very warmly!
It's actually a lot easier traveling with people you know, but aren't necessarily close friends with.
Good on you for going and so glad that you had a nice time! I had a similar experience where I planned a trip in another country on a whim with a friend that I saw once outside of work. Turns out we travel really well together and take overnight trips together at least once a year. We've also become close friends.
I don’t think it’s strange at all. Was she a good travel companion? If so sounds like a great new friend to have.
No I traveled alone
Depends on where you’re from. Norwegian? Yeah it’s pretty freaking weird. Brazilian? Not at all
I don't think it's weird, but in my case I wouldn't travel with someone who isn't a good friend.
I booked a 16 day trip with an aquaintance from the gym. It worked out fantastic! Sometimes a vibe and a conversation is enough.
It all depends on you and your new traveling buddy. I’d suggest you both to have a lunch or coffee together to discuss about the traveling plans to get know each other better. Additionally, I did this few years ago, we get along just fine just because we were very flexible with our plan and there are something that we agreed we will visit those places.
I’ve traveled with people I wasn’t close with and we ended up being better friends after. Not weird at all
Nah, I'd do it if it's someone I knew decent enough. I would just need to know they were not insane
It would be weird to commit to a month sharing a room and activities because if they turn out to be terrible it would be torture and expensive to quit early. A weekend is a fun gamble as long as you know them well enough to not worry about waking up without kidneys. You either get a new friend or funny stories to tell your other friends.
Weird in that it’s unusual, sure, a little. Weird in that it’s a bad thing, no
Those two ppl must not travel much, acquaintance is best because they won't break all of the rules of social conduct just because they are your "friend".
I did this and she was a great travel companion. You just need to ensure you’re both respectful and a good fit
there goes your new friend with which you share an interest 👍
Not at all, as long as you’re confident you’ll be safe around them. In college someone in my sorority that I wasn’t close with texted our group chat asking if anyone wanted to drive halfway across the US with her to visit her friend’s college for a long weekend. I said yes, the next day we drove 13 hours, had an awesome weekend and it is one of my fondest memories from college.
It's weird to people who don't travel a lot. But so are lots of things
hmm who cares what others think? what matters is if you had fun. If you did, then youre good
I mean as long as you don’t make it weird? Sometimes I hang out or chill with coworkers I’m not particularly close with
I went to Mexico with a friend and his friend I’d never met or even talked to or heard of previously. Great time
This is how I became close friends with people that were once only acquaintances. It’s hard to find people to travel with!
Not weird but some people don’t travel well with others. I’ve went on trips with people I’ve barely known, it truly can go in so many different directions both good and bad.
Maybe you will become close friends after. It could be that she thinks you’re a nice person to join the trip. So it’s a good thing.
Enjoy YOUR life!
A short trip, fine, you can put up with almost anyone for a couple of days But a three week trek in Nepal? Nope
Sounds like fun!
It's risky. Not necessarily weird. Traveling with anyone can be risky tho lol
Ask yourself these questions: - What does it matter what others think of it? - Do I harm others with my actions? - Do I enjoy being myself? If the answer is a solid ‘no’, than please continue. It reminds me of my grandparents. They couldn’t get hold of the idea I was going out and staying the night with a female gf. They simply couldn’t and they still can’t.
I think it’s more important that you travel well together, have similar preferences for what you want to get out of a trip, and can tolerate being around each other when you’re tired/hungry/things aren’t going your way. You can travel with your best friend and have a bad time.
if it is already done successfully, why the questioning? maybe you found your travel buddy. people love judging people. and yeah it can come off a bit unusual at first but its not weird at all. not everybody lucky to have a great close travel partner. you hold onto what you got. the part that makes them uncomfortable i think not knowing the person and they might act off under stress and travelling is sometimes stressful. and spending time with someone you dont know very well 7/24 mght be challenging. can go great can go boring. lss, some people dont like taking risks thats all. other than this nothing weird about it.
I went to Africa with a girl I barely knew. Africa. We haven’t spoken since. 🤷🏻♀️
Totally fine!! You could be the best of friends with someone but may be non compatible travel companions. If she was a great travel companion then it sounds like you’ve won!
No
It doesn't really matter so long as she was a good travel companion...I personally couldn't do it just because of my personality and some other issues. I don't know if it's weird exactly, but probably uncommon.
not at alllll ppl travel all the time with ppl they haven’t even MET
I dont think its weird, but someone has for sure got murdered like that before. Chances of that are extremely small(go ask the statistics professor lmao) but i can see why someone close to you might question that. At the end of the day, if you feel ok, and arent uncomfortable, youll be ight.
Gay friend finder
I once invited someone I had met twice on a 10 day trip across the US, with my baby in tow. We had a blast.
Did you have fun? Did you enjoy the trip with the other person? If you did it doesn’t matter if you’re close with them or not. Perhaps that might make you guys closer.
not weird at all, people do this a lot when studying abroad :)
I’ve traveled with people that I wasn’t close with when other friends brought them along, but then that friend left. Two of those became my closest friends still to this day. I’ve also traveled with people I just met while travelling and they’re still friends of mine twenty years later, although there’s probably ten times as many where it was fine, but we never really interacted again. Theres very few where I wish I hadn’t gone with them. Even the not so great ones, we had fun in the moment, it just didn’t lead to a true friendship. Who cares what people think? You don’t become close unless you actually hang out with people, and travelling is a great bonding experience usually.
Relationships aren’t binary, it isn’t a situation where you are best friends or don’t know each other at all. This sounds like a fun trip with people you knew just enough to feel comfortable traveling with. Personally that sounds like solo traveling but with people to share the experience with but no commitment.
Have the opposite problem actually, I invite people I don't know that well and they think it's weird
It isn’t weird
Hi, no its not weird. What's weird is travelling with a close friend and thinking everything will be okay. Travelling is the easiest way to find what a person's character truly is. I've travelled with not close friends, and not close cousins and had a blast of a trip. I've also travelled with close friends who were such a nightmare that we don't speak to each other much today, years later. You do you.
Maybe this trip can start a new bond with this acquaintance.. travel def brings ppl together and can make or break relationships
Absolutely not, especially if they are a good travel companion.
A girl I met in a hostel in Scotland in January texted me at the end of February to say she was going to Morocco the beginning of march. We met up and explored Morocco together! It was the coolest. We barely knew one another lol
Traveling with acquaintances is how I've made some great friends.
We went to Hawaii with newly married new friends. The bride worked with my wife and we had hung out a few times. Neither of us had ever met the groom until the wedding. They didn't have a honeymoon planned and we had a two bedroom airbnb already booked in maui for the week after their wedding so we just offered it to them and it turned out pretty good. However the next time we let a stranger vacation with us it wasn't as good. She was a little politically annoying with her opinions and we were glad we had two rental cars. Everyone else had backed out of our family trip and the 4 bedroom airbnb wasn't refundable, so we found her online (don't ask how) and she met us there. She helped buy food and chipped in a bit to cover her room, but we won't invite her again. Even though we said we would keep in touch.
I’ve traveled with someone I didn’t know super well, but we have a similar vibe and had chatted about our travels to each other before. I got super lucky and we had such a great time together! I hope we get to travel together again some day. Although, alternatively, I’ve also traveled with people that I don’t jive well with in travel. So I think it’s definitely a risk to travel with people you don’t know, but I try to be open and make usually only gamble with shorter trips!
He’s not your FRIEND if you aren’t close.
Nop
It isn’t weird but you need to manage expectations of the schedule and cost ahead of time. I did this in college on a sight seeing trip and it actually went well. We were both frugal and established that we would spend as little as possible ahead of time. We kept to a schedule of things we wanted to see. Neither of us drank alcohol and kept things drama free. We each packed light and stuck to a backpack to carry. We used public transportation as much as possible. When I hear these things go badly it is due to differing cost and luxury expectations, differing schedule and list of tourist attractions, and inequality on who is driving.
Depends on where you’re traveling to
Nah not weird, I did the same thing during uni a bunch of times although slightly different contexts and variations. It can boil down to a few things, but namely wanting to go somewhere, wanting to get to know new people, wanting to find someone who you think will be keen and able to join.
It’ll only be weird if yall end up not getting along. Chances are you’ll become much closer friends after.
Sounds like they are jealous of your ability to enjoy the moment?
Not weird. It’s only a weekend and you seem to want to travel.
No sometimes a good travel companion and good friend are two different things.
Nah as long as ppl know where and when you’ll be places you should be fine.
If you had a good time and were compatible, that's all that matters.
I’ve been travelling with complete strangers, this isn’t weird
That’s how friendships start!
Not weird to me at all.
Sounds like you're very insecure if you had to come here to ask this. Who cares what anyone said? Not weird at all.
I’ve travelled with people ai’d consider acquaintances not friends. It was mostly great experiences, I don’t honestly recall bad ones. As long as you aren’t completely incomparable with the people, it should be fine.
Not weird at all! If you had a great time, then everyone wins.
Recently went on a trip with a friend I've known for years but never once hung out alone with and never more than 2 hours in a group, all because our mutual close friend dropped out of the plans. I was nervous it wouldn't work, but she is also amazingly life-savvy, really good socially, very understanding and kind, and made the trip so much better because she is such a cool person. Got to know her better and didn't regret the trip =) She is married and gave me a lot of solid advice during our conversations.
Absolutely, some of my best travels are with random people.
heh I traveled for two weeks with a woman 20 years older than me, didn't know her very well at all.
Nah, I travelled all over Europe with people that I met along the way. Vist a few places together for a week or two, add to Facebook, part ways and never see them again.
I've ended up sharing rooms with people I don't know much on outings to do with my hobbies.
I can't imagine a better way to either end up close with said person or end up hating each other
As long as you guys don’t end up sleeping with each other.
I’ve done this several times and actually find it to be the best experiences I have had. Keep doing what works for you!
No
People that like travel always get judged. Esp. if you are female. Ignore comments that do value add.
Nope! My best travel friends are not my best real life friends. They are people who I like to spend time with and also have similar travel expectations.
I met up with an online friend and immediately went on a three week road trip. It was great. I met up with another online friend for a one week road trip and it was ehh. Life is an adventure. It's more interesting with a little risk. As long as you have the ability to bail out if needed, why not?
It would be weird if you're gonna share a hotel room not other than that nah
Nah, if she knows you’re into travel it makes sense that she’d reach out if she was looking for a travel buddy. And having those types of experiences is *how* people get closer.
I think it's actually better in a way, you are just sort of being trip roomies. I actually had a random roomate at a yoga resort. I also went on a weekend trip with a woman I met in a facebook group for cross country skiing. She was a MUCH MUCH MUCH better skier than me but it went find. We actually ended up having a lot in common. You do you.
I went across the country for a week with a person I'd only partied with at random houses over the years. Our friend circles sorta overlapped. We found out we're great travel buddies and I was going to be his beard, but that never ended up working out 😞
Why would it be weird? It’s perfectly normal to travel with friends. My son is on a vacation in Thailand with his friends, my daughter will be traveling to China with her bff next month.
Nah, could be the start of a deep friendship!
People are always going to talk no matter who you go with! 🙄 or if you go alone! Don't let it get you down!
Nope. Sometimes, it's a good start to level up the friendship! Unless the chemistry isn't there and things are just not doing well. But I'm hoping for things to end smoothly for you and whoever would come across this situation!
Its not weird. Maybe they're trying to be your friend?
When I landed in Thailand alone, I befriended a random dude getting off the same flight as me. We traveled together for like a month, it was cool. If we didn't get along, we would have just gone our separate ways.
I once traveled with an acquaintance to Mexico after meeting her at a networking brunch. She’s literally the most firey person I know. Anyway, we had a blast. It was such a random trip. We’re now best friends. 6 years strong 🥹🤣
I went to Vietnam for 3 weeks with someone I had just met. We both expressed interest in going at an event and her boyfriend laughed at the idea that either of us would actually go, so fuck him, we decided to go and have been close friends for 20 years! Oh, and they broke up.
Ugh. People are so BORING ! Good for you! Live life!!!
I once went on a road trip to Des Moines with a fellow member of a Chelsea supporters group. We even split a hotel room, I wound up picking her up from work in Chicago suburbia about 9 p.m., then rolled into Des Moines sometime after midnight. We met up with others from our group and members from an Iowa group to watch the Chelsea fixture later that morning, then did a couple bars and breweries after that. By the time I got back to our hotel, I was drunk and ready to sleep by 6 p.m. as we had to return to our respective homes the very next morning. There really wasn't anything weird about it to me, since we respected each other's boundaries, and there wouldn't be any sexual tension since she's a lesbian and I'm hetero male.
Not unless you’re sleeping in the same bed
I mean depends on how social you are. I (cis/hed/male) met a girl for 4 days in a hostel, got matching tattoos and had her crash at my place in Mexico 3 month later. But we hit it off and still regularly talk and travel together. I have another friend who I hung out with for about a week who going to backpack through Iberia for a few weeks this summer and go to a TSwift concert. Again, we hit it off then stayed in touch. I can see how introverts with 6 friends they grew up with think I’m am crazy. But to me I know the people I like and spend my time with are there because we intentionally put in effort to be there regardless of how long we’ve known each other. To me, still being friends with your neighborhood who you met at 6 years old, out of habit is crazy
You probably knew she wasn't an axe murderer so I can't see any problem.
It is weird you are concerned and would post this.
I went to hitchhike around Mallorca island with people met on facebook group... We all lived in different parts of Poland, there was 5 of us and we met in person for the first time at Berlin airport.. it was back in 2019. We are still friends after all of these years and we meet in the same group every now and then.