How I Picked the Perfect Travel Partners to Thailand and the East

[Simon Hopes]

I had been drooling over photos of Thailand and the far East when I decided to stop living through other people's photos and start gathering some of my own. Luckily, I was just finishing a 6-month fill-in for someone out on maternity leave, so I had the time to travel.

My friends, however, were not as flexible with their schedules, so I decided to search for travel partners online. The experience was not at all what I thought, but I learned how to choose the perfect travel partners, and decided to write down some helpful tips for those who are also searching for travel buddies:

Go on GAFFL

For me, the perfect place for finding travel partners was GAFFL thanks to its ease of use and the like-minded people I found on the website. I spoke to a few people who also wanted to travel to the East at the time I was planning my trip, and we started talking about what we are going to do. I found two people who wanted to start their trip, which was exactly what I wanted, and we started our own little group chat where we made all the necessary decisions for our trip. With GAFFL you can also join people who are already traveling, but I preferred to start and finish the travel experience together.

Use Your Inner Spy

Well, not quite that literally… but when you are about to travel with people you do not know, you should be cautious. Remember, you will be spending time alone with your travel buddies in unfamiliar places, you'll need to exchange financial info from time to time, and you need to feel safe. So, I went on GoLookUp and used the GoLookUp criminal records search tool. The search was quick and easy, and I was able to learn more about my potential travel companions. That was how I narrowed down the list of the people I want to travel with. There were a couple of other people with a pretty shady criminal record, and while I try not to be judgmental, I did not know them from Adam, so I played it safe.

Travel with People Who Are Open to Taking Guided Tours

Exploring new places on your own is exciting, but if you want to learn about the rich history of wherever it is you are traveling, book some guided tours. You will have to pay for these types of trips, of course, but when you consider car rentals, tickets and other fairs, taking a guided tour will not cost much more than an independent exploration. Just make sure you choose a tour that is recommended and got high scores by as many as possible. There are plenty of tourist traps abroad, so be careful when choosing your travel guide.

Agree on Important Points When Planning the Trip

Accommodation, restaurants, extreme traveling, travel routes, and more might seem like minor issues before the trip, but they have a great impact on group dynamics and your experience from the trip. You want to travel with like-minded people who want to travel to the same places, who want to sleep in similar places, and who share your taste in food. It will not only save you precious traveling time but also prevent feuds and disagreements with your travel companions.

So, that's my two cents on finding travel partners online; the most important thing is to find people you can communicate with easily, and who have the same vision as you for your trip. If you stick to these rules, you are guaranteed to have an amazing trip.