This time it’s me, Tobias, writing this blog. For me, travel was always about hitting the road and finding the cool tourist places, and the even more awesome unknown ones. It was about experiencing new regions with friends and having a good time together. Unfortunately, when those smaller road trips ignited a passion for long-term travel, my friends that joined me before didn’t want to join. Although I was confident enough in my abilities to travel solo, I wasn’t sure if it was going to be my thing. I love to be with people and share my experiences, so I set out to find a new travel buddy – and hopefully a new friend as well. It’s time to share my experiences and provide you with tips and advice to start your search.
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How to find a travel buddy
Finding a travel buddy can be as easy as asking your best friend to join you, but it can also turn into a six-month search that may, or may not, pay off. I have had people from all corners of The Netherlands join me and it’s been awesome! Let’s make sure you find the right companion to join you on your adventure.
Friends, family, and people from your local socializing activities
By far the easiest way to find a travel buddy is to ask around in your current network. Of course, if you have a partner he or she is a logical choice, but if you’re single your next best bet is your friends. Ask them if they want to join. Tell them about your thoughts for a future trip, but don’t scare them away by fixating yourself on certain locations or timeframes. Try to find someone with a passion for travel and go from there. If your friends don’t want to join you immediately, you can start looking at family members, but also colleagues (try to keep your boss out of the loop in the beginning), or (former) classmates. The latter might have the same interests as you, which can work out very well. Lastly, you might know people from your hobbies or sports, so share your dreams with them as well.
Facebook communities and forums
There are countless Facebook communities and forums dedicated to finding travel partners. They work incredibly well, and depending on the platform they can be very active. Do pick your platform carefully though, as some focus more on connecting older people with a desire that goes beyond just friendly travel. I have met dozens of great people through the more general platforms, but it might be wise to start chatting and calling via WhatsApp first.
Instagram and other social media platforms are a great way to find like-minded people. Here the algorithm already does a bit of filtering for you, as they love to show people content they love to engage with. Posting travel-related content, and emphasizing your wishes for a travel buddy here, might bring it to the attention of a future travel partner. You might be surprised how well social media works to engage with strangers on this level. You can even look for solo travelers and explain your plans to them. Who knows they are eager to join you.
On the trails/campsites
This one could be a bit of a long shot, but I have met so many interesting people on campsites, on hiking trails, and anywhere in the outdoors. So just hitting the trails and socializing while you go might be a great way to expand your network and pool of future travel buddies. At least you know that you have similar interests and love a certain type of travel. A downside of this method is that you are already both on a holiday sort of trip and that it might be more difficult to leave on a short-term basis after that. Nonetheless, if you have the goal to leave the following year, meeting like-minded people on the trails or campsites now is a great way to start your search.
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How to get to know your future travel buddy
Getting to know a future travel buddy is essential for a successful trip. Over the years I’ve met with dozens and dozens of people, asking all the wrong questions, only to find out it wasn’t going to work way too late in the process. I think it’s super important to know what both of you are chasing in a trip, and how you are as a person. Although your – and his/hers – choice of music might seem irrelevant at first, if you spend hundreds of hours in the car together, it would be great to know if you’re on the same page there. The same goes for early/late risers, food preferences, etc. Although every day is most likely going to be different, ask what their ideal day looks like. Think about how much you enjoy active travel or a hands-on approach. Keep digging to find out if you align on these topics, and if not, ask yourself if it’s okay to be different, or if it’s going to annoy you later on.
Go and do something active (almost like a date)
A great way to get to know a person is to go on an activity. You can almost see this like a date, but then without the awkwardness. Keep in mind you just want to know a person’s interests in travel, and what he or she does in daily life, etc. Don’t make too big of a deal out of it. So once you’ve met someone, talk a bit on WhatsApp, but then go do something fun. This can be a sports activity, a walk in the forest, or beer tasting for example. Find out what your possible buddy wants to experience, and see if you connect on a personal level.
Go camping together
The next step could be to go on a camping trip together. I love to do this, as it’s a great ice-breaker and speeds things up. Spending some days together allows you to really get to know a person. Everybody can be cool and nice for an hour, but people tend to get real once you set off on a multi-day adventure. Besides getting to know each other well, a camping trip also provides the opportunity to see what travel life would be like, and how it is to be in the vehicle with someone 24/7. A test trip provides time to see how you two connect and work together, which is a great filtering mechanism.
Conversation cards
Talking about anything and everything with a stranger can be awkward for sure. You not only want to know if he or she has brothers or sisters, or what their job is, but you also want to know if they have problems with doing their business in the bush, for example. If you are looking to bring a travel buddy of the other sex along, the two of you better make sure to make expectations clear. There can be no secrets.
Asking these questions can be awkward and scary for sure. I found that conversation cards are a great way to break the ice. They are available in different languages and levels and will open up any topic (from work to sex) for discussion.
Take a look at for example:
- Most Likely To – Icebreaker Edition
- ESTHER PEREL Conversation Card Game for Couples, Friends & Co-Workers
- WE’RE NOT REALLY STRANGERS Card Game
- Hella Awkward Card Game
- Scenario Cards
- Kletspot in all levels (It’s in Dutch, however)
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My own search for a travel buddy
The information above is all based on my own (Tobias) experiences in the past eight+ years. After I bought Rafiki back in 2015 I thoroughly explored Belgium, France, and Germany with friends. It was a great time, one that ignited the spark to venture out further. Unfortunately for me, once I started planning a larger trip across Europe, I wasn’t able to hook on a friend to join me. All my friends had different priorities in life, and none wanted to travel long-term. For some, priorities included work, whilst for others it’s relationships or a desire for something else. I just wanted to travel, badly.
My first European Trip
That’s why at the end of 2016 I posted a message on multiple forums and communities. I elaborated on my quest to find a travel buddy. I wanted to explore Europe for at least six months and was looking for somebody to join me. It had to be someone who loved camping and outdoor adventures and wasn’t scared of the unknown. After meeting up with a few dozen people I got lucky, as I met up with Sven and we immediately connected. We were on the same page, but as we lived on other sides of the country, meeting up was difficult. Nonetheless, we made it work, and after just four or five meetings we set off to explore South and Eastern Europe for 8,5 months. It was incredible! Of course, we had our challenges too, I won’t lie about that, but we made it work and became best friends during this amazing trip.
My second European trip
The next few years revolved around work and getting my finances back in order, all to explore more of the world by vehicle in the future. At the end of 2019, it was time to start planning the next trip. I set my sights on South America and wanted to spend at least 1-2 years on the continent. Unfortunately, no friends would join me. As my previous experiences showed me it was possible to find a stranger and turn them into a friend, I set out on another quest. The whole process of 2016 repeated itself and I met with about a dozen people. A few camping trips later I had two possible buddies left, both with whom I connected well enough to at least give it a try. It was then that Sven decided that life back home would always be there, and he hopped back into Rafiki with me. With COVID interrupting our departure to South America, we spent the next 10,5 months exploring Europe from North to South.
Another continent at last
After returning from the second Europe trip, I still had the desire to head to South America. But of course, funds ran low on that trip, and I started to work back home again. This time however, I made it abundantly clear to my employer that I had one deadline and two goals for the coming year: the deadline being I wanted to only work for a year, and the two goals being the conversion of Rafiki’s interior, and finding a travel buddy to join me for South America. Having made this clear to everyone made the whole process so much easier. There were no secrets, and everybody was helping me to get out there again.
With that one-year deadline creeping in closer way quicker than expected, my plans were as uncertain as ever. The conversion of Rafiki was almost done, but I still hadn’t found my travel buddy this time around. I had two people with whom I connected relatively well, but we were far from on the same page when it came to travel timeframes and how we wanted to shape the trip. Although we did connect quite well, it didn’t feel super good. It was in the time I was about to quit my job that I explained to them it wasn’t going to work out, that I got a message in my inbox. It was from Manon, who had seen Rafiki on Tour on Instagram, and through Sven (yes that same one) got to know that I was still looking for someone to join me. After meeting just a few times, and a mere five weeks of preparation we set off to Africa. And yes, the rest is history and here we are!
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Conclusion
Over the years I’ve found multiple travel buddies via forums/communities, and social media. I hope that by sharing my story and the experiences I had in the past, I empower you to set off on your quest to find a travel buddy. If you have the desire to travel, you should do everything in your power to realize your dream. Save enough money to fund your travels, and don’t let your friends or family stop you. Your surroundings may have doubts, and so might you, but know that everything will work out, as long as you believe in it.
If you have nobody to join you, try a solo trip for a weekend – or a week or two –, and if that’s not for you, then start your search for someone to join you. Find your stranger, and make new friends. Good luck!
I am so happy for you that you found Manon! I wonder if I can make it on my own and will take your advice on it to try some first short trips, when I have found my bus. See what the future brings, but traveling is definitely one thing! 🤗