Remember the adage, You never know someone until you work with them or live with them? There’s a third: You never really know someone until you travel with them. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t. So how to avoid the potential pitfalls of finding yourself on vacation with a companion you’d like to toss into the sea? Here are a few tips for building, or saving, a friendship.

First off we have friends of all sorts in our lives – some are great to have a drink and catch up with;  others are the kind that will be there to help you move out of your flat. To say “never the two shall meet” is not exactly fair but when planning a holiday it’s very important to take a step outside the excitement of possibilities and look at the realities of how you and your friend each travel. Do you prefer to plan everything out and be prepared as possible, while your pal chafes at having anything set in stone? Is your friend’s idea of hell a shopping excursion, which is one of your favorite things? Each could stand as a warning bell.  

It’s not to say that you have to possess completely compatible travelling styles but the biggies should be addressed: What do you both consider “acceptable” accommodations? Do you both like going to museums and art galleries? How independent do you each hope to be? Do you enjoy a pint at the pub, yet plan on combining holidays in the UK with your teetotaler American pal?

And as trite as it may seem, is buddy Frank a glass half-empty or half-full kind of mate? Travelling involves traversing the unknown, both geographically and psychologically – so if you’re one to laugh it off and “make lemonade”, while buddy Frank prefers to stew, you could both be in for a vacation from hell. So pick a friend with common interests and/or a similar travelling style and by journey’s end you’ll most likely be better friends than ever. Good travelling and good luck!