Go it alone

Some things are certain if you go alone.

You WILL have periods of time alone and you are also CERTAIN to meet other people to travel with if you so wish.

Travelling alone can be hugely rewarding but I am not going to lie to you it can also be a tough and daunting experience; if you go alone there are a few things to consider;

Here is the rewarding part…

1. You get do what you want
2. You can do it when you want
3. You can make all the decisions
4. You can build confidence
5. You can gain huge experience
6. You can accomplish things you never thought possible

YOU GET TO KNOW YOU

On the other hand you should consider this…

1. Only you can make the decision
2. You can only rely upon yourself
3. You can only blame yourself if something goes wrong
4. You can feel lonely
5. It can be stressful

How much time do you actually spend by yourself?

Go with a friend

If you go with another person you can be certain that you will have someone to travel with.

That has to be a good thing right?

After all this is your friend right?!?!

Here are a some things you could consider before you go backpacking with a friend:

Good times; travel with a friend

1. You have someone to share the experience with
2. You have somebody to rely upon
3. You have someone to help make a decision – share the burden or load
4. You have someone who can come up with a different view or idea to you
5. You could do things you would not do alone
6. Emotional support
7. Stronger relationship

Things to consider; travel with a friend

1. You may not want to do the same things
2. What if they turn out to be different and you don’t get on?
3. What if they decide they have had enough and want to go home?
4. What if they leave you and go off alone?

A Balanced view

A friend can be a great person to travel with but like any scenario when you spend a lot of time with someone you will more than likely have a run in or two.

Those who work together and do so well will come out of it better friends than they were before but some people grow apart.

If you travel with a friend it can be a rewarding trip. The most experienced of travellers are able to skilfully adapt and break up their trip to gain the maximum benefit.
Some people

• Spend time doing what they want to do together,
• Go there separate ways to do the things they want to do themselves
• Meet up again later on to share stories and travel some more together.

These people seem to gain the most reward from their travels.

Go with a group of friends

This is could be another one of your options and it shares similarities to travelling with a friend.

There are the obvious advantages and disadvantages when there is a group of people along with the group attitude and group behaviour that is in our instinct.

So in addition to some of the points raised with travelling with a friend there are a few more things to consider:

Good times; go with a group of friends

1. • As a group you may get discounts
2. • You have a variety of people to provide support
3. • You have a lot of people to make decisions
4. • You have back up
5. • You will get to know your friends better

Things to consider; go with a group of friends

1. • What if the group turns against you?
2. • What if the group doesn’t want to do what you want to?
3. • What if the group can’t get into the same accommodation?
4. • What if the group can’t get on the same transport?

Travel with your partner

There really are some good reasons to travel with that special someone although it can test even the strongest of relationships.

I did some of my Backpacking with my partner and also travelled without one! Things don’t always work out and you guessed it we parted company along the way…

What a partner gives you

• • Emotional support
• • Intimacy
• • Courage
• • Belief

A partner gives you someone to be with when you are on your own, you are not used to travelling, finding it more difficult to meet people or just plane shy.

You have someone who is there, that you can confide in, plan with discuss things with, comfort and support you.

Can I be with someone 24/7?

It can be difficult to be with anybody 24-7 and especially when you are not used to it, those who survive until the end tend to have a great bond and connection. This is great for their relationship as it means they have most likely

• Built a stronger relationship 
• Have someone to share their memories with afterwards.
• Had a wonderful experience from backpacking together

Is it all good?

It a tough one to call! Like the other options, you could have two individual people who may want to do completely different things along the way.

If you are with a partner you may feel you are missing out, not making joint decisions and not considering the other person enough.

The strong emotional feelings that can be present within a relationship can influence behaviours and responses. This can influence the way you travel and can be positive as well as negative.

If you are gone for a long time and both feel up to it you can always go your separate ways and meet up again refreshed and ready to go a day, week or month later.

Go with family

If you have read the other sections and are considering this as an option why not!
Generally travelling with other people as you have learned can be a anywhere between hugely rewarding and a nightmare.

Travelling with a family member also has its good and bad points. You will have some of the advantages and disadvantages of travelling with a friend, travelling with a partner or travelling alone.

Other things to consider

• • Family can be hugely supportive
• • Family can be hugely influential
• • Family can be bias
• • Family expectations and pressure can be difficult to deal with
• • You may have to behave differently
• • Provide you somewhere to stay

There is no reason why you couldn’t go with family but just consider the emotion and behavioural traits that will be a massive influence over your overall experience.