Not cut out to be a 'good' travel companion....

This is a really interesting post that made me think about my own travel style. I like at least one solo trip a year for the complete freedom from compromise that it gives me.

I usually try and avoid any more than perfunctory contact with other travellers and stay in small business hotels hoping to avoid other English speaking guests as much as possible.

There are still enough interactions with other people to satisfy that need for human contact but without having to do something or go somewhere you don’t really want to.

The only times I could do with company are on weekend evenings or in holiday resorts where everyone else seems to be in a group.

I went solo to a trendy Wok restaurant in Bogota on a Saturday night and the waitress actually laughed out loud when she realised I was alone.

For those reasons I think your trip to Spain sounds great, to go your own way during the day and an arrangement to meet in the evening must be the best of both worlds.

However the idea of sharing a room or a dormitory with someone unless it was someone more than just a fellow traveller would never suit me. That mental space when you shut the door behind you is one of the highlights of solo travel.

That mental space when you shut the door behind you is one of the highlights of solo travel.

How different we all are! For me, that 'mental space' - if in a hotel - represents a prison cell; one that I've actually PAID to inhabit.
I much prefer hostels with (small) dorms, where you have the human contact without the responsibility.

I may have told this on this thread b4;

My first afternoon in an all Spanish clientel cafetería. A waiter came to my table.

He said,"Listen. If you ever run short of cash, you come see me. We'll escriben en la calumna.(write it on the column.) You pay me, when you can. But only pay at night, when the boss is gone."

Two days later, the boss offered me credit.
They'd never seen me b4!

Hispanic credit in Seville and Costa Rica;

If the boss remembers you from times b4. And he sees you're a little short for buying something; He might say,"Go ahead and take it home. Bring me the rest, next time."

Hi

Thanks for the continued interest in this topic. :)

I have been reflecting on the different travelling styles of different travel companions I have been with recently. For instance, I certainly could not travel with someone who is fixated with what they can and can't eat; a tc who felt that it is imperative that he/she must adopt similar habits when they are travelling as when they are at home. Aaarrrggghhhh!

Someone who is needy, who constantly vocalised "what is the plan for today?" And, who chatters without drawing a breath. Lol

I am now travelling with a tc who is impulsive and changes the travel 'plan' as we go along and that is fine as we both agree that we will stay together as long as it suits us, that it is ok to go our separate way and meet up later.

I am now so glad to be travelling with someone who suits my temperament, someone as outgoing as myself and who is ok to do it alone. :)

Only if they don't spit bits of food on me. Lol

Naturally they can do it to anyone else.

Not even one who talks with their mouth full of food?

its hard to be a good travel companion, even after all the talks prior, someone else becomes bossy and you end upn dong what they want, you just have to put your foot down and say, this is what i would like to do/see today, if they don't like it, then you can seperate and do your own thing, its the worst thing i can think of, that i did, always agree with the other person, i didn't do what i wanted to do, and it was my trip too - all good now though, took 1 year to get over it.

I like my own space, and let travel companions know that in advance. The companions I get on best with are those who are able to do their own thing for at least some of the time, and let me do the same. I am happy to take others to a place I know, and introduce them to the locals, then let them do their thing.
I can share rooms if the roommate can cope with my need to read before I sleep, and possibly have an afternoon nap. I would not cope in a dorm, and would always prefer a private room, preferably with en suite. However, I often stay with friends, and can manage sharing a room with several other women, if in a village, for example, in the Solomons.
I travelled for two weeks in New Zealand with a friend who snores very loudly -we coped by only sharing rooms on about half the nights - the others we got somewhere where there was at least a door between us. We also spent a couple of nights doing different things - we both had friends we wanted to see, and spent several days visiting our own friends. Both of us live alone, and value our time alone.
I am also happy travelling alone, including long road trips, where I meet up with friends in other parts of the country.

I am travelling well with my present tc. True a couple of times I (and I am sure it would be the same for her) would like to go off in different directions but it works out in the end.

Currently, we are staying in Rupit, a medieval town in Spain. Took seven changes of public transport which included a taxi for the last 15 kms for us to reach the lovely hostel we booked but it was worth it when we were on the way there. Our journey to Rupit was not helped by the cancellation of the train from Montpellier. A poor soul decided to suicide on that line, hence delay of the train, which meant we missed our last bus to Rupit. I would have given up quiet sometime ago but didn't count on the determination of tc. Come hell or high water, tc was determined to get us there. Lol

Lee52, Ithink that you are a little like me - more likely to go out of your comfort zone if with someone else. It is usually worth it, though.