Travel Planning - Going Deep

1. Examine yourself

Confucius said that when you see a good man, try to imitate him, and when you see someone evil, check yourself. Nobody is perfect, but we should always try to improve, and your company is a major factor in this. This becomes extra critical when it comes to traveling, because the wrong company can ruin all your plans. You will spend many intimate moments with your travel buddies, so being self-reflective, and truly understanding what it is that you want to get out of your upcoming trip, can really impact the decisions on who you will bring with you.

2. Do you have compatible characters?

If you are a person who is very upset with stress or discomfort, or you are very anxious in certain situations that may arise in a trip, you may want to find an adventure companion that is calmer and helps you to handle the situation. If on the other hand you are of a quiet nature and you want to maintain that peace, when you are in your right, ask yourself if it is not better for you to have someone as calm as you, who will not cause you problems. Whatever you do, always try to anticipate situations and especially the ones that could ruin your trip: nobody likes to face a serious discussion during a trip or having to argue between what to do and what not to do.

3. What can my companion bring on my trip?

Do you and your potential travel buddies have a great time together generally? Do they have similar tastes to yours? Traveling together often puts friends and even couples to the test: we have all heard of relationships that break during a trip, sometimes because of a bad decision made by one party, or other times because of the potential for a person’s true colors to show when on vacation. Consider what traits and aspects your travel companion could bring to the trip. Are they great at navigating foreign maps? Are they experts at negotiating prices in foreign marketplaces to get you the best deals on gifts or lodging?

4. Have you had problems before that could affect the trip?

One of the requirements of friendship is to know how to forgive and ask for forgiveness, which means maybe not bringing up all those negative things every time you’re together. But it is also necessary to be cautious and always anticipate the possible problems that may arise, which implies, of course, going back to the past in previous conflicts. Ask yourself, have you had any problems with this friend that could have a negative impact on your trip? If so, how can you ensure that those issues don’t arise again on this trip? Listen, we’re not saying you shouldn’t forgive your friends, because everybody makes mistakes. But if this is always the friend that has a little too much at the bar and ends up getting you in trouble, maybe lose their invite in the mail on this trip.

5. Clear things up from the beginning, so there are no problems.

When you’re on a trip, nothing is going to determine your itinerary more than budget. With that being said, traveling with friends that are on a tighter budget, or expect to spend way more than you, could become a real issue. Agree on your plans well in advance, so everyone is aware of what the spending will look like. Some may even want to go as far as to create a trip fund, put their budget into that fund, and use that for the duration of the trip. All in all, agreeing on the agenda of your trip well in advance will make it easier for everyone to make sure they are on the same page in terms of fun, and funding.

Combining all these tips when planning your next trip could help ensure that everything stays chill and fun. You already know that you’ll by packing in style with your new Lux Bancroft Traveler, but now you should read through these tips; figure out what exactly it is that you want to do on your trip, who would be best to do it with, and how much you want to spend doing it. Go out there, and have a great time!