I knew when I finally got the blog back up and working that I would want the first post to be about something special. Not saying that super duper itineraries aren’t special but something that means a lot to me, as I’m sure it does to the readers.
The Toronto Raptors are NBA Champions.
Take that shit in. Have you took it in? As they won on Thursday, June 13th and I ran (with a puffer in my pocket after recently battling pneumonia) I didn’t really give a damn. I ran my little heart out to get to Yonge and Dundas to be among the hoards of drunken fans celebrating and watching sparks fly.
Yonge and Dundas
I stood in that god awful heat and crowd on Monday, June 17th (happy one week anniversary!) for four hours to get a glimpse of Kawhi. Out of breath, burnt, tired and screaming at the top of my lungs these moments had been a long time coming.
Although I am admittedly a San Antonio Spurs fan, the relationship I have with the Toronto Raptors is different. I came to Canada in 1994 and they came to Canada in 1995. We basically grew up together. We both came to Toronto as our home (although I took two detours through London and Hamilton). We both went through bullying. We both got to a point in our lives where we finally feel like a winner, regardless of all those obstacles and ridiculing. We got there.
I couldn’t be any more proud of the Raptors and proud of Toronto. We really came out to support our team and they got this win for us. Toronto deserves this team and we came out in droves standing in Jurassic Park in ungodly rain storms and all around the downtown core to have our voices, presence and spirit cheer them on to this victory. I’m not really a sentimental person, but my goodness, doesn’t it feel good to finally be a winner?
Just like our parents knew exactly where they were when the moon landing happened, we will ask ourselves at their age, ‘SO LIKE, WHERE WERE MANS WHEN RAPTORS WON THE NBA CHAMPIONSHIP?!’
By which some of us may very well reply with, ‘are you stupid, are you dumb?’, ‘AH AH AH AH‘ or just a simple ‘I remember.’
We all got to live this moment together and we damn sure will remember because we definitely won’t let these other bum ass teams forget.
So you’ve contacted me for a cheap vacation to wherever right? You want to save as much money on getting there and sleeping there right? You realize you may not be able to afford the 5-star hotel or resort on your budget, but you still feel like you SHOULD experience the finer things in life right?
Well I’m here to put you on for a travel hack I’ve been using since forever.
The Day Pass Travel Hack.
Last week on my Twitter page I had happened to mention I was planning for my upcoming trip to Antalya, Turkey. I’m there for nine days and tried to find a nice cheap place to stay for that duration, even though this specific city has a plethora of beautiful all-inclusive beachfront hotels/resorts as options. I didn’t go that route because 1) I’m not paying that much – 2) The purpose of me being there is to get my teeth done – 3) What’s the point of an all-inclusive when there might be days I may not be able to chew? Etc etc. But only because I can’t afford to be in one of those/don’t want to be in one for whole time, doesn’t mean I don’t want to hang out there for ONE of my days. So I began sending e-mails to some of the nicest places I could see to inquire if they offered day pass options. (Hopefully they respond and say yes.)
This is how a whole thread on the usage of day passes came about. I realized with the interactions I got that not everyone has necessarily tapped into this simple travel hack. So here we are. Let me put mans on.
First of all, there are plenty of apps and sites nowadays for day pass options. I personally have never used one because I like dealing with the place directly via e-mail or in person, but just to name some:
So if you don’t want to take the leap and contact places directly, I guess try one of those. Again, I personally haven’t tried any of them myself so I have no feedback to give. Just here to provide information and options.
I will give you four examples of how this has worked out VERY WELL for my personal travel experiences and for the awesome fancy pants pictures you’ve seen on the blog.
Santiago de Cuba:
I’ve been going to this city since about 2012. It is my favourite place in all of Cuba, but it lacks something the rest of Cuba has an abundance of. Beach. There are some beaches nearby, but they aren’t the picturesque white sand images you usually see in Cuba and they’re kind of far via taxi. So how do you cool off in a busy city with no beach? Well your only option is either standing naked in front of your air conditioner or going to a pool. (I don’t judge either way, FYI)
For the three times I went to Santiago de Cuba, I would always stay in the same casa particular. This was basically a guest house a wonderful couple would rent out to me for $25 a night which had a kitchen, bathroom, bedroom and they would also make me a fresh breakfast every morning. Unbeatable price. Down the street from where I’d stay was the Melia Santiago de Cuba. This hotel is impossible to miss with its tall frame and red paint. The cost of staying there for two nights would run you about $200. So to show you the math of that, $25 x 7 = $175.00…. what I’d pay for a week in my casa particular would be less than what the cost of two nights at the Melia were.
Now, the one thing the Melia had that was of use to me was a very nice pool to cool off in. There was a bar there, kitchen, numerous lounge chairs and a really attentive staff. For $10 CUC ($13.47 Canadian today) you would pick up a day pass at the front desk to be by that pool THE WHOLE DAY, aaaand it would include a whole pizza and two drinks!! Seriously. Is that not an amazing deal or what?
I capitalized on that deal at least 3/7 days I’d be in Santiago. I hope they still have it.
Views from the Melia pool…..
Bali:
When I went to Bali back in 2016 I tried to do it on a pretty small-mediumish budget. My hotel for a whole week had come to about $215 and I loved being there because it was located in the center of Kuta where all the action was. Unfortunately, if you have ever seen the beach in Kuta it was somewhat lackluster and didn’t look as inviting to go swim at. Totally awesome place to hang out by and people watch, yes. Definitely do that if you are ever in Kuta, but when you’re in Bali you want some nice beach time as well you know?
The person at the front desk of the hotel I was staying in had mentioned he previously worked at this hotel/resort that had a really nice beach and that they offered day passes. I believe it use to be named something completely different, but when I was there this hotel was called The Hilton Bali, in Nusa Dua. The cost of staying there for two nights will cost you about $400. So again, the math, $215 for seven days at hotel I was staying at vs $1400 for a week at the Hilton. I refuse to spend that much money on an island that is as thrifty as Bali. But I did want that beach life.
I took a taxi down to Nusa Dua and spoke to the front desk. If my memory serves me right, the day pass was about $20 USD. ($26.94 Canadian today) Although their day pass didn’t include the food and drinks like the spot in Cuba did, it was worth the peace and quiet. The resort is beautiful, the staff is really nice and the beach was secluded. My favourite kind of beach. There was at least four different sized pools, numerous lounge chairs by the beach and you could help yourself to as many towels as you needed. Along with that, you could order food to your lounge chair!! So I had a burger and french fries served to me on the beach and just paid with cash.
The day pass was totally worth the chill day on a beautiful beach.
The Maldives:
This is where the SUPER DUPER pricey stuff usually is. We all think of getting to the Maldives and getting one of those sexy overwater villas we see on fantasy IG travel pages.
I went to the Maldives in December of 2017 with my best friend Sherry. We opted to stay on a ‘local’ island called Maafushi because we wanted to get a full experience of being around people from the Maldives just as much as relishing in the incredible beaches and views. Not to mention, have you seen the goddamn prices for those villas and for staying on the private islands? To hell with that. I don’t need liquor that much. The cost of our beautiful (beachfront) hotel on Maafushi was $495 per person (so $990 total) for six nights. Definitely a steal.
Naturally though, we did want to at least visit one of the super fancy resorts on a private island so we could fulfill the Maldives dream, if only for a day.
Our hotel (and many, if not most hotels on the local islands) offered various excursion packages/day passes to these private islands. After Sherry and I discussed it, we decided to go with The Olhuveli Beach & Spa resort. If you guys had seen this place? Oh my goodness.
It took about 30 minutes to get from Maafushi to Olhuveli via our hotels speed boat and from seeing the place as we arrived to exploring the island – complete paradise. Perfect white sand, places to drink, a beautiful infinity pool and just an overall idyllic setting.
Again, time for the math. For 6-nights at THIS place the cost for the cheapest room was $3004 total vs the $990 that Sherry and I had paid. This is for the CHEAPEST room, if you wanted like a fancy room or maybe the all-inclusive option it would be north of $5000.
Sherry and I each paid $125USD ($168.35 Canadian today) which included the roundtrip boat transfer and getting to be on this amazing island for about 7hrs.
Well worth the money to indulge for a day in a place that looks so perfect. I should also note, this day trip reaffirmed that we made the right decision to NOT stay for a week on a private island because it was all couples and families. Yawn.
St. Moritz:
If you’re ever in the mood for feeling broke – go to St. Moritz in Switzerland.
In December of 2018 I had made it to one of the places I had dreamed about for a long time. I took a day trip from Zurich (6hrs roundtrip) to get to St. Moritz. This is the place you think about when you’re young and wonder if you’ll ever be wealthy enough to finally see in person. I definitely was NOT wealthy enough to fully immerse myself to the depths that others may, but that doesn’t mean I couldn’t take advantage of experiencing some part of it.
Prior to traveling to Switzerland I did my research on things to do in St. Moritz and this one spa kept coming up. The name of the hotel it is located in is Badrutt’s Palace and the name of the spa is Palace Wellness.
I will give you a second to go peruse the website to see the luxury of this place.
Okay, you good? Yeaah, you see what I mean right? So fancy pants.
The hotel I was staying in for the four nights I was in Zurich I believe came to about $300 total, which is a STEAL for Switzerland’s insane pricing and exchange rate compared to the Canadian dollar. So now, the math for this? ONE night in the cheapest room at Badrutt’s is $467 CHF which is $619.89 in Canadian. So very VERY simple math was that four nights in my hotel cost me 1/2 of ONE day at the hotel in St. Moritz. Remember what I said about being in the mood for feeling broke?
I got very lucky though. While doing my earlier research I found out the spa inside Badrutt’s offered day passes for $100 CHF ($132.74 Canadian today). I e-mailed the spa directly and asked if there was availability for the day I intended on coming and they got back to me the next day saying that they didn’t have many spa bookings so I would be more than welcome to use the day pass. YAY.
The pictures don’t even do the spa any justice. I realize they are pretty, but absolutely nothing can compare to exiting out of a pool indoors to go directly into an outdoor hot tub where you’re surrounded by the snow-covered Swiss Alps. Nothing. You get to use the pool the whole day, the hot tub, mingle with the actual super wealthy who are staying at the hotel and you can pay with your card and have food brought to the lounger you’re relaxing at with the touch of a button.
Spend the time to come here and get this day pass if you’re ever in Zurich or in any other part of Switzerland. You will not regret spending the $132.74 for a memory like this.
So there it is. Don’t pay lavish prices to stay somewhere that you could totally just go visit for a day at like 1/5th of the price of the stay. Before you go on any vacation, look up somewhere that might look like a fairy tale or dream you’ve once had and go make it a reality for a couple of hours or a day.
Although we may not be wealthy yet, doesn’t mean we can’t also enjoy the finer things sometimes. I’m super happy when I can find a cheap (safe + clean + well located) place to sleep for the duration of my trip. This leaves more money to eat all the yummy local food and get to experience places like I mentioned above. Maybe one day I’ll be able to afford actually staying at places like this, but let’s be serious, I’d probably still want a cheap spot to stay and just go visit 2-3 of these places for a day.
Do your research. Reach out to resorts/spas/hotels and find out if they offer day passes to whatever it is you’d like to see. Even super popular family places like Atlantis in the Bahamas and/or the naughty Hedonism in Jamaica offer day passes. Go live lavish on a budget, even if it’s for a day!
A smarty pants friend of mine (shout out to itsjustvanessa) gave me the idea that I should have a blog post about the hottest destinations for 2019 – based off the itinerary requests I was receiving. I don’t have the super duper tourism statistics like big companies do, however, because of the volume of personalized itineraries I do and what seems to be popular on my blog, I do have some idea of where folks are off to in 2019.
Do your 2019 travel plans align with any of the top five?
#5: Wynwood, Miami
I don’t know what it is with you artsy hippies, but boy do you love yourself some Wynwood. I’ve never even been to Miami but I do know if I want to see a lot of nice murals and cheaper stays (in comparison to South Beach) apparently I should make my way over to Wynwood.
There must have been at least one request a week this year where people were asking me for flights to Miami and places to stay specifically in Wynwood. I’m not exactly sure if the Art Basel event takes place in and around there as well, but that might also have something to do with it. So if you are planning to go there, you are obviously on trend.
Photo by E. C. Crippen on Unsplash
#4: Da Nang, Vietnam
This is one of those place I really wanted to go visit because of how nice their beaches looked and also, the great costs of being there. But in 2018 the city of Da Nang added something so incredible, it seems to have really boosted the rate of tourism.
The ‘Golden Bridge’ that opened in June is the current main attraction and booooyyyy is it working. Last year I maybe had 2-3 itinerary requests specifically for Vietnam and that number really skyrocketed this year. I guess the influx of pretty pictures and YouTube videos of this bridge really increased traffic, both for the city and in my request forms.
An example of a 2019 itinerary I had posted on the blog was Toronto to Singapore & Da Nang for under $1500.00 per person which can be found here.
Photo by Reuters/Kham – August 1st, 2018
#3: Santorini, Greece
I went to Santorini in 2015, yes, BEFORE RICK ROSS HAD A SONG ABOUT IT. Kidding, who gives a shit when I was there. What matters is, in 2019 people are still fawning over the island of Santorini and nowhere else in Europe came with THIS many requests to travel to it.
The funny thing was in the middle of 2018, people started to post a lot of their own pictures in Santorini. To the point that social media turned on those posting and began calling Santorini ‘overrated’ or just being jerks because obviously, they never got to experience such an enchanting place. I took advantage of the situation and amidst all the bullshit posted a Toronto to Paris and Santorini Trip for under $1500.00 per person which can be found here. I felt that if I could show people that you can get to Santorini for a damn fine price, maybe people would travel there more and understand what the obsession with the place is. Plus, capitalizing off a social media topic is ALWAYS a win, amirite?
That specific post ended up being one of the most popular posts I’ve ever had on the blog. People were very interested in going to see Santorini for themselves and for a good price. I must have done 2-3 itinerary requests per week that included Santorini in 2018.
So if you are planning Santorini for 2019, you are well on trend. (even if people want to talk shit about it)
This island is on MANY people’s bucket list destinations, whether from when they watched Eat, Pray, Love or just because they see the influx of amazing photos that come from there on their IG feed.
I went to Bali for my 30th birthday back in 2016 and I have been telling people to go visit from timeeee. I tell so many people to visit Bali that just last week I made my own Things to Do In Bali post because once people finally do choose to go, they want to know what activities to do.
Bali is expensive to get to (from Toronto) but if you can find a good flight? Oh man. Once you get there you feel like royalty. The Canadian dollar kind of sucks so anywhere we can go and actually enjoy some benefit to the exchange rate, I would highly encourage going.
Recently I posted an itinerary that was Toronto to Bali for $1500.00 per person with all flights and stays included, that you can find here. Aside from that post, I easily get 5-10 personalized requests for Bali-related travel from all across USA and Canada every week.
Get going, once you’re in Bali your soul will feel better.
I should also add for this, I myself was in Jamaica for carnival earlier this year and posted my recap here.
My throwback post about My Trip to Hedonism as a Single Woman is the #1 most visited blog post on my site that gets traffic from literally everywhere in the world constantly. (Negril)
And finally, the continuous requests I get for people wanting solo trips, baecations or group trips to Montego Bay made Jamaica easily the most popular destination for 2019 on my end.
Whether you’re planning to skin out in Kingston for Carnival, get up to some shenanigans in Negril at Hedo or just relax in Mobay – I probably had a request about it this year. Over and over these requests came in and I’m happy to do them because Jamaica is a super fun place, they have delicious food and they have excellent music. Why wouldn’t you want to go?
Furthermore, now that the new low-cost carrier Swoop has roundtrip flights from Hamilton to Montego Bay sometimes for under $350.00? I bet I’ll be finding even cheaper deals for all.
Photo by Lakeisha Bennett on Unsplash
So there you have it, my top 5 most popular travel destinations for 2019 based off what I experienced with my blog.
I hope many of you go to some/all of these places in 2019 (or even after, just go!)
I realize there are probably a MILLION pieces online for what folks think you should do while you’re in Bali. Look, I’m about to be 1,000,001 OK?
Because I plan SO MANY Bali itineraries I get asked frequently what I would suggest people do while visiting Bali, so instead of me having to send screenshots and links every single time, putting it in a blog post made the most sense. So here goes nothing, I hope I manage to steer you in the correct/fun direction. Everything listed below is something I actually did during my trip, so it isn’t hearsay or second-hand knowledge. I did this shit, and would suggest you do some of it too.
(Note: I tried to include as many descriptions and links to stuff as I could! So click around.)
Tanah Lot at Sunset
If you do absolutely nothing else, make sure you catch the sunset views at Tanah Lot. There will be at least another thousand people there with you so don’t expect much romanticism or mystique – but you will love it nonetheless. This temple looks unreal in person! Sometimes the water comes up really high and you can’t walk too close to it, but other times I saw people trying to walk/swim as close to it as they could for the perfect picture.
Spend the Day at Potato Head
This is the activity I did for my 30th birthday back in 2016. I literally spent the ENTIRE day here. What you do is show up at 9am and pick the cabana you want on their map. Once you do that you are given a little wooden ticket and have to come back at 10am when they open to enter your cabana. There are also choices for lounging chairs by the pool etc. I opted for the cabana because obviously I wanted to go all out for my birthday.
The minimum spend on the cabana was $1,000,000 Rupiah which converted to $100.00 Canadian. So to have the cabana for the whole day, I had to eat/drink $100 worth alone? Very easy. Very very easy. Embarrassingly easy. The cabana is awesome and you should definitely splurge on it. You have your own shade, towels, pillows and there’s a man with an AK-47 next to it guarding your stuff while you go swim. So quaint.
I really had an awesome time spending the whole day at Potato Head because you get to meet so many people from everywhere in the world that are looking to party, as well as getting enough relaxation by the pool and beach while profusely drunk and full of delicious food. Make sure if you can’t go early to get the cabana, that you still make it later in the day to at least get a drink and watch the sunset. Awesome day spent.
Visit the Rice Fields in Ubud
I truly hope the day YOU do this it isn’t 42 degrees outside like it was for me. The rice fields in Ubud are a must-do when in Bali because your eyes will thank you and you could potentially work off some of the food and liquor you’ve ingested while doing this activity.
The cost of a driver for an entire day in Bali is usually between $35-$40 and you should have the person get you to these rice fields at some point during this day. Make sure you wear some very comfortable running shoes that you don’t mind getting dirty because if you intend on going up and down on these hills, the mud and lack of traction are a bitch. The day I was visiting the rice fields was blistering hot outside so also make sure to wear a hat and a lot of sunscreen since there is no where to shelter yourself from the sun.
If Ubud is too much out of your way (depending on where you choose to stay in Bali) this website has an awesome list of other places in Bali to see the rice fields!
Spa. Spa. Spa.
My biggest regret from being in Bali was not going to the spa EVERY SINGLE DAY. The cost of going to a spa in Toronto for one hour won’t be under $100.00 at the very minimum. But in Bali? I spent almost 2 1/2 hours there for $35.00. THIRTY FIVE DOLLARS. I got a 45 minute neck/scalp massage, a 30 minute facial and a 60 minute full body massage. The spa I went to was in central Kuta and the name of it was Smart Day Spa. Recently, two of my fellow travelers took my advice and went there while in Bali also and enjoyed it just as much as I did. Not only is the service cheap, the spa is really calming and nice to be in. Don’t expect that you’re walking into some musty place with sketchy people! Make sure you hit the spa in Bali.
Take a Day Trip to Neighbouring Nusa Lembongan
One of the things people won’t tell you about Bali is that their waters are no frigging joke. To swim there you’d better be a hell of a swimmer or really into surfing. I consider myself a pretty good swimmer and even with that, when the undercurrent on the Balinese beaches hits you?? Yep, suddenly you’re 20 meters out into the sea. It happens so quickly and for someone who is more accustomed to the tranquil waters of the Caribbean, there is no wading in the water to chill. You better swim for your life! (kidding, little over exaggerated)
This is where I would really recommend a day trip to Nusa Lembongan. It is a really small island but the beaches are very clean and tranquil. You can take a walk around town where they sell beautiful shawls made on the island by hand or you can just hang out at the beach. This island was definitely the more chill version of Bali, it was like Tulum where all you saw was hipsters and surfer dudes/ladies wandering around. When I went to Lembongan there was an excursion that had a party in the middle of the water and a canoe that would bring you over to the island as well and I think it maybe cost $125.00 for all of it.
Get a Day-Pass Somewhere Private: The Hilton
I love day passes to places. It’s like you get the experience of that location, without having to pay the full price of staying there as a guest overnight. This is how I made my way to The Hilton Bali.
There are probably dozens of high-end hotels/resorts you can get day passes to in Bali but I happened to stumble onto The Hilton because the owner of the villa I was staying in told me he used to work there and that it was worth the $20.00 charge. Sure. Twenty bucks will do.
This ended up being a really good place to relax all day because majority of the people at the beach were 60+ year old foreigners without kids that just wanted to tan. You pay the fee for the day pass and get to use their pools, get your lounge chair on the beach and access to their change rooms with towels etc. I especially loved that even though I wasn’t a guest of the hotel, I could order food to my lounge chair on the beach and just pay with my debit card for it. (or cash)
Try the Coffee and Tea
I do not drink coffee nor do I drink tea. Figured I’d get that out of the way before beginning this section. The only time I drink tea is when I’m horribly sick and coffee? The smell of it alone makes me a little nauseated. HOWEVER, whether you like or do not like them – you have to try and make it to these coffee/tea plantations where the stuff is made super fresh.
Fun fact – the most expensive coffee in the world is actually Kopi Luwak Coffee which is big business in Bali. Basically, this animal called a civet (super cute, you get to see them on the plantations) eats coffee beans and then poops them out to become, yep, the world’s most expensive coffee. Now I know you’re wondering wtf is wrong with me, but trust me, you have to try it. I tasted EVERY tea and coffee on the menu you see in the picture below (yes, they have you try a sip of all of them) and it was the first time in my life there was a coffee I enjoyed the taste of. I even bought a whole bag of it, Coconut Coffee.
Splurge at Kisik or Rock Bar: Ayana Resort
If you are about spoiling yourself, this part is for you. The food in Bali is very cheap so there is really no need for you to go to this place, but naturally, I am extra AF so I had to do it.
I took myself out on a $200 date in Bali. Now, that is the equivalent to $2,000,000 in Rupiah. Most of my meals were under $8.00 until this point, just for comparison. Sometimes you have to spoil yourself and do fancy things right?
While researching my trip to Bali I had read about this place called the Ayana Resort. I believe the cheapest room there per night is $300.00, meanwhile MY hotel cost $300.00 for a whole week. Crazy right? But there were two awesome bars/restaurants on the grounds of this resort calling out to me to visit.
One is called Rock Bar and from my understanding it is seating for only hotel guests. I had my eyes on their other restaurant called Kisik. I made a reservation a month ahead for seating at this restaurant because they fill up very fast because of their incredible views, and incredible food.
I ate a seafood skewer, I drank and also bought a whole lobster to myself. In the picture below you will see they even had my name on the table because I told them it was my birthday week so I felt extra special. Fresh seafood and an awesome view at sunset, there truly was nothing more perfect. I did have a small heart attack when my bill came but it was also expected, kind of.
Make sure if you choose to go to Kisik to make a reservation for around sunset, get there early so you can wander around the Ayana resort and definitely walk over to Rock Bar to take pictures as soon as you finish your dinner. Splurge a little on yourself, you already made it all the way to Bali right?
Trust me, Bali has so many activities and incredible things to do that you will never ever be bored there. This list of mine didn’t even touch the surface of all the beautiful places you could go see in Bali that I didn’t even have time to make it to. (I.E: Broken Beach in Nusa Penida, Mount Batur, Mount Agung and of course the Uluwatu Temple) There’s just so many things you can fit into your itinerary while there because one of the best parts of being in Bali is – RELAXATION.
I hope those of you reading this make it to Bali one day and get to do some of the aforementioned activities. If you have been to Bali before and think there are other MUST DO activities or sights for Bali newbies to try, please make sure to leave it in the comments!
Here you are wondering to yourself if you should embark on a trip with 10 people to Thailand for a wedding or maybe to carnival in Rio. You aren’t comfortable traveling alone, but you’re also unsure about the weirdos you call your friends and their reliability.
I’ve made this checklist just for you! If the people/person you intend on traveling with (regardless of how many of them there is) can pass this checklist – you’re cleared for take off. Now I understand this check list won’t be perfect science, bullshit happens ALL the time on trips that you just can’t foresee. Also, I didn’t give this checklist an actual number of items to discuss, because I began writing it and just things kept popping into my head. I truly do believe this list will REALLY make you think about who you are going with and make your decision much more straightforward.
Does this person have a solid source of income?
Not here to insult those who may not be gainfully employed, not at all. But if this person is a ‘oh shit forgot my wallet’ type or someone who isn’t consistent with their actual bill payments, this ain’t the one. Drop them. If they can’t take their bills seriously, they sure as hell won’t take this trip seriously.
Special mention to those who are also cheap. There’s people who DO have a very good, steady job but won’t spend a cent on living it up a little on vacation. If you are the ‘YOLO IM ON VACAY’ type of spender, and the other person is frugal Freddy, this probably won’t work.
Does this person arrive on time for group outings?
I realize this will offend some of the people who are (undoubtedly) good people but just bad with time. Trust me, don’t travel with those either. The last thing you need is Tommy Toolate making the whole group miss an activity because he was hungover and you were all too nice and waited for him.
Is this person a scammer?
Don’t do it. You don’t want to find out at the gate that the credit card used to purchase their flight was owned by Henry Connor the 3rd but it’s Rachel Smith that’s somehow on the flight with you. You don’t want to get to your destination country and suddenly ALL those credit cards in hand have been cut off because the actual owner(s) of them caught on and now your travel partner has no funds.
Can you be near this person without feeling a murderous rage for an extended period of time?
I realize some folks travel with people out of availability, not necessarily because they WANT to travel with them. Folks are afraid of traveling alone and whatnot. You really have to think to yourself if this person is someone you will not want to kill. Traveling is already taxing on GOOD relationships. When there are delays, lost bags, you’ve been in transit for 40+ hrs etc. So now, think about the person(s) you chose to go at this with very carefully.
Also, to add to this one – when it comes to personalities make sure you’re choosing someone/a group of people who is/are either very much like you so you can do everything together OR is/are nothing like you but has/have a strong sense of independence. You definitely do not want someone who doesn’t have similar interests as you accompanying you to shit they don’t want to do and you have to listen to them complain whole time. You want someone who can be independent and feels comfortable going off to do their own thing as well.
How is this persons hygiene?
I know, I know – this not the most comfortable conversation to have with yourself nonetheless with another person. But seriously, do you want to travel with Tamara Toostink? Hygiene is a big deal in a travel partner because you do not want to be stuck next to someone who bathes twice a week in a hot-climate country for a 15-hr direct flight home. Also, in your hotel/AirBnB room this will be the most unpleasant of situations for someone who is a clean freak. Now, if both of you smelly I guess this might work out. But if you are someone who takes pride in washing your bushy parts regularly, I would REALLY advise against traveling with someone who avoids bathing like I avoid middle seats in an airplane.
Food. Food. Food.
Are you a squid in its own ink broth eater? Or maybe you like chicken fingers and fries only? You see how this could end up being an issue right? If you are someone who absolutely loves to eat anything and everything but your travel companion won’t step out of the foreign McDonald’s – this could cause a lot of shitty situations. I also mean, literally, shitty. Because if you are traveling with someone who has a very weak stomach or even might have a seafood allergy etc. Oh boy. Obviously this one isn’t a complete deal breaker, but you really should consider that you may not ever have a meal together in a seafood restaurant because they may have a severe allergy OR that you may be stuck bringing your yummy kebabs off the street into the local Pizza Hut to appease your travel buddy.
How is this person with cultures/people/places different than theirs?
This one falls perfectly after food, because a big part of experiencing other peoples culture is enjoying their food.
There’s no nice way to say this, but is your travel partner some country bumpkin that might embarrass you or a whole nationality/race when you get there? There’s always an A for effort to those people who are trying to get out and explore the world so that they can be exposed to different types of people, languages and cultures. However, are they ACTUALLY about that life? When I was at the Louvre in Abu Dhabi, my friend and I watched a pale European woman make fun of and pretend to make her eyes different to match a statue of Buddha. That’s frigging disgusting. Also, we watched countless women at the Mosque in Abu Dhabi be told over and over again to cover their hair. Is this really the kind of people you want to be with when you travel? I would personally die of second-hand-embarrassment being associated with someone who behaves like that.
Does this person have a substance abuse issue?
Another very uncomfortable conversation to have. This is no way meant to demean those who have drug or alcohol abuse issues, I hope all of you get help for those issues. However, big big HOWEVER, that doesn’t mean you should bring those people on trips with you while they’re still in full abuse mode. People who abuse alcohol at an all-inclusive resort might actually drink themselves into oblivion. Or imagine at carnival? All those all-inclusive fetes or playing mas in the hot sun with all that liquor on the road. Do you want to be with someone who will drink over their capacity and you’re now finding them almost getting run over by the big truck? Or they’re so sick, you have to now LEAVE playing mas (that you paid a lot of money for) to take them home and care for them? Fuck that. Moving on to drugs, I mean smoking a little bit of weed in Jamaica or Amsterdam won’t really cause you too much issue. When you get into places like Bali or shit, even maybe Vegas? Don’t be out with the person who will be doing lines of coke off the toilets in Vegas. Even worse, don’t be with the person who will do hardcore drugs in Bali and now they end up in jail for life because they had meth on them.
What is their relationship status?
Oooooh spicy time! Let’s talk about what you might have to consider when it comes to both SINGLE people and TAKEN people on vacation.
Single People: Honestly, is this person going to be Train Tammy on your trip? Obviously plenty single people travel just fine and don’t bring back their shenanigans to your hotel, but what if this person does? You go to a club and your travel buddy picked up some foreign girl and brought her back to your hotel, she crazy, now she has stolen your damn passport and your toiletries. I realize this is a little wild, but seriously. If the person you are traveling with is single, you probably should find out what (who?) they’re trying to get into while you’re vacationing. You might be single and just NOT want to participate in any shenanigans, while your travel partner thinks he’s running his own brothel.
Taken People: I’ve had worse experiences traveling with those who have a significant other, than those who are single. That’s just speaking for myself, but holy shit does that come with its own set of problems. Is the girl you’re traveling with going to argue with her man the ENTIRE GODDAMN TRIP? You leaving for Egypt for two weeks, right before you leave, her man pisses her off. Guess what that flight, the whole trip, all activities etc. gonna look like now for you? Now you’re stuck with Miserable Mindy for the whooooooooole trip just because she is CHOOSING to argue with a man who is six time zones away. There are plenty boyfriends and girlfriends who will intentionally start arguments with their s/o that is going on a trip without them, just to ensure they are miserable and therefore, do not cheat or DARE NOT have a good time without them present. (stupid, I know) But sadly, this WILL become your problem as the person on the trip with them. Be sure they’re in a stable relationship situation or just know how to ignore people a million time zones away while traveling.
Is this person FUN?
This one might seem kind of silly, but seriously, are you really going to have a good time with this person/group of people? It doesn’t matter how well prepared, smart, reliable etc. someone is – will you actually have a bomb ass time with them on this trip? There are some people who are super hype for a trip, have their money right and everything but then when you get to your location they are just lame and boring or want to stay in the hotel on Twitter or watching Netflix. Why the hell did you even come on the trip then? Booerns. There are vacations that are meant for relaxation, absolutely, but if you planned out a whole fun trip with someone and they might end up being homebody Harry the whole time, you really could have just gone alone.
(Special mention: People who will take good pictures of you for IG, definitely take with you. People who know how to swim if you don’t, definitely take with you. Nurses, always take nurses with you. Definitely don’t take vegans anywhere. People who know how to shut the fuck up, definitely take with you.)
Whatever you do – stick with your gut when it comes to anyone you will travel with. That’s really the most basic tip to give. I wrote a post before on How to Travel In a Group and Still Remain Friends, because even the best of friends can have problems while on road. All of these weird logistics and factors are also the reason I prefer to travel alone, although I am fortunate to have fun and reliable friends.
I really hope this either made you laugh, offended you or maybe even (by some miracle) helped you with some group trip you were contemplating. You can put in the comments below what are some of your red or green flags when choosing to travel with people!
