| Evelyn Hannon
We
asked our readership to offer their best hints for travelling
amicably with partners -- family members, girlfriends or strangers
that one is paired with on organized trips. Your responses
were fabulous. Once they were compiled it was confirmed that
travelling with another person can certainly have both it's
pluses and it's minuses. You told us that generally the key
to a wonderful trip is good planning, cooperation and compromise.
It was great fun reading through all your practical tips and
advice. It felt as if we were having a giant worldwide discussion
on the topic. We hope that members of the Journeywoman Network
will feel the same way when they read through this article.
As
usual, if anybody has a tip to add to this topic, simply put
it into an email addressed to: editor@journeywoman.com.
Please enter the words, 'travel for two' in the subject line.
Enjoy, everybody!
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Be
prepared...
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Carry good earplugs
I always carry earplugs for myself and my travel
partner. I recently discovered Classic soft c 2003
Aearo Company (http://www.e-a-r.com),
which are used at the plant where I work. They are
the most tolerable earplugs I have found as I really
dislike anything in my ears. They really block out
the sound, e.g., I can now sleep on planes, during
a room-mate's snoring, or in cheap Mexican hotels
where the neighbours are partying through the night.
And, my room-mates appreciate not having to listen
to me snore!
Joanne Harris, Maple Ridge, Canada
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Pack wine glasses
My travel-for-two tip is to pack a wine corkscrew,
plastic wine glasses (the ones where the bases pop
off for easy packing), nice napkins, and candles
so you can pick up some local food and enjoy and
impromptu picnic for two in the park. France is
a particularly nice place to do this. Cheers!
Diana, Ingolstadt, Germany
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Share reading material
When I travel with a friend/s we check before we
leave to make sure we are both/all bringing books
that the others/ haven't read. That way we can each
only bring one or two and have at least double that
to read.
Linda, Langley, Canada
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Share clothes
When my friend, Sylvia, and I travel to Europe,
we each pack just one bag, which means wearing a
lot of the same clothes several times. Since we're
about the same size - and like the same colors -
we avoid clothing fatigue by trading. Sick of that
black jacket? Hey, wear mine!
Pat, Chicago, USA
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Pack snacks
Carry food snacks. When two people travel together,
they have two different time clocks for eating.
I take along a food bar with protein, to hold me
because my traveling partner usually likes to eat
later than I can manage that low sugar drop.
Linda, Canada
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Double your security
Each person should carry a photocopy of all security
info. for themselves and their travel partner. This
list should include passport #'s and expiry dates,
creditcard #'s and contact #'s in case of loss,
medical and travel insurance #'s and contact #'s
at home, family #'s to contact in emergencies etc..
I have done this several times and there is great
security knowing that if my copies of these vital
info pieces are lost- another is on the trip with
me! Also (thankfully untested,) it is unlikely that
both of you will be the victims of thieves, loss
etc. at the same time. It goes without saying that
this list must be guarded just as your passports
are, and assumes that you trust your travel buddy
with your info. An extra set of passport pictures
with the other person is also a good idea.
Charlene, PEI, Canada |
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Decide on must sees
Have a travel meeting at a cafe. Before we even
go on our trip, we look at some travel books and
discuss whether there's anything in particluar we
each absolutely want to do. Once those few things
are on the itinerary, we can wing it because the
must-do's are taken care of and everything else
is just icing on the cake.
Juliann, Cincinnati, USA
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Vote on must sees
My sister and I live in two different cities (Detroit
and Toronto). Before we take a trip together, we
each make a list of "Things I Want to See &
Do in __" (fill in destination), and e-mail
the lists to each other. Our #1 sights/activities
will be those that we both have on our list. We
then 'vote' on the remaining sights/activities,
based on the time available during our trip. It
works every time!
Alison, Toronto, Canada
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Splurge on toiletries and share
I travel with my little sister. We usually share
basic items like shampoo or sunscreen. The twist
is that we buy nicer-than-usual products to make
up for the slight annoyance of sharing. They make
us feel extra pampered for the whole trip. Even
better -- we buy toiletries overseas so we can discover
exotic new products at the same time. We also have
clear job definitions based on what we do best:
I'm the planner, accountant and ticket holder; she's
in charge of communicating/negotiating/haggling
with people. When a situation arises, we know right
away who's in charge and we don't waste time arguing.
Catherine, Montreal, Canada
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Pack one outfit in her luggage
The best advice I've ever had is to make sure you
always pack an outfit in your companion's bag. Then
if one of the bags is lost there are back up clothes
and less stress for both of you.
Karey, Portland, USA
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Who sleeps on the right?
Start your holiday with a small decision that is
very helpful. At the beginning of a trip we decide
which of us will take the right or left side throughout
the trip. This eliminates discussion over which
is the best bed and which towel is whose.
Jane, Boston, USA
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Research together at home
When a friend and I were doing research for our ten
day stay in Paris we each bought a different Paris
guide book. We then went through them together, marking
things with 'MUST DO' and ' WOULD LIKE TO DO' if we
have time. in Paris, we still made more choice changes.
Our pre-trip research was a great place to begin our
holiday together. Merrily, Morro Bay,
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More travel for two -- tips and advice
We Need
Alone Time and Transportation Compromises
Handling Money and Travel
for Three
Cooperation 101
Travel with Hubby and
Travel with Strangers
Shared Bathroom
Wise Women Advice
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