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Yes but no. My brother had a friend and her sister and daughter join us on a Disney trip. Here's the kicker, it made things hard. I am boom boom boom on trips and I had to wait on them at times. I appeased so much and taxed my feet much more with waiting (than I ever did just doing lines and walking.) I bent in the whole thing. Luckily she and my brother had a falling out over my brother's fiance.
I was on a two-week long photo shoot in Los Angeles. It was going to be great. Stay in a cool hotel, show up for 2-3 hours of shooting daily, and then knock about LA.
But my colleague was a total neurotic who never wanted to do anything. I finally started abandoning her at the hotel because she never wanted to go anywhere. Then she complained that I always was leaving her at the hotel. She complained about the food, the accommodations (Which were boffo), the fact that I got a suite while she didn't (I was her boss), and just about everything else under the sun. Toward the end, I seriously thought about driving into Watts, slowing down to 5 mph and shoving her out the door.
Another time, I went to Queenstown, New Zealand. My traveling companion was my producer and she was very cool. A total gas. But the colleague who arrived four days later was a Bible thumper who wanted to talk about work all the time. Here we were doing great work and enjoying time at night in this very cool resort town and he was standing around disapproving of everything. Yikes.
My wife, however, is a total gas to travel with.
What does religion have to do with anything?
Please refrain from the discriminatory comments.
The person who was afraid to be out after 9pm.
The person with the strict vegetarian diet who was also very picky. (Two different friends in two different cities).
The person who wants to go back to the same places over and over instead of finding new spots in the city.
The group of girls who wanted to stay in the hotel room and watch American television.
The person who went home with a guy from the club and I didn't know if she was dead or alive.
Etc. etc. etc.
Solo travel is the way to go! It gets lonely sometimes but being with a person with a completely different "travel-style" is not easy.
Unfortunately I've had a few of these. I'm glad to know it's not me but this happens to many people!
Right after college, I was looking forward to a big St. Patrick's Day weekend in a certain city, only to get to my friend's house (I drove several hours to get there, then it was a couple of hours from her house) to find she had work to do and couldn't leave until the next day. I thought the next day would be morning, but it kept getting later and later. When we finally arrived at our destination we'd missed the peak of the festivities. Oh and she brought her sister along, who had a sourpuss permanently plastered across her face. I couldn't tell if she didn't like me, didn't like the city, didn't like travel in general...For some odd reason everywhere we walked they always walked behind me in a single file line. It was maddening trying to have a conversation with my friend only to turn and find she was directly in back of me. I could not talk to her. And I don't know why they decided to follow me around like I was the leader when we were in their state. They refused to make any decisions about anything, nor would they eat anywhere that cost more than $10 a meal. I am a foodie and have to at least splurge on dinner at a nice local place when I travel. And my friend was so overly friendly and naive that she stopped in her tracks and blushed whenever transient men twice our age cat called us. She even invited one loitering creep to hang out with us. After walking a block or so I pulled her aside to urge her to say goodbye to her new friend, explaining that I did not want to hang out with a possibly homeless middle-aged stranger. She accused me of denying his personhood!
Another travel buddy started out great then became a stick in the mud over the years. I love chatting up locals, esp. eligible men. This friend would complain to me about not finding any suitable dates in her hometown in one breath and then clam up like a nun whenever anyone male tried to have a conversation with her. This includes innocent guys like our waiter, the hotel clerk, the guys that ran the rafting trip. We went to Vegas and she wouldn't go any clubs, casinos, or pool parties. On another trip she wouldn't stay out past 10 or so and lectured me about the benefits of fasting when I was starving in the morning, looking for a good breakfast spot.
What does religion have to do with anything?
Please refrain from the discriminatory comments.
I'm a person of faith myself, thanks. But there is a big difference between being a person of faith, quietly living out that faith, and using that same faith to critique anybody and everybody else's behavior. Like the large majority of Christians, and no heavy drinker myself, I see no contradiction with having a glass of wine or two with dinner. It was Christ's first miracle after all. I'd prefer that someone else not opine about it at the dinner table, thanks. It was tedious.
Well... it seems that for the most part, as I am reminded, this just does not work. People have their own habits, schedules, preferences, levels of flexibility or rigidity, extroversion or introversion and conversational styles, which one should probably be familiar with beforehand. Then there is the sharing of space.
Many here state how they ended up being no longer in contact with those they had traveled with. That's rough. From my experiences, I think I am unable to spend that much concentrated time with another at times, especially if they are too structured, controlling OR if they do not want to DO anything. I am in the middle - I like to know what is available to see or do, but I want to be able to have options and go with the flow, too. I certainly want to take in the sights of the spot in which traveled to, but not on such a schedule to miss the experience of it. I think it is ridiculous to go somewhere, but remain in the room... on the other hand, maybe I might want to relax on a balcony or patio, to be alone with my thoughts. As some said, traveling alone is not such a bad idea, unless you are with another who is flexible and compatible, overall.
I'm that cliche, the out-of-towner whose pocket was (almost) picked in Times Square because I was exhausted and should have been back at the hotel resting. A young girl came up behind me and put her arms around me. One hand went into my right front pocket. DH grabbed her wrist and pushed her away.
DH is one of those go-go-go types who gives no consideration to anyone else's energy level when he wants to play tour guide. He'd been in New York, working, for a week before I arrived, so considered himself an expert....and, of course, had gotten plenty of rest.
I'm getting better at pushing back and suggesting alternate activities when I'm fatigued. He can be a great traveling companion. He just needs to be curbed sometimes.
When I was single, I once joined a male friend in London. When we went out for dinner the first time, I discovered he was deeply conflicted about money. To me, "Shall we split meals evenly, have each of us pay our share or do you want to alternate who pays?" is not a difficult decision. Any of the three options are fine with me as long as we agree.
But apparently his family was the kind that will drive 20 miles to use a 10 cents off coupon. Wouldn't buy anything that wasn't "on sale." Prided themselves on their frugality without examining the hidden costs of being frugal. Since he couldn't decide how to deal with the check, I paid for that meal, then found ways to avoid sharing other meals as I was on my own most of the time. I stopped seeing him after I got home.
We have a couple with whom we're very good friends. Great people. Love them. But the hubby is very ADHD. As in, the guy cannot simply relax. He is always having to go somewhere and do something. So the last time we were at the beach, I was perfectly content with my book and my beer while he was just fidgeting after fifteen minutes. As in, let's throw the Frisbee, let's go play putt putt golf, what are you reading, is it interesting, what do you want to have for lunch, blah blah blahbity blah. For seven days.
Meanwhile, my wife and his wife were hanging out, occasionally going to the outlet mall, and enjoying a relaxed weekend.
So, while we happily go to dinner with them at least once a week, we don't travel with them.
Omg, yes. Wow... and I didn't know this person would be crazy or the worst traveling companion until the trip. I went to europe with a friend from college a long time ago. I arrived in Madrid and was waiting at the airport forever. I never got picked up from the airport. Turns out she was passed out drunk back at the hostel. Later on, when we'd go out, I found her hooking up with a dirty guy in a dingy bathroom of some bar in Madrid, then ditching me to hook up with random men at bars, drunk of her a$$, rude when sober, and had a boyfriend back home. The trip ended with us telling each other off and going our separate ways.
Fast forward to today, I was randomly watching CNN and lo and behold, who comes on TV? I come to find out this person works an analyst. I was absolutely stunned. I couldn't help but picture the gross bathroom at the bar in Madrid. I thought to myself "omfg... holy dark side, batman". Well, I hope those days are behind her.
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Oh and she brought her sister along, who had a sourpuss permanently plastered across her face. I couldn't tell if she didn't like me, didn't like the city, didn't like travel in general...For some odd reason everywhere we walked they always walked behind me in a single file line. It was maddening trying to have a conversation with my friend only to turn and find she was directly in back of me. I could not talk to her. And I don't know why they decided to follow me around like I was the leader when we were in their state. They refused to make any decisions about anything, nor would they eat anywhere that cost more than $10 a meal. I am a foodie and have to at least splurge on dinner at a nice local place when I travel. And my friend was so overly friendly and naive that she stopped in her tracks and blushed whenever transient men twice our age cat called us. She even invited one loitering creep to hang out with us. After walking a block or so I pulled her aside to urge her to say goodbye to her new friend, explaining that I did not want to hang out with a possibly homeless middle-aged stranger. She accused me of denying his personhood! 
