Travelling with a loved one, whether that person is a friend or partner, spouse or family member, is often the greatest way to see the world. You have someone to share the journey with, to watch your back, to halve your worries, to laugh, to (maybe) cry, to share a sundowner and ultimately, come home with a backpack full of names, places and faces that are special to just the two of you. 

It can be a bonding experience, a learning curve and an eye-opener. But to ensure your next buddy trip is smooth-sailing, here are the five traits that we always look for in a travel partner:

Respect 

Both for you and for the culture that you’re visiting. While we understand that respect is integral in our everyday lives anyway, it’s extremely important when travelling through foreign lands. You want to travel with someone who is culturally sensitive, pays respect to local custom and the local people. While on the road, it’s also inevitable that you will encounter situations outside your comfort zones, so you’d want there to be a mutual respect for each others sensibilities. It may take you longer to adjust to local Kenyan cuisine or the chaos of Delhi might take your partner by suprise – just give each other time to adjust and all will be swell.

Flexibility 

A certain degree of flexibility is an underrated travel value, most specifically for those times when you might want to do different things. Like, perhaps your partner wants to take a boat ride down the Ganges but you’d prefer to wander the markets of Varanasi. A well-oiled duo knows when to go their own ways for a few hours and when to compromise, when a detour isn’t a dealbreaker and taking a bus instead of a train isn’t the end of the world. After all, a little spontaneity is often the precursor to some of the best travel moments.

Patience 

It might take you longer to get ready in the morning or your travel buddy could be an anxious flyer, whatever our travel tendencies it’s always nice to see the world with someone who understands you and is patient with your ticks.

Laughter

This one is a no-brainer. We all want to travel with someone who can make us laugh even when we’re lost in a maze of Istanbul bazaar stalls and hungry, tired and hot. We want to travel with someone you can take a joke and make a joke, who you are happy to be around from sunrise to sunset and who knows the importance of a positive travel outlook. Travel with someone who laughs. A lot.

Common interests

It probably won’t be too much fun if you go to Burma with an avid bird-watcher and you didn’t think to bring binoculars. By the same token, if eating your way through Japan is your ideal holiday and your travel partner doesn’t like sushi, then that’s going to be problematic. To appease the travel activity gods, it’s a good idea to travel with someone who enjoys the same things you do. Perhaps it’s market shopping, hiking or enjoying a good glass of vino of a night time.