What Makes A Good Travel Buddy? Twitter Has Some Thoughts.

Planning a vacation is a lot of work — it requires time, money, and research. And if you’re thinking of traveling with someone else, it’s necessary you two are on the same page when it comes to all of the above. There's a chance you may have best friends you adore but could never be roommates with, or a person you can always call for advice but would never expect to be on time for an event. Similarly, you might have the type of friend you can tell every secret to but would never want to go on a trip with. Now, a recent viral tweet is calling this phenomenon “travel compatibility.”

The hallmark of any good friendship is taking them for all that they are, and in some cases, all that they aren't. Being self-aware of the ways you’re compatible and are not compatible as friends is huge — and depends on much more than just your zodiac sign.

Twitter user @MCoveteur tweeted her thoughts about the idea of travel compatibility on April 14, saying she has a friend who she took on an overnight trip to check their “travel compatibility.” It now has over 90.5K likes, has been retweeted over 5,000 times, and has opened up a conversation in the replies about what exactly makes a good travel buddy.

“One of my friends always begging to travel with me so i did an overnight trip w/ her to check for travel compatibility,” @MCoveteur wrote. She followed up the tweet with a thread where she confirmed she and her bestie were not destined to be globetrotters together any time soon. “I love her but we not going further than the gas station together babes! go with smaddy [sic] else,” she wrote. From there, the tweet started a total online debate — a whole wheels-versus-doors-style-debate — and users started chiming in about what you should consider before traveling with someone new.

Many talked about budgeting as a huge point of contention on some group vacations. Whether it’s someone who doesn’t want to spend money eating out and would prefer to eat the food at the hotel, or someone who sends you a Venmo request for an activity you didn’t take part in — there are some money-related horror stories people have experienced on vacation with the wrong friends.

Others emphasized how important it is to simply match one another’s energy on a trip. Aspects of a trip like how much walking you’ll be doing, if you prefer a loose itinerary or a strict schedule of events, your needs for personal independence, and an agreement on how nighttime and morning routines will be handled can all be communicated beforehand to address any conflicting behaviors.

Another tweet explained how vetting a friend before planning a long-term stay with them is great for not just the enjoyment of the trip but for safety as well. “I was in a group & this lady in our party started a fight while we were in Croatia. We were seconds away from being locked up abroad,” she wrote.

The thread also has a lot of users who are opening up about the specific way they like to travel and how they are sure to let others know these things before even booking a flight. @Perfectly_Plush says a travel buddy who always factors in a nap before going out at night is a must and @TheTechTam said they prefer to get a room alone but will always be down for group activities.

It’s clear that when it comes to travel compatibility, people have some major thoughts — and plenty of real-life experiences to back them up. Making sure to communicate about all of the finances, plans, and information about how you prefer to travel beforehand is always a good idea. Once you’re on the trip, using resources like these apps that make it easy to split shared expenses will be your best friend — and will hopefully keep your IRL ones too. If not, you can always go ahead and plan a solo trip when wanderlust calls.