Your travel buddies can either make or break your precious holiday vacation. And choosing them isn’t as easy as “hey, wanna go overseas with me?” There’s so much more at stake.

Although you both get along nicely in your office or classroom, it’s not a guarantee that they’d be a good travel buddy as well. In this article, we’ll have a look at some of the considerations before picking your travel companion.

1. MONEY MATTERS.

Many travelers just want to go from one place to another and simply enjoy what each place has to offer without spending too much. Others go for splurging trips on hotels, restaurants, and malls. There’s no right or wrong here, but it all comes down to budget priorities. You can avoid awkward money talks on the road by figuring out all that stuff beforehand. This lets you sidestep issues that might prevent you from enjoying the trip fully.

2. PERSONALITY MATTERS.

If you’re an energetic, go-getter person, then you should pick a travel mate with the same intensity – or with the same calmness if you want to have a quiet vacation where you simply soak in a nice outdoor tub or take in nature’s beauty. The first type is all about the goings-on while the second one just wants to be in the moment, savoring every part of the trip.

3. INTEREST MATTERS.

Say you have a week-long trip planned, but you’ve already run out of things to talk to on your second day – you’ll end up spending the next few days looking for a topic, just any topic that will restart the conversation. Yup, it’s a disaster. You can avoid this silent and awkward trip by ensuring that you have a common interest with your travel buddy.

4. ACTIVITIES MATTER.

Finding the ideal travel buddy takes time, and that’s fine. This’ll take time because it’s a learning experience. If you prefer extreme activities and your friend like laid back adventures, you can still have an awesome time – it’s vital that you support each other’s plan while not compromising on everything. You can spend some time doing separate activities as well. This is especially true if you’re on an extended vacation. Plus, you’ll have something to talk about before retiring at night. For example, if you want to relax in a floaty at the pool but your friend would rather go to a museum every day that may not be the best travel partner. It is important to discuss this in advance and select someone that is looking for a relaxing vacation in the sun as well.

5. LAUGHING MATTERS.

Mishaps happen to the best of us: rainy days, missing the bus, forgetting some of your stuff. These are part of the whole experience, so regardless of the circumstance, it’s crucial to travel with someone who can still make light of such situations and share a laugh with you.

Of course, there’s so much more to know and consider before making that trip – you know- to ensure that it’s as fun and exciting as you planned it to be. Travel, hotel, and car rental/booking websites usually offer many travel tips and tricks to help you from preparation to activities and everything in between.

Now that you know the type of people to look for as travel buddies, check out DriveNow’s list of people you do not want to travel with. You wouldn’t want to be stuck with sleepers, messy eaters, and *gasp* those who change your favorite driving soundtrack!