I am looking for a companion for a holiday at sea. Travel companions

Together it’s not only more fun, but also cheaper and safer. We have chosen resources where it is easy to find like-minded people both for a trip to the sea and for a crazy hitchhiking trip.

Why look for a travel companion?

The idea of ​​traveling with strangers may seem strange, but it has several advantages:

• It is more profitable to relax with a group than alone. Renting a double room and paying half for it is usually cheaper than renting two single rooms. If you are going on a trip by car, you can split the costs of renting a car, toll roads and gasoline.
• It's calmer with a travel companion. If you go for a walk and get lost, write to a fellow traveler so that he can help you find a hotel. If you suddenly get sick, there is someone to run to the pharmacy.
• There will be no problems with the language barrier. If you are bad at foreign languages, look for a travel companion who speaks at least English. During the trip, he will take on negotiations with local residents.
• It's more fun together. You can share emotions and impressions with a travel companion and look for new entertainment together. And yes, you won’t have to pester passers-by to have your photo taken with the Eiffel Tower on your palm.

How to create an ad

“I’m going to Greece, who’s with me?” - bad option. You will have to spend a lot of time explaining to everyone who is interested exactly where, when and for how many days you are going to go. To quickly find suitable travel companions, create a clear and understandable ad.

What should be in the ad

• Travel route. Tell us where you are from and where you are going. If you are going on a tour by car and do not yet know where you will end the trip, explain what places you want to visit.
• Approximate travel dates. You should not write in the advertisement that you are traveling strictly from August 5 to 14. Perhaps your travel companion wants to join you, but is willing to do so a few days later or earlier. Please indicate the approximate time: beginning, middle or end of the month.
• Budget. You dream of a luxury hotel and cool restaurants, but your travel companion wants to get by with little money and live in a hostel. As a result, each of you rests on your own, and the meaning of a trip together is lost. Set approximate budget limits and explain whether you are ready to go beyond them.
• Purpose of the trip. Maybe you are planning a good old car trip with overnight stays in roadside hotels, or even in a tent. Or do you want to spend your entire vacation lying on the beach, only going to souvenir shops? Everyone likes their own type of vacation - this is normal, but it is better to discuss everything before the trip so that there are no surprises.
• Habits that your travel companion should know about. For example, you can’t sleep when someone is snoring in the room, or you can’t stand tobacco smoke. It will be difficult for a convinced vegan to get along with a lover of juicy steaks, and an owl is unlikely to be comfortable with a lark. Don't be afraid that this will alienate potential travel companions: this way you will find the right person faster.
• Your photo. The avatar should be you, and not your favorite cat or a random portrait from a stock photo. People want to know who they are going to spend a few days with, and anonymous advertisements are intimidating.

Start looking for a travel companion early. During the holiday season, many people have their own plans, which are difficult to change at once. If you advertise a week before your trip, your chances of finding the perfect deal are slim.

Arrange with your future travel companion to meet before your trip. You will communicate live and get to know each other better. During the trip there will no longer be the disgusting awkwardness that arises at the first meeting.

Where to find a travel companion

Let's wave!

In contact with

Search for a community about the country or city you are going to. For example, there are topics about searching for travel companions in groups dedicated to Turkey , Paris and rest on Goa.

Finally, you can write to specialized communities. In Group " Vacation and travel companions» there are separate topics for countries and regions: choose the appropriate one and tell us when you are going on a trip and who you are looking for.

Before leaving an ad, make sure that not only friends, but also all registered VKontakte users can write to you. Open your profile so future dates can get to know you better.

This is a popular resource about independent travel. The forum has a special section for finding travel companions. Topics are divided into areas: Europe, Asia, America, Russia and the CIS. Before creating your ad, look at who is already being searched for here. If you find a suitable option, answer directly in the topic.

The forum has a calendar for finding travel companions for specific dates. You can select the country and time of travel, and the calendar will show who else is going to travel there at the same time. If you haven't found any interesting offers, leave your ad.

Companion

Quite a well-known forum for finding travel companions. Here you can find not only travel companions, but also a company for entertainment, if, for example, you want to go with someone to a festival or ride a bike.

Create new topic even unregistered users can, but to edit it or delete it, registration is still required. In the title of the topic, indicate the city you are leaving from and your destination.

Dating site for finding travel friends. Enter the dates and destination of the trip and select the goal: gastronomic trip, beach holiday or exploring local attractions. You can immediately close the financial question and mark the appropriate option: everyone pays for themselves or one of the participants sponsors the trip.

Once you have completed your profile, verify it. To do this, you need to upload a photo of you holding a piece of paper with the name of the service in your hands, take a photo of your passport or driver’s license and confirm your mobile number. To gain access to all the features of the site and communicate without restrictions, you need to buy a VIP subscription. The trial version is valid for seven days and costs 299 rubles.

One of the world's most famous travel communities. It is used by those looking for free accommodation, but here you can also find new friends for your trip.

Register, select where and when you are traveling, and in the search results, go to the “Travelers” section. For more accurate results, set up filters: indicate the gender of your travel companion and select the languages ​​he should speak. Suitable candidates can write in a personal message and discuss the details of the trip.

To be more likely to be answered, tell us in detail about yourself in your profile and verify it. This is necessary to confirm your identity. Many users do not risk contacting those who have not passed verification.

Service for finding tours, tickets and travel companions. You can search for companions by country of destination, time of travel, city where they are going to leave, gender and age.

No registration is required to submit an ad. Fill out the short form and leave your email address, where anyone interested can write.

Tourism news, official press releases and useful travel articles

According to the Border Service of the FSB of the Russian Federation, 119 thousand Russians visited Cuba last year - 26% more than in 2018. Operators surveyed by RATA-news attribute the increase in tourist flow, first of all, to an increase in charter transportation. “The emergence of charters in almost any direction accompanied by last-minute offers and a decrease in the average bill. Due to this, a certain growth appears,” explained CEO Tour Express company Andrey Krapivnoy....

The Saudi Arabian authorities have introduced a temporary restriction for citizens of the kingdom and foreigners to perform Umrah (a minor Hajj that is not strictly tied to the time of year, unlike the major Hajj) due to the spread of coronavirus in the region. This was reported on Wednesday by the Al Arabiya TV channel, citing a source in the country's Ministry of Internal Affairs. A restriction is being introduced on visiting the Prophet's Mosque (Al-Masjid an-Nabawi) in Medina, where the Prophet Muhammad is buried....

The Stavropol Territory plans to receive up to 1 million 760 thousand vacationers in 2020, which is 10% more than in 2019. This was reported to TASS by the Minister of Tourism and Health Resorts Alexander Trukhachev. "In 2020, we expect an increase in the total number of visits to the Stavropol Territory from other regions Russian Federation and foreign countries up to 1 million 760 thousand people. This means that the increase compared to the 2019 level, according to forecast data, will be...

Egypt has increased the maximum allowable period of stay for tourists in the country from 90 days to five years. The corresponding decision was made at a government meeting, the Egypt Independent reported. “Under the new decree, tourists can extend the period of their stay in the country, which was previously 90 days for a single entry, to five years,” the report notes. “However, such visas can only be processed through Egyptian consulates and...

Uzbekistan entered the top 15 countries free from coronavirus that are worth visiting for tourists, writes the British newspaper The Telegraph. Argentina took first place, Namibia took second, followed by Cuba, Turkey and Mongolia. Uzbekistan took 14th place in The Telegraph's list. The publication notes that not a single case of infection has been identified in these countries, although there is something to see there. Let us recall that at the end of February the State Committee of Uzbekistan for the Development...

Some useful tips to everyone looking for it!

I haven’t found any good advice on the Internet on what to consider when choosing a travel companion, so I will rely only on my experience.

Where to look

The very first question and the most important. Ask your relatives, friends, post on social networks with the appropriate hashtags - thank you, cap :)
Now let's get serious.

If you are a couchsurfer, then search on couchsurfing, on the website I mean. In the city feed, in groups. You can try posting in CS groups on VKontakte. In addition, this wonderful social network is teeming with various thematic groups for finding travel companions. Don't underestimate the benefits of social networks! Here you can find anything and anyone. If a post on your wall does not bring success, move on to communities. Here are the most adequate of them, in my opinion:

https://vk.com/neverstop. I have been following the movements of a St. Petersburg hitchhiker who travels around Russia for a long time; there is a topic in discussions called “Fellow Travelers.” Here you can find like-minded people who are ready to travel just as desperately as Natasha, the author of this page. I am not a supporter of eternal hitchhiking and consider this extreme. Still, I like to combine “wildness” with comfort. I love diversity in all its forms. I am one of those people who can hitchhike and live in a cheap hostel, but with the money saved, I can arrange a far-from-budget pleasure for myself, if my heart desires. In general, I am for balance and harmony.
https://vk.com/interestplanet_ru. There is probably not a single person who is not a member of this group. There is also a discussion thread dedicated to our “sore” issue. Stop by. People from all over the world, all different types, heading to different parts of the planet and traveling different ways. From finding travel companions for a hotel voucher to finding a partner for a trip around the world.
https://vk.com/vpoputchiki. The responses to my ad from such groups were mostly inadequate. I write that I want to go to Italy to specific places, and they call me to the Maldives, offering to cover all expenses. Well, people are of a different type, what can you do. Someone answers seemingly adequately, but you start asking all sorts of questions, and then the inadequacy comes to light. But what if you get lucky? Give it a try.
https://vk.com/club4081072. From the same category, but to be on the safe side you can take note.
https://vk.com/ru_couchsurfing. You can use discussions and a wall. In addition, sometimes there are interesting offers. If it doesn’t matter to you, then you can join someone who is in the same search.
https://vk.com/club180182 , https://vk.com/club1393701. Two more communities of couchsurfers on VK.
https://vk.com/lowcost. Those who hang out here are those who, as the name of the group implies, do not want to spend a lot and prefer to save at least on air tickets. Quite a worthy group. I judge from my bell tower by and large, but I haven’t received any inadequate responses from here.
https://vk.com/ru_autostop. A godsend for hitchhikers!

There are also specialized sites for finding travel companions (Mahnem.ru, Poputchik.ru, Poputchitsa.ru, etc.), but I strongly do not recommend using them. If you try, you will understand that they are of no use.

I remembered another very useful resource - the Vinsky forum http://forum.awd.ru. If you have a profile there, then you can drop a couple of lines in a special topic that you are looking for a travel companion. In general, I advise you to look there directly to prepare for your trip: route development, visa details, prices, photo reports, answers to a variety of questions about each country. It is better to look for a travel companion elsewhere.

So, you posted your post and are waiting for someone to respond. Will respond. Do not doubt. Then you’ll be exhausted from sorting through tons of messages. There will be some funny ones, get ready to laugh and be surprised.

What to write in a message about searching for a travel companion

A few words about how to compose a message to avoid immediately receiving incomprehensible, abstract answers and save time discussing the details of the trip with a person who is not initially suitable for you.

Let's look at an example.
If you look into groups, you will come across a bunch of similar messages like this: “I’m looking for a travel companion to Italy, departure from Moscow.” And what? What did you understand from it? To Italy, where exactly do you want to go? Who are you anyway? Who are you looking for? What type of travel do you prefer? Personally, I don’t understand when people write things like that.

Be specific and “talkative.” This is what I once wrote:

« I am looking for a travel companion of about my age from Barnaul or Novosibirsk for a trip to Italy in the summer (the possibility of a personal meeting is required to discuss everything). The travel time is limited only by the validity of the visa, probably 20-30 days, and the amount of money.

There are no specifics yet, but what I would like: a trip at the end of June-beginning of July for about 3-4 weeks, so as not to rush anywhere. Cities: Rome, Florence, Venice, Naples + the islands of Sardinia/Sicily and Capri/Ischia, perhaps also Cinque Terre, besides, after or before Italy I would like to visit Barcelona for a while. The plans include hitchhiking and couchsurfing, but you can stay in a hotel or hostel for a few days. Costs are mainly for travel, food, excursions. Oh, yes, the flight will most likely be from Moscow or Omsk, since these are the most budget options.

For lovers of “all inclusive”, clubs and five-star hotels, please do not disturb, you and I will not find a common language, and our purposes for the trip are completely different. Moderately adventurous ideas are welcome. I am ready to consider your wishes for the route, everything can be adjusted and discussed, as long as the rest is for the soul. All questions and suggestions in PM."

Please note that the ad is written simply, without literary flourishes, since that is of no use here, but at the same time it shows me a little and reveals what I want from the trip and who I want to find.

The main points that were important to me at that time: the age of the travel companion, the city of residence, the number of days on the trip, a small budget, certain dates, certain cities, method of travel (I openly say that “vegetable” and “club” holidays do not suit me interested), readiness for adventure, unexpected turns, detailed discussion of the route and its further adjustment.

So many interesting people responded to this simple ad... I didn’t even have time to respond to all the responses. Moreover, even if we didn’t go with someone, we still communicate and even met in person. Although I will say this: specifically, the fellow travelers with whom I actually traveled were found through a couchsurfing site. But perhaps something else will suit your case.

11 questions worth discussing

The ad “works”, you get a lot of responses. But how do you understand that this is the person you are ready to become travel companions with?

First, carefully read the response to your message - what the person writes and how he does it. Even spelling errors are an indicator. Secondly, look at his profile, on his wall, in his photographs. A person’s virtual page often reveals at least a little of what he really is like. For example, no matter how wonderful the response to my message may be, if my potential travel companion constantly takes pictures of herself in the mirror with a duckface, regularly takes selfies and elevator looks, and constantly posts all sorts of vanilla quotes and indecent pictures, such a person immediately repels me. At least I don't see him traveling together.

So, in principle, you like and are interested in the person, you imagine you conquering the world together, let’s move on to a detailed condemnation. Below is a list of questions to which you should know the answers in advance. It’s up to you to decide which ones to ask online, by phone or in person.

1. Route. Ideally, you plan the route together in person from start to finish. Thus, already in the planning process, you can notice some features of a person’s behavior and, in principle, understand whether it will be easy for you to act in the event of a sudden change in circumstances. Pay special attention to the issue of “flexibility”, find out whether your companion is ready to deviate from the intended route or completely change it radically. For example, suddenly you like one city so much that you want to stay there and not continue your journey, or you meet people there with whom you do not want to part, or in general you meet your love. Thus, it is important to discuss the timing of the trip: it’s one thing if you’re going for 2-3 weeks, another thing if you’re going to travel for six months with a backpack on your back in search of inspiration, better life or work abroad.

2. Interests. I’ll surprise you if I say that this is also a very important point. At least music, places to visit, bad habits, lifestyle, attitude to the world and its perception in general.

3. Budget. It can be completely different, but spending on things that concern both of you should preferably be the same. This applies to finding housing, travel, and partly food. It’s bad if one wants to dine exclusively in restaurants, while the other wants to buy food in the cheapest supermarket and eat on a bench. There will be no understanding between such people. Determine the upper and lower limits of the budget and the degree of deviation from the planned one.

4. Possibility of overnight stay. What I talked about above. Couchsurfing, hostels, hotels, tents, benches in parks... In addition, p When comforting a travel companion, discuss in advance the issues of overnight accommodation in difficult situations, they may arise, especially if you are hitchhiking. After all, if one is willing to pay any amount just to have a roof over his head, and the other is willing to sleep under any bush, no good will come of it. A compromise - asking to spend the night in some house - also needs to be discussed. For one this will not be a problem, for another it is, to put it mildly, unpleasant, inconvenient, indecent... the series of negative adverbs can be continued ad infinitum. In general, in a stressful situation, when there is a divergence of opinions between two stubborn individuals, a conflict will inevitably arise. Try to warn him, or at least roughly know what to be prepared for.

5. Language. Oddly enough, this plays a role. Your travel companion's level of English and intention to learn others foreign languages may affect you too. Decide what is acceptable to you. For example, are you ready to go on a trip with a person who cannot connect two words in a foreign language or, on the contrary, he spits out like a true native speaker, and compared to him you seem, excuse me, like a slowdown. Or maybe you want to practice German, and your companion will be looking for Spanish speakers to practice Spanish. I advise you to find out this in advance.

6. The opportunity to separate during the trip and travel separately. If your partner harshly insists, “No matter what happens, we will be together from beginning to end,” think about it. It’s better if you’re both ready to calmly part ways if something happens, without offense, reproaches or phrases like “You ditched me!”

7. Love affairs. We are all people who are either already in love or not averse to falling in love. Discuss this in advance. Again, an example - when I was looking for a travel companion to Italy, I had a young man in Russia, accordingly, I was not in the mood for any romantic acquaintances, and I did not want my companion to seduce Italians and have affairs with them there. The goals of the trip were completely different. Although many girls go to Italy just to pick up someone there.

8. Travel options. Planes, buses, local transport, taxi rides, hitchhiking, hitchhiking.

9. Action plan in case you miss a beat or get lost. For example, agree to meet in an hour at some famous landmark in case of disconnection. Also have a telephone number (local) with you so that you can somehow contact passers-by using the phone. In most cases, relying on city Wi-Fi is pointless.

10. Activity/relaxation. Tell each other exactly how you plan to spend your time. Personally, I like to alternate, because constant running around and endless travel tires me. But I don’t want to lie on the beach the whole holiday either.

11. Shopping. Discuss how much time you are willing to spend shopping and whether you plan to do it at all. If you are planning, then approximately where and when.

And know that you will definitely have a fight while traveling together; you will definitely have controversial issues that can spark a conflict. Treat this normally, because we are not immune from quarrels even with close people, let alone new acquaintances. Nothing is perfect.

On this “positive” note, I conclude the most practical memoir in the history of my blog. In the next post I will show you my wonderful travel companions, with whom I conquered foreign expanses, and even tell you a little about them.

A modern person does not need to stand in line at train station ticket offices and read advertisements on poles in search of a driver who will transport things to a new place of residence. It is enough to use one of the Internet services, where you can find not only trusted travel companions and carriers, but also save significantly. Today we will look at six such resources that have already gained popularity among active users Internet.

1. BlaBlaCar

The undisputed leader in the ride sharing market, a proven European service that has relatively recently firmly established itself in Russia. What is the secret of his popularity?

The first is convenience. Through the website and its mobile application, you can quickly find a driver who will go in the right direction, on the right day and even at the right time. Narrow settings are also available: for example, you can really choose a non-smoking driver who will not turn on the “chanson” or talk about politics the whole way.

The service is actively used for traveling around the country (both between settlements and between regions). It is also possible to find travel companions for trips abroad (the service, we remind you, is international). When choosing a driver, the user sees his age, make and class of car, personal preferences and the proposed cost of the trip. Availability of reviews and good rating– an additional factor of choice.

Despite the convenience, there are still disadvantages - mainly related to our special mentality. For example, some drivers don’t bother and fill out the information in the form at random. So it turns out that instead of the stated two passengers, four are crammed into the cabin. And the silent non-smoker turns out to be a puffing lover of conversation. And one more thing - the service is focused only on finding travel companions. Finding a driver to transport cargo here is difficult, if not impossible.

2. " Throw the Hog »

This is an online service ordering service that quickly burst into the market and quickly conquered good positions. It is focused on finding performers in several areas: from courier services to professional ones. It is also possible to find a driver for a shared trip and a car owner for cargo transportation.

There are no problems with the service’s website: while the previous service made it possible to search for drivers among the available options, “Throw the Kabanchik” allows you to become a customer yourself. To find a driver, you need to fill out a task, indicate the conditions, date and price you plan to pay. This process takes on average 2-3 minutes. Afterwards, all you have to do is wait: interested drivers will see the task themselves and submit applications.

When choosing among candidates, the customer can view their profiles, which contain reviews, ratings, and personal information. “Arbitrariness,” by the way, is not allowed here: the administration of the service strictly monitors the objectivity of the information specified in the profile, checks the passport details of performers, and does not provide the opportunity to “cheat” ratings or reviews. The result: a comfortable and safe trip, the conditions of which are determined by the customer himself.

3. " Lucky for everyone »

Online service for ordering freight transportation. It also aims to put the customer in a privileged position. If in the “real world” the customer rushes between cargo carriers who dictate their terms, then with the help of the service he himself can determine who, for how much and under what conditions will carry his cargo.

The service works with cargo from 1 kg, servicing private moves, commercial orders, delivery of large cargo, etc. To order cargo transportation, just place an order on the website (or in its mobile application). In just a few minutes the first offers from interested drivers will appear. Each of them offers its own price, which ultimately allows you to save on delivery. Having selected a contractor, the customer receives his contact information for further communication.

The system offers several additional features– for example, cargo insurance and route tracking. In general, most clients are satisfied with the service, but there are also disadvantages: for example, the selected driver on the spot may try to change the price of transportation or dictate his own conditions.

4. " I'll give you a ride»

A site for finding travel companions in Moscow and Moscow Region (mainly), as well as in Russia. Using it, you can find travel companions for your daily commute to work, for traveling to the airport (to save on taxis) and for other personal purposes.

The first thing that catches your eye is the absolutely “no” design of the service. The feeling of being on a site from the 90s does not leave the user on any page of the resource. Because of this, functionality suffers: users accustomed to convenient interfaces may experience difficulties. On the other hand, the service copes with servicing one of the most popular ways of traveling around Moscow - ridesharing. Placing requests allows you not to catch a ride or a taxi on the side of the road, but to negotiate with the driver online. The system is quite similar to previous services: similar placement of applications (placed by drivers) with a search for potential travel companions.

Conclusion: the service justifies itself as a means for organizing trips around the vast capital. For convenience - a minus, for the ability to quickly find travel companions - a plus. There is nothing more to say about him.

5. " I'll take you there »

A service for finding travel companions, organizing trips in a “people’s taxi” and private cargo transportation. However, the site still separates the search directions: “fellow travelers”, “people’s taxi” and “cargo transportation”. The service operates in all major cities of Russia, but the advantage, naturally, goes to Moscow and St. Petersburg. By the way, the project has a “child” resource “Mahnem!” to find travel companions when traveling abroad. But it needs to be discussed separately.

The principle of operation, as you might guess, differs little from previous services: drivers post advertisements, informing about the route and time of travel, quantity free seats. A potential passenger uses the search bar on the website, looking for a trip, and finds current offers from drivers. Using the same principle, it is proposed to look for cargo carriers. The website has a rating that allows you to choose the best carrier based on comfort and level of service.

Overall: the site is useful and full of offers. On a personal note, little attention is paid to the security of transactions: each trip is an area of ​​personal responsibility for the driver and passenger. It depends on your luck here.

6. " On my way »

Another resource where drivers and fellow travelers can meet for trips within the city and between settlements. A Russian startup launched in 2012 and with great prospects.

Having examined the previous five services, nothing new can be said about the functionality of “VPuti”: it implements a similar principle of searching for drivers and travel companions to reduce the cost of a shared trip. However, there are features, and one of them is the search for travel companions based on interests. This is a good opportunity to bridge the distance while passing the time in a conversation on a topic that interests everyone. In addition, in this way you can expand your circle of useful acquaintances and connections.

It is worth noting the security factor: the service provides tracking of each trip, and if there are any complaints about violation of the rules by the driver or passenger, it blocks the violator’s account. This “cleaning of rows” can significantly reduce the risks of poor-quality trips.

Overall: the service is really promising and convenient. Especially for people interested in traveling safely and economically.