It’s a question that travellers have pondered for decades: should you backpack with others or go it alone?
The fact that we’re still talking about it now basically means there is no definitive answer. In short, there are pros and cons to both. It’s how these personally relate to you that matter.
Let’s look at backpacking together.
When you travel with a friend there are clear advantages to being in a duo. It gives you security. Support. Someone to watch your back. A wingman.
Backpacking with a friend gives you someone to share the experience with. A way to re-live the adventures for years to come. So often when you get home from an epic trip you’re shocked to find your friends simply aren’t interested in your backpacking stories. But it’s not that they don’t care. They just can’t relate. They weren’t there.
When we were together
On my first gap year doing voluntary work in South Africa I spent six months living and travelling with five other gappers. No matter how things turn out later in life you’ll always share a deep emotional connection, because they were there with you at that stage of your life. You shared the highs and lows. You shared everything.
As well as sharing the huge life-affirming stuff, a travel mate is handy for simple logistics. Ever tried using toilets at airports and bus stations when you’re hauling 15 – 20 kg of backpacking gear? Travelling with a friend means you can execute a killer tag-team strategy in these situations.
It’s also great for emotional and financial support. Need a shoulder to cry on? It’s pretty useful having someone you know and trust right there. Sweaty, tired and out of cash to get a taxi? Having a travel mate is like travelling with two wallets.
Is it better to travel on your own or with others?
Compromises and arguments
But what about the downsides? Well, travelling with a friend often results in a lot of compromises. Plans over where to go, where to sleep, what to eat and who to hang out with need to be ok with both parties, and you can miss out on stuff you really want to do if your backpacking buddy isn’t cool with it.
Travelling together can wreck friendships. You never know someone better than when you travel with them. You live out of each other’s pockets. There’s nowhere to hide your character flaws and bizarre personality quirks you usually keep hidden from the world. When you backpack together all this is uncovered, and it can cause friction. Many a friendship has been dissolved after intense, sustained personality exposure on the road.
It also means you never need to force yourself out of your comfort zone. When you fly solo and rock up at backpacker hostels you have to engage with people. If you don’t interact you’ll never make new friends. In a duo there’s never that sense of necessity to meet people, and you can miss out on the awesome social side of meeting new travellers and having the crazy, random experiences you’d have if you were going it alone.
Travelling with a friend is very similar to travelling with a groups of friends, only with the pros and cons multiplied. More friends means more people to share the experience, but also more compromises to make. It means more people to re-live the adventure with but more friendships to potentially ruin. You get the idea.
Going it alone
Backpacking on your own, on the other hand, is arguably the purest form of independent travelling, because, well, you’re completely dependent on yourself. It can be far more rewarding and fulfilling, as every step, every milestone and every achievement is off your own back. You are the master of your own destiny, creating your own path without having to compromise on anything or with anyone. You are, in short, a genuine wanderer.
But it’s not all good news. For while I’ve never been more social than when I was backpacking solo, there were are often some pretty lonely times. Crossing the border into a new country in the middle of the night and realising that you don’t know a soul can be an isolating experience.
If you get sick, lose your money or haven’t met anyone you’ve clicked with for a while that’s it. There’s no one looking out for you. No one to turn to. You’re on your own. There can be meals alone. Drinks alone. Making plans alone. When you backpacking by yourself you need to either have or develop a real sense of self-reliance and basically be ok with just having yourself for company, or it can wear you down. Maybe even depress you.
Making the right decision
There is no right or wrong way to travel, but there are right and wrong ways to approach it. If you’re thinking of travelling with a friend ask yourself how well you really know them. It’s nothing to do with not liking them, you just might not be able to travel with them. If you’re thinking of rocking it solo, question whether you’re ok with the periods of isolation.
Getting through these rough times can be part of the experience. Character-building. A major piece of the backpacking jigsaw. But make sure you’re aware of that and prepared for it. You might notice I’ve avoided including travelling with partners or a large tour groups here. I think those are separate blogs and articles on their own, as they’ve got each so many super different variables to throw into the mix.
So having backpacked in a group and on my own I know both can be amazing, and both can be rubbish. Maybe some of the points above will sway you one way or the other. Maybe not.
But hopefully they might just help you re-affirm or re-consider what’s best for you as a traveller.
About the author
Andrew Tipp is a writer, blogger and editor. He’s spent more than a year backpacking and volunteering around the world, and has previously worked as a travel editor for gapyear.com. His favourite places are South America and southern Africa.
