Finding good travel buddies can be a difficult task, so much so that many people prefer traveling on their own instead, and it can make life abroad much easier. An ideal scenario is having close friends who enjoy traveling as much as you do; however, as this one Reddit user (25F) explains, this can sometimes bring about more issues than solutions…
An Experience to Forget in Bali
The original poster (OP) explains that she has recently returned from a two-week trip to Bali with seven people, two of whom were her oldest and best friends. However, experiences on the trip have made her realize that she NEVER wants to travel with them again as they are “the worst travel companions.”
She says her friends complain about everything, including wake-up times, the weather, walking, and food. OP says that the final straw came when they accused some locals of being creepy because they offered them some advice on what to do for the day.
Since returning, one of the friends has been talking about planning a trip to Japan next year, but OP is adamant that she isn’t going to go with her. She doesn’t want to spend a large amount of money to spend time with people who just complain about different things for the entire trip.
The experience has made OP realize that you can have different friends for different parts of your life, but that these two friends absolutely aren’t going to be part of her traveling life going forward.
The issue that OP now has is telling them that she doesn’t want to go to Japan or anywhere else with them ever again. She is anxious about telling them as she doesn’t want to upset or offend them, but they are the type to make her feel about things like this.
She took to Reddit to ask for advice, and this is what she received…
Avoid The Conversation Or Face it Head-on?
The comments section was effectively split in two in terms of what different users felt the best advice was. Some people believed that the OP could get away with avoiding having the conversation with her two friends. One user said:
“I don’t think you need to make a big proclamation. Just decline the invitation and don’t invite them on future trips.”
Other people jumped in to back up this point, with one person saying that OP’s friends sounded like “the type of people to take offense if you’re honest with them” before telling OP to stay quiet if she wanted to keep the friendship.
Other people, however, believed that OP should be honest and upfront with her friends, using the logic that if they have an issue with the truth, then so be it. One user commented:
“They either accept you want to travel on your own, or they don’t. If they hold your honesty against you, then they’re s****y friends, and it’s time to move on.”
Have you ever faced a predicament like this with your friends? How would you tell people that you would rather not go on vacation with them without offending them? Let us know in the comments.
Source: Reddit.
