23 July 2012
A good travel companion is hard to find. Here at The Career Break Site we have travelled with lots of people, and here is our definitive list of the worst people to travel with. And yes, we included ourselves in some of these!
- The person who's too scared to do anything. You end up missing out on stuff because they won't join in.
- The tightwad. Yeah, being budget-conscious is good, but it gets a bit thin after they've rejected the fifth guesthouse, you're all sweaty, and your feet hurt.
- The splurger. Makes you feel poor and/or boring for not wanting champagne and silk sheets every night.
- The complainer. They complain to you instead of anyone who can do anything about it.
- The super-energetic person. I don't want to climb another mountain, I want to sit here and drink a beer. Stop making me feel lazy.
- The drinker. Amusing after a couple, unbearable after any more. And they're always crap company the next day.
- The smoker. You smell, now I smell too.
- The druggie. Will get into trouble. You will go with them.
- The vegetarian. They'll make you walk past a tasty-looking steak house, nice fish place and a chicken shack, so you can enjoy a bowl of bland.
- The fusser. Will ask you constant questions about stuff. Usually after you've just sat down and/or tried to go to sleep.
- The laid-back person. Being chilled is one thing, but missing a bus because they couldn't drag their lazy arse to the stop in time is annoying.
- The pregnant lady. Will want to go to the toilet every ten minutes.
- The small child. See 12.
- The old man. See 12 & 13.
- The health nut. See 12, 13 and... oh never mind.
- The shrieker. I know you're excited, you don't have to express this through the medium of high-pitched squealing.
- The embarrassment. Your companion will do or say something that makes everyone cringe. Including you. Especially you.
- The stinker. Do you know how to tell someone they smell? That's right, it's impossible.
- The fit one. If you weren't here, I would be the pretty one, now I am the ugly mate. Cheers.
- The preener. They make you sit around while they spend 3 hours staring into the mirror.
- The arm-rest hogger. Your elbow is touching me.
- The borrower. No, not a tiny person, someone who's always nicking your stuff. And usually fails to return it in the condition in which it was lent.
- The eco-warrior. Plastic bags are useful, alright?
- The person who never wants to do anything. Why did they come away if they just want to sit in the room? They can do that at home!
- The person with a list. Woe betide anyone who gets in the way of crossing anything off it.
- The guilt-inducer. Yes I do want this beer / that cake / to sleep in a hammock all afternoon. Let me enjoy it.
- The sex addict. Everything revolves around pulling instead of just talking to people normally.
- The person who left their partner at home. And then goes on about how much they miss them (making you feel like second best).
- The sleeper. No fun at all.
- The shirker. You will end up sorting out tickets, places to stay, things to do, etc because they simply can't be arsed.
- The pack mule. They take so much stuff that you will end up carrying half of it for them.
- The talker. Absolutely lovely for everyone else, a nightmare for you because it takes half an hour to leave anywhere, they're so busy chatting.
- The political activist. We're all for ethical travel, but it can be taken too far.
- The person who can't read a map. But pretends they can.
- The internet addict. Every experience must be blogged, Facebooked and tweeted.
- The photographer. Never travel with this person in winter, you will freeze to death as they're setting up their next shot.
- The hygiene freak. You're in rural China, that's the only toilet for miles, just stop whining and use it.
- The person who doesn't mind weather. You will end up too hot, cold, wet or sunburnt
- The person who does it by the book. Newsflash: the book isn't always right.
- The reader. Every sign, billboard and shopfront you pass will be announced. Even though you can read too.
- The clinger. Won't leave you alone for five minutes - even when you go to the loo.
- The prejudiced person. Annoying and embarrassing, and helps you miss out on meeting cool new people.
- The lover of routine. Travel is all about ditching your routine so you can do something more fun than shave your armpits on a Wednesday.
- The stropper. Gets their own way all the time because you can't bear to act as badly as them.
- The scam-magnet. You can't leave them alone for five minutes because they will have spent all their money on some bit of tat.
- The couple. Eurgh.
Have you had any bad travelling companions? Tell us about them in the comments below!