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Travel with strangers...
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Exchange email games
I often travel with strangers - travel buddies with like destination
goals whom I hook up with through travel sites. Since these are
women I have never met, we exchange lots of emails prior to a
trip to get to know one another as much as possible. But it really
is difficult to guess what may annoy your travel pal, and not
knowing means that you may inadvertently do exactly those annoying
things that you are so used to doing without a clue as to how
it may infringe on another's peace of mind or comfort.
One sort of game I incorporate into our email exchanges is called
'My Travel Pet Peeves / My Travel Pet Comforts' in which we each
list five things that annoy us most when traveling with a travel
chum, along with a possible solution for each annoyance. We then
list five things we love most about traveling with a travel chum.
This pre-trip exchange really helps me to plan around the things
that most annoy my travel buddy (like packing ear plugs if I like
to go to bed early & she is a night owl). This game also gives
me the comfort of knowing that my travel buddy will also be doing
the same.
Sylver, Morris County, USA
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Talk about your allergies
With organized group travel, be sure to inform those at the tour
company about your personal preferences for a travel partner.
I have lots of allergies and always ask in advance if my roommate
will be using hairspray, perfumes etc. If they plan to use them,
I request another roommie.
Melody, San Francisco, USA
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Create a signal word.
I've gone on several trips with women I didn't know well when
we started. I've learned that some conflict will always come up
and it can get tense. I now talk with my traveling companion ahead
of time and we agree on a signal word (something goofy, like "swordfish").
When we're traveling and one of us feels like conflict is beginning
to get uncomfortable we exclaim "Swordfish" and that's
our cue to stop action, take a deep breath, and talk. Believe
it or not, it works.
Naomi, Massachusetts, USA
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Compromise! 
I'm an Australian who recently went on a road trip in the USA
with a friend from Canada. We met for the first time on that trip
though we'd been friends for a few years via e-mail and regular
post. We learnt a number of new things about each other, but the
two that stick in my mind were (1) I drink a lot of peppermint
tea and she is allergic to it, and (2) We were both driving in
unfamiliar territory and she is very nervous about driving. We
solved these problems by my packing away my tea at the very bottom
of my bag and drinking green tea for the duration and, after one
very nerve-racking attempt at driving, I did all the driving and
she did the map-reading, keeping me on the right side of the road,
and organising accommodation. It worked out very well and we enjoyed
a wonderful time whizzing around New Mexico and Colorado.
Tes, Melbourne, Australia
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Morning rhythms are different
I know that morning rhythms are different for different people.
When rooming with other women on a trip it never takes me long
to get ready in the morning. So I just get up first, quickly get
ready, and then let my roommate know that I'll go up to the restaurant
to have breakfast with the others. This gives the other person
privacy, plus, I don't have to just sit there waiting for her.
We meet up when she is ready and comes for breakfast.
Brenda, Hebron, USA
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We share our skills
I have travelled and shared a room with a friend from a nearby
city on three hiking trips. We met on a walking trip to Bermuda
in 2000 and have been friends ever since. We are a good fit for
a couple of reasons. I am usually more together in the morning
so it is my job to make sure we have our room key, that we don't
leave our hiking sticks behind when we stop to buy water or food
for lunch, etc. etc. She is more adventurous than I am, maybe
because she had the opportunity to backpack around the world in
her younger years. So she often gets me to do things that I would
not attempt on my own. Sometimes we get nervous when we are about
to embark on a trip; we can acknowledge this in ourselves. In
fact, we call ourselves "Nervous Nellie 1" and "Nervous
Nellie 2"; that is the code word to share our anxieties and
we have a laugh over it. P.S. I look forward to many more adventures
with my pal, as long as our hips and knees hold out! (we are in
our 60s)
Linda, Toronto, Canada
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Look for someone with similar habits
I have the best travel partner. My travel buddy and I met 20+
years ago at a Club Med. She is a very early morning person and
I am more of a late night person. She gets up at 5:30 or 6 am
and makes coffee and reads. That is her quiet time. My time is
in the evening and I will read with my glass of wine after she
goes to bed. We are both very easy going, so if one of us wants
to do something, the other one says fine. We will do it. We have
similar eating habits and shopping habits, so we get along well.
Lynn, California, USA
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When I was widowed
I found a travel friend after my husband died. When I was widowed
I thought my traveling days were over as a two-some. Luckily I
found another woman in my bereavement group -- five children each
and lots of grandchildren. Both still working because we enjoy
people. We have visited a lot of places together and sharing a
room has not been a problem cause we show respect for each others
space and private time. We've gone to Ireland, Hawaii, China,
Las Vegas and other fun places. I've been so lucky to have found
a travel friend. P.S. Thanks for Journeywoman.
Betty, Palm Desert, USA
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No
backseat driving