When a Friend Suddenly Bails: A Review of Travel Buddy Search Services
We tell you where and how to find new travel friends online. We review popular Russian services and social networks. We give recommendations on how to find a travel companion, even if you only have a couple of weeks left until your vacation.
Spoiler. This article is not about that.
Hi, I'm Yana, the new PR manager at Kupi.com.
I went on my first vacation when I was 24 — a bit late considering I started working full-time at 21. And why was that? Because I had no one to go with: either my vacations didn't align with my friends', or my friends chose to visit their parents in Barnaul, or it turned out that a vacation in Europe was an unaffordable luxury for my current stage of life. I didn't want to go alone: firstly, I'd have to pay extra for single accommodation, and secondly, it would be quite dreary (I'm not saying desperate — just not fun).
By that time, I had worked without a break for about two years and would have continued if not for a stroke of luck: in the business center's cafeteria, I met a girl from the neighboring office. Like me, she wanted to fly somewhere but had no one to go with — and bingo! — we found each other. Lena and I matched in interests and temperaments, bought a tour to Cyprus, and spent two incredible weeks there, full of adventures. At first, office jargon automatically slipped from our tongues: we'd mistakenly call flight attendants secretaries and a hotel room an office. The workaholic symptom passed after about five days; we completely relaxed and got into the swing of things. Life hack: it's advisable to rest as often as labor laws recommend.
For the next four years, trips with friends planned themselves, but in 2016, the problem of "no one to go with" resurfaced. Realizing that relying on another chance encounter in a business center wasn't a good idea, I went to a seminar hosted by a travel agency. Most of the event consisted of participants' stand-ups: everyone talked about themselves and their dream countries. No spark ignited with anyone at the meeting — I left with nothing and no one; the travel speed dating was unsuccessful. However, the following week, in the VKontakte group for that meeting, I met my future best friend.
A year and a half has passed since then. Together, we've visited three countries, but my hopes for a joint vacation next summer are fading: I introduced my friend to an old acquaintance, and it seems they'll be vacationing together for the next few years. Well, it's time to look for new tools to find travel companions.
For residents of large cities, it's more convenient to join local groups: it's better to meet a potential travel companion in person beforehand, and boarding a plane is more fun together.
In Telegram, strangely enough, channels for finding companions are few and modest in reach. For example, one of the most popular channels, "Looking for a Travel Buddy", has just over a thousand participants — so if someone is looking for a free niche, welcome. And if you know good Telegram channels that solve our problem, please write in the comments.
At the same time, social networks in Russia are not just VKontakte, Facebook, Odnoklassniki, and Instagram. If only because travelers have their own.
Access to user ads is available without registration. Search filters suggest that a travel companion can be sought by gender, age, presence/absence of children, vacation dates, and desired travel location (you can select up to 7 countries simultaneously). In reality, the filters work inconsistently and sometimes display "non-target" people.
One of the latest innovations is searching for people by selected geolocation. This is useful, for example, when you are looking for new friends while already in another country. That is, something like Tinder for those who don't know it exists.
Despite a slightly outdated interface and search issues, "Makhnem" is a perfectly functional tool. New tourist ads are published regularly, and users often write themselves, offering their travel and city walk options.
The interface doesn't look modern, but here you can instantly see offers from those who are going your way in a few seconds. To do this, set filters by your starting city and desired travel country.
Of course, when applying restrictions, the number of offers immediately decreases significantly, but you can also approach it from another angle — post your own ad.
This is done by filling out a small form.
There is a more or less active forum where travelers meet and share their travel experiences.
The drawback of the service is low traffic and weak user activity. Relying solely on it, you will be looking for a companion for a long time.
A parallel thematic direction of the site is airline reviews. Here, activity is actually higher than in the section for finding new friends.
A key feature is a personal calendar that records agreements for meetings and trips. It's a pity that synchronization with Google Calendar hasn't been implemented yet.
Among the advantages is a well-thought-out search: the most popular travel destinations are immediately displayed, and you can also choose the size of the company you plan to join.
Theoretically, another advantage of the service is the ability to get acquainted with a user's social media profile before responding to an ad and getting involved in an adventure. Social profiles, however, are rarely filled out, which is a shame.
We won't hide it, the site doesn't work perfectly. For example, social media authorization alone won't suffice; registration with an email link is required. But you won't be allowed to register with a Gmail address — the system might not recognize it.
Hi, I'm Yana, the new PR manager at Kupi.com.
I went on my first vacation when I was 24 — a bit late considering I started working full-time at 21. And why was that? Because I had no one to go with: either my vacations didn't align with my friends', or my friends chose to visit their parents in Barnaul, or it turned out that a vacation in Europe was an unaffordable luxury for my current stage of life. I didn't want to go alone: firstly, I'd have to pay extra for single accommodation, and secondly, it would be quite dreary (I'm not saying desperate — just not fun).
By that time, I had worked without a break for about two years and would have continued if not for a stroke of luck: in the business center's cafeteria, I met a girl from the neighboring office. Like me, she wanted to fly somewhere but had no one to go with — and bingo! — we found each other. Lena and I matched in interests and temperaments, bought a tour to Cyprus, and spent two incredible weeks there, full of adventures. At first, office jargon automatically slipped from our tongues: we'd mistakenly call flight attendants secretaries and a hotel room an office. The workaholic symptom passed after about five days; we completely relaxed and got into the swing of things. Life hack: it's advisable to rest as often as labor laws recommend.
For the next four years, trips with friends planned themselves, but in 2016, the problem of "no one to go with" resurfaced. Realizing that relying on another chance encounter in a business center wasn't a good idea, I went to a seminar hosted by a travel agency. Most of the event consisted of participants' stand-ups: everyone talked about themselves and their dream countries. No spark ignited with anyone at the meeting — I left with nothing and no one; the travel speed dating was unsuccessful. However, the following week, in the VKontakte group for that meeting, I met my future best friend.
A year and a half has passed since then. Together, we've visited three countries, but my hopes for a joint vacation next summer are fading: I introduced my friend to an old acquaintance, and it seems they'll be vacationing together for the next few years. Well, it's time to look for new tools to find travel companions.
Overview of the Most Popular Services
It's not difficult to find a travel companion on VKontakte and Facebook — in thematic groups and public pages, users daily search for travel companions. In terms of audience parameters, no specialized website comes close to VKontakte and Facebook, and there are dozens of groups there where people look for each other in discussions and on their walls. For example, here's a regularly updated topic in the VK Just Travel group. And here's the group "Travel Buddies", where about a hundred new ads from people across the country are published daily. Good activity in the group "Travel Buddy Search | Looking for a male or female travel companion" In the group "Dharma Bums", people meet not only in the discussion but also in comments on the wall.
For residents of large cities, it's more convenient to join local groups: it's better to meet a potential travel companion in person beforehand, and boarding a plane is more fun together.
In Telegram, strangely enough, channels for finding companions are few and modest in reach. For example, one of the most popular channels, "Looking for a Travel Buddy", has just over a thousand participants — so if someone is looking for a free niche, welcome. And if you know good Telegram channels that solve our problem, please write in the comments.
At the same time, social networks in Russia are not just VKontakte, Facebook, Odnoklassniki, and Instagram. If only because travelers have their own.
1. "Makhnem"
One of Russia's most visited websites for finding travel companions and making acquaintances for joint leisure activities in the city. The service is multifunctional and united by a common idea — useful connections for a variety of shared goals. Here you can find a travel partner, join a large travel movement (read: join a group of travelers), find friends to learn foreign languages together, do partner dances, photograph each other, or simply walk around the city.
Access to user ads is available without registration. Search filters suggest that a travel companion can be sought by gender, age, presence/absence of children, vacation dates, and desired travel location (you can select up to 7 countries simultaneously). In reality, the filters work inconsistently and sometimes display "non-target" people.
One of the latest innovations is searching for people by selected geolocation. This is useful, for example, when you are looking for new friends while already in another country. That is, something like Tinder for those who don't know it exists.
Despite a slightly outdated interface and search issues, "Makhnem" is a perfectly functional tool. New tourist ads are published regularly, and users often write themselves, offering their travel and city walk options.
2. Poputchik.ru
Two in one: a forum and a service for finding travel companions and partners for urban / suburban leisure.
The interface doesn't look modern, but here you can instantly see offers from those who are going your way in a few seconds. To do this, set filters by your starting city and desired travel country.
Of course, when applying restrictions, the number of offers immediately decreases significantly, but you can also approach it from another angle — post your own ad.
This is done by filling out a small form.
There is a more or less active forum where travelers meet and share their travel experiences.
3. Prosto Poputchik
A simple and slightly more appealing website for the same purpose. Choose a month, origin and destination, browse ads, or post your own.
The drawback of the service is low traffic and weak user activity. Relying solely on it, you will be looking for a companion for a long time.
A parallel thematic direction of the site is airline reviews. Here, activity is actually higher than in the section for finding new friends.
4. Fixmeet
A fresh social network that positions itself as a site for finding new friends for joint recreation, sports, leisure, and travel. A simple and lightweight site where you can also look for a companion.
A key feature is a personal calendar that records agreements for meetings and trips. It's a pity that synchronization with Google Calendar hasn't been implemented yet.
5. Team2Travel
Team2travel has a clear specialization: here you are not offered to find a new friend for a horseback ride or role-playing — the site is exclusively focused on travel. As for search and interface, it's the most convenient and pleasant network among those reviewed here.
Among the advantages is a well-thought-out search: the most popular travel destinations are immediately displayed, and you can also choose the size of the company you plan to join.
Theoretically, another advantage of the service is the ability to get acquainted with a user's social media profile before responding to an ad and getting involved in an adventure. Social profiles, however, are rarely filled out, which is a shame.
We won't hide it, the site doesn't work perfectly. For example, social media authorization alone won't suffice; registration with an email link is required. But you won't be allowed to register with a Gmail address — the system might not recognize it.
In Conclusion
- The main advantage of a specialized service compared to a social media trend is filters. By setting the desired parameters, you can quickly narrow down search results to only those people with whom, for example, your vacation dates and desired countries to visit coincide. Above all, this saves time.
- None of the reviewed services can boast a large and high-quality audience, so the advice is to try several at once, or even better — in parallel with social media groups.
Finally, a couple of tips for those looking for a friend (male or female) for a couple of weeks (or however it goes)
- The main thing (and it doesn't matter if you're looking for a male or female companion) is to use your head and be vigilant. If you have any doubts about the honesty of your interlocutor, it's better to stop communicating to avoid trouble. How normal is it, for example, for another completely unfamiliar girl to suddenly offer to cover all your vacation expenses and even arrange unforgettable shopping for you — a girl? This is a case that happened to my friend on the "Makhnem" website. Something is clearly wrong with this story, and it's better not to tempt fate to find out what exactly. There are many schemes for financial and non-financial scams, and it doesn't matter if the interlocutor is of the same sex as you.
- If you are meeting people on specialized websites, don't hesitate to ask for links to their social networks (not messengers) to continue communication there. A social profile will clarify everything. By moving communication, for example, to VKontakte, rely on your intuition and facts: see what kind of life the person leads, what their professional and personal interests are — will you be comfortable together? You'll be living in the same room, walking through the narrow streets of Verona, climbing mountains (or whatever you love), and communicating, after all.
- When creating an ad, specify:
• countries, cities (islands) you would like to visit;
• estimated dates of your trip;
• budget and comfort level;
• format (independent, excursions, combined);
• leisure preferences: tell about your temperament and interests: some want to bask on the beach, some consider a vacation incomplete if they don't visit all the fortresses, churches, and natural attractions of the region, or hike several tens of kilometers through a national park. Some plan to cook themselves, trying local products, others plan to party in local restaurants and bars. A joint vacation is not the time to cultivate acceptance and tolerance — your aspirations, mindset, and lifestyle should at least be minimally parallel. The more detailed you are about yourself and your dream vacation, the less time you will spend communicating with people who are not a good fit.
4. If you live in the same city, meet up. Try to feel how comfortable you will be with each other.
Have you ever welcomed a new person into your life to spend a vacation together? Tell us, we're very interested to hear your stories.
