Safety tips for finding a company for a long trip

We certainly believe all the people around us only mean well. But oftentimes it happens that we meet villains, and this could happen to you when you look for a traveling companion too. Here are some tips that will bring a little more safety into your trip.

Study the social networks

Our lives are an open book nowadays. The easiest way to make the first impression about the person you haven’t met yet is to study his or her digital footprint.

Meet in a crowded place

It is the best way to get acquainted with a new person safely. None of us is safe from becoming a scam victim or worse. So make your first meeting as public as possible.

Don’t let the personal information out

Your personal life, your parents’ car, your girlfriend’s cat - don’t discuss any of the personal issues with your new fellow traveller. There is always a risk you have a quarrell and some of your little secrets leak out.

Check if your companion is physically strong enough

That may seem odd at first, but if you’re heading to the mountains, jungle or any other type of extreme tourism, you both need to be in a very good shape. And you’d better never find out why exactly.

Think about the languages

If you plan to go to a country where English is not spoken by most of population, it would be a good idea to travel with someone who speaks the local language. Anyway, your companion should at least speak English fluently (if you don’t come from an English-speaking country), cause otherwise you’ll have to be a nanny for him all the time.

Selfie is not useless sometimes

If you’ve ignored all the wisdom we’ve dropped before, and you’ve already jumped into the car of a stranger, there is still something you can do to make your trip safer. And that is a selfie - take a picture of you and your companion and post it to your social profile immediately. Make sure your companion knows you’ve posted the photo. If he had any evil plans about you, he’d have to reconsider, as all your friends and followers know his face.

The last, but not the least

When you’ve already decided on who is going to accompany you during your trip, give all the contact details of that person to your friends and relatives. This will allow them to get in contact with you whatever happens.