How do you find travel companions post-FI?

[Reddleman]

Pretty simple question. 

I've been FI for a little over 2 years, but my wife is still working full-time for probably at least a couple more years.  Since I'm still young-ish (just tuned 50) and pretty physically active, I'd like to make the most of the time before I have more limited options. 

My travel style:
- 2 weeks to a month, 2-3x per year
- Off/shoulder season
- Hosteling/independent hotels or B+Bs
- Some cities, but mostly countryside- at least a few hours of walking/cycling/physical activity a day.  Nothing really "extreme", but I do like to explore the outdoors. 

I've tried to tap into my local and international friend/family network with very limited success.  Not surprisingly, most people either have economic/time crunches or simply aren't interested in my style of travel. Most organized tours are often very short, very (needlessly) expensive, or both. 

I know this makes me a weirdo, but I know other people like this exist.  I walked the Camino, stayed in many nice hostels and traditional B+Bs, and have had great conversations with people when traveling solo. 

I was thinking of trying Workaway or something similar to find more goal-oriented projects, but I would probably only want to commit for 2 weeks or so at a time. 

Any ideas or things that have worked for other people would be really helpful!

[NotJen]

Where are you based?

What is it that you are looking for in a travel companion?  Someone to plan a trip with from top to bottom?  Someone to tag along on a trip you've planned?  Someone to meet up with at your destination?

See if there are active Meetup groups in your area that include a travel group - could be a good place to make connections with people that have similar goals.  See if there are active Meetup groups at your destination that you could join for activities.

I get not wanting to do organized tours - but for some destinations it might make sense.  For example, I joined an organized group to hike the Inca Trail (it's pretty much required since you have to have a guide), and really enjoyed it.  Can you look for destinations where organized tours make sense for times when you don't have a companion?

I enjoy traveling solo, so I don't push to find companions (though I occasionally have friends and family to travel with).  I always have much better interactions with people when I'm alone.

[uniwelder]

Do you and your wife like the same kind of travel?  If yes, then this is just a temporary hurdle, and if working for 2-3 more years, could she convince her boss to get more time off, even if it's unpaid leave? 

If no, then I can understand your need to find some other group to do travel with.  I have never used WorkAway, but know of some people that have had good experiences.

[Reddleman]

Where are you based?

What is it that you are looking for in a travel companion?  Someone to plan a trip with from top to bottom?  Someone to tag along on a trip you've planned?  Someone to meet up with at your destination?

See if there are active Meetup groups in your area that include a travel group - could be a good place to make connections with people that have similar goals.  See if there are active Meetup groups at your destination that you could join for activities.

I get not wanting to do organized tours - but for some destinations it might make sense.  For example, I joined an organized group to hike the Inca Trail (it's pretty much required since you have to have a guide), and really enjoyed it.  Can you look for destinations where organized tours make sense for times when you don't have a companion?

I enjoy traveling solo, so I don't push to find companions (though I occasionally have friends and family to travel with).  I always have much better interactions with people when I'm alone.

I'm in upstate NY, nowhere near NYC.  In the past I've generally done a lot of the planning, but left a good deal of flexibility when traveling with others. I definitely wouldn't mind having someone to come up with the ideas and/or work on it together.

I've also done tours both as a participant and chaperone (former teacher here), and it's been valuable.  But I also learned that I'm not really a "tour" person in general. 

MeetUp is a really good idea.  I used it and similar when I was living abroad a few years ago and it worked better than I would have thought.  And in many cases, there's no reason you have to be a local for many of the events people list there. 

I also really like traveling solo, and definitely agree that it pushes you to be more social and interactive.  I've met some great people traveling solo.  I do feel like you miss being able to share the memories later, though.  It's kind of a mixed bag.  I guess I just want to have options. 

[Reddleman]

Do you and your wife like the same kind of travel?  If yes, then this is just a temporary hurdle, and if working for 2-3 more years, could she convince her boss to get more time off, even if it's unpaid leave? 

If no, then I can understand your need to find some other group to do travel with.  I have never used WorkAway, but know of some people that have had good experiences.

I'm actually really lucky that my wife and I travel really well together.  Being FI means that I'll continue to have a *lot* more time than I used to.  She doesn't always want to do the same things I do, so I'd probably want to travel with others even after she finishes full-time work.  I'm lucky that we actually like traveling together but also encourage each other to do our own things as well. 

Good suggestion about the unpaid leave.  Unfortunately she just started a new job a year ago. She also *is* the boss, so taking extra time off for the next year or two is probably not in the cards. 

[reeshau]

Most organized tours are often very short, very (needlessly) expensive, or both. 

I have a good friend that is a solo traveller in retirement, and has really enjoyed organized tours for the built-in companionship.  She is by no means introverted, but is a solo female travelers, and cautious enough to want this "guaranteed," rather than trust in serendipity.

If the tours are too short, would you consider doing back-to-back tours?  This could string several different ones together, or you could even repeat an itinerary, doing different activities in the places you revisit.  (Or repeating your favorites, or those missed due to weather or other circumstances)

[cannotWAIT]

For women, there is a lovely FB group called Host a Sister, where women host each other in their homes and also join up to travel. It's really sweet. Maybe there's something like this for men? I know there are mixed-gender travel companion groups on FB but they are all de facto dating sites with a ton of fake profiles so I can't recommend them.

[2sk22]

I am in a similar position - I am retired but my wife is still working. It's just a matter of finding people with whom you share common interest. In my case, I enjoy taking photos and videos of trains. I am a member of an informal group of rail fans in my area and we periodically go for trips that combine hiking with our hobby. In fact, I just got back from a fun four day trip to Arizona and New Mexico where we chased trains up and down the mainline from flagstaff to Belem. I'm sure there are similar groups for bird lovers or amateur geologists or botanists. The main requirement is to have an interest in the first place.

[4tify]

Same situation. I’ve taken a couple different routes here. I also don’t like organized tours much but for certain locations they can be useful and/or required. I would look for tours that are off the beaten path or that cater to specific interests like food/birding/architecture. I’ve been looking into pottery schools abroad for a less intensive “tour” since I can get away if I’m not into the people—or make friends if I do!

My partner did a small 3 week tour of Morocco and made life long friends with a couple of them. We recently met up on a quick stop near their hometown and I may go meet them on my next solo trip.

I’ve personally also split a couple solo adventures with a tour. For instance last year I went to China to meet my mandarin tutor. We traveled together for over a week. I bookended that with a week solo in other parts of the country and a mandatory tour in Tibet where it was just me and one other lady! We got along and are insta-buddies now.

I guess my summary would be to think of ways to intersect other interests with the travel. I’m a nature/hiking nut so that’s an easy go to. Also I’d suggest learning a foreign language. Good for the brain and also gives a good excuse for off the beaten path adventures where you’re much more likely to meet interesting people.

Also if you do meet like minded travelers don’t be shy about intersecting with them as you are all out & about!

[bmjohnson35]

I enjoy being on the water.  I met two guys on a FB group for weekday paddling.  We have since been scheduling outdoor meetups for paddling, fishing, surfing and beach days.  Sometimes we meet up weekly and other times it can stretch out a month or so apart.  If they aren't available I still meet up with other people who sponsor paddling events around the state. 

[lhamo]

Go to the MMM Moab meetup in October!  You will have a marvelous time and meet a bunch of other FABULOUS MMM folk, many of whom have flexible travel schedules.   You could probably plan a whole year's worth of trips just chatting around the campfire and seeing where folks you enjoy spending time with are planning to go, or plan to visit people who live places you'd like to see.

Also, consider networking with people here (and on similar internet sites) who live in areas you would like to visit.  Offer to meet up and buy them a beer soon after you arrive.  Most likely, if they are in touch with other like-minded folk they will put together a little group.  Bam -- instant friend group and people to hike with, etc. 

There are also other MMM meetups -- Camp Mustache in the Seattle area is hard to get tickets to.  CMTO is probably a little easier.  ChooseFI has pretty active groups on Facebook and some guys connected to them were doing CampFI events around the country for awhile, not sure that is still happening.

In short, meet more FI friends and have a lot more potential travel companions!

[GilesMM]

At one point my retired dad told my mom he would travel solo if she wasn’t willing to take more time off. She relented but kept working into her 80s part time. She just loved work!

[Retire-Canada]

I have some retired friends I can do things with and the I just cycle through my "normal" working friends and GF using up their holiday time. There are enough of them to fill my travel/activity calendar pretty well.

I also have no issues doing things solo so I can take care of any other travel desires on my own.

If you can't find anyone to travel with I would pick a fairly popular spot so you'll know there will be other travelers there and then go to some of the key meet spots and make some connections. FB or other social media forums can be an option. Also there will be clubs/organizations in a given area you can join. Last trip I did was a trail running trip in AZ near Phoenix. There was local running club that had weekly runs we could have joined. Since I was with a buddy I didn't bother, but it would have been easy to meet some people to do stuff with. I'm sure there would have been hiking and cycling clubs in the area as well.

[Drink Coffee And Stack Money]

Why not take a trip solo?

Granted, I'd overall much prefer to travel with my wife or extended family, but I took a short solo trip last year and it was actually a great time. And because my wife and I actually love being together, after a week away we couldn't wait to be back together! We have four trips planned for 2024 (leaving on one tomorrow), three with each other, and one trip on our own (I'm going to a convention/trade show she cares nothing about and will be gone a week, and the wifey planned a trip to Disneyland with two ladies she works with at the same time).

As a very happily married person solo travel of any kind sounded weird to me at first, but once you look into it it's actually pretty common, especially with the under 40 crowd (which I'm not).

[ROF Expat]

@Reddleman

My circumstances are a lot like yours (I fired about 7 years ago, but spouse still works) and I've faced a similar challenge in finding travel partners.  My interests are pretty specialized, which limits potential parters from the beginning.  Of the people who are interested in the trips I do, few have the time, the finances, and the schedule flexibility required. 

What I found is that the first few years, I did a lot of solo travel.  I met a lot of interesting people who shared my interests on those trips and stayed in touch with several of them.  Several years down the road, several of them have become good friends and travel partners. 

So, like other posters, I'll suggest that you try meeting people through groups with shared interests.  But, my own experience is that you should just continue traveling solo, but keep your eyes open to meeting travel partners while you are on the road, for current or future trips. 

Another advantage to this approach is that the people you meet are already real travelers (as opposed to people who just talk about it) and you will both have a good chance to be sure that your travel styles mesh.  I have plenty of friends who are great people that I wouldn't want to travel with because I know their travel interests and expectations and mine just don't mesh well.  I would rather travel alone than with the wrong partner. 

Good luck!

[Dicey]

What lhamo said!

Since I suffer from CRS, I make the nametags for the Magical Moab Meetup, to give myself a fighting chance of putting names to faces. I've developed a system so others can tell who the forumite is and who's the spouse/partner/sibling/friend.

I was told two attendees were partners, so I made their tags accordingly. Turns out my intel was incorrect. My error was the source of amusement to them.  Seems they are married to spouses who still work, so they travel together when said spouses unavailable. They seemed to get along very well, and were great members of the group.

Come to Moab!

* i

[spartana]

Im FIRE and I prefer to travel solo for a variety of reasons. But if I feel like I want companionship I'll join a local meet up group for an activity I'm interested in. BF/SO is FIRE but doesn't like longer term travel like I do so we will often meet somewhere interesting for a couple of weeks midway thru my longer journey. Im a pretty extreme introvert so can only handle being around people for short stints so group travel, or even travelling with a friend can drive me crazy. Im also mostly deaf and I've found most people get pretty irritated with having to deal with that longer term. - even the people who love me. Thirdly I hate making plans and like to change things up on a whim and most people can't or won't do that even if I can find someone who has free time to travel with. But meet up groups.and/or various local recreational places will often have groups outings for things.

[tj]

Go to the MMM Moab meetup in October!  You will have a marvelous time and meet a bunch of other FABULOUS MMM folk, many of whom have flexible travel schedules.   You could probably plan a whole year's worth of trips just chatting around the campfire and seeing where folks you enjoy spending time with are planning to go, or plan to visit people who live places you'd like to see.

Also, consider networking with people here (and on similar internet sites) who live in areas you would like to visit.  Offer to meet up and buy them a beer soon after you arrive.  Most likely, if they are in touch with other like-minded folk they will put together a little group.  Bam -- instant friend group and people to hike with, etc. 

There are also other MMM meetups -- Camp Mustache in the Seattle area is hard to get tickets to.  CMTO is probably a little easier.  ChooseFI has pretty active groups on Facebook and some guys connected to them were doing CampFI events around the country for awhile, not sure that is still happening.

In short, meet more FI friends and have a lot more potential travel companions!

Camp FI is very much alive. And they happen all over the place. Camp FI originated out of Camp Mustache rather than out of ChooseFI.

The Camp Mustache that i went to in Florida was ran by the same guy, before he rebranded it into the business that is Camp FI.

https://campfi.org/

[lhamo]

Duh.  I should have realized that.  I actually met the founder and his brother at Camp Mustache 2016.  Nice guys.