Being Aware of Travel Pace

Overview: A guide to being aware of travel pace especially in group dynamics.

Attitude Tip

I try to adopt the attitude “to each their own” when it comes to travel pace. Each person has the freedom to go at whatever pace they like, after all they are paying for this experience too. Whoever is going on the trip is going for personal fulfillment of some kind and you may find out your travel pal has a totally different pace than you do during the trip. You may want to explore, while they want to stay in the hotel or around a certain neighborhood. You may want to go experience the city’s nightlife but they may want to sleep instead. You may want to go on a tour but they may not.

It’s easy to get frustrated and to feel like you are wasting time on a trip trying to adapt to someone else’s plans. The key is to just take care of yourself and be willing to be independent during the time your friend is doing something else. Try to balance the time alone as well as the time you spend with the group while traveling. Leave the option open to meet up whenever they are ready. Most importantly, stay positive and keep a good attitude.

Use caution when exploring alone or traveling to certain places. Be aware of the destinations that recommend traveling in a group for safety vs destinations that are safe for solo travelers. To view destinations and their respective safety data for solo travelers, check out the following link:

Travel Pace

Something to remember when planning a trip is to recognize your travel pace. Everyone has their own way they like to travel. Some people like to spend a lot of time at their AirBnb or at the beach whereas others like to start exploring the city at sunrise in order to find hidden gems. Some people like to overly plan and have a strict schedule whereas others make very little plans. You have to decide what is best for you, however I do have some suggestions.

Whenever I travel, I try to leave room for spontaneity so that I can explore and also be surprised. Some of my best moments resulted from a lack of planning. Though you don’t want to not plan enough because then you're trying to find something to do on the fly and it can be hard to plan in the moment. I also try not to overly plan as it results in a very restricted schedule and that can be stressful for everyone involved. Leaving a few, spaced out days for exploring and chilling out has really benefited my trips.

Being spontaneous has led me to experiences I couldn’t even dream of, and that’s why I am such an advocate for it. It’s led to the following adventures:

  • Coming across very interesting abandoned areas

  • Clubbing in Berlin in an abandoned underground terminal

  • Coming across several stray kittens in the Dominican Republic

  • Coming across very interesting neighborhoods and architecture

  • Seeing wild foxes in Berlin in the middle of the city after nightfall

  • Finding a hidden bar as well as a disco club where we danced with the locals

  • Finding a cozy and bustling board game cafe in Copenhagen to get some hygge action

  • Coming across a family owned pork shop and talking to the owner who explained he was a race car driver, who then showed us his car

A good balance is doing research of potential activities to do and places to eat, and then bringing that list along but not being completely committed to seeing everything on it. Prioritize the favorites and if there is down time, make time to see the additional spots.