Who's Your Traveling Companion?
Everyone knows high-maintenance people: the friend who is grossed out by a little grime…the cousin who gets down-right mean when he’s tired…the sister who has to stay at five-star hotels.  Remember, whomever you choose as your travel companion is going to be attached to you for your entire trip.  So choose wisely. 

While I would never advocate for going on a tour, if you are one of those high-maintenance, everything-has-to-be-perfect people, you might want to consider a guided tour.  There are no rules: this is your trip, so you need to make it fit your needs. 

 If you take my lead and venture out with a group of friends, make time for yourself.  Assuming you’re a reasonably intelligent soul, why not set out on your own for the day, overnight or even a couple of weeks when you are on a longer trek?  Most of us don’t spend 24/7 with anyone, so chances are, you will get sick of your travel mates.  So get away and have some fun by yourself.  It might be the best learning experience of the trip. 

How Long Should You Stay?
The first real trek I took was three months across Western and Eastern Europe.  It was long, but I wouldn’t have cut out a day.  You would think that in three months, we could have fully investigated every nook and cranny of Europe, but there were many places we skipped due to time, and there were other places that we rushed through seeing. 

Often how long you’re gone is a matter of how much money you have.  In the money chapter, I give you a loose guide to what it will cost for your trip; please know those are just ballpark figures, and I encourage you to consider this question in reference to where you plan to go.  Then stay as long as your wallet and your psyche can handle.  Be sure to pace yourself.  I believe strongly that you should spend more time in fewer places which will also help your budget. 
 

I have found out that there ain’t no surer way to find out whether you like people or hate them than to travel with them.
 – Mark Twain, author & American philosopher

Basketball Boys — Jatari Campesino, Ecuador