What to do when your partner doesn’t share your love of travel
Your idea of the best vacation ever is traipsing on any of our Rome tours in search of history and the perfect gelato. Your partner’s take on a wonderful week off goes no further than the backyard or the beach. What do you do?
Going solo on a guided tour, asking a friend along, or making the trip into a family vacation are all great ways to fulfill your travel dreams. Keep reading for six ways you can travel while in a relationship with a partner who won’t—and check out our amazing tours that are on sale during our Black Friday Event!
1. Join a tour created for solo travelers
Did you know that 25% of the people on our tours go as solo travelers? Heading overseas on the trip of your dreams without a traveling partner isn’t as rare as you might think, and more and more people are opting to travel solo. It’s the easiest way to travel—no need to wait for someone whose schedule and interests match your own. You pick the place you’ve had your heart set on seeing (Paris, Casablanca, or Bangkok, anyone?) and select the tour dates that fit your schedule. Voila! Your work is done.
“My husband doesn’t like to travel,” said traveler Tina. “But I’ve met many wonderful people on my Go Ahead trips and I love traveling with them. Gives me and the husband time to miss each other.”
All our Solo Tours, which were designed specifically for solo travelers, come with great perks: private rooms in handpicked hotels, local experts to guide your journey, a Tour Director to handle all the details, and the company of like-minded travelers. Just ask traveler Janeé, who said, “I’m getting excited for my fifth tour, traveling to Greece, in September! I’m also booked for my sixth Solo Tour to Portugal. I love the flexibility of enjoying time (and an entire room) to myself, plus the security of traveling with a group and a knowledgeable Tour Director!”
2. Put together your own group of travelers
So your significant other won’t travel. Why not find a small group of acquaintances who share the bug? Our Group Travel Program is tailor-made for this type of trip. Invite friends, family, neighbors—anyone with an appetite for adventure—to hit the road with you. With help from your dedicated Tour Consultant, you can choose from our 175-plus tours or have us craft a Private or Customized Tour just for your group. Want to visit Outlander sites in Scotland? We can do that. Want to do a family reunion in Italy? No problem. We’ll even help you recruit travelers. When you join our Group Travel Program, you’ll enjoy lots of benefits—including a free spot on tour for every six travelers you bring. Taking the trip of your dreams for free? Doesn’t get much better than that.
As Go Ahead Group Coordinators, Dan and his wife Karen have been organizing trips worldwide with their closest friends for more than 17 years. Shared interests bring these travelers together: They’re constantly socializing, whether enjoying a meal, going to the theater, or attending a book club. “Word of mouth just spreads when you’re all enthusiastic and passionate about the same things,” says Dan. When not traveling, they often reunite to talk, laugh, share travel pictures, and learn from each other. And when they set out to see the world each year, they love how exploring new cultures brings them closer together.
3. Invite a friend to come along
Many people travel solo with the blessing of their partners. “I travel alone because my husband is a truck driver who wants to relax on time off,” said traveler Becky. “Been 2X already. You meet great people, yet still have ‘me’ time! It’s daunting and exciting all at the same time. [I’m] heading to Italy in March.”
While it’s easy to make new friends on tour, you can also bring an old pal along. Most of us have that one friend (or two) who gets us completely and whose company we always enjoy: The conversation is easy, you laugh at the same things, like the same restaurants, and never seem to have enough time to spend together. They’re the perfect travel partner—and with all the details of trip planning and transportation taken care of, the two of you can take a hands-on cooking class in Rome, cruise the Nile in search of ancient temples, or experience the northern lights in Iceland together. Our tours include free time, too, so you can go off exploring together. And you’ve always got a Tour Director and local guides to help you navigate places you’ve never visited.
4. Create shared memories with family
We all want to give the world to the people we love—why not show them it by planning a family trip together? Traveling with loved ones is a great way to explore new places when your partner won’t travel. Whether it’s the whole family, your siblings, or your parents, the best parts of traveling abroad with them are the unforgettable memories you create.
“My mom has been an empty nester for the last nine years and we live in different states, so being able to spend quality time together doesn’t happen as often as we’d like,” said staffer Gustavo. “But as we like to say, what better way to spend quality time together than by traveling—and splitting a bottle of wine! My love of travel was passed down from her, and there’s nothing better than sharing the same passion and putting it to good use.”
Get in tune with your heritage by traveling to a destination connected to your genealogy or celebrate milestones with your family in a new destination. Whether you explore Ireland’s Ring of Kerry, unwind in the rustic Italian countryside of Tuscany, or discover sun-kissed Greek islands, traveling as a family creates memories that will last a lifetime. Plus, you’ll spend quality time you wouldn’t usually have together, all while experiencing beautiful places around the world.
5. Go solo on any of our guided tours
While we have trips created for solo travelers, there’s nothing stopping you from signing up for any of our guided tours! For women who travel solo, this can provide peace of mind that’s hard to find when you strike out for far-flung places without the safety net of travel experts, local guides, and fellow wanderers. Just ask traveler Alexandria, who said of her guided tour to Greece: “I absolutely loved everything about this trip! We had the best tour guide, Kostas. Everywhere we went was beautiful. I know I got to experience things I would have never done had I traveled on my own.”
Whether heading out for dinner on the town or exploring off-the-beaten-path sites, you always have the option of inviting fellow travelers along for company and added security. “In my opinion, female solo travelers should go on guided tours with Go Ahead because the company provides … a tangible and secure opportunity for self-discovery that leads to a wonderful sense of self-empowerment,” said solo traveler and Go Ahead Ambassador Jessica. “As a female, there’s no greater feeling than learning what I’m capable of by accomplishing my personal goals to see the world without anything or anyone standing in my way.”
6. Enjoy priceless one-on-one time with a grandparent or grandchild
Traveling with a grandparent or grandchild and exploring the world together can be an invaluable experience—take it from traveler Deron. “I was at a point in my life where I was able to take additional time off,” he said. “I called my grandfather and told him I got a passport, and to let me know when he wants to go to Paris, and we are going. We ended up booking through Go Ahead Tours for the Paris City Experience and spent 10 days together going all around Paris. To be able to have the time I did, individual time with my grandfather, was priceless.”
Deron’s grandfather wanted to travel after Deron’s grandmother passed away, but he didn’t want to travel solo. Deron decided to join him, and they ended up traveling to four countries together, becoming the perfect travel duo. “The following year we went on one of Go Ahead's Rome tours and spent 10 days [there],” said Deron. “We traveled together again the following two years. One of the tours was [in] Iceland, which I fell in love with. I pushed him out of his comfort zone. We went to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris and even went ice climbing in Iceland. I remember all of those trips I spent with him so vividly, and those are moments I will never forget and look forward to sharing with my son—and, hopefully, grandkids—someday.”
Ready to book your trip? Check out our amazing tours that are on sale now during our Black Friday Event!
