As most of you know, I spent the first few months of 2019 teaching English in Spain as part of CIEE's Volunteer Teach in Spain program. I was technically part of a cohort of like 15 students. However, after orientation, we split up across the region of Castille y Leon to live with our individual host families. There was a good amount of distance between our houses so we couldn't really hang out regularly. However, we did find opportunities to travel together which was great! I've kept up with some of them since we returned home and even visited one when I had a layover in New York. Strangers turned friends!
While at orientation, we made a Whatsapp group chat to stay connected after we parted ways. We used it to talk about our host families, schools, good days, and bad days. But we also used it to plan trips and meetups in Spain and other countries. I ended up traveling with other participants to Salamanca, Leon, Madrid, Barcelona, Brussels, and Porto!
I had a great time exploring other places with them and would definitely recommend building relationships with other participants if you are teaching abroad! It was always refreshing to be able to speak English and understand what was going on around me, vent about whatever we were going through while living with host families, and share ideas for teaching our English classes. We also explored a lot of the city we were visiting, some itineraries fully planned, some pretty open. We visited beaches, parks, tourist attractions like la Sagrada Familia, ate lots of food, and more. It was great! I think in general, we were all really open to whatever because our goals were to simply explore other parts of Europe and talk to people who understood what we were going through.
My trips worked out great but planning trips with strangers is not always easy. Here are a few pros, cons, tips, and things to consider when planning a trip with a stranger.
Pros
You get to meet new people and experience new things together. Can lead to the start of a great friendship!
You have someone to watch your stuff while you go to the bathroom.
Sometimes two heads are better than one and, if you all make a great team, it can make the trip much more enjoyable for all involved. They may have skills that you don't.
You can potentially split costs, making the trip less expensive.
Cons
There's always that unknown factor of you potentially butting heads throughout the trip. They may seem cool at first, but traveling with them could change your impression.
There's also that unknown of like what if they are crazy or sketchy...
If your travel styles are completely different, deciding what to do each day will be difficult.
You aren't as free to do what you want when you want.
Tips
Communication is key! The more questions you ask beforehand and the more you communicate expectations or concerns, the better off you will be. It's important to be on the same page.
Make sure you really know your travel style and budget and confirm the other person's preferences align with yours. For example, a luxury traveler who wants to enjoy fancy hotel amenities should not be planning a trip with a backpacker who wants to walk the city from dusk to dawn.
Be as open-minded as possible. This will be a completely new experience for everyone involved.
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