Travel for Two: An Interview With 11 Traveling Duos

pair by sporkist May 31, 2006., on Flickr via Creative Commons

Recently I put out a request to interview traveling duos/couples/pairs.  This isn’t your typical how to keep the romance type post, there are enough posts and websites dedicated to that. No, instead this post is centered around finances and the cost differences when compared to the solo traveler. Which, when you think about it, finances is kind of sexy….right?

I’ve read many different budgetary posts, like Stephanie of Twenty-SomethingTravel.com’s recent Argentina post or Chris’, of The Aussie Nomad.com, budget breakdowns of his travels through Europe. All of these posts are helpful, but I want to look beyond an itemized list because this can change depending on the person(s), economy, exchange rate, location, day, etc. I’ve also used websites like BudgetYourTrip.com which gives you a good per person daily rate by country/city. However, I am looking for a more general evaluation when compared to solo travelers.

You can click on the specific question you want answered or just click through each one via the link provided at the bottom of the each page. Don’t forget to check out our author bio page at the end of this post for all of our contributing interviewers and where to find them online.

1) As a duo what were some of the cost saving benefits/experiences that you came across while traveling compared to a solo traveler?

Vagabond3- We found that renting a car in some countries was cheaper per day than us taking bus tours. Also- the experience was much better because we could choose exactly what we wanted to see and what we didn’t want to see. We rented cars all throughout Australia and Iceland- two places known for being on the expensive side- and saved money. We also looked into package deals- for instance- The ferry company on Kangaroo Island offered a ferry ride, car rental and hotel stay for two days that saved 500 dollars off booking all items separately. We found out about the deal by looking them up on Twitter and asking if they had any deals… three days later they responded with that!

Four Jandals- In our opinion travelling as a couple actually works out a lot cheaper when you break down the costs per person. Sure it sucks that you have to fork out for two of everything when you travel but it also means you save twice as much before your trip. And travelling as a couple compared to solo means that you can split loads of things such as rental cars, a private room when you need some space and even that nice bottle of wine at dinner (although sometimes it turns into two bottles).

Old World Wandering-Accommodation is our biggest saving. Taxis fares are effectively halved when you’re travelling with someone and may even be more cost effective than public transport in some cases – like Bangkok, where travelling by metered taxi with a partner often costs the same as two metro tickets.Eating out is nearly always better if there are two or more of you. You’d struggle to finish a hotpot in China or a sindad barbeque in Laos on your own, and it wouldn’t be cheap. In Asian countries where sharing several dishes is the norm, eating out with other people gives you more variety and ordering a combination of pricier, more refined dishes and cheaper fillers like noodles, rice or vegetables helps keep the price of a meal down. Cooking for two is also more cost effective.

Full Course Travel-In the end I think it comes out to be the same, but here are some beneficially experiences that I’ve come across: 1) Living in nice rental properties:  We’ve rented a home in Chiang Mai, Thailand for a year that is 10,000 baht or 318.07 USD.  Most single travelers that we’ve come across try to keep their rent budget at around 1/2 the price (4,000-5,000 baht), which does not allow for as nice of a space. 2) Catching a Songthaew (a taxi of sorts) in Thailand:  It normally cost 20 baht per person; the more people the driver takes in their Songthaew the least it cost per person. If you are a loan, white traveler trying to catch a Songthaew it often costs more (40-60 baht)…unless you can negotiate with them!

1000Fights- Is traveling as a couple cheaper than going solo?  Yes and no. Obviously the biggest cost savings when we travel together is hotel/room.  Unless a major fight has occurred, we occupy the same room.  The downside of traveling coupled is how to deal with what one wants to see and the other does not.  At times we have just paid for both of us to see something that one was really interested in.

Over Yonderlust- There are quite a few perks with traveling with another person. Not only are private rooms cheaper than 2 dorm beds on many occasions, but sometimes you don’t need to order 2 times the food. We tend to spend the budget for 1 1/2 people when there is two of us.

Wild Junket- As a couple, we’ve found that we save in many ways when compared to traveling solo. Transportation is one big component – sharing a taxi in Bangkok, for example, is cheaper than taking the BTS or subway. In most hotels, the price of a single room is also often equivalent to a double room – that’s almost saving almost $10 per night (we’re currently traveling in Asia).

Travel Moments PRwave- My husband and I, we traveled a lot by car. It is clear I think that having 2 persons in a car versus only one traveling and consuming the same amount of gas is an economy. Plus, the cost for a hotel room for two, even if it a little bit higher for it includes 2 breakfasts and a big bed is smaller than the price or a single room (dividing in two the price for the room a couple).

We Said Go Travel- The cost savings we realized according to George was in accommodation. When you travel alone you can be forced to pay more for a room as many rooms charge prices based on double occupancy.

Don’t Ever Look Back- Obviously being able to split the costs where possible, whether it was meals or accommodation, was of great benefit. We value our privacy so being able to afford a private room in a hostel at a similar cost to 2 dorm beds was always good.