Not sure if a certain someone will make a good travel partner? Don’t make any rash decisions, ask yourself these 10 key questions and make the right choice!

Traveling with the right person is fundamental to the success of your trip.

Making the wrong choice can make you miserable and ruin a, perhaps once in a lifetime opportunity, to see a particular part of the world.

I once got stuck with a moaning minny whose whining reverberated around my ears like a dying wasp.

Luckily the trip was short. But not short enough.

Don’t make the same mistake as me. Ask yourself these 10 key questions before committing to a travel partner and go see the world in peace and harmony!

1.    Have you spent a concentrated amount of time together?

A crucial point. You never really know someone until you’ve spent at least a weekend straight in their company. This is a great test, do it!

You may be surprised what you find out about that person you thought you knew so well.

2.    Are you planning the same trip?

Have you actually sat down and scoped out the details of your trip? If not, you might be talking at cross purposes.

You don’t want to set off on your wild road trip only to find your buddy settling into the nearest yoga retreat.

3.    Do you have the same taste in people?

You’re going to meet a lot of people on your trip so it’ll help if you got similar ideas of who’s good company and who’s not. Think about the people they bring to parties.

Think long and hard.

4.    Is your relationship ‘issue free’?

All the deep-rooted grudges and resentments come out when traveling, that’s just the way it is. Ask yourself if there are any unresolved emotional issues between you and your potential travel partner?

If the answer’s yes then sort them out before you go…. Or go with someone else.

5.    Do you have the same routines?

You’re going to be doing pretty much everything together so your lifestyle’s had better be compatible. If you’re an early bird and they’re a nocturnal beast it just isn’t going to work.

6.    Are they a moaning minny?

Travel can be inconvenient, and frustrating and uncomfortable. A moaning minny WILL ruin your trip. See reverberating dying wasp anecdote above. You have been warned!

7.    Have they ever displayed violent, irrational or psychotic behavior towards you or anyone else?

This is an important one. You may love your friend dearly but if they’re a little bit cuckoo and unstable then I guarantee they’ll have sent you cuckoo too by the end of the trip.

8.    Do you like to do the same things?

Pretty obvious but it’s amazing how many people don’t think this through. Don’t go away with a bookworm if you’re a crazy raver. Figures.

9.    Can they roll with the punches?

The key to successful travel is flexibility. If your buddy can’t be spontaneous, go with the flow and muck in here and there then they will impair your enjoyment of the trip.

10.    Are they a good conversationalist?

Think long flights, train journeys, bus-rides and hikes. It helps if they’ve got something interesting to say.

Do you prefer traveling with a buddy or going solo?? Post up your comments below, we want to hear from you!

If you liked this you might also like: 10 Ways to Avoid Vacation Stress

Family vacation pics: they may be painful at the time but they sure do make you laugh in years to come. These pics are not to be missed!

Dad, why did you do it to us? Why did you make make us pose for the camera in that stupid hat? Why?!

We’ve all been through the pain and awkwardness of embarrassing family snaps and though it was traumatic at the time, it sure is worth it now when we can look back and laugh, laugh so hard it hurts!

These 13 Fabulously Funny Family Vacation Snaps WILL make your day. They are not to be missed!

1.    Barrels of Family Fun

2.    The Brady Bunch Goes Psychedelic

3.    She’s Still Got It!

4.    Smooth Cruisers

5.    What We Do for the Kids

6.    True Romance

7.    When in India…

8.    When in Mexico…

9.  The Happiest Place on Earth

10.   Erm… Speechless

11. Tan-tastic!

12   Stephen King What Have You Done?

13.   Sore But Safe

Are your sides hurting? I’m not surprised. Priceless!

Which one’s your favorite? Let us know!

Got some awkward photos of your own? Send them over to the guys at awkwardfamilyphotos.com and share the awkwardness!

If you liked this you might also like: 10 Menu Mistakes that will Crack You Up!

Enjoy!

All photos courtesy of the fabulous awkwardfamilyphotos.com

All the people featured in these photos have consented to us poking fun at them, so no need to feel bad, laugh as hard as you like!!

Been somewhere amazing you’d never even heard of? You want to let your buddies in on the secret, right? Read on for my top travel gems!

What’s interesting about travel is that the places / hotels / restaurants that everyone agrees are fantastic, are often not so fantastic.

And even if they are, it can all be a bit predictable.

Now what’s really fun is when you find somewhere obscure that is truly out of this world.

You can’t believe your luck to have stumbled across this travel gem. How could you not have heard of this place before??

You want to shout it from the rooftops.

So here goes… these are My 3 Best Kept Travel Secrets

1. Koufonisia, Greece

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We all know about Mykonos, Ios and Santorini but there are 100’s of Greek islands that you won’t have even heard of.

Koufonisia, in the Cyclades group is probably one of the most relaxing places I have ever been.

There’s literally hardly anything there apart from a few guest houses, deserted coves and clear turquoise sea.

3 reasons to go to Koufonisia:

- It’s an amazingly quiet place

- You can sunbathe naked in your own private cove

- There’s only one restaurant.. a boat ride away, pretty cool!

2. Little Bay Restaurant, London

Dining out when traveling can make a big dent in your budget.

And London restaurants are notorious for serving up over-priced food of dubious quality.

So what a delight to find a restaurant that offers excellent dishes at very, very good prices.

3 reasons to eat at Little Bay:

- The food is extremely tasty

- It’s cheap

- You can sit in cool, balcony tables

3. Magnetic Island, Australia

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Magnetic Island in Queensland, Australia is a tropical paradise, a great place to come for a vacation but what struck me was that there didn’t seem to be anyone there?!

In fact, apart from a hand full of other travelers, the place was pretty empty.

Why hadn’t I heard of Magnetic Island before? Why wasn’t the place swamped by tourists?

All very mysterious but what a find!

3 reasons to go to Magnetic Island:

- The beaches are stunning

- You can drive around the island in a golf buggy, so much fun!

- There’s hardly anyone else there

So, there you have it, those are my 3 Best Kept Travel Secrets.

Want to hear some more?

I’m nominating these 5 bloggers to share their top 3 travel secrets on their blog:

Carrie, My Several Worlds Erica, Travel Blissful, Guido, Happy Hotelier Nora, The Professional Hobo Liz, Travelogged

It’s Tripbase Blog Tag!

The final list of Top Bloggers’ Best Kept Travel Secrets will be published in a special blog post and shared across the Net.

Stay tuned!

Want to join in?

Post up your Best Kept Travel Secrets below!

Secrets are most fun when shared

Like a warm welcome when you travel? Check out this list of the top 10 friendliest countries in the world and feel the foreign love!

I got caught in the rain today and a man gave me his umbrella. Not a cheap, plastic one but a nice one with colors and a wooden handle.

It made me feel warm and fuzzy. It’s nice when strangers are friendly for no reason.

Even nicer when you’re thousands of miles from home and maybe feeling a bit lonely and fed up.

Want to feel warm and fuzzy when you travel? Check out Lonely Planet’s list of the Top 10 Friendliest Countries in the World,* and stay dry across the globe!

1.    Ireland
2.    USA
3.    Malawi
4.    Fiji
5.    Indonesia
6.    Vietnam
7.    Samoa
8.    Thailand
9.    Scotland
10.  Turkey

Who’s been to Ireland? Got more friendly stranger stories? Disagree with this list? Post up your comments below, we want to hear from you.

If you liked this you might also like: Top 10 Happiest Countries in the World

*List taken from the Lonely Planet Bluelist: Best in Travel 2008

Looking for a spooky spot this Halloween? Check out these curiously creepy places, just watch out for things that go bump in the night!

On the lookout for haunted spots this Halloween?? There are plenty of places to creep you out all over the world.

Take a tour of these 11 places to raise the dead and find ghosts and ghouls across the globe!

1. Haunted House, Romeo School, Michigan

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2. Highgate Cemetery, London, UK

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3. Windsor Castle, Windsor, UK

qbird!

4. Buzzards’ House, Maryland

Trostle

5. Blair Witch Forest, Seattle

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6. Ghosts’ Lobby, Hotel Del Corrinado, San Diego

Adam Arthur

7. Lake of Menteith, Scotland

left-hand

8. Catacombs Museum, Paris

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9. Skyline Cemetery, Portland, Oregon

Chad.latta

10. Hill of Crosses, Lithuania

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11. Notre Dame, Paris

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Been to any of these places? got more spooky travel suggestions? Post up your comments below and let us know.

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If you liked this you might also like: 15 Most Magical Places in the World.