Travelling with someone can be a marriage made in heaven or hell.

I have never been married but I reckon the closest thing to it is travelling with someone and from what I can gather it can be just as rewarding as it can be scary.

A few years back I travelled solo throughout Eastern Europe. While I loved every minute of it, it was nerve wracking to arrive in some far-flung country town whose name I could hardly say let alone spell.

It is for this reason that I found travel partners important as it provided safety, assurance and a commonality - things that are desperately needed when everyone else is looking at you like you're from another planet.

It also helped shoulder the stress of organising accommodation or transport or even simple things like minding your bags while you find a bathroom.

Selection

I teamed up with a lot of fellow backpackers along my travels, selected basically because they were heading in the same direction as me. However, occasionally this cavalier attitude came back to bite me.

While selecting a partner in marriage is about finding Mr or Mrs "Right"; with travelling, a simple "Right Here and Right Now" will do.

But I found taking this approach inevitably had risks. Unless they have an obvious oddity like an uncontrollable need to pick their nose, it's hard to know what's in store. For this reason I learnt to quickly screen potential travel mates for compatibility with me and my own peculiarities.

My mental check list included the appearance of cleanliness, whether they looked after themselves in terms of meals and whether they were the type that could fend for themselves or whether they needed direction.

The last point was probably the most important because if things weren't working out, it meant both parties could go their separate ways without much fuss.

It's not me, it's you

Like all partnerships there will be differences of opinion, sometimes to the point where it actually affects the overall experience making it necessary to walk away.

But if I was going to raise an issue, I had to weigh up what was important and what I could let go. For example, arguing over using your toothpaste wasn't really worth it but I drew the line when one travel companion started rifling through my gear for a clean shirt.

Another consideration was anticipating my travel partner's reaction. Will they simply turn on their heel and move on or will they cop what you say on the chin?

But ultimately travel arrangements are a two way street requiring both members to work at it. I found this required me accepting that I was far from perfect and probably had things that would annoy those I travelled with.

At the end of the day some of the best memories I have from travelling were shared with people that I had met only days or weeks before; and while travelling with someone can be challenging and needs work, it's a road worth taking.