Thelma seeks Louise/Liam for RTW trip. Female, 38, Watford, looking for fellow travellers for travel in India. Male, 32, Stony Stratford, looking for self-confident, toned, positive, dynamic female companion for travel in Jordan and Syria or Tibet. Teacher from NYC, mature female but hip, would like a buddy to travel with in the Netherlands. Happyjack seeks gay travel enthusiast for trucker dating in central and east USA.
Some travellers prefer to go it alone, but others, like the above, are making use of a growing number of online portals through which they can seek out like-minded travel companions. The demand is so great that Lonely Planet's online travel forum, The Thorn Tree, has now launched a dedicated section for users looking to find a travel buddy.
'A few years ago there was a slight stigma about meeting someone on the web, but now that people are networking and making friends through the likes of Myspace, it's normal to be looking for a travel companion online,' says Tom Hall of Lonely Planet. 'I think it's mainly younger travellers on their first trip who want a bit of added security and company - but also as you get older many people just want to be with someone with the same interests and no big hangups. And some people just want to cut the cost.'
Wanderlust, the travel magazine, has a section called Connections where people can post travel companion requests. 'It's a kind of lonely hearts, but for travel,' says commercial editor Paul Bloomfield. 'We've had it in the magazine since we launched 13 years ago, but now through our website it's really growing. Mostly people are just looking for a travel companion but often this leads to romance. We had one couple who met through Connections in their fifties who have now married and moved to France.' Whether you're young, old, gay, straight, married, single, looking for friendship or love, or just wanting to avoid paying a single supplement, there is a website that caters for you.
In September, 24-year-old backpacker Jonathan Peace launched www.retiredbackpackers.com after his dad said he wanted to do a trip around South America. 'I thought of what it would be like for my dad to turn up on his own in a hostel full of young people,' he explains. 'We're getting around 100 people signing up a week, some single, some married and some couples who want people of a similar age to travel with.'
In June, an online travel club, Thelma And Louise, launched for women. Members are invited to meet at regular social events, go on group trips, and also have access to discounts through a partnership with a travel agency. Co-founder Christine Davies says: 'We already have 2,500 members in 40 different countries. Not all of our members are single - just single-minded. The solid core of members are aged 35 to 65, although we have a number of self-sufficient girls in their twenties. Sometimes, travelling with men or children just complicates things - but rather than going alone it's just nice to have somebody else by your side.'
Essentials
Used by more than 450,000 travellers
Visit the 'Connections' section
7,273 members and a well-used forum
US-focused site for gay/lesbian travel
More than 12,000 members worldwide
Aimed at older travellers
International version of German site www.travelark.de
Exclusively for women
