Finding travel partners

This item appears on page 18 of the October 2008 issue.

Being a widow and loving to travel, I sometimes have the problem of finding a suitable travel partner. I usually go with my daughter or one of two friends, but on occasion all three of them are unavailable for a trip.

A couple of years ago, after I had two trips canceled because my usual travel partners had complications, my daughter found www.leisurelinkup.com (Edgewater, MD; 410/956-3552).

I was quite hesitant to use any online site to search for a travel partner, thinking all sorts of negatives, however it turned out to be a good experience. I found a new travel partner with whom I have traveled to Morocco, Arizona and, soon, Italy.

There were several things I liked about Leisurelinkup.com. It is a totally free site, and all e-mails go through them, so I did not have to give out my e-mail address until I wished to. I used only my first name and hometown but could have used a fake name if I had wanted to.

I limited my search to a region around where I live but could have expanded it to a much larger region, such as the entire U.S. or even foreign countries.

They encourage giving a few details about yourself, such as whether you smoke or not, where you have traveled and where you would like to go plus your general physical fitness, your age and whether you generally arrive early, late or on time. You also may write a short article about yourself and what you are looking for in a travel partner.

I just checked Leisure Linkup and found that my profile is still active, so I have many new “matches” I could respond to if I wanted to.

This was a positive experience for me, but I am interested to know how others have located suitable travel partners. I hope some readers write in* with recommendations of other upstanding organizations that will match up travelers or any suggestions at all that will help solve this perplexing problem.

JUDY PUCKETT

Catersville, GA

*Readers, send your suggestions to Finding Travel Partners, c/o ITN, 2116 28th St., Sacramento, CA 95818, or e-mail editor@intltravel news.com