How to Find a Travel Buddy at Queen's (Without It Getting Weird)
I'm David, a double degree student from WU Vienna, and I've travelled through Latin America on my own. Solo travel taught me a lot. It also taught me that the best moments are the ones you share. Since arriving in Kingston, I keep hearing the same thing from other students: "I want to go, but nobody I know can come."
Travelling with people you don't know yet can feel awkward. It does not have to be. These are the five rules I would want if I were joining a crew myself.
Rule one: same trip, not same friend group
The best travel buddy is not always your best friend. It is someone who wants the same destination, on the same dates, with a similar budget. That is why TripCrew matches on exactly those things first: where, when, budget and travel style.
Rule two: coffee before you book anything
One coffee in Kingston tells you more than a week of messages. Pick a public café, keep it to 30 minutes, and talk about the trip: what you want to see, how early you get up, how much you want to spend. If it does not feel right, you simply don't book together. No hard feelings.
Rule three: agree on money before the trip
Most travel fights are about money. Before you leave, agree on three things:
What you share (room, groceries, taxis)
What everyone pays for themselves (tickets, activities, souvenirs)
How you split shared costs (an app like Splitwise keeps it simple)
Rule four: keep it small
Two to four people is the sweet spot. Small enough that everyone gets a say, big enough that you are not stuck with one person if your plans differ. Bigger groups are great for club trips. For a weekend, small wins.
Rule five: everyone can leave, anytime
This is the rule that makes the rest work. If you change your mind after the coffee, or even before the trip, you can leave a crew. Nobody is locked in.
How TripCrew keeps it safe and simple
Only verified Queen's email addresses get matched
Your contact details are shared only when both sides say yes
The first meeting is always in a public café in Kingston
Everyone books and pays for their own trip. No money goes through us
You can leave a crew anytime
Already have a trip in mind and need one or two more people? You can submit your own trip too. Tell us where, when, and how many of you are going already.
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