There is no more important decision or greater commitment in life than choosing the right traveling companion. Having a kid, getting married, rescuing a puppy, moving from Manhattan to Texarkana—these are all small potatoes compared to spending 10 days in Guadeloupe with a friend.

　　Most people have a lot of friends, maybe even several tiers of friends. The A list, the B list, the ones who can drive, the ones who can find the exact right pair of jeans, the ones who have a lot of specialist doctors, the ones who can set up a tray of hors d’oeuvres in the shape of a pinwheel—but none are who you’d want to take on a trip. That takes a whole different list of criteria and it is all about Travel Compatibility.

　　I‘ve compiled a simple checklist of scenarios for you and your potential travel mate to consider. If you have fewer than four out of six questions in common, you may want to rethink your choice.=

　　Financial Compatibility: This is not just about having similar incomes, but also about the way you spend money. Here’s the scenario: You’ve been walking around Belize all day and are exhausted and a little bit lost. You see a bus stop that might take you near your hotelandyou see a taxi that will cost big bucks but will certainly take you to your hotel. Are you going to splurge or save?

　　Fitness: If you’re the kind of person who panics when your gym is closed on Christmas, you’ll want to make sure you’re both on the same page about fitness options. Here’s the scenario: You are at the Statue of Liberty and you have a option of walking up to her nose or taking a helicopter around it. Are you taking the easy way out?

　　Eating and Drinking: This is one of the most crucial points, in my opinion. I need to eat in a timely fashion, and my personality suffers if I don’t. Because this one is more important than anything else, be honest with your answers to the following true-or-false questions: your trip depends on it.

　　? I have frequently uttered the sentence, “I forgot to eat lunch!” True or False.

　　? When given a choice between a boat ride down the Ganges or a breakfast buffet, I’d choose the buffet. True or False.

　　? Sometimes I need a glass of wine, and when I say a glass, I mean a bottle. True or False.

　　? I understand that some people shouldn’t be spoken to before they’ve had coffee. True or False.

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　　How You View Art:I’ve often impressed people with the speed by which I can get through an exhibit. In fact, I frequently find myself waiting for upwards of an hour at the gift shop at the end of a show—which is not a bad thing. You can tell what pieces were the most important by what’s on the T-shirts and mugs. Okay, there’s not really a scenario here. Just say “Do you like to spend hours looking at one painting?” and take it from there.

　　Level of Comfort: This overlaps with many of the previous categories, but it is significant in its importance—or lack thereof. This is where you need to find out how your companion rates the things you consider non-negotiable in a hotel. Everyone’s list is different, but just to get you started, here’s mine:

　　? Air-conditioning

　　? WiFi

　　? Room service

　　? A minimum of three stars, no wait, four

　　? Bonus for a stocked minibar

　　Flexibility and Temperament: This last one encompasses all the categories. Some things to think about: How nuts do you get if everything doesn’t work out? Is the goal of your trip to enjoy yourself? If you desperately wanted a water view and you’re facing the airport, will you cry or appreciate that you’re getting to see an awful lot of planes take off? Or do you have a checklist of sites that you’d be devastated to miss? (You and your friend should be in synch. You can’t have two people panicking that the Pyramids are closing.)

　　In the end, my advice is to go with your gut. And at the very least, know that you don’t want to travel with me.

　　人生中，沒什么決定比選擇一個合拍的出行拍檔更重要的了。結婚生子，解救寵物，從曼哈頓搬到德克薩肯納——這些事情，比起和朋友去瓜德魯普島呆上10天而言，都只是小巫見大巫。

　　多數人都有一大幫朋友，甚至還分好幾類。密友，普通朋友，會開車的，找牛仔褲很拿手的，認識很多專科醫生的，會將開胃菜拼成紙風車形狀的——但是他們都不是你想共同旅行的那個人。這類朋友的標準與前面的截然不同，其實一切都只是關乎“旅途和睦指數”的問題。

　　我列了一個簡單的情景列表，供你與你的潛在驢友考慮。6個問題中，如果你們答案相同數還不到4個，那奉勸你們還是重新考慮下自己的選擇吧。

　　財力相當：這不僅指收入相當，而是你們花錢的方式。假設以下場景：你已經在伯利茲走了一整天，筋疲力盡，還有點迷路。這時，你看見一個公交車站，公交也許可以把你帶到附近的酒店。與此同時，還有一輛的士出現，打的燒錢，但肯定能把你帶到你所下榻的酒店。那么，你是要揮霍一把去打的還是省錢坐公交呢?

　　適合度：如果你是那種在圣誕節看見常去的健身房關門了都會恐慌的人，那么你會想要確保你的同伴和你在這題的選擇上是一致的。假設以下情景：你正站在自由女神像腳下，眼前擺著兩個選擇，一是靠自己往上走，一直走到神像鼻子的高度;二是搭乘直升飛機環繞神像。你會選擇省事的后者嗎?

　　飲食問題：這是最重要的問題之一。就我而言，我要及時吃飯，否則我就會發飆。因為吃飯是頭等大事。下列對錯題請如實作答：這可關系到你的旅行。

　　? 我是否經常說，“我忘記吃午飯了!” 對或錯?

　　? 如果有機會乘船渡恒河或吃自助早餐，我還是會選擇后者。對或錯?

　　? 有時候我需要一杯酒，當我說一杯的時候，我其實是要一瓶酒。對或錯?

　　? 我理解有些人必須等到他們喝過咖啡，才能跟他們說話。 對還是錯?

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　　如何看待藝術：我觀看展覽會的速度常常令人折服。事實上，我經常在展會結束時，在禮品店內等上一個多小時——這并非什么壞事。因為你可以從T恤和馬克杯的圖上看出哪些部分是最重要的。好吧，這根本算不上什么情景假設。就問問“你喜歡花數小時盯著一幅畫看嗎?”從這個問題中你就可得到“如何看待藝術”這題的答案了。

　　舒適度：這一點和前面許多分類有所重疊，但它意義重大——又或者其實沒什么意義。從這點中，你要找出你的同伴是如何評價那些你所認為的酒店中的必備品。每個人的清單都不同，為了給你一點啟發，我來列列我的清單：

　　? 空調

　　? 無線網絡

　　? 客房服務

　　? 至少是三星級酒店，等等，至少四星……

　　? 如果有供應充足的小酒吧就可加分

　　靈活度和性格匹配度：最后一條囊括了所有分類。考慮下以下情況：如果事事不順，你會有多抓狂?旅行的目的是否是為了玩得盡興?如果你超想看水景，面對的卻是飛機場，你準備大哭一場還是心懷感恩，因為自己就要看到許多飛機起飛的場景?又或者你是否列了一張景點清單，萬一錯過，會傷心欲絕。(你和驢友必須保持一致。萬一你們倆都因為金字塔關閉就驚慌失措，你會受不了的。)

　　最后，我的建議就是：放膽去玩。然后至少還得明確一點，那就是你可不想和我一起出去旅行。

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