Who to Go With

Alone vs With Partners
Going out alone on an adventure can be a thrill. You are on your own. Your safety is all up to you. Your safety net, if things go wrong is much smaller. If you get in trouble you may have to wait a long time for passerbyers, instead of sending a partner for help immediately.

But going alone has tremendous advantages. You decide where to go when you want to go. You do not have slow down for other people and depreive yourself of the challenge and thrill of pushing your abilities. You do not have to keep up with others faster than yourself. The struggle of keeping up can use up so much energy you end up not enjoying yourself and increase the probability of injury to yourself. Or you can go at your speed and risk annoying those ahead of you.

To stay safe on outings by yourself you can:
-- choose an activity that is low risk and/or not in a remote area
-- be skilled at your activity
-- have others know where you are
-- have gear for safety -- GPS, compasses, commuication devices, extra food, necessary life saving gear, etc

Many people recommend not going on outdoor activities alone. In many cases this is vital advice -- such as on caving expeditions. In other cases, risk is up but risk is at an acceptable level.

Going out on an adventure with others has significant advantages too. It is a chance to share a special experience with others. It is a chance to challenge, entertain and keep healthy people close to you. Going out with an individual who is faster than you are is a chance to push yourself harder than you would have alone. Other people can be great to talk to and share expertise and experiences.

Separate or As A Unit
How you travel with another people makes a difference. You can travel as individuals. That leaves you vulnerable to problems regarding mismatched abilities. Or you can travel together at the same speed as a unit in/on some kind of device.

A canoe is an excellent example. Two or three people paddle most canoes. While there may be differences in how hard each person paddles, they can easily be compensated for if the people in the boat cooperate. Both people (or three) in the canoe are obviously moving along the water at the same speed as opposed to single-person kayaks.

A tandem bicycle is a interesting way to travel. In addition to allowing people of unmatched abilitiy the chance of riding together at the same speed, a tandem bicycle is usually a bit faster than pedalling alone.

A factor in the overwhelming popularity of cars is its ability to take on passengers, often as many as four or more. Passengers are freed from the necessity of expending energy to move forward, and the driver hardly uses any energy themselves driving. It is nice to be able talk to someone beside you without being out of breath.

Whom

Whom you go with can determine the nature of your outing