Here’s How You Can Travel With Friends — And Remain Friends After The Trip

Other than our families, we love hanging out with friends. All the things you hesitate to do with your family in tow, like tell awkward stories aloud or just be plain ridiculous can be fun when you are in the company of your friends. However, the same thing may not apply when you are all travelling, especially if it is an out-of-country excursion.

The most stressful part of travel starts with planning. You need to delegate who picks the hotel, purchases travel insurance, books the flights, and creates an itinerary. There is no way to get the stress out of that, which means the chances of having tension between friends before the trip turns high.

While stressful moments will always be an inevitable part of planning a trip with friends, there are ways to lessen the pressure on all of your shoulders. Here are tips to make travelling with friends less traumatising!

Decide on a destination

Spontaneous trips are fun when it is a road trip or a visit at the beach, but the same thing is not true for travels abroad. You have to agree on a destination, and for this to happen, all your interests must be found in one place. It does not matter if you have to walk or travel 2 hours to visit an attraction, for as long as everyone’s aware and has agreed on that.

The best way to eliminate all possible destinations is to agree first on the kind of climate and activities you want. Do you all want a tropical climate for surfing and sunbathing? How about a place where it is always cold for skiing and snowboarding? Or maybe you want a temperature that is not too hot nor too cold, perfect for hiking and camping activities. The next thing to do would be to list down all the possible places that fall under your shared preferences.

Finally, once you have a specific destination in mind, agree on the itinerary. To make sure everyone is satisfied with your schedule, ask each other what activities you want to do. Depending on the number of days you will be there, start clustering the ideas. For instance, all shared interests can be assigned in one day, and then other activities can be scattered on other days.

Get the money talks out of the way

Most fights start because of the expenses. Remember that everyone’s idea of luxury or affordability differs, so the mission is to get everyone on the same page. Discuss the budget range each one is willing to allot for the travel. This includes flight tickets, accommodation, travel insurance, travel tax, and other miscellaneous expenses like food and souvenirs. Having parameters with your expenses would help make your search easier, not to mention, it will give you a target total to save up for.

Another way you can lessen the load on every one is to set up a group fund. Plan your trip months ahead and start putting in the same amount of money, and keep doing this until during your trip. This fund be used for minimal expenses such as food, cab rides, entrance fees, and so on.

Assign a leader

This person will be your trip leader, and they will make sure that everyone is aligned before, during, and after the trip. They will oversee reservations and ensure everyone’s having a good time. This is a lot of responsibility, yes, but it is one of the few ways you can avoid arguments during your trip.

Traveling with friends should be enjoyable and should not be spoiled because of disagreements and misunderstanding. Follow these tips so you and your friends can have an awesome time wherever you planned to go.