A trip with your closest friends can be the experience of a lifetime. It’s your chance to break away from the parents or kids for a short period and simply enjoy a few days letting your hair down without any responsibility. However, while it may seem like a bundle of fun, things can go pear-shaped if you haven’t planned your trip properly. As you’ll be spending a great deal of time together, it’s important you’re all on the same page.
To avoid any problems occurring, here are several tips that will make your vacation one to remember – for all the right reasons.
Have plans in place
If you’re an easy-going type of person, you may be keen to go with the flow and wait to make plans once you arrive, but this is bound to cause friction with those who are a little more organized.
It’s best to have meetings with your friends weeks beforehand to put together a well-planned itinerary, to ensure that everyone gets to do the things they would like. Make sure you consider the finer details; from reserving airport parking online with ParkON.com to booking hotels.
Keep in mind that this isn’t just your vacation, it’s a whole group experience, so compromises may have to be made along the way to keep everyone happy.
Don’t go with just anyone
If you’re desperate to get away from it all, it can be tempting to ask just anyone to go on vacation with you – but that isn’t the best idea. As you’ll be together for a few days or more, it’s important to choose those with similar hobbies and temperaments, or you may end up clashing.
Try to choose people who take everything in their stride and won’t make the vacation a nightmare.
Decide on a budget
One of the biggest problems that can arise from friends vacationing together is in the details of the financing. It’s best to sit down and chat with one another to discuss how much everyone will contribute. Set a reasonable budget so that no-one feels out of pocket. Costing can go further than simply the hotel and flights; you may also need to think about car rental for example, as well as day trips and the amount you’ll spend per day on food.
These people are your friends, so there’s no need to pretend that you have more money than you do, as you’ll only land yourself in further complications later down the line. Speak up and be honest and the group will then know that you need to cut costs where possible – they’re sure to understand.
You don’t have to spend every moment together
Just because you’re going on vacation as a group doesn’t mean you have to spend every single minute together. You are more than obliged to have a bit of alone time, whether that be hanging out by the pool with a book or taking a relaxed stroll.
