What’s not to love about taking a vacation with your besties? It should be the perfect opportunity to relax, catch up and have fun with your favorite friends in an incredible setting of your choice. Unfortunately, coordinating big groups of people can come with challenges from fighting over finances to arguing about itineraries.
If you have a group trip in your future, these tips can help keep things running smoothly on the friends’ getaway so you all still like each other when it’s over.
- Think carefully about who’s going - The people you invite can make or break your vacay, so consider the group dynamic and how everyone will get along. Traveling can get stressful and being under pressure can bring out the worst in some folks, but you also don’t want to offend anyone if they don’t make the cut.
- Have a budget and stick to it - Talking about finances can be awkward, but it’s going to be a part of vacation planning, so get ready for it. To make it easier, you could set up a Google Form that everyone can fill out anonymously with their preferred budget and concerns about costs. Also decide how you’ll split costs during the trip so everyone feels comfortable.
- Decide on your destination and accommodations wisely - Compromises will have to be made since you’ve all been to different places before and have different bucket list destinations. Just remember that a group trip is less about where you are and more about your time together, and everyone may not get their own dream vacation.
- Plan in advance, but allow for flexibility - You don’t need an hour-by-hour schedule, but having some idea of what you’re hoping to see and do is helpful. Making plans ahead of time is especially important if your group is big, so you can make reservations at restaurants and museums. But don't forget that some of the best travel experiences happen spontaneously.
- Take alone time when you need it - People may split up and do things without the entire group and if you shouldn’t be afraid to take time to yourself when you need it, even if it’s just going out for coffee alone.
- Cherish the moment - The quality time with your besties is what you’ll remember, so try not to stress about things being perfect, just enjoy being together and making memories.
Source: CNN
Scott's Thoughts:
- As long as you don’t hate each other at the end of the trip, it was a success!
- I don't like the idea of vacation with a bunch of friends?
- I could travel with my closest friends, but not a really large group of people.