The Ultimate Guide to Making the Most of Your Vacation with Friends

Why travel alone when you could travel with a buddy! Traveling with your friends can create some of the best travel experiences! Whether this is just a day trip or a full week-long vacation, there is just something so exciting about traveling with a buddy. While this may be the case, there is almost always at one point during traveling that you’re just wanting it to end because your friend is getting on your nerves or vice versa. It’s just something that happens and it’s totally common. 

While there can be ups and downs when it comes to these trips, this guide should hopefully help you out!

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What is Determining Factor on Whether Traveling with Friends is a Good Idea?

When deciding whether to travel with friends, family, or alone, there are a few different factors that you should consider. Some of them are how much time you have to spend on the trip and how much money you have to spend. If you don't have enough time or money, it's better to go with your family or friends who can help cover these costs.

Going 50/50 for Venice Beach hotels is going to help you out in saving money. On the other hand, if you have plenty of time and money, then traveling with friends can still be a good idea. Usually, travel is a great way to really see who a person truly is. Plus, you need to think of whether you’re an introvert or extrovert and how compatible you and your friend is.

Always Plan Ahead

Set up your itinerary in advance so you're all on the same page when it comes to who's going where and when. This can also help you avoid any last-minute conflicts that might arise, whether it's location or timing-related. Talk about what type of activities you want to do together (e.g., go on a hike), and then set up your next steps once you land in your destination country. You don’t want to create any type of mistakes that could harm the friendship.

4 Common Mistakes When it Comes to Planning Your Vacations with Friends

Planning your vacation can be difficult. Even something small like packing a carry on can become challenging. Travel, and planning the trip itself can be difficult once you get friends involved. Here are some mistakes to avoid when planning your vacation with friends.

1. Not having a conversation about expectations and limitations

2. Not discussing the group's budget and how it will be spent

3. Not having a backup plan in case something goes wrong

4. Not communicating enough before and during the trip

Vacations can have the potential of destroying friendships! So there needs to be a lot of communication between both parties, and never make assumptions!

Try to Create a Balance Between “Me-Time” and Sticking Together

Make sure to stay together while traveling and ensure there is time apart. It’s tough, but you will need to try and find a way to strike a balance- this will make the trip more enjoyable because you'll have lots of opportunities to connect with each other on a regular basis without having to constantly coordinate schedules and activities. This is also a way to just recharge as well.

Traveling with friends can be a stressful experience, but you can reduce the stress by being clear on your expectations. Being honest about your expectations will help you have a more enjoyable trip with less stress than if you try to make everyone happy without any guidelines. In general, balancing out trips with a travel buddy can be tough, but in the end with clear expectations and boundaries, it can be great!

Ellie Dickinson