Here are five tips for successful group travel.
1. Discuss the vibe before you buy your tickets.
I love all my friends but I wouldn’t travel with all my friends. Before you all commit your time and money to a trip, have an open and honest discussion about what kind of trip you’re looking for. If it’s a 24/7-party-and-hit-the-clubs kind of trip and you’d rather be tucked away in a mountain cabin, maybe you skip that vacay. Ask what everyone is interested in seeing and doing on the trip to get an idea of what the vibe will be.
2. Discuss the budget.
Trying to figure out how to split up and pay for expenses can often ruin a good trip. Decide how you’re going to pay for things ahead of time so you don’t end up in an awkward Venmo situation.
It can be beneficial to divide up expenses by category. For example, you can have one designated person pay for all the Ubers and then they divide one grand total among the group members. You can use an app like Splitwise to calculate how much people owe each other and then use Venmo to make payment requests.
Of course, you should discuss the overall budget, too. If one person in the group is hoping to dine at Michelin-star restaurants and stay on a yacht, that’s not gonna mesh well with the person in your group who was hoping to stay in hostels and eat fast food.
3. Build in some alone time.
Whether you’re with family or friends, having a day to decompress is important. Traveling 24/7, even alone, can be overstimulating and can sometimes cause tensions to run high. Don’t over plan but do build in some alone time. It could be a whole day or just 20 minutes each morning—whatever works best for you and your group.
If you’re part of a big group, consider entering something like this into the calendar: “This morning is traveler’s choice. You’re free to do whatever you want to do but be back by noon.” That way, if people want to hang out together they can, but they can also go read at a cafe for an hour without feeling weird about it.
4. Plan whatever you can ahead of time.
When it comes to trip planning, it usually takes more effort to accommodate a group rather than a family or individuals. Certain things will take a bit more planning. Whatever you can plan ahead of time will save you stress while on your trip. For example, you could make dinner reservations ahead of time to avoid trying to figure out where a group of thirteen can eat after everyone is starving. Consider booking places you can cancel for free. That way if your group ends up in another neighborhood and spontaneously wants to try a different place, you can cancel your backup reservation without cost.
5. Make sure everyone has everyone else’s contact info.
You’re on a bachelorette trip and one of your friends takes a tumble and needs medical assistance. Who do you call for her insurance info? Who is her next of kin if a medical decision needs to be made and she’s incapacitated? Once you set up your trip group chat, take a minute to text each other names, emergency contacts, and any other relevant info. It’ll save you a lot of stress when you’re trying to reach Kelly’s mom when Kelly is unconscious and you don’t know the password for her phone.
Twist’s Take: Group travel can be terrific fun! Up the odds you and everyone else has a good time by following these five tips.
