3 red flags that you and your friend should not go on vacation together—and more advice for group trips

Posted by Admin August 27, 2024 Travel

Anyone who has tried to corral a group of friends into a trip knows it’s no easy feat. And, sometimes, the vacation itself proves to be just as challenging as the planning.

But, if you have certain conversations beforehand and adhere to a few common courtesies, you can have a frictionless group trip that doesn’t result in any friendships ending.

Here are three signs you and a friend shouldn’t travel together.

1. You have different budgets

Talking about smaller daily purchases, like food and transportation, are just as important as discussing bigger costs like accommodations or excursions, Elaine Glusac, author of The New York Times’ Frugal Traveler column, told CNBC Make It.

“Talk about how you’d like to allocate the budget across variables like dining and entertainment,” she says. “If you both want to see a Broadway show, for example, and one wants premium seats and the other is OK in the back row, would you two be OK sitting apart?”

Food budgets often aren’t addressed until you’re on the trip, travel reporter Victoria M. Walker told CNBC Make It.

But, meal costs can quickly can add up.

“For whatever reason people never seem to factor in food,” Walker says. “You’ll get to a dinner and someone will say, ‘Oh this is way too expensive.'”

People spend, on average, $58 per day on food while traveling not including alcohol, snacks, or tip, according to a Bankrate survey. On a four day trip, that means you’re spending $232 total if you don’t have cocktails, indulge in any treats, or apply gratuity.

Having a conversation about how many pricey versus casual dinners you want beforehand can set expectations and reduce chances of friction.

2. One of you doesn’t like solo activities

Discuss the pace at which you both like to travel.

“If one is go-go-go and the other is slow, that’s a mismatch,” Glusac says.

It might not be a deal breaker, though, if both of you are OK with doing some activities alone.

“You can agree to do things at a different rate and meet up later for a meal, but you should both be content on your own, which you should hash out prior,” she says.

Walker says that is a key consideration for her when deciding whether or not to travel with someone: “That’s always the first thing I look for or outright ask: Are you OK with doing your own thing or is it like, ‘we came together, we have to do everything together’?”

3. You’re not interested in the same things

Before planning a trip with someone, have honest conversations about why they want to travel and be sure their interests align with your own.

When you’ve already arrived at the destination should not be where you find out that your friend actually doesn’t like museums or isn’t interested in going to the beach.

“I like to travel with friends who like to spend their time on vacation as I do, for the most part,” Glusac says. “Is my friend curious about other cultures, as I am? Are they ambitious to see as much as they can in the time we have?”

More advice for group trips

To avoid damaging friendships when traveling be both flexible and communicative.

Here are three rules travel experts recommend you heed so a trip goes as smoothly as possible:

If you drop out you still need to pay for some stuff: Sometimes you’ll need to cancel plans last-minute. This doesn’t mean your friends should absorb the increased costs of lodging due to your cancellation, Lee Thompson, co-founder of Flash Pack, a company that plans group trips, told CNBC Make It. “You should always offer to pay your share of a trip that’s already been booked — accommodations, rental cars, planned excursions etc. — regardless of the reason you can no longer attend,” Thompson says.
Set deadlines: Walking tours, concerts, pre-fixe dinners, all of these generally have to be booked in advance. Let others in your trip know by what date they need to commit to these plans. “Set reasonable deadlines for having activities booked,” Walker says. “This way, no one is expecting that they can join or drop out last-minute.”
Be flexible: “Don’t set unreasonable expectations,” Walker says. “If you know somebody is on a budget you can’t say, ‘Oh we want to stay at a $3,000-a-night hotel.’ If budget constraints have been communicated beforehand, I think there is room for some middle ground.” If you’re not willing to budge on some of your preferences, consider traveling alone.

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