Traveling With Your Friends? Do It Without Ending Up Hating Each Other

April 2, 2018 - Yonder

You know that friend of yours that you like so much? The one with all those wonderful, enduring little eccentricities? Well, try traveling with that person. Then you’ll see just how quickly those “wonderful, enduring little eccentricities” become annoying, little quirks. There may be people in your life who you love. People you’ve spent inordinate amounts of time with or without an argument. So, the question is how do you travel with friends and not end up hating each other?

Travel With Those You Know

While it might seem like a good idea to travel with acquaintances or people you don’t know very well, we assure you it’s a risk that isn’t worth taking. Leave your adventurous choices for the vacation itself, and keep your choice of travel partners conservative. Also, it’s usually not a good thought to travel with someone with whom you’re in a new romantic relationship with. It’s far more pressure than most new relationships can stand. Worldpackers created a great article that helps determine who your travel partner should be — check it out!

Align Your Budgets

What one person may consider affordable, the other may think is astronomical. It’s essential you and your travel buddy try and align your financial expectations before embarking on your friend trip. Not only will this help make your overall travel experience smoother, but you may even end up saving a few dollars. Once you make your first trip payment, don’t forget to protect it with travel insurance in case something unexpected comes up prior to your departure.

Pro Tip: If you calculate your total trip cost ahead of time could help you better manage your costs while traveling with friends. We call that a financial win!

Determine Your Mutual Expectations

There are two basic types of travelers: those who like to go and see everything and those who want to just unwind. These two types can be like oil and water and simply don’t mix. Other times, they can be like salt and pepper and go great together.

The important thing is communication. If you’re someone who likes to lounge by the poolside in Mexico and spend your vacation drinking beverages with small umbrellas in them, that’s great. Make sure to let your travel partner or friend know ahead of time, though!

This is also a good opportunity to get outside of your comfort zone a bit and see what the country you’re visiting has to offer. That’s not to say that you need to be on the go 24/7, but there’s a happy medium to find somewhere between constant movement and pure relaxation when traveling with friends.

Don’t Hover Over One Another

There’s nothing wrong with spending some time apart. This is true even for travelers who are romantically involved. People sometimes feel that simply because they’re vacationing together, they must spend every waking moment with one another. You don’t!

If one person wants to visit the best spots for foodies in the world and the other friend makes a choice to visit a museum, that’s fine. Do that! If either of you spends too much time adhering to the other’s itinerary, you’ll end up resenting each other and having a bad time.

Abide By The Golden Rule

This one is obvious, but still worth mentioning. When traveling with friends try and be aware of their moods and wishes. Don’t dominate the entire trip with only things that you want to do. Do some stuff that they want to do. And do it whether you want to or not! If you know the friend you’re traveling with is, for example, a morning person, consider whether or not you should constantly be pressuring them into staying out late every night. Or, if you’re traveling with a friend who has travel anxiety or a food allergy, make sure to be there to support them. 

Now that you know how to travel with friends and not end up hating each other, it’s time for you to start planning your next adventure! Make sure to find out your travel style and pick the perfect type of insurance to maximize your vacation peace of mind! Get a free instant travel insurance quote, where you can compare your options side-by-side.

Tags: friends, travel planning