Going on holiday with your friends can be the time of your life, but going abroad is always going to be at least a little stressful. Planning carefully regarding money, accommodation and outside trips can help ensure that you have the best time. Here’s some things to consider:
You will all want to do different things
No matter how much you think you’ve planned, when going on holiday with your friends, everyone will always end up wanting do to their own thing. I’ve been lucky enough to go away with friends a few times the last few years to different holidays. When I went to Amsterdam, I was excited for the different museums and the pancake houses. However the other people I went with primarily wanted to visit the ‘Fault In Our Stars” tourist-y spots (*eye roll*). This led to a bit of resentment on as we had different ideas on what we wanted to get out of the trip.
Overcoming the resentment towards the different plans is important. Being in a foreign country can put pressures on friendship and you don’t want one trip that you probably have been planning for months to ruin them. Clear communication is the key here. It’s best to compromise.
Also important is who you go on holiday with -always go away with someone you know you get on with well. Going away with someone who is very different to you doesn’t necessarily go well, but a friend who is similar to you and perhaps also likes waking up late and lying by the pool is going to be a far better companion for you than someone who will want to be up and hiking at 8 am every day.
Preparation is key
The planning stage begins way before the holidays. There is no point to going away and then deciding what you want to do. It just wastes time. Before you go, start looking at places you want to visit. For example, I’ve just booked going to Versailles next month when I’m in Paris. This creates a nice clear plan about what I’m doing on that particular day. I’m very particular about not wasting time on holiday. Experiencing a new city and a new culture means I don’t want to waste any of the day available. It’s not cheap to go away and does require saving so if I’m going to waste my time watching Netflix in my hotel room I might as well have stayed at home.
Accommodation
However, planning doesn’t just cover days out or events, it also includes accommodation. Your accommodation is an important part, despite the fact that you’ll only eat and sleep there. You need it to be clean and comfortable at a minimum. Losing sleep or having to share a bathroom with the entire floor of strangers can impact your holiday in a negative way.
Another added bonus of looking for plans and sorting accommodation before you actually go away on your holidays means you have a clearer idea of your budget. Budgeting can be difficult, what one person thinks is a lot of money could mean something very different to another person. This is why the planning side of things is so important, maybe putting a cap on the price of meals can be helpful so you don’t overspend in that area.
Have fun!
Even though there’s lots to think about, I promise going on holiday with your friend really is the best. Despite all this planning and budgeting, it is still important to actually enjoy yourself! If you go a bit over budget it’s not the end of the world and memories are worth a lot more than what is in your bank account! Enjoying yourself in a place that you may never go back to with your friends is a crucial part of the holiday. Don’t let the little things get you down.
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