Group travel is always a worthwhile experience. It’s an opportunity to share new experiences with your friends or coworkers and step outside of your comfort zones. Even with the best planned trips however, there’s a lot that can go wrong. As we all know from college roommates, living with somebody everyday is a far cry from cooler talk, as every inconsistency in personality becomes inflated to a national scandal. Below are 5 quick tips to keep in mind and ensure a smoother and more enjoyable travel experience, or at least prevent you from strangling your best friend from fifth grade because he never carries the map but is always asking where things are instead of taking a look for his own damn self for once.
Here are some simple tips to avoid the pitfalls of group travel.
1. Try and Bring Even Numbers
When traveling with a group, no matter how close you are with your bro Brandon, remember that traveling means stress and stress means heightened tensions. The slightest disagreement about what to eat, where to go on a daytrip or which method of transport to take can turn into a juvenile scramble for allies on the level of the First World War. Chinese or Sushi, can, believe it or not, end in tears. With odd numbers, it’s easier for somebody to feel ganged up on and therein grumpy, so try and keep it even.
2. Split the Workload
It can be stressful when only one member of your party is expected to carry all the essentials/use the maps/decide where to eat/communicate with the locals. This added pressure on top already stretched travel nerves can lead to nervous breakdowns. Divvy up the workload between the gang to ensure no one member gets a Napoleonic complex or goes ballistic.
3. Do Research and Be Prepared
Since your group will probably disagree at least once on the trip as to where to eat/what to do, don’t be afraid to split up for a bit. And remember, having plenty of available options garnered from previous research can cause a lot less stress if the group turns down the first suggestion.
4. Be Flexible
If you’re stubborn and tend to be hardheaded when at crossroads with others, going on a group trip is the perfect opportunity to reform your selfish ways. You’ll constantly be challenged to accommodate others plans and ideas, and the best policy is one of flexibility to ensure everyone stays happy.
5. Enjoy and Capitalize on the Company of Your Friends
Appreciate the fact you are spending quality time with your friends in a new environment. Enjoy discovering, adventuring and making memories together, and don’t be afraid to do something crazy. The best stories are never the ones that start with “Well,it was raining so we decided to stay in for the night…”
Traveling with friends is fertile ground for both great times and occasional disagreements. It can be a stressful process, but thanks to Travefy the most trying part—booking your travel—will be all taken care of, so you can focus on your friends, and all their flaws, in sharp relief.