How to have a fun trip with friends (without any friction)

Whoever said a friend is a friend forever has clearly never experienced a group trip that devolved into a maelstrom of conflicting plans and bickering over restaurant bills. Travelling with your besties can be tricky. Here are some ways to do it without anyone getting unfriended.

Invite with care

“First and foremost, you cannot travel with everybody. All your friends are not travel friends,” says N’dea Irvin-Choy, a 27-year-old Los Angeles-based travel influencer, on her popular TikTok account. She suggests picking travel partners who share similar interests, and deciding ahead of time what kind of a trip you will be taking – relaxation, partying, adventure.

“The last thing you want is for your friends to be giving each other the silent treatment on a nonrefundable excursion somewhere on a beautiful tropical island,” she explains in an email.

Poll, brainstorm, then book

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You can get the ball rolling by asking your friends where they want to go and what they want to do using services such as Doodle and Google Forms. Some people prefer to use familiar spreadsheet programs such as Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets to organise the plan and share it with friends. And creating an Airbnb wish list lets friends suggest accommodation options for the whole group to see.

Commit cash upfront

When one participant on a friend trip suddenly drops out, it can throw financing for the whole trip into disarray. Hedge against those monkey wrenches by setting a firm deadline for a monetary commitment. When people put down real money, whether for accommodation or activities, they’re more likely to follow through.