Planning Trips With Friends
Many of us are talking to friends about what to do when we are allowed to go back to "normal". Things are ranging form just sitting and having a girls night to wanting to plan a trip together! It can get uncomfortable when you start to have to sort through things like money, time off, comfort level with accommodations...
Before CoronaVirus hit one of my girlfriends and I were talking about heading to Europe over the summer. We wanted to sip on some wine, look chic as f^ck and in great shape and we went through all of these steps to set it up! Unfortunately, due to CoronaViurs we had to cancel plans but I know we'll go do something when things calm down!
Here are some tips to help manage the stress and any uncomfortable situations:
- Have the awkward conversations early. Make sure you sort out how much you want to spend, how much time you can take off & how you want to split it up as soon as you decide you want to go on a trip together! Make sure you are honest with each other about it, this will set you guys up for a kick ass trip! There is absolutely no shame in how much or little money you can spend or time you can take off. At the end of the day, you have to do what you are comfortable with and you don't owe anyone any explanation on your decision.
- If picking a spot to go wasn't the first thing you guys did, you may want to pick a spot! Do you want a beach? Do you want to go somewhere like Cuba or Europe where you can explore? I know for me, I really like switching it up between a relaxing beach vacation, a cool exploratory trip like Iceland or exploring Europe through wine! I have done all of the above and can not wait to continue to plan with my girl friends after this mess is all over. If you really cant decide between a few places either do a pro and con list or pick out of a hat!
- Map it out. It's so important to be on the same page. Not only with where you are going (obviously) but what you are doing when you are at the destination. Are you renting a car and driving around? Are you doing an all inclusive resort? Are you going to just wing it? It's also to remember it's okay to not be together all the time. I actually find on trips its helpful to not be together all the time. I enjoy having a bit of alone time each day, and most of the time on trips you are splitting a hotel room so there really isn't all that much time for "you" time. I would suggest going for a walk to get coffee, scheduling a massage, going to workout as some ideas on what to do to get a bit of alone time if you are craving it! One of my most fun trips was right after college, we rented a car and drove around the south of France, we picked spots to stay the night before or morning of! That was the plan from the very beginning of our plans! Most of the time, its done on a google doc to keep us all organized!
- Figure out how you are splitting it... Again, money can be an uncomfortable thing to talk about. As long as you have set guidelines at the bottom, meaning, an overall budget. I have found its easiest to keep it as even as possible (as in have someone buy the flights, someone pay for the hotel and then immediately Venmo the difference). As the trip goes on, make sure you keep tabs on who is paying for what and decide early on if you are going to immediately Venmo each other after someone pays for something or if you are going to keep a tally and do it once at the end of each day or at the end of the trip.
Happy planning!
Here are some of my fave pics from some great trips I've taken! Overall, I love traveling with each of my friends but they all travel differently. Its important to remember that everyone is a bit different so you need to make sure you are on the same page before you take off. Overall, relax, enjoy and have fun! Where are you going to go next?
Until next time,
