Oh the beauty of friendship and travel! For the past eleven years, the majority of my travels have been with friends, family or even acquaintances like classmates or roommates. I would say nine out of ten times, my experiences turned out wonderful! That one out of ten, though, would push me to avoid a few people for years to come. Here are some tips to sustain a fun and easy trip with friends and family.

Express Your Needs

Before digging in, I should preface you should define your travel style and needs early on. Are you a traveler that likes to wake up early? Do you prefer to sit down and eat or grab a quick bite? Whether you like spending hours in a museum or snapping a quick picture at a tourist spot, let your travel partners know what you want out of the day. If you prefer to go with the flow and let them navigate, state it!

If your needs don’t align, plan to adventure solo for a few hours. A good way to plan and communicate attractions you’d like to visit, make a Google List. Check out my article explaining how to make and share an itinerary through the Google Maps app.

Set Boundaries for Yourself

As an anxious people-pleaser, I have fallen into the trap of pushing myself to the limit while traveling with friends. I’m sad to say I’ve let a sleep-deprived explosion get the best of me more than once. I think part of my therapy journey was once thinking I needed to set boundaries with others, to learning that the biggest boundary I needed was with myself. I’ve learned to let my travel partners know, “Wow, I’m exhausted. I’m gonna listen to an audiobook and maybe take a nap” and I remove myself from the situation to give myself space.

Discuss Budget Upfront

In lieu of setting boundaries for yourself, ask your friend(s) what their budget is for this trip in the planning stage of your trip. One of my friends’ college roommates invited her to a spontaneous weekend trip. After she bought her plane ticket they sent her a Venmo request for their luxury Airbnb, assuming they were on the same page. Again, state your needs, even if that makes you the “bad guy”. At the end of the day, you are in control of your travel experience!