Over the past few years, I’ve been on several trips with friends, and I can assure you—some went well, others not so great. So to make sure the next trip you take with your friends is as great as you imagine, let me give you some tips on how to plan a trip with friends and to make the best of it!

Aligning Expectations

When traveling, not everyone is the same. Some might enjoy dipping their feet in the water and sunbathing all day, while others would rather visit a museum or explore the city. To make sure no one is frustrated by the end of the trip, it’s important for you and your friends to align before planning anything. Here are some questions you can ask yourselves :

• Do you prefer waking up early or late ?
• Relaxing or productive days ?
• Indoor or outdoor activities ?
• Eating out or eating in ?
• Hostels, Airbnb, or hotel ?
• Walking or taking a car ?

Choosing a destination

You maybe already have a destination in mind. If that’s the case, great—skip to the next step. Otherwise, organize a quick brainstorming with your friends. Everyone can share one or several destinations and try to sell them to the others.

It helps to research the destination a bit beforehand. Look into the pros and cons so you can explain everything clearly.

Also, don’t be afraid to say no. Don’t force yourself to go somewhere if you’re not feeling it. You’ll end up frustrated and feel like you wasted your money.

I’m sure you’ll find a destination that works for everyone. And if you don’t, it might save you from a future argument !

Agree on the Budget

This point goes along with preferences and destinations. Not all places fit the same budget, and hotel choices, for example, can be very different.

Agreeing on a budget helps align everyone’s expectations. You can break it down—how much you want to spend on average for accommodation, food, transport, and so on.

Research Time & Destination Brainstorming

Now that you’ve agreed on the most important things, you can start digging into destination research!

It’s important to do some research for every place you go to—not just alone, but also as a group. To make sure everyone’s on the same page, create a Google Doc or Slide to share the info with everyone.

If you find cool places to stay or fun activities, link them and ask for feedback.

This step is also key if you plan to visit several cities. For instance, for my Taiwan trip, we researched first to agree on which cities to include before booking anything. We also checked transportation between each city to see if it was doable and how long it would take.

Here are some things you can look into:

• Transportation
• Cities
• Activities

As you check out destinations, you can also create shared Pinterest boards or instagram saved posts.

Planning Calls & Task Splits

Once you have a first outline, it’s time for bookings!

You have two options: either split responsibilities (hotels, transport, activities…) or decide everything together. I’d recommend the second option—but with a twist.

Split the deep-dive research. For example, one person is in charge of finding a hotel in Taipei. Each person finds 2 or 3 options for their task and shares the links and details.

You can also make to-do lists so everyone knows what needs to be done.

Then, book a slot to go through everything together. For each part, choose from the options, and once everyone agrees, the person in charge can make the reservation.

Gather everything

As bookings are being done it is important to keep all the receipts and booking confirmations. As a group you can have several options to record and share everyhting :

• Shared Google Drive
• Notion
• Shared Gmail address

These options help you keep everything in one place and easy to access on your phone—so you have it everywhere.

I insist—it’s important to share everything. It can really help in tricky situations.

For example, during one of my trips, my friend’s phone died and we had to take a train. Luckily, we had saved everything in Notion, so I could access her ticket through our files.

So add everything, even your own tickets!

Another tip: sync everything on a Google Calendar. It makes tracking the schedule super easy.

Plan downtime

Traveling together can be tiring—physically and mentally. Not everyone has the same energy for constant interaction.

To keep the peace and avoid getting on each other’s nerves, plan some downtime. Leave space with no activities, just relaxing at your accommodation.

It gives everyone a chance to unwind, send pictures to family and friends, or just scroll on Instagram.

It might not seem important, but I really recommend it to make sure your trip goes smoothly!

Other Useful Apps:

• Tri Count: This app is the best one to monitor your budget while on a day trip. Everyone can add how much they paid for grocery shopping, for instance, so at the end of the trip you can pay back those who paid the most to make sure no one is frustrated.
• Polarsteps: It is an amazing app for road trips and when you visit different cities. The app tracks where you go, and you can add pictures to every spot to record memories. You can share the trip with your friends so they can add their pictures as well!

Now that you have planned everything and you are ready to go, check out my ultimate packing list (for semester abroad or not !)