So, this is it – vacation time! You conquered those exams to pass, managed those assignments with the help of EssayHub assignment writing services, and (hopefully) still had enough time for hobbies and parties.
You deserve some rest after a term full of hard work. (Yes, even if you had to google “write my term paper for cheap ” more than once.) And what’s a better way to spend your long-awaited holidays than with your friends?
Unfortunately, a group vacation can go off the rails in a blink of an eye or slowly and painfully turn into a disaster. It might take just one big argument over expenses or one uncomfortable situation to ruin it.
So, if you don’t want your relationships to become overshadowed by unpleasant vacation situations, establish some ground rules as a group. Here are eight of them to help you avoid the most common conflicts and frustrations.
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Have a Coordinator
Decide early on who’s going to be the leader of your group. But don’t offload all the booking and planning work to that person. That’s unfair. Instead, distribute the tasks evenly. In this case, the coordinator will just have to check in with everyone’s progress.
Coordinating is a demanding task. So, make sure you show your coordinator some gratitude during or after the trip. Prepare a surprise party or picnic for them, get them a gift, or, at the very least, remember to say “thank you so much!”.
Include Everyone in the Decision-Making Process
While there should be a coordinator, they can’t be the sole decision-maker. Otherwise, you risk ending up with a vacation that one person enjoys and the rest dislike or even detest. Authoritarian-style decision-making will leave no one happy.
The best way to go about it is to be inclusive. Discuss your vacation goals and expectations. Make it a rule to accommodate everyone’s needs whenever possible.
Agree On Your Spending Beforehand
First and foremost, everyone in the group should be able to afford this vacation. Plus, since you’re probably tight on money, you need to make sure everyone’s paying for themselves.
Here are four things to agree on when you discuss the financial aspect of the trip:
- your daily and overall budget – it’ll define your mode of transportation, accommodation, where and what you’ll eat, and how you’ll spend time in general;
- whether there are going to be shared expenses or everyone’s in for themselves from the start;
- how you’re going to pay during the trip: it’s either one person pays, and others reimburse them, or everyone gets a separate check;
- the logistics of splitting up expenses: the payment method (cash or Venmo) plus whether or not to use any expense tracking app.
Make Sure Everyone’s on the Same Page, Always
How well you communicate in the group can make it or break it. That goes not only for the logistics – you should be on the same page regarding everyone’s boundaries, expectations, and plans.
Set up a group chat for your vacation team and share everything there. Discuss your plans there, or at least leave a reminder that you agreed upon doing this or that tomorrow. And always, always write when and where you agreed to meet up.
You can even go a bit further and have a Google doc with all the necessary info. It can contain your flight timetable, any other activities you’ve scheduled, everyone’s contact details, etc.
Be on Time
No one wants to wait around for the always-running-late person. First, the vacation isn’t going to last forever. Second, if you have a flight or a tour guide scheduled, no one will be interested in why you’re late.
So, don’t be that person. Make it an explicit rule to be on time for everyone or at least warn others if you’re going to be late in case of a force majeure.
Be Present
There’s a reason you all have decided to go on a trip with your friends, right? And that reason is, probably, to spend time with them.
So, if you find yourself on your phone more often than talking to your fellow travelers, that’s not great. Remember to put your phone away and be present in the moment.
By the way, you can make it a group rule to never use your phone while eating or doing something else together. Bonus rule: whoever breaks it first will have to pay the whole bill.
Remember That It’s Ok to Split Up & Have Some Me-Time
You probably won’t be able to hang out together 24/7. That’s because you’re bound to end up having different preferences on how to spend time.
For example, some people might be in the mood for partying till 5 am, while others’ need to sleep outweighs the desire to party.
It’s completely natural to have different wants and interests. So, go solo or split up in smaller groups. But! Never wander off without saying a word. Tell your fellow travelers you go off and agree on when and where you’ll meet up.
Respect Everyone’s Boundaries
It’s true what they say. You never know a person well enough until you’ve lived with them for some time.
To make it go smooth, just remember: everyone has boundaries. So, respect others’ needs and habits.
Here are a few suggestions for making it work:
- take into account your sleeping habits when you choose the roommate(s);
- keep the noise down if you’re up and others are still asleep;
- set up a bathroom schedule;
- clean up after yourself in the common areas;
- decide on how you’re going to approach chores like cooking and cleaning (so that everyone does their fair share of work).
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One Final Rule: Have Fun!
This rule might be the most important of all. If you don’t have fun together, then what’s the point of going on a trip with a bunch of people?
So, once all the planning is done, remember to let go, relax, and enjoy your vacay with your favorite people!
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