Episode 39: How to Plan a Perfect Vacation with your Friends -

26Apr 2021 by EJtheTravelDiva

Are you planning to book a vacation with a friend? I love travelling with friends as much as the next person! It’s guaranteed fun, laughter, and great memories.

However, before you can get to having all that fun, you could find yourself going down a difficult and stressful road.

In the words of George Costanza from Seinfeld: some trips are relationship killers.

If you’re not properly prepared, or you don’t see the red flags, your trip could go very wrong. So, I came up with a list of tips to help you get to that fun trip with the right friends.

Let’s get to it:

[02:04] Purchase travel insurance.

If you’re travelling with another person, always purchase travel insurance.

What if something happens and they cancel? You’re going to want your money back, so you need to have the kind of travel insurance that gives you your money for any reason. Most insurance doesn’t cover no-questions-asked cancellations so make sure you have the right option.

[03:40] “Based on double occupancy”.

If your travel partner cancels on you, chances are you’re going to want to keep your plans and take the trip alone.

Many places have a double occupancy rate, so if your partner is removed from the itinerary, you’ll have to pay a single occupancy rate, which can be higher.

You have two options: do you want to pay extra for solo travel, or do you cancel your plans as well?

[05:36] Communication is key.

In my opinion, if you make the deposit on the trip, you’re making a commitment.

While there are always circumstances that could make it difficult, be a good friend and keep your commitment.

You know your friends – choose the right person to share a room with you.

[07:33] Stay in communication with your travel partner.

If you’re sharing a room with someone, you need to be in contact with them to make sure that they’re keeping to their commitment.

You don’t want to get to the payment date and the other person surprises you with the news that they can’t pay. Have the conversations about payments – if you’re not okay with having them with your friends, then you need to re-evaluate that friendship.

[10:12] Red Flags.

I’ve booked trips for so many people, I can see the red flags coming from day one.

If the person can’t pay the deposit, they will most likely struggle to pay the balance.

If the person isn’t making payments between the deposit and the balance, it could also be a red flag. Some people are able to make one lump sum payment for the balance, but there are also people who don’t make smaller payments in between and then the balance becomes too much for them to pay all at once.

If you have a friend in the group that doesn’t seem quite as excited about the trip as everyone else whenever it gets mentioned, just know that they don’t want to go on the trips but they don’t know how to tell you. If you’re this person, give your friend an advance notice.

Now that travel is opening up again, I had to share these tips with all of you so that you can avoid any of the horror stories that I’ve heard over the phone from clients. Travel can be a relationship killer if something goes wrong. Look out for warning signs, pick your friends wisely, and travel with peace of mind.

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