A Holiday with friends: the best travel tips

Holidays with friends sound like quality time and wonderful memories for eternity. In order to make the trip with your best friend or even with the whole clique an unforgettable experience (in the positive sense), I have put together the best tips for destinations and types of travel.

Is it a good idea to go on holiday with friends?

There’s a lot to be said about it! The most fun can be had on a holiday together with someone who shares your interests and lifestyle. Other than your life partner or family, what could be more natural than spending your holidays with friends? Whether you don’t have a partner or want to go on vacation without one, whether you want to rekindle your friendship or simply enjoy a relaxing holiday with someone you know.

How do I plan a holiday with friends?

1. Agree on how much you are willing to spend. The budget is the first thing you need to consider when planning a group holiday. That is how much each of you can afford. It’s a good idea to consider how much everyone has before making the budget, because most friendship groups have people with different incomes.
2. How do I pick a holiday destination? Next, you should shortlist some destinations where you want to have your holiday. When picking a destination you should get suggestions from everyone in the group. Impressive beach or central location? An island with beautiful beaches or rather an amazing mountain scenery? A city trip or a wellness escape?
3. Should I book a package holiday or book indipendently? Generally, a package holiday is more stress-free but has less flexibility than booking everything yourself. But considering the Covid-19 situation it is the safest thing to do.
4. Agree on a holiday accommodation. Luxurious hotel or self-catering flat? A flat might in the desired location might be cheaper but might also lead to more conflicts when you try to agree on splitting the costs, doing the household, agreeing on food…
5. What is the leader’s role? If the leader is good then it won’t be a lot of work for him/her as they would use everyone equally and will mainly be coordinating everything.
6. How do I keep everyone up to date? To keep everyone up to date with what’s happening you should create a WhatsApp group, or use a similar messaging service. Also very practical for sharing holiday advice.

Where can I go on holiday with friends

Of course, it depends on what your interests are. If you have different ideas about what to do together, it will be difficult to find common ground. Do you want to experience a destination that has exciting nightlife, so the holiday together doesn’t begin till the evening, or do you want to go sightseeing and explore nature during the daytime? You should talk about your trip together in advance so that spending time together means still being friends afterwards 😉

Here are my travel tips for the best places to go on holiday with friends and things to do on holiday with friends:

City trip

The perfect holiday for those interested in culture is in the city. European metropolises are too boring for you? A unique city trip is certainly a trip to Marrakech. Not too far away and still exotic. With the right holiday accommodation, the mix of bustling bazaar atmosphere and wellness oasis becomes an extraordinary trip with friends.

Road Trip

Just get in the car and drive off, that’s pure freedom and reminiscent of classics of world cinema. But beware, the potential for conflict is quite high. Therefore, you should think carefully beforehand about how you will split the unexpected costs, whether everyone will pay the same amount and how spontaneous you will ultimately be in choosing the route and holiday accommodation.

Holidays with friends in Austria

No wonder Austria is so popular with groups of friends. Whether it’s winter or summer, everything is available here for an epic holiday and it’s accessible by car (depending on where you live, of course).

Where to go in Austria in summer? Hiking or e-biking in the Alps, of course. I especially recommend Styria, Tyrol and Vorarlberg as a holiday destination. A holiday in Austria with children is also a dream, especially once the kids are really good on their feet.

Skiing holidays

For a holiday together, a skiing holiday is probably the number one choice! Everybody can ski down the mountain at their own pace, and evening after evening you can toast to an unforgettable holiday in the alpine atmosphere of après-ski.

Have you already booked your next holiday in the mountains?

All Inclusive

An all-inclusive holiday with friends is perfect for a pleasant holiday where there should be no arguments about joint activities and expenses. Everyone can decide whether they want to eat and drink cocktails all day, play beach volleyball, sizzle in the sun on amazing beaches or actually leave the hotel and go on an excursion.

To meet the needs of all your fellow travellers, especially in terms of the range of services, it is worth spending a little more money. This way, you get a hotel where sporty friends or those with a particular diet don’t feel they have to miss out on anything because of their travel partners.

If you want to be extra luxurious, treat yourself to a hotel room with a swim-up pool. If you’re a large group of friends, the pool is practically yours if you book all the rooms next to each other.

Best destinations for an all inclusive holiday with friends:

• Egypt
• Turkey
• Greece
• Tunisia
• Zanzibar
• Mexico
• Spain
• Portugal

Wellness

Probably mostly a woman’s thing, but tough men deserve a pampering programme too! A wellness holiday for friends is just right for those friends who can rarely switch off in everyday life and see each other far too rarely. There is enough time to chat, read, doze and also space for each and every one.

Workation

 

All you need for work is a laptop and you can work from anywhere? Take your bestie with you on your workation and after work comes pleasure! And you don’t even have to take days off. Here are the best hotels for a cosy, well-equipped home office in your hotel room.

Family holiday with friends

Two birds with one stone: children entertain each other, parents finally spend more time with long-time friends. What kind of holiday suits best?

• Your children are fighting or think the other one is really stupid today? Book a hotel with childcare, so each child can also play with other children.
• Don’t feel like doing the housework and cooking? Book a hotel with all-inclusive catering.
• Don’t want to worry about expenses or deal with the unpleasant task of splitting the costs? Again, the all-inclusive holiday scores points for a family holiday with friends.
• Or would you prefer a holiday flat? Depending on the size of the flat, it is worth booking a flat separately for each family. That way, you close the door behind you in the evening and can be all to yourself.

Family holiday with kids

 

Best destination for a short trip

A short trip with friends is most worthwhile if the journey is short and uncomplicated. Depending on where you live, you can get to an island like Mallorca faster by airplane than to a destination in the UK by car or train. Decide how much you want to spend on travel, how many hours of travel time are okay with you, what impact on the environment is ok with you and how you would like to spend a relaxing long weekend together.

 

Holidays for teenage friends

Dad doesn’t want you to go camping with your crowd because he’s afraid he’ll become a grandfather afterwards? Unfortunately, it is a legal requirement that minors need their parents’ permission to travel alone or with other underage friends.

But that doesn’t mean there’s no way to have a great holiday with friends as a teenager. Many adults-only hotels accept guests as young as 16 accompanied by their parents. This is much more luxurious than camping 😀 So if you want to travel alone with your best friend and your parents don’t want you to, this would be a great opportunity to have a comfortable holiday with friends and let mum or dad pay for it 😉 You’ll have to negotiate how hard you can party with your parents when you get there.

The best hotels for adults

Conclusion

Be honest with each other about your interests and budget when travelling and give each person enough freedom. Then your holiday with friends will be exactly as you imagined – or even better. What was your best holiday with friends? I’m happy to find out in your comments.