{"id":8870,"date":"2015-05-19T09:09:50","date_gmt":"2015-05-19T13:09:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/first2board.com\/verygoodpoints\/?p=8870"},"modified":"2015-05-16T21:49:29","modified_gmt":"2015-05-17T01:49:29","slug":"traveling-with-friends","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/first2board.com\/verygoodpoints\/2015\/05\/19\/traveling-with-friends\/","title":{"rendered":"Traveling With Friends Can Kill Friendships"},"content":{"rendered":"

Traveling can be stressful enough on its own! \u00a0Delayed flights, long waits at baggage claim, fatigued travelers and personal preferences are enough by themselves; add the dimension of traveling with friends, and you can have a recipe for disaster on your hands.\u00a0Traveling With Friends Can Kill Friendships.<\/p>\n

Let’s start with booking travel because this is where the headaches can begin for some. Deciding on a destination can be complex when multiple people are making the decision. Inevitably, someone is going to have to compromise unless you miraculously agree on all the details.<\/p>\n

I travel a lot with friends and sometimes it becomes a chore to plan these trips. One person says, “I don’t want to go to that place, I’ve been there 5 times,” The other person says, “I’ve never been to this place, let’s go there.” \u00a0Another says, “That’s too far, let’s meet in the middle, how about we go here?” \u00a0And that’s where the compromise begins. \u00a0Hopefully you’re not the one who is always making the compromises; if you are, you may want to look for a new group of travel friends. That’s what I did! Find travel companions who have similar travel styles.<\/p>\n

\"passport\"<\/p>\n

Once you pick a destination, you have to book flights. If you’re traveling on miles, it’s unlikely that everyone in the group will have miles on the same airline, and if they do, it’s unlikely you’ll find enough frequent flyer seats on the same flight (depending on group size, of course.) If you book flights on your own, you’re counting on the fact that everyone else will book while there are still awards available. \u00a0 If one person waits too long, there maybe no flights available and someone may end up staying home or laying out cash. Booking on your own also means you may end up on different flights, arriving at different times. \u00a0If one person runs into unexpected flight delays travel plans can be thrown off.<\/p>\n

Hotel\/accommodation booking can create all kinds of challenges for groups. Finding accommodations that meet everyone’s budget and taste can be tricky. \u00a0Sharing rooms can be great, or it can be down right awful. If you know the habits of the person you’re sharing a room with, then you’re much more likely to survive the trip. If you share with someone who has opposite habits or who doesn’t share your travel-style, you maybe in trouble. \u00a0If one person stays up late while the other likes to go right to sleep, that can lead to cranky roommates. Other things that can complicate rooming arrangements include: room temperature preferences, amount of light\/dark needed for sleeping, chatty roommates, room design and more.<\/p>\n

\"Brice<\/p>\n

Perhaps the biggest threat to friendships are finances. Paying for travel can create challenges for the best of friends. When one person pays the deposits, they maybe left holding the bag if the other person backs out of the trip. Likewise, if one person backs out of a trip, or cancels last minute, the other person may be forced to spend twice as much as they had budgeted. \u00a0 When paying for meals, entertainment, and activities, it’s easy to forget who paid last, how much they paid and who owes what. \u00a0No one wants to end the trip having laid out more money than planned.<\/p>\n

\"receipts\"<\/p>\n

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Personally, I’ve had some really good, and some really bad experiences while traveling with friends. \u00a0Here’s some advice based on my experiences:<\/p>\n