Traveling with friends can be a blast.  What better way to spend a vacation, than with people you know you enjoy hanging out with?  While it is fun to spend time with friends, you want to make sure that you make the best of your trip without running into any issues.  After all, a vacation is a little bit different from your usual get togethers.

1. Plan ahead

Planning is key for travel in general, and if you are spending vacation time with friends or family, just remember to plan ahead that much more.  Make decisions before you even leave, so that you can limit any confusion about things and not have to try to figure out things after you reach your vacation destination.

For example, decide how you are going to spend time and how you are going to handle situations involving money. Maybe you want to stay at your hotel or resort the whole time, or you want to go on paid excursions as a group. You really want to plan ahead and discuss your trip so that these things don’t become a point of contention if people can’t come to a decision during the vacation. By planning ahead, you don’t have to worry about getting consensus from everyone during your trip. Plus, it’s a vacation, and you don’t want to waste precious time trying to plan and take on things like polling everyone to see what they want to do. Instead, you can hop online and book your Nashville pub crawl tour today if you’re visiting Tennessee and want to indulge in a fun and informative tour, for instance, instead of waiting until you get to your destination.

2. Consider an all-inclusive

Maybe you’re a new couple, or perhaps this is a vacation from the kids.  There isn’t a better time to take advantage of going to an all-inclusive resort!  Why not also consider a couples resort?  This way, you don’t have to worry about additional costs at the resort, and you can enjoy it alongside other couples, as to places that cater to families and kids.  As a parent, I spend most of my time with my husband and kids, and going on a big vacation with kids is a lot of work, so a couple’s resort is a welcome change from our typical travel destinations.  You can spend quiet time on the beach or alongside the pool without dealing with kids running around.

3. Don’t spend all your time together

Friends are great for socializing and enjoying activities together, but do plan on spending some time doing different things.  Mix it up and make sure you check off your own personal bucket list of vacation desires, and get in some quality time with your significant other.  While it is fun to spend time with friends, you can still enjoy some time alone, as well as time with just you and your partner.

4. Plan a variety of activities, meals, etc.

I personally feel that the toughest part of a vacation is trying to make everyone happy.  I have no problem accommodating others, but remember, this is your vacation.  Maybe some folks in your party follow a vegetarian diet, while others want seafood every night – and that’s fine!  Take turns choosing where to have dinner, or to even split up.  This goes for all parts of your trip, from food to recreation to shows.  Perhaps someone in the group is a history buff and wants to spend a full day exploring ancient ruins.  Some people may want to read books by the pool while others want to take a SCUBA course, and there is no reason that everyone has to do the same thing throughout the trip.

5. Communicate

Overall, just remember to communicate.  If you’re annoyed because you feel like someone didn’t pay their share of something, or you want to do your own thing or something different from the rest of the group, it’s ok!  It is better to speak up before things start to become a problem.  The last thing you want is to put strain on your friendships.