How to Travel Peacefully with Your Family & Friends

We usually spend time with friends and family in three or four hour blocks, going to dinner and the movies or watching a football game.  So, when friends and family decide to travel together, they’re suddenly faced with each other’s whims, needs and preferences 24/7, which sometimes causes enough friction to sabotage the vacation.  Here are some tips on how to make sure that family and friends remain friendly while traveling.

Establish Ground Rules

When my dad took our family of 13 on a cruise a number of years ago, one of the first things we discussed was that we needed to establish some ground rules.  We had ages 6 to 66 going on this trip with two of them college-age students. My dad was one to call everyone early in the morning and wake them up.  This was a big no-no.  We had some who wanted to sleep in and some who were early risers.  The first ground rule was no one was to call anyone in the mornings.  We had a place on the ship where we would meet in the mornings after you got up.  On port days, we set a time and meeting place so we would all leave the ship at the same time.  Now, we take family radios with us and the rule is to turn them on when you wake up and ask if anyone is up yet. RULE # 1:  If your traveling companions’ style differs from yours, find an amicable compromise in the planning stages in order to prevent any conflicts while on your vacation.

Separate and Share

Plan to do separate activities once or twice during the trip, promising to meet up for dinner to share your experiences.  The second ground rule on our family cruise was ALL of us would have dinner together every night.  RULE # 2:  The perfect time to play apart is during the daytime when each couple/person/family might choose a different excursion or sightseeing tour.  Come nighttime, you’ll be trading wild tales over cocktails and dinner about your divergent adventures.

Leave Emotions at Home

If you know your friends well enough to plan an international trip with them, then you should have a pretty good idea about their likes and dislikes.  We travel with two couples who are our best friends.  We have some

shoppers and some sightseers in this group.  If one couple wants to do something different than the rest, no one gets their feelings hurt. RULE # 3: Don’t feel like you have to be joined at the hip every minute of every day. A little wiggle room for everyone is good.

Agree on the Budget

RULE # 4:  Have a frank talk before you go about how much you intend to spend, how frequently you want to eat at fancy restaurants and other activities that will cost money.

Keep Talking

Always express your opinions and ask for your traveling companions opinions in return.  Only by knowing what both parties like and dislike will you be able to find a common ground.  RULE # 5:  The key to peacefully traveling with your friends and family is keeping the lines of communication open. 

By following these simple tips, you can have a stress-free, fun-filled vacation with those friends and family you cherish most.