GREENSBORO, N.C. — Friends do everything together, from hanging out to helping each other out. Friends seem to make life better. And you’d think that vacationing with friends would make you closer. But, would you be surprised to know that “1 in 10 friendships are ruined by taking vacations together?” That’s what a travel site in the UK discovered.
According to the same travel site in the UK, 24% of the people surveyed said that money was the key factor. This leads me to believe that differences in what people want to spend on activities, restaurants, whether to walk or Uber, is what’s causing the divide. If one friend has an open wallet and money isn’t a concern, and the other is trying to vacation on a budget, it can cause a rift. Also, friends can disagree about where to visit and what to do. The issue isn’t the difference of opinion. The problem is that one friend feels forced to spend more money than they want or feels like their friend doesn’t understand them.
Knowing that you have fun with a friend is a part of figuring out if you’d enjoy traveling with him. That’s the easy part. The more complicated part is knowing your friend well enough to know how they handle stress, unexpected situations like flight delays and cancelations, sold-out venues, and rude travelers you might encounter. Also, if you’re sharing a room, are your sleeping habits similar. Do they stay up late? Do they sleep with the TV on? Do they snore? Knowing the answers to these questions will help you figure out whether traveling together will be enjoyable?
When traveling with anyone, realize that you have to be flexible. Plans change. Stuff happens. Be sure to pack an extra dose of patience. If your friend does something that rubs you wrong, give them the benefit of the doubt and talk to them about what changed or happened?
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