Harriet Laban shares her own experiences of planning a group holiday, to make it easier for you
Some of my favourite memories that I’ve had with friends over the years have been the group holidays we’ve been on. From staying in a hostel in Ilfracombe fresh out of Year 11, to going away to Prague with friends from university when we were still in the beginnings of friendship, holidays with friends can provide fun and bonding experiences. There are of course many ways to organise a trip with friends, and for each of mine we have approached it differently.
When we went to Ilfracombe, we took it day by day. Arriving on the coach and excited to be away without adults for the first time, we absorbed everything the Devonshire coastline had to offer. Chatting over breakfast and dinner each day, we would decide what our activities would be and took a very spontaneous approach. We stayed very local, content to just be in one another’s company, which is, after all, the point of going away with people who are special to you, whether it be a partner or your friends. True organisation was minimal, but this didn’t seem to matter.
The second group holiday I went on was a bit further afield, as we travelled to Taormina in Sicily, which required a little more thought. It presented a whole new set of challenges; everything from sharing luggage without tipping it over the baggage weight limit, to balancing time spent in the burning sun with cooling off in our cool casa. Throughout the holiday, it took some degree of interpersonal navigation to keep everyone happy, as our outlooks on what we wanted to do differed. This is the beauty of going away with others; it forces you to be more aware of their needs, and often times you will have to compromise. Every time you do, you experience something new and learn to be forgiving, which ultimately reinforces the foundations of your friendships.
Some of you will be the detailed planners, and that some of you will prefer to push for all the fun trips
For my first trip away with friends newly made at university, five of us decided to go to Prague. The organisation of this holiday was a big contrast to what any of us had done before, as we all had different travel backgrounds. Fortunately, we were able to make compromises, all sitting together to choose where to stay and the more intricate planning details. For some, it was difficult to concede to staying in an AirBnB rather than a hostel, but for others, it was the obvious choice. It grants you privacy, space, and worked out to be the same price as a hostel anyway!
We learnt that when on holiday, everyone in the group tends to take on a different role. Accepting that some of you will be the detailed planners, and that some of you will prefer to push for all the fun trips, is an amazing thing. It helps you to relax, and allows everyone to figure out the role they play in the group in general. It releases you from the pressure of having to be the one to do it all. At such a key time in blossoming friendships, it reinforced what we had begun to witness whilst living together at uni, and brought us closer together in a shorter amount of time.
On each of the holidays I have been on, there have been wild differences. However, each was always incredibly enjoyable, both in terms of the travel experience and the time spent with friends. It is always worth remembering that the point of going away together is to bond and make fun memories, so all the compromises and challenges you face with one another only ever serve to make your friendships stronger.
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