Travelling with friends can be one of the best things you can do. You have someone you know and love by your side as you see new things, experience different cultures, and make a bucket loads of memories. Plus you always have someone to relive that one time you danced the night away in Prague. But sometimes it can be hard to navigate emotional, financial, and personality differences. Here are our tips on travelling with your mates and keeping them close once you return home.

Set clear expectations with time and money

Some of the most difficult conversations can be around splitting bills, paying people back, and choosing where to stay and eat. It’s best that everyone knows how much everyone can be spending, plus how long each party has to be travelling the globe. This will give you clear guidelines on how long to stay in each place and the kinds of venues and activities on offer.

Tell each other what you would like to see and do (or not do) in each new place

We forget that some people have completely different ideas of what constitutes a good time. You might want to live like a local, go to small bars and cafes, while your friend might be all about big tourist attractions and the most well known restaurant in town. Once you know what you want from each town, you can either conquer it together, or separate and enjoy your own adventures, coming back together at the end to swap stories. Otherwise one party can be louder than the other, resulting in only one of you getting what you want.

Spend some time apart

Just because you’re travelling with a friend, doesn’t mean you have to spend all your time together. Especially if you discover you have different things on your to-do lists. Separating and coming back together can be the best thing for a friendship. You have different stories to share and time to miss the familiar company. Rather than becoming frustrated and sick of each other. 

Make other friends on your travels

Be open to making new friends while you’re away. With your best friend as your wingman there will be no problems making some new travel companions. Once you have a larger group of people to mingle with, it can take the pressure off you and your friend spending every minute of every day together. Plus, your new buddies will have seen and experienced different things, helping you decide what to do (or avoid) next.