A fun girls trip to the Caribbean or a co-ed sky trip to the mountains could be just the thing you need to relax, recoup and strengthen bonds with good friends. Yet, we’ve all heard of the horror stories of group trips: someone doesn’t have enough money, someone drinks too much and needs to be babysat or even worse someone meets the “love of their life” and loses all sensibility. Group trips don’t have to be exhausting and if everyone is courteous they can create memories to cherish for years to come. Here are a few guidelines to follow when planning group travels to ensure nothing but laughs, love, and litness.

Choose the Right Group
Make sure your travel group all has similar tastes and travel preferences. Just because you’re best friends, doesn’t mean you will travel well together. Make sure you have similar ideas of what “fun” means and you have a similar budget in mind. It’s also a good idea to make sure you have a similar itinerary style. If you like to plan every minute of your trip, you probably won’t travel well with a friend who likes to wing it. It’s important to note, that you don’t have to do everything together as a group. So it’s okay and completely courteous if some of the group prefers one activity over the other. Just set these expectations before leaving so everyone is on the same page.

Give Advance Notice
Impromptu trips can be fun, just don’t expect a large response. People leave busy lives and schedules book up fast. If you want to plan a group trip, give your friends months (preferably 3 or more) in advance to prepare and commit.

Outline Costs and Prepay (when possible) Beforehand
Finances can be one of the top sources of conflict with group travel. It’s important for the organizer to outline all costs ahead of time and decide how funds should be collected. We found in our experience it’s best to collect as many funds as possible prior to the trip if certain costs like lodging need to be split and let individual costs be handled by the person. However, some choose to have one person prepay and collect funds at the end of the trip.

Be Mindful of Space
On the trip, be mindful of other’s space. Keep common areas clean and don’t monopolize shared spaces like the bathroom with your items.

Be An Adult
Everyone is traveling to have a good time, so strive to always be considerate. If you plan to go off by yourself, communicate to the group so they know. Don’t flake on expenses you promised to pay. Avoid drinking to the point that you need a babysitter. Treat others how you would like to be treated.

These simple guidelines make a big impact! Any specific group travel etiquette questions we didn’t cover? Ask below!!