Six ways to annoy your friends while on holiday including poor photo manners
Forgetting to share photos and failing to prepare are two prime ways to annoy your pals when on holiday.
Almost two thirds (65%) of those planning on travelling in the next three years are planning on doing so with friends, according to an Expedia survey. While travelling with your buddies can create life long memories and leave you feeling closer than ever, it also presents many relationship straining opportunities.
Two friends recently spoke of their travails travelling, with the two pals returning from a once in a lifetime trip to Vietnam never further apart from one another. "I haven’t really thought about reaching out to her," one of the friends, Sophie, said of her former chum.
The pals experienced itinerary squabbles. While Poppy wanted to go on group tours and sight-see as much as possible, Sophie enjoyed a more relaxed approach to exploring a new area. According to Ed Maughan, marketing director of GroupAccommodation.com - a specialist group getaway provider - there are some things that you can do to limit the chances of a relationship breaking apart during a big trip away.
“Whether it’s a lack of sleep, different travel styles, or a lack of clear communication that causes quarrels with your friends, the last thing you want is for it to leave a bad taste in your mouth for the remainder of your holiday," he said.
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The stresses and strains of a holiday make it a prime time to fall-out (Getty Images/iStockphoto)“And friendships aren’t without their various hurdles, but anyone planning a ‘friendcation’ should be thinking ahead as to what could go wrong so that you’re not left with a fallen out friendship group mid-way through what should have been a fantastic getaway." Ed has shared his top tips to avoid falling out with your friends on holiday and to ensure that the trip away is a pleasant and stress free as possible.
Space is a key
If you’re planning on travelling with a large group of friends, you’ll want to make sure that you have plenty of space to spread out during your stay or risk getting under each other’s feet and sparking an argument or two.
“Space is probably your most valuable asset while travelling with others, as no one has a social battery that’s never ending. For when you all need some time to just enjoy your own company after long days of engaging with one another, having your own area to retreat to during the day or in the evenings will work wonders," Ed said.
The travel expert advises that carefully choosing your accommodation for your trip means you can pick and choose exactly how much space your group will need, offering everyone the chance to have some peace and quiet.
“Groups of cottages, or properties with multiple units, are an underrated accommodation option. These give your group the chance to be more separate for when you need ‘you time’, while still keeping you within easy reach of one another to meet up for dinners, activities, and days out when you’re all ready and raring to socialise," he added.
Don't over spend
Money is one of the factors that can cause the biggest strain on a holiday, especially if you don’t establish your budgets from the offset. One in 10 people say they have lost a friend because of arguments about money during a holiday, according to a poll from budgeting app Hyperjar.
“You might consider it to be an awkward conversation, but having the money chat with your peers can go a long way in helping you all be on the same page in knowing what you can and can’t collectively afford so that no one is left out or disappointed should they not have enough set aside compared to others," Ed said.
The travel pro recommends that you could start saving money together ahead of a holiday or with the general idea of going away - a strategy that’s particularly useful for when any spontaneous group opportunities crop up.
“Don’t go out of pocket just because money is a sensitive topic. After all, you’re friends aren’t travelling with you to spend as much as they can, they’re travelling to make memories with you," he continued.
Assign responsibilities
One big part of travelling with friends is knowing where responsibilities are going to be shared, so that everyone does their bit. These shared responsibilities could be tasks as little as taking bins out or cooking breakfast for the group.
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Ed advises that if these duties aren’t predefined, it could lead to some heated discussions. He said: "Enforcing a clear schedule and rota for duties like cooking if you have self-catering accommodation, and other small tasks like cleaning and washing, stops any one individual from having to do all of the dirty work, or these duties simply not getting done, which is where arguments may arise
“Cooking rotas can be a big benefit to a group, especially if you’re looking to cut back on costs during your travels. It’s more than easy to think about what quick meals you can make and have your friends decide who will be making these on which day of your trip. Other group members can play their part too, such as by doing clean-up duty or during preparation.”
Work to a timeline
While some might feel that it’s a little uptight to have a predetermined itinerary before a holiday, having at least a rough idea of what your plans could be is a useful strategy to avoid fallouts.
“By having an itinerary, and therefore working to a timeline, you offer clarity so that everyone knows what they will be doing, and therefore what the expectations are, during your trip. This means there should be no waiting around for your 8pm dinner reservation because someone hasn’t finished doing their makeup, and you shouldn’t be rushing around from pillar to post to fit all of your activities in," Ed said.
“This also offers the opportunity to iron out anything from the itinerary that some of your friends would choose not to do so that you can find a compromise to suit everyone better, or decide to spend some time apart doing the things you individually love. As if this was left it could lead to disputes later down the line!”
Set expectations
As much as you and your friends will share likes and dislikes, you’ll also have individual wants about what you want to gain from your getaway. Discussing your group’s expectations in advance can open up conversations and get everyone on the same page to create a holiday experience that will be loved by all.
“Some of your friends may be used to a relaxation getaway, doing nothing but lounging by the pool all day sipping cocktails. But you on the other hand may be ready to venture out at the break of dawn to discover new cultural experiences at every turn," Ed said.
Being willing to meet your peers halfway will help to keep everyone happy and best cater to everyone’s expectations, so that no one feels that their wants are being disregarded.
Share the memories
While it's easy to snap away during a holiday, actually doing something with the pictures afterwards is a little harder. It's fairly likely that you or your friend have had to chase others for the best of the bunch, with tensions rising amongst those who want to keep their socials up to date.
“The app PhotoCircle is a great platform that I’d recommend where friends can upload all of their photos into one shared folder for everyone to pick and choose their favourites to download. It’s so quick and easy to use and will avoid friends having to chase you up for the best photos of themselves or your group, which could cause a fallout or two," Ed said.
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