How to prepare for a holiday with your friends

In honour of World Friendship Day on Monday 30th July, we started to think about all of the fun ways we can celebrate and show our appreciation to our friends. Whether it’s the ones that have been there from the very beginning or the new friends in your life who you just clicked with straight away, it’s important to show each and every one that you care.

Sometimes life can be hectic, and we forget to show our friends the appreciation they deserve. A special card, a shopping day or even going as far as going on holiday together can take a lot of commitment and preparation, but these handy travel tips will have you both soaking up the sun in no time.

Be clear on your budget

Before you start planning your trip with your friends, you need to set your own budgets for flights, accommodation, food, entertainment, transportation and excursions. If your friend earns more than you she might want to do things that you can’t afford or stay in luxury hotels – not ideal if you hope to opt for more affordable travel. Either way, you need to come to some sort of agreement on your travel budget! It may be a bit awkward at first but doing so will help to avoid any arguments in the long run. Once you’ve decided on budget, consider having a shared travel fund where everyone contributes the same amount of money.

Plan a basic itinerary

You also want to make sure you talk about what you both want to do on the trip so that you can create an itinerary that everyone is happy with. Are you looking to just lay by the beach, or will you be joining walking tours to soak up a new culture? Whatever the details, make a list of your must-see places or activities beforehand, then decide how you’ll prioritise and split your time.

Communicate with each other

Communication is key when it comes to planning a trip with your friend. At the end of the day, you don’t want one person doing all the work and planning. Be sure to make a list of everything that needs to be done for the trip and assign tasks for each of you as far in advance as possible. You could even create a WhatsApp group to make it easier to share thoughts and ideas.

Discuss your habits

If it’s a close friend, hopefully you already know most of their habits by now, but it always helps to ask anyway in advance; this will help to prevent conflicts and ensure realistic expectations. You might be a morning person who wants to get an early start on the day’s activities, while your friend might be a person who prefers to spend her nights clubbing and the mornings sleeping in.

Pack all the essentials

Depending on the size of your luggage (check the airline’s website) and how long you’re going away for, there are some essentials that you should always take to avoid having to buy once you’ve arrived at your destination – buying them there could end up costing you a lot more!

• Forever’s Travel Kit is the perfect companion for your next trip, with all toiletries under 100ml

• Travel adaptors

• Camera, to capture those moments with your friend

• Headphones for the plane or lazing around on the beach

• If your prone to getting sunburnt, apply Forever’s Aloe Vera Gelly to soothe the skin

• Large bag to travel with which can also double up as your beach bag

• Passport and travel documents

• Travel currency or credit card in case of emergencies

• Forever Sun Lips to keep those lips protected

• Moisturiser – apply before you fly to keep your complexion hydrated

• Book/Kindle to read whilst sunbathing

• Sunglasses, for when you land

How do you prepare for your travels? Let us know in the comments.