The special bond that we share with our friends is a beautiful thing. They are there in the good times, bad times, and sometimes everything in between. Nevertheless, no matter how many times a day you text or how many dinners and movies you’ve experienced together, there is nothing like going on a vacation together to see if you are truly compatible and can stand the test of time.
This very subject has actually touched me personally. Years ago I became good friends with someone who I decided to meet in Europe for a week-long vacation. All in all things generally went well, until we needed to talk about money. For simplicity sake, I had arranged all of the details and made the reservations, some of which I needed to pre-pay. When all of the costs were presented at the end, there was a lot of complaining and penny pinching. Needless to say, we have not gone on another vacation since.
I would like to share a few critical discussion points to consider before venturing out on an excursion with your BFFs:
Understand each other’s goals – Every individual participating in a vacation has a personal goal in
mind regarding what they want to get out of it. For one it may be to get much needed rest by relaxing on a beach doing absolutely nothing. Yet for others, it may be to explore every inch of the island and sign up for all the activities the resort has to offer. It is extremely important to have a vacation planning discussion ahead of time to communicate what type of vacation is desired before booking any reservations or deciding on a final destination. If tensions start to rise during this process, it is a good opportunity to rethink it.
