How to Share a Vacation With Friends Without Ruining Your Trip
Vacation rentals with friends are a great way to cut down on living costs and get a place to hang out after a long day of sightseeing. But splitting up vacation rentals doesn’t always go smoothly – we all had one friend preparing the bathroom, throwing his belongings on the couch, or trying to dodge by paying his fair share.
We have a few ideas on how to split vacation rentals and maintain friendships, and while this planning and high level of communication isn’t for everyone, it tends to make vacationing with other people smoother. If that’s not your style, or your friends refuse to talk about things in such detail, then you may need to take a more winged approach. If you do, be aware that things may not go the way you want them to, or that not everyone will be happy with what ultimately happens.
Coordinates ahead of time
As with any group trip, one or two targeted planning sessions go a long way to ensure that the trip is enjoyed by everyone. Your session should include discussion:
- Two or three basic desires of each person in the rental . You need to understand what is important to each friend. Establish an expectation that everyone will not get all of their main desires, but this will give the group an idea of what to do first when choosing a location. For example, if three out of five people consider being close to the beach their main desire, this should be considered when booking. Make sure everyone has at least one satisfied wish so they don’t feel like they are paying to stay in a place they don’t even like.
- Expectations from the trip . This goes beyond sharing a vacation rental, but it is something you should discuss in advance. Some might want to go to a club, while others might expect to start sightseeing early every day. You don’t want to leave your room after a party to see how annoyed your friend is that you didn’t get up in time to be the first in line at the museum.
- Sharing the main costs . Discuss how the costs of food, transportation, activities, and rent will be split up. Will everything be divided equally? Or should people expect to pay based on the size of their room? Also agree on how the damage caused to the rental by one person will be reimbursed.
- Who owns the organization and what parts of the trip . To avoid confusion, ask people to volunteer to organize the various parts of the trip. Things like booking a rental and contacting the host, planning any meals you cook, who actually prepares (this may vary within the group), booking rented cars or train tickets, and purchasing other supplies you need.
- Guest policy . Decide from the start if other people will be allowed to join your trip when planning has already begun. You should also discuss if last minute guests are allowed, and if so, what this means for total costs and how they are allocated.
- Schedule for confined spaces . Determine who likes to shower in the morning and evening to schedule a bathroom visit. Discuss your morning routine so you know if you need to rent a mirror or other place that you can use for hair, makeup, and other preparations to keep the bathroom free. You may also decide to go a step further and set up a cooking and cleaning schedule if your group is planning to eat a lot in the rented apartment.
- What to do if someone falls out . It sucks, but sometimes people have to give up the trip. Discuss in advance what expenses they are responsible for (this may depend on when they are canceling) and how plans might change if someone leaves the program. You may need to change your rent or cut other travel expenses to offset the increased costs.
Not everyone will be thrilled to dive into such details, so suggest planning as a fun meeting where you can all enjoy your trip even more. Sipping drinks or snacking on tasty treats, everyone is in the mood to agree on details.
If you can’t meet in person, you can supplement it with Facetime, a phone call, or shared Google Docs. Avoid long threads or group messages. If others are reluctant to participate in the planning phase, consider whether you are really ready to go with them on the journey. Lack of effort from the start could ruin a vacation.
Set Home Rules
Once you arrive at your vacation rental, speak with you to discuss house rules. Some of these will relate to the scheduling and other agreements you made during the planning session, but a reminder at the start of the trip helps people remember what they agreed on. Some other things you should look out for:
- Quiet Time : Is there a specific time (or time) during which people in a rented home should be quiet? For example, an hour in the afternoon when some people can take a nap or otherwise relax, and then after a certain time at night.
- Keys : If you have a large group, it is likely that not everyone will have a vacation rental key (this may also be true if you have a rental car). Decide who will have the keys and if there is a key exchange system (for example, leave them in a bowl by the door or on a coffee table).
- Plan the first or two days : quickly discuss what everyone wants to do on the day you arrive, and possibly the next day. This gives you the ability to make decisions about things like buying groceries or other supplies, unpacking, going outside, or seeing high-priority attractions.
End on a high note
At the end of a great journey, it can be tempting to let everyone fly home. However, you should put in a little effort to finish things off on a good note so that there are no last minute wrinkles.
- Complete lingering IOUs . On the last day, set aside time to calculate the costs and make sure everyone who gets paid gets paid (and not in the “I’ll be with you later …” style).
- Organize a cleaning team . Get everyone to take your lease away. You need to know how much is expected of the owner (they may not want you to do anything). Divide tasks such as taking out the trash, emptying the refrigerator, folding dirty sheets and towels, washing dishes, and vacuuming or sweeping. If people leave at different times, those who leave first should try to complete one or two cleaning tasks, expecting the last person to do the last cleaning and clean up whatever is left.
- Share a fun memory . After the trip is over, send the postcard of your choice, or print a funny photo and mail it with a note to remind your friends how good your time was. This is, of course, not necessary, but a pleasant gesture that ends everything on a high note.