7 Reasons You Should Travel With Your Best Friends
Traveling alone as a young adult can be intimidating and expensive. If you're like me, you can't always convince your parents to pack up and take you to California for a week. Being tired and stressed out in your first real job apparently doesn't warrant a free vacation which honestly still doesn't seem correct, but whatever. In these situations, it's best to grab some of your closest friends, who are probably dealing with the same post-grad anxieties, and jet off to a new, relaxing place. Not only will you have an absolute blast, there are tons of other reasons to go on a trip with your friends.
Epic Instagrams
Let's be real, one of the best parts of vacation is Instagraming trendy shots of you holding a drink on the beach at 11:30am on a Tuesday so all your friends and family at work will be happy* for you (* read: envious). As hard as they may try, your parents are never going to quite get the picture aesthetic you're going for to maximize your Like count. Your besties get it and will stand there and take sixty pictures of you holding a pineapple.
Day Drinking Partners + Nightlife
Everyone is different, but when you're on a family vacation it's unlikely you'll be drinking as much as you'd like to be. Day drinking is just a part of a friends trip. I mean, you're on vacation. But one of my favorite ways to get the true vibe of a city is by their nightlife. For example, living in Austin I can tell you that our night life is very nonjudgemental. I've been to a bar in Nike shorts and a t-shirt before and no one batted an eyelash, which is very consistent with our culture. Getting to experience what "going-out" is like in a different city can show you how the locals act when they think no one is looking. To me, as someone who constantly thinks about what it would be like moving to a different city, it's an added bonus to see how bar-life is in other places, you know, just in case.
Truly Learn the Value of a Dollar
I've been extremely #blessed to have traveled as much and as often as I have at such a young age. I've also been #blessed because my parents would always pay for our nice hotel and our $200 dinners at a trendy, downtown restaurant. Traveling with my friends was a bit of an eye-opener, but not totally unexpected. Sure, we didn't get to book the suite on the beach, but we've found really affordable hotels in great locations that still feel safe. You'll maybe have to save up a bit longer or withdraw a few extra hundred dollars from your savings account, but personally, I've learned I would rather spend my money on experiences with people I love than buy a few extra pairs of shoes.
Share New Experiences
One of the best parts of traveling is getting to see and do new things. Being able to explore different areas of the world or see new cultures is incredibly rewarding and broadens your worldview, but adding in people you love makes these adventures even better. You never know what's going to happen on a trip, from meeting people from a different country to stumbling upon oceanside cliffs, being up for new and interesting things is all part of the ride. I love traveling with my friends because we end up with tons of new stories to tell bonding us together for the rest of our lives.
Learn How You Operate
Friend dynamics are super interesting and fragile. Traveling with your friends isn't like going with your family: they don't have to love you after this trip is over. You learn a lot about who you are and your personality when you have to be around the same group of people for an extended period of time. Traveling with your friends forces you to keep a positive attitude and friendly demeanor. If you're an introvert, like me, it can be difficult to recharge when you have to constantly be around people, even when it's your best friends. If you feel yourself about to break, find an outlet. Go walk around the block, go down to the pool by yourself, or take an extra long shower. There's no shame in doing what you need to do to be a pleasant travel buddy.
Be Practical Foodies
Something my friends and I do on vacation is share food. When we go to a restaurant, we'll each order something different so we can each try the other plates. This helps with the budget as well since it's rare that any of us ever finish our plates solo, you can get away with ordering fewer dishes and still feel full. This method helps us feel like we fully experience what the restaurant has to offer without having to eat there for a week straight.
Prove Yourself
