Taking a holiday with your friends sounds like loads of fun (and it sure can be!) but it’s not always guaranteed to be smooth sailing. Take different personalities in a different context to the one at home, plus loads more time than usual spent in each other’s company and you might end up with irritations or even a conflict or two.
This doesn’t mean you can’t make a success of a holiday with friends. It can be great to travel and take time out with a group of your favourite people (and their children too), especially if you’re setting up a home base in a comfortable self-catering space. All you need is the right location (try Ramsgate Cottage) and a few ground rules to make sure you start off right and end up with a whole bunch of happy memories.
Three tidy tips for holidaying with friends
1. Know what you want
So, you all want to get away to the beach together, right? But what do you all want to do all day and where will you stay and what will you eat...? Before you head out to enjoy a well-deserved break away from it all, put in some serious planning and make sure that each party is getting what they want out of their holiday, from accommodation choice to enjoying local attractions or just chilling out with some great food. This will save a lot of stress and disappointment once you’re on holiday.
2. Know and embrace your role
If you’re going self-catering, put together a schedule of cooking and entertainment tasks. This might seem like admin at first but, if you all know what’s expected and what you’re getting, everyone will be a lot happier and you’ll avoid little resentments and uncertainties that might build up as the holiday goes on and certain individuals feel they are doing more than others.
3. Allow for alone time
Just because you’re on holiday together doesn’t mean you have to do everything together. Plan for some group activities and some alone time or smaller group time. If you’re travelling with children, consider allowing the adults to help each other enjoy some much needed couples time with babysitting duties, or split activities into morning and afternoon shifts. Some time apart from the full crowd will help prevent too much familiarity and irritation.
Bonus tip – You’re friends so you’re sure to have common ground – if things do start to go less than smoothly, take a walk and talk it out calmly. Communication is the key to a healthy relationship, after all.
Looking for a self-catering beach cottage to spend some quality time with your mates? Ramsgate Cottage is just the place! Fully kitted, comfortable, and close to the sea and many local attractions, it offers a wide variety of relaxation and entertainment options sure to suit all kinds of personalities and friendships.