Travel is one of life’s greatest adventures and sharing the experience with a girlfriend makes it that much more special. But as wonderful as it is, traveling with friends can also be tricky. Some of my best memories were made while abroad with girlfriends and so were some of my worst fights. Having visited Puerto Rico, Rome, Paris, Miami, Orlando, San Diego, Nashville, Chicago and Mexico with girlfriends over the course of 10 years, I’ve learned a few ways to ensure that a girls’ trip goes smoothly. Below are some tricks for traveling with girlfriends.

SET A TENTATIVE ITINERARY

When traveling with friends, it’s a good idea to discuss what you each want to do ahead of time. You don’t want to arrive at your destination only to realize you have completely different intentions of how to spend your trip. Even if you don’t want to do all of the same things, if you discuss your desires beforehand you can eliminate potential arguments once you arrive.

COMPROMISE

The key to any good relationship is compromise and this is especially true when traveling abroad with friends. If you follow tip #1 and discuss your itinerary ahead of time, you can find ways to compromise if your desires don’t entirely align. Maybe one of you wants to spend the day shopping and the other wants to visit multiple museums. Even if you’re not exactly thrilled about the other’s choice, be a good sport and compromise. Do a couple museums in the morning and some shopping in the afternoon. Even if you really hate the activity, try to at least find pleasure in witnessing your friend’s enjoyment.

DON’T MOOCH

When packing for a trip, it’s inevitable that you’ll forget something and need to borrow it from your friend. But if you arrive totally unprepared and figure you can just use everything your girlfriend brought – clothes, shoes, toiletries, etc. – this could lead to drama. Plan ahead and pack the essentials so you don’t have to rely on your girlfriend to dress you!

DISCUSS YOUR BUDGET

Few things are worse than fighting about money especially while you’re traveling. If one person is on a strict budget and the other is expecting white table cloths and bottles of wine with every meal you could have a problem. It’s important to have an honest conversation about finances prior to your trip so that everyone is on the same page.

DECIDE HOW YOU’LL PAY FOR THINGS

After discussing each other’s budgets, it’s also important to decide how you’ll pay for things. Will you split everything 50/50, will you each only pay for what you buy, or will one person cover some of the costs and the other pay them back later? Whatever system you choose is fine, just avoid letting one person bear the brunt of the costs or you’ll have a recipe for a disaster.

LOOK OUT FOR EACH OTHER

When traveling solo as a female, you have to look out for yourself and avoid vulnerable situations. The same goes for traveling with girlfriends. This is particularly important when venturing out at night and especially if you plan on imbibing. Go out and enjoy, but look out for each other and avoid splitting up regardless of how confident you’re feeling.

CARVE OUT SOME ALONE TIME

While it’s important to stick together for safety reasons, particularly at night, it can also be necessary to spend some time apart. Whether you take a solo stroll in the park or wake up early to watch the sunrise, taking a moment for yourself will give you a chance to re-center. Especially if a long trip planned, this is necessary to maintain your sanity.

Have you ever traveled with girlfriends? What tips do you have for making it go smoothly? Share your comments below!

PIN IT!