7 Crucial Tips To Split the Vacation Bill With Friends

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Going on vacation with friends can help you create memories that last a lifetime. But a few things can throw a wrench in even the best-laid plans, like money challenges. Who owes what? Can everyone afford the activities? Is it rude to leave a day early because of budget constraints?

As someone who has traveled extensively with friends for years, a little planning up front can ensure your friendship is maintained intact and keep the trip fun.

Here are seven tips I’ve learned over the years to help you plan a trip with friends that hopefully won’t leave anyone spending more than they want to or feeling awkward. 

1. Get Clear on Budget Expectations

Luckily, my friends and I are open to talking about money, but not every friend group is like that. But your friendship is worth feeling uncomfortable for the few seconds that it takes to bring up talking about money. After all, you want to be sure everyone can truly afford the destination you’re all going to.

To ease into the conversation, start by talking about where everyone wants to go, and talk about estimated costs early on. Consider splitting the trip research so you’ll all have options for accommodation, dining and activities. That way, you can all vote on what suits everyone’s price constraints. 

2. Decide What Costs You’ll Split

Deciding exactly which costs you’ll split — and which will come down to individual choice — is a hard lesson I’ve learned over the years. Having the freedom to spend as much or as little as you want helps ensure everyone enjoys the trip their own way.

For example, maybe you all book an Airbnb and share the costs, but you pay for your own costs for souvenirs and other types of shopping. Or, you head to a dining option where you pay for your own meals individually, but share the cost of transportation to and from activities. 

3. Split Shared Costs Equitably

Sometimes, even with shared costs, it’s ok for one or more friends to pay a higher share. 

For example, several friends and I shared an Airbnb and one room had a private bathroom and balcony. Since one of my friends prefers her own bathroom, she was happy to pay more, while the rest of us had smaller rooms and shared a bathroom. 

It’s up to you what you think is fair, but having these discussions ahead of time prevents miscommunication later on.  

4. Use an Expense-Splitting App 

Keeping track using apps like Splitwise, Tricount, or Venmo Groups will help you remember and tally up who might owe what to other friends on the trip. You can choose to pay someone back right away or at the end of the trip. 

These apps are useful, for example, if you’re at a restaurant and you’re unable to get separate checks. Or, someone finds a discount for an excursion and uses their credit card to pay for everyone’s tickets, you can ask them to add it to the tab you’ll owe them later on. 

5. Build a Balanced Itinerary 

Planning a mix of free and low-cost activities with some pricier ones gives everyone the chance to pick and choose what they want. It can also help to keep shared activities within budget.

You can even schedule free days where everyone researches options independently, allowing individuals or smaller groups to do what they prefer.

6. Normalize Opting Out

Speaking of scheduling in free days, you can also set the expectation that anyone can opt out of activities if they want to. Sure, you’ll have days where you have pre-booked activities, but some friends may need some time to recover or rather go out on their own. 

Make it clear that opting out is OK and that no one should feel guilty for doing what works best for them.

7. Set Clear Expectations For Meals

Talking about meals should involve more than just the budget. Some friends might have dietary restrictions that might make it hard to dine out or need to purchase certain ingredients to cook with.

Make a list of who might have such needs and pitch into research dining options or recipes that everyone can be happy with. And if you do cook, work out who will make the meals and clean up after the meal is over.

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