Look, the idea on the WhatsApp group always starts in spectacular fashion. "Guys, this year we're all going abroad together!". Party emojis rain down, celebration gifs fly around and the excitement is at maximum.
But then the tickets get booked and reality knocks on the door. Travelling with friends is the ultimate stress test for any friendship.
Halfway through the trip you'll discover that João takes two hours in the bathroom, that Maria refuses to wake up before noon, and that Tiago mysteriously "never has change" when the restaurant bill arrives. If you're not careful, the holiday ends with you all asking for separate seats on the plane home and blocking each other's numbers.
So the friendships last all the way to the return flight, Martin has put together the survival manual for the group traveller:
1. Money: The End of the "We'll Settle Up Later" Rule 💸
Rule number one for not destroying friendships: don't leave the bills for later. The "I'll pay for dinners today, you pay for the museum tickets tomorrow" technique always ends in confusion.
The solution: download the Splitwise app (or similar). Paid for the taxi? Put it in the app. Joana paid for the round of beers? Put it in the app. On the last day of the holiday, the app does the maths automatically and tells you who owes whom. Zero arguments, zero financial "amnesia".
2. Pick "All-in-One" Destinations 🌍
The biggest mistake groups make is choosing niche destinations. If you go on a spiritual mountain retreat and half the group only wants to go drinking at night, it's going to go wrong.
Pick versatile cities! Barcelona, Budapest or Malta are excellent options. They have beaches/spas for those who want to relax, epic bars for those who want to party, and enough history for the museum nerd in your group.
3. It's Forbidden to Be "Glued Together" 24/7 🧘♂️
You're friends, not Siamese twins. You don't have to do absolutely everything together.
If two friends want to see a boring art gallery in the morning and the other three just want to nurse their hangover on a terrace drinking coffee, split up! Meet up later for lunch. Forcing the group to move "as a flock" all the time only creates bad mood and arguments.
4. The Leader vs. The Flock (Don't Be the One Who Just Complains) 🗺️
In every group, there's always one person who ends up organising everything (booking flights, checking the route on Google Maps, reserving restaurants). If you're not that person, congratulations, your trip is much easier.
But there's a sacred rule: those who don't organise don't have the right to complain. If the leader took you to a restaurant that wasn't that great, eat your fries quietly.
If You Travel Together, Travel Like Bosses!
The group logistics is already running smoothly. The Airbnb is booked, the tasks are split. But there's still the first big challenge to solve before the holiday even starts: the trip to the airport.
Your group has 5 people. Each of you is bringing a cabin bag plus a backpack. Are you really going to try ordering two Ubers and pray that you don't get hit with surge pricing in the middle of the night? Or are you going to meet up at a metro stop at 4 AM and all sleep leaning against the train windows?
Spare me, do the maths like smart people!
Take the most spacious car the group has (or split into two cars). Pack all the luggage in there, turn on the radio and sing your lungs out all the way to airport Departures.
You arrive at the door, hand the keys over to the Multipark team and head straight to security.
Our Valet Parking service isn't just super convenient, it's incredibly cheap when you travel as a group! Take the parking cost and divide it by 4 or 5 friends in the same Splitwise... it works out cheaper than two coffees at the airport, and you don't depend on anyone!
And on the way back, when you all land wrecked after that epic farewell night out, the car (or cars) will be waiting for you at the terminal door to take you home.
Run the simulation and book your spot at Multipark and split the cost, not the patience!
