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Your friends (who earn a lot more than you) have suggested going on holiday together – you want to go, but you can’t afford exactly what they’re suggesting. You don’t want to miss out, and when you earn less than your friends it can be tempting to get out the credit card to match their spending energy, but you don’t have to go above your means to have a memorable trip.
Travel expert Justin Chapman at Go2Africa reveals how to navigate and bridge the friend group wealth gap when it comes to travel plans, and the biggest mistakes you’re making when planning a group trip, so you can survive with your friendships intact!
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Get comfortable with the uncomfortable
We often avoid conversations about money with our friends because it’s uncomfortable. But not talking about it can make it even more uncomfortable, and we find ourselves making up excuses for not doing things, rather than being upfront and explaining that it’s out of budget.
Try not to compare yourself and your financial situation to your friends. They might be suggesting expensive destinations and activities, but they could be putting it all on a credit card because they can’t afford it either. Discussing how much you’re comfortable with paying might even make them realise they don’t want to spend as much as they first said.
Negotiate and compromise
If your friends are suggesting destinations that are out of your budget, suggest alternatives rather than saying no to the holiday entirely.
Lesser-known islands or towns just outside of main cities are often a lot less expensive, and usually have fewer tourists. Look at other accommodation like renting an apartment or an Airbnb instead of staying in a pricey hotel, and staying somewhere with a kitchen means you can save money by cooking at home instead of eating out every night.
Remember to compromise though, so that everyone is happy. You could suggest a cheaper hotel that has options for your friends to have luxury upgrades, or you could stay in a cheap apartment that means you can budget for more extravagant activities and nights out. If possible, suggest changing the dates they’re looking at, and travel out of season to save money on destinations you couldn’t afford in the height of summer.
Get out of the group chat
Schedule time to get together and discuss the travel plans, rather than trying to do everything via the group chat. It’ll be easier to brainstorm ideas or discuss concerns, rather than sending hotel suggestions that only one person in the group chat responds to and someone else in the group never gets rounds to replying. Seeing everyone get excited in person is contagious, and means everyone will want to be more involved in the planning – even on a video call, if you can’t all be in the same room.
Don’t leave it all to one person
Remember that one person doesn’t have to be in charge of doing everything! It can be overwhelming to try to arrange and book travel for a group, and can end up making the trip feel more like a second job than a holiday, so make sure you delegate tasks to other people, even if you just give them smaller tasks like buying decorations.
Set boundaries before you travel, not when you arrive
As well as negotiating the big expenses like hotels and flights, make sure you discuss smaller things too. Do some research of the local area and suggest some restaurants and bars you’d all be happy with going to, so you don’t get stuck paying more than you budgeted for because you couldn’t find anywhere cheaper to eat.
Decide before you go if you’re going to be splitting bills equally or paying for exactly what you have, to avoid awkward discussions when the bill comes. Having these conversations before you travel can not only make it easier to budget, but also avoid putting yourself and your friends in uncomfortable situations when you’re away.
Don’t book anything until you know everyone is ready
Once you’ve made your budget clear, make sure everyone else is happy with how much you’re going to spend before you make any commitments or bookings, so you don’t end up owing someone more than you can afford, or stuck waiting for people to pay you back because they didn’t speak up about not being able to afford it either.
It’s up to you to stick to your budget
Work out how much you’ll need for each day, plus a little extra for emergencies, and stick to it. If you find it difficult to stick to a budget when you’re away, leave the cards at home and only take cash, so you can’t spend any more than you can afford.
It can be easy to get carried away on holiday and end up spending more than you intended, especially when you’re with people who able to spend more than you. But remember, their budget is not your budget, and it’s up to you to stick to the funds you have.
Don’t feel bad for saying no
If you can’t afford it, don’t feel guilty for saying no.
Be honest with your friends and tell them why you can’t attend, rather than making up an excuse – your friends will understand! If their heart is really set on the plans they’ve come up with and they don’t want to change them, perhaps you can plan a trip next time that you can afford.
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