1. Discussions

The first of my tips for vacationing with friends is to have discussions about the trip. What are you all looking for? What type of vacation do you enjoy? What can you afford? If your ideas are too different and one of you doesn't have the budget to keep up with the others, it probably won't be a very successful trip for at least one of you.

2. Separate Activities

Assuming you have enough in common to make a shared vacation work, you will probably still benefit from planning some separate activities during the trip. Being in someone's company 24/7 may be too much when you're not used to it, so you could do different things during the day and meet up for meals.

3. Shared Expenses

One thing that can cause annoyance on vacation with friends is if one of you doesn't pay their share of expenses. It can be useful to have a kitty for food and household items, so that one of you doesn't end up paying for everything. Also be sure to split the cost of things like car hire, gas and taxi fares. You don't have to itemise everything, but try to make sure that costs are more or less evenly split.

4. Responsibility for Bookings

Also decide on who is going to deal with things like bookings. You don't want to arrive at your destination late at night and discover that your accommodation has been given to someone else as your party failed to confirm the booking! One of you needs to assume the responsibility and follow up all stages of the booking process.

5. Pay Promptly

If one person is dealing with payment, as is likely, then pay for your share promptly. Don't assume that because they're your friend they won't mind waiting until your salary hits your account, or even indefinitely. If you can't afford to pay promptly, then maybe you can't really afford the trip.

6. Agree on Destination

When friends decide to vacation together, it can be difficult agreeing on a destination. But it's important that everyone likes the chosen destination; if one person isn't happy with the choice then it won't be much fun for them. Pick somewhere that everyone likes.

7. Be Sure!

Finally, be absolutely sure that you can tolerate each other's company for a full week or more. You might think it's a given that you'll have a great vacation with your friends, but it isn't. It's also wise to choose accommodation that gives everyone enough space, rather than being too cramped.

Going away with friends can be enormous fun if you have the same attitude to vacations. But do talk about everything to do with the trip beforehand, so that it's well organized and nobody gets any unpleasant surprises. Have you ever gone on vacation with friends, and how did it turn out?