Traveling with friends is inherently a wonderful experience—enjoying scenery and delicious food together, providing companionship and support. However, it's undeniable that travel is also a prime scenario for conflicts to surface. Many say that to know if a couple is compatible, a single trip together will reveal all. This is because many problems and disagreements will emerge during the journey. Therefore, if you want to travel with friends, it's essential to plan ahead to avoid ruining your friendship.
This article focuses on self-planned trips. If you're planning a group tour, I think you don't need to worry so much, as the itinerary is arranged by the travel agency, minimizing potential problems or conflicts. But the essence of travel is freedom. If you're constantly constrained by the travel agency's arrangements, doesn't that defeat the purpose of your trip? Therefore, the essence of independent travel lies in "freedom," but it's also the real challenge. Freedom in itinerary planning, transportation, hotel accommodations, attraction tickets… all this "freedom" becomes "self-reliance" from the outset. Almost every choice requires comparison and weighing of pros and cons throughout the trip.

Pre-trip Communication

To ensure a stress-free and enjoyable trip, you need to finalize everything in advance: Should we split the bill for hotels, meals, and taxis? What if one person wants to walk while the other wants a taxi? What if one person wants to try local cuisine while the other prefers KFC? What if one person wants to visit the Grand Canyon National Park first while the other wants to go to the Washington Monument first? These are the points most prone to disagreements during a trip.
Therefore, thorough pre-trip communication is essential, it's the biggest prerequisite and foundation for planning a trip with good friends. First, you need to find a few close friends to travel with, ideally an even number, and no more than six people. Too many people increase unpredictability. Second, plan at least a month in advance, ideally two months. Many flights are much cheaper when booked in advance, and good value hotels also need to be booked early. Furthermore, many things need to be prepared in advance for independent travel; discovering problems just before departure can negatively impact the trip experience or even lead to cancellation. Finally, plan the trip details together. One person can initiate a trip by creating an overall plan, and then everyone can discuss and revise the details together, such as budget range, dietary restrictions, accommodation preferences, travel pace, and personal habits. Personally, I think finding travel companions with similar lifestyles and habits can save a lot of trouble.
Generally speaking, planning a self-guided trip can be roughly divided into four main parts: activities, transportation, accommodation, and food. These four parts are interconnected and influence each other, forming a complete travel plan.


Step 1: Determine Your Destination

When you decide to embark on a self-guided trip, the first thing to decide is where to go, and then you begin planning your itinerary. You can refer to various travel magazines or platforms like TripAdvisor, Yelp, and Expedia. Search for keywords on these websites, such as "7-day Los Angeles tour" or "Bali travel guide," and you'll find different guides to refer to. Of course, our platform also has many travel articles, you can also search to see if there are any city guides that interest you. From this information, learn about the various attractions in the city and the approximate time needed to visit them. Then, combine this with your total trip days to filter out the attractions you most want to visit, and initially determine your travel goals. You can also refer to the 2-day/7-day tour itineraries offered by local travel agencies and simply copy them.
The order of the itinerary also affects the booking and selection of transportation later. For example, when traveling independently in Greece, there's the Acropolis in Athens and Santorini Island; should you experience history first or romance first? It is recommended to place places with more walking activities and higher physical exertion at the beginning, and arrange places with more leisure activities and better recovery opportunities at the end, so that you won't be physically and mentally exhausted after the trip.

Step 2: Booking Transportation

After planning your route, you'll need to book your flights/train tickets/entrance tickets in advance. I personally believe this is the most crucial and also the most complex step in the trip. Note the order: book flights first, then hotels, and finally, depending on the situation, attraction tickets. Transportation is generally divided into intercity transportation, city transportation, and driving. Before traveling, you must figure out the most convenient and affordable way to get to each attraction.
If you will be taking multiple flights during your trip, be sure to check in advance with each carrier regarding carry-on and checked baggage fees and regulations; check in early, print your boarding pass; and allow ample boarding time. Don't forget to back up your flight information before departure.
Be sure to understand the traffic situation in the city beforehand before deciding on your mode of transportation. For example, in some large cities, traffic congestion makes the subway more convenient than driving, otherwise, being stuck in traffic for one or two hours can be incredibly frustrating.
Attraction tickets can generally be booked one or two days in advance, but some special attractions (especially popular ones) may require even earlier booking. Booking in advance can avoid the embarrassment of queuing or not being able to buy tickets on-site, and some scenic spots are also cheaper online.

Step 3: Book Accommodation

When choosing accommodation, it's recommended to first determine the general area based on your arrival location (airport or train station), planned attractions, and evening activities. Where to stay, what kind of environment, and what price range are all important factors to consider, as you'll spend at least a third of your trip at your accommodation. Choosing the wrong place to stay can significantly detract from your travel experience.
After confirming your hotel, prepare your travel gear and essentials in advance to avoid any unforeseen issues affecting your trip. For example, if the hotel provides disposable toiletries and you don't mind using them, there's no need to bring your own, significantly reducing your luggage burden.

Step 4: Research Local Cuisine

Research the local specialties in advance and determine your culinary goals for this trip. The most natural way to integrate into a new place is by eating. Compared to being forced to eat quick stir-fries at unknown restaurants on a group tour, eating on a free and independent trip is definitely one of the most enjoyable moments of travel.
In this information-saturated internet age, simply entering "place name + food" yields the most direct and effective search results. In fact, if you've paid a little attention while researching tourist attractions, you'll have noticed that these travel guide websites also feature reviews of local cuisine from fellow travelers.
Finally, I think it's best to have a division of labor within the team, which can significantly reduce planning pressure. For example, select one person to be the group leader for this trip. This person needs to be able to manage things effectively, such as controlling the trip's time and pace, and arranging the itinerary. Then, have another person act as the treasurer. Before departure, everyone can contribute a fixed amount as a shared travel fund. This money will be used for shared expenses such as meals, transportation, and attraction tickets.
Everyone wants their trip to be perfect, but only by doing sufficient "logistics" work before departure can you avoid any small accidents affecting your journey.