Pay Dirt is Slate’s money advice column. Have a question? Send it to Athena and Elizabeth here. (It’s anonymous!)
Dear Pay Dirt,
I’m going on a trip abroad with some friends soon and I’m worried about all of our different financial realities.
In our trip planning, I’ve come to see that we’re all on pretty different levels of how much we want to spend on this vacation. So far, with lodging and other costs, we’ve catered to the folks with a tighter budget: getting budget hotels, cheaper flights, etc. But what about when we’re there and some of us want to swing on nicer restaurants, taxis instead of public transportation, and more expensive excursions? I want to enjoy my vacation and I have the money to spend! But I also want us to all have a good time together and bond—it just seems like we have different budgets for making that happen. How do we make this work?
—Bon Voyage
Dear Bon Voyage,
Traveling with friends who all have different budgets is a balancing act that can be done with preplanning. Despite traveling together, it is OK to break up once you’re there and have different experiences. The key is to also do things together to keep the connection during the trip alive.
Have everyone get on a text thread and list everything they individually want to do. Take it a step further and include the price tag with each activity so everyone is fully aware of how much money everything will cost them. Once you’ve made a list, find one activity you all can do together during the day so you have a shared experience, and then meet up at the end of the night to check-in with each other. Then everyone can coordinate around the activities they’re interested in splurging on. One group might go to a museum, while the others rent a boat. This way, it can work for everyone’s budget.
You can always find ways to do something cheaper if given enough time in advance. There are discounted admission rates, group packages, cheap transportation, and food at different price points. So if what you all really value is doing activities together, all day long, then you can find ways to make compromises.
—Athena
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