Sometimes, from friendship to hate there is only one plane ticket...
We think about traveling with friends and we imagine in a convertible waving your arms into the wind , with a bottle of tequila in hand and uttering shouts of joy among knowing glances. However, anyone who has embarked on this adventure outside of his imagination knows that the experience is less like Crossroads by Britney Spears Than to a **Sons of Anarchy chapter**, where everything has to be put to a vote, and yet, there is always someone who ends up pissed off.
The good news is that, in your group of friends, disagreement It won't be shot... But yes to "tiritos": "Who had the great idea not to buy the advance train tickets ?"; "Didn't you say that this hostel had been recommended to you by I don't know who?"; " Did you think that hot water never ran out? "The reasons to get into an argument seem infinite when there are suitcases involved. The thing is how to avoid them?
Tranquility and flexibility, the keys to the perfect trip
To find out, we talked to Karin Sidney Chellew Gálvez and Margarita Gómez Márquez, both Doctors and Professors in the Department of Psychology of the Faculty of Biomedical and Health Sciences of the European University. "We have to start from the idea that, although we are part of the same group of friends, with a common general interest, we are individual beings with diverse interests. It is possible that the lack of flexibility to accept other approaches or to count on the idea that there will be some of our friends who they will not enjoy so much or the same as oneself, or the inability to let everyone contribute ideas about what they would like to do, generate some tension in the group", they tell us.
But, on what does it depend that some enjoy or are more flexible than others? How to choose the perfect travel companion? "There are certain personality traits that we could socially consider more “positive” and that could favor a good experience during the trip", they explain. "Costa and McCrae describe five basic personality factors : extraversion (sociability), emotional instability, agreeableness, openness to experience and responsibility. The traits that could be associated with a better experience when traveling would be mainly the “open to experience” , that is, the desire to experiment, try and discover things and new places. Also those people with a higher flexibility to adapt to new situations and/or difficult situations can facilitate coexistence to a greater or lesser extent if unforeseen events or changes in plans arise. Finally, the people with greater sociability they enjoy environments with lots of people, noise, etc., so they will have a better time than less sociable people", the Doctors clarify.
Regarding the type of trip, there is not one that guarantees you more chances of success than another . The only thing we can use here is the common sense: "Evidently , we will enjoy more if we all want to make that trip specific. So, motivation will be key when it comes to deciding who we go with", settle Chellew and Gómez.
Ok, all this is very good to prevent, you will think, but imagine that we are already at work and we see how the tensions increase Within the group. What can we do then? "The basic idea here would be to try remember what the main idea was (reason) for which we are making the trip and why we decided to go with those people in particular and not with others, which will help us to be more "objective" when assessing our experience", the Teachers explain.
Trips with a common goal, unite
"One of the ways to avoid possible conflicts during the trip is to take the other into account; be nice and let that too can contribute to the planning of the trip as well as being flexible enough to adapt to possible new ideas or changes that arise during the trip, which usually affect how we value our global experience of it", they clarify. We, from our traveling experience , we contribute some more tips:
1.- Be punctual. If you've agreed on a time when you're ready to go for a walk, for example, don't go over it. You will avoid unnecessary discomfort what could alarmingly increase with the slightest insult.
2.- Establish times to be alone. Not everyone wants to be 24/7 accompanied , and the others should not bother about it. Perhaps someone wants to go to a record store while another prefers to visit a museum; agree on a time and a meeting point to find each other and enjoy the freedom of traveling alone for a while!
3.- Improvising is wonderful, but on a group trip it's often a good idea to go with a few clear basics: Are you going to book in advance? Are we going to eat out a lot or do we prefer to catch something in the supermarket? Will we travel at night, with all that that implies, or will we always sleep in hotels? It is convenient ask yourself these questions before you leave; Although not everything is planned, by answering it we will get to know our fellow travelers better and the roll in which they are going to undertake the adventure.
Having time to do what you want and improvise is a blessing
4.- Define the tasks of each one. Perhaps someone speaks very good English and can be the group's translator, while another is very good with accounts and can be understood better with currency exchange. In this way, everyone You will feel that you have a part of participation -and responsibility- in the group.
5.- Make the must-see clear from the beginning of the place to which you travel. If you have little time, for example, you should put together a route in which you make sure that everyone can visit what interests them -and not only what interests the one with the greatest capacity for conviction in the group-.
6.- Have you met someone And do you want me to accompany you for the rest of the trip? Although he may seem fabulously cute to you, he may some of your friends do not think the same . Think of it so that can make the decision without the new guest in front , do not "impose" on anyone. And remember that, after all, who you travel with is your group: you must ensure that everyone feel as comfortable possible!
7.- Boat, yes or no? Depends: Is it a good idea that a single person transports all the money of the group? what if you lose it or is wrong with the change, for example? A With great power comes great responsibility , as Uncle Ben said to Spiderman, and you must take it into account. discuss in advance what will happen in case the group's "accountant" messes it up, so that he can freely choose whether or not to win that role.
There are experiences that are more cool in a group
8.- Order in the room! And cleaning! An Interrail does not justify that you have not showered in several days, nor is the lack of space the excuse to leave everything in between. Respect others in the most basic It is also important to avoid long faces and awkward moments.
9.- Sleep and let sleep. See that partygoers don't share a room with those who need a long night's sleep cure and, by God, don't leave the alarm ringing if you're not going to get up until an hour later!
10.- Be water, my friend . We are traveling and we have to seize the moment. Yes, maybe you're tired and miss your pillow maybe even that restaurant you wanted to go to so badly It has been a fiasco but keep perspective: avoid wrapping yourself in stupid dramitas and remember that we have come to enjoy! And above, among friends!
*This article was originally published on 11.19.2015 and updated
You are among good friends, enjoy!