By: Emma Conkle

As October break (AKA independent learning week) approaches, many St Andrews students will pack their Ryanair-compliant suitcases and set off with their friends to Madrid, Copenhagen, Rome, or some other place. You’ll inevitably get FOMO from their beautifully curated Instagram stories, but that’s not the point of this article. The thing I always focus on is who everyone decides to travel with. OMG? I thought they hated each other. Why are they sharing paella?

I have travelled with friends a fair amount over my past three years of University and heard countless stories of other friend-cations. As a big proponent of protecting my peace, I am very selective about who I travel with. I am a fast-paced, pack-everything-in sort of traveller. I want to see everything there is to see, and if I don’t, I feel like I have failed the vacation (there’s some deep-set issue in there somewhere, but we don’t have time to get into all of that). One of my best friends is a very chill vacationer. However, he is always willing to come along with me on the whirlwind of museums, hikes, and historic sites that comprise my ideal vacation, as long as we can sit down in a nice restaurant with a cocktail after the museums close. Our travel styles balance each other out, and the two “big” trips we’ve been on together make up some of the best memories of my university experience.

As I said before, I am selective about my travel companions. Travelling can be stressful, especially in a different country or with lots of moving parts. I love all of my friends, but I know our friendship would not survive if we went on a trip together. I’ve heard of trips where close friends were no longer talking at the end of their travel and I have been warned not to go on a trip with John Smith* because he’s a nightmare to travel with.

So what is the solution? Obviously, there’s not a one-size-fits-all answer. There are things you need to balance out. Will being left out or going on a separate trip cause fractures in a friendship too? Anyways, that’s not very helpful… Here are my suggestions:

Go on a day trip together first – pop over to Crail to get a vibe. Do y’all deal with bus travel the same way? Do they dislike walking? Are they spontaneous? How good are they at using Google Maps? I’m not saying these things are bad, just that you need to evaluate how they mesh with your own ideas about travel.
Set expectations before you leave. Do they want to eat at the 5-star, £300 restaurant, while you’re more likely to grab a takeaway? How will costs be split? Is there a budget you’re sticking to?
Plan the trip out before you commit! This is a controversial take, I know. But check what you all want to do, how much you want to do, and where you think you want to stay before the trip is set in stone. Makes things much easier!
Be honest with yourself and your friends. If you’re already out jet-setting and get into a spat, take a break from each other, and agree beforehand that it’s ok to do so!
Have fun :) Duh!

*I do not have a friend named John Smith, nor am I travelling with the guy from Pocahontas. Just a placeholder name :)