Spring break is coming, and many would-be vacationers plan on going to the coast with friends. Perhaps, you count yourself among those who’ll be hitting the beaches in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida or in Venice, California. Group trips require that everyone in the travel party is on the same page when it comes to planning. If you’re planning a coastal vacation with friends, then make sure to check out these tips for planning and partying to keep everything running smooth.

Make a Trip Budget Together

If you are traveling with friends, then you’ll want to make a travel budget together. Shared expenses are a major part of the trip that you don’t want to overlook. These expenses will include shared transportation and lodging costs, plus any food that you’ll be sharing on the road. Instead of haggling prices and splitting charges between cards as you go, make sure to figure out the total costs together as a group beforehand. Pool your money together and decide who will be contributing how much before you start. It’s also a good idea to budget over your estimate for emergencies. Any leftover money can be split back among the group, or used for shared snacks on the way back.

Hire a Tour Bus

Transportation is key to a group vacation, especially a coastal tour. Tours can be less fun if everyone is cramped into a small car the whole way, or separated into many. You don’t necessarily have to be cramped when you travel, especially if you plan to travel by car. If your group is big enough, then it might be worth your while to contact a transportation company, like Cardinal Transportation Ltd to see how much chartering party or tour bus would be. This will ensure that even big groups can all travel together. It also removes the need to rotate who’s driving and who’s partying. If you’re there for the sights, a tour bus is the way to go to get a professional guide of the area. If you’re just looking to party, however, a party bus ensures that the party doesn’t stop through the entire trip.

Plan Ahead

Planning events is a key component of any trip. More than just planning expenses, you want to make sure that everyone is agreed on what stops to make, what sights to see, and what activities everyone wants to go to. Some people may want to paraglide, while others may want to take a break and rest a bit. To avoid conflict, later on, it’s important that everyone has a say in what happens when. It’s also important to arrange options there will be for those who don’t want to be part of every activity.

Create a Buddy System

Staying safe when you travel is very important, and part of that is staying together. A buddy system helps you maintain the safety of all of the members of your travel group. Beyond just meeting up at regularly agreed spots, you’ll want to make sure that no one breaks away from the group on their own. This ensures that no one gets lost and that there is someone to call for help if the other is hurt. Designating a buddy beforehand will make it easier to keep the group together and accounted for at all times.

No matter what your destination, it’s best to create a plan ahead of time. Trips with friends require you to budget properly, plan for transportation and know where everyone will be at different points in the trip. These extra efforts put in beforehand can prevent conflicts and hiccups along the way. If you take the time to plan ahead, and you and your friends are bound to have the time of your lives.