When Alee Opuiyo went on a girl’s trip back in 2016, the group had an absolute blast. It was four women visiting Ocean City, MD and everything went exactly as planned. However, Opuiyo realizes how lucky she was to have had a successful trip with her girls with no mishaps or friendship breakups.
“Girl’s trips really reveal who your friends really are and that’s when the problems come in,” Opuiyo said.
Friendship breakups can be just as hard as the end of a romantic relationship. Unfortunately, some women have experienced a friendship breakup in the midst of a girl’s trip gone wrong. From disagreements about expenses to travel incompatibility, Black women share how to avoid friend fallouts when going on a girl’s trip.
Have Important Conversations Beforehand
Like Opuiyo, Leandrea Rosborough had an incredible time when she and her friend Amanda embarked on a road trip to Chicago. At the time, she was eight months pregnant and a bit limited in what she could do. However, the pair had important conversations before ever hitting the road.
“You can always tell how a trip is going to be based on the planning stages,” Rosborough said.
Years after the trip, Rosborough encourages other women to have important conversations with friends before traveling with them. This includes conversations about cost, accommodations, itinerary plans, and travel compatibility.
Traveler AJ Jefferson agrees that women should take extra time to plan out and organize their trip down to even small details. She remembers going on a road trip with friends where paying for gas wasn’t discussed prior to the trip. This led to disagreements and confusion among the group.
“When you don’t have some sort of organization or designated things for each other, it can become a little sticky,” Jefferson said.
Know Who You’re Traveling With
Black women tend to agree that traveling with friends can show you another side of them that you haven’t seen before. However, traveling with people you trust and who care about you can help alleviate confusion and problems. Ensuring you know the girls you’re traveling with can also keep travelers safe while on vacation.
“Only truly go with people that you care about because travel is a dangerous thing…anything can happen,” Rosborough said. “So you want to make sure you travel with people who truly care about you.”
Opuiyo also said that sometimes friends reveal sides of themselves travelers haven’t seen until they go out of town with them. Folks who may be great for brunch dates and club nights may not always be the best fit for traveling.
“When you’re sharing a short period of time with someone they can present one thing,” she said. “But when you are going to a destination that requires you to be with that person for more than 24 hours, people are not always going to show you their game face, especially if they want to be comfortable.”
Every Good Friend Isn’t A Travel Buddy
Opuiyo encourages women to be okay with having friends who may not be the best fit for traveling with. She now prefers to travel alone to ensure all of her travel needs are met. Travel compatibility is very important to her.
Travel compatibility can resonate in many different ways. For Rosborough, she’s unwilling to spend money on things like expensive nightlife. As someone who seeks out more cultural excursions and travel thrills, she tries to travel with friends who have similar interests as hers to avoid drama and fallouts. Communication and compatibility are key when it comes to avoiding fallouts after girl’s trips.
“These are real conversations especially when you get to a certain age, you have to have these conversations with people you’re traveling with,” Opuiyo said.