Travel RIGHT

I was so privileged to go on such a great senior trip to end my high school life.  Thailand was amazing, the people I spent a week with were amazing, and there was nothing more I could have asked for, except being hit by a jet ski and being taken to the emergency room. At first we were kind of skeptical of how our senior trip would be since we were only 8 of us going from a class of 60 people but I think being just the eight of us was probably the best thing that had happened to us. We bonded, we shared great memories and we partied hard! Holidaying with your friends can either be a unique experience or a disaster so I just wanted to share with you a few things that you should take into account before going on vacation!

Choose your travel friends well
Going out for a nice dinner with a group of people and spending a vacation with them is two completely separate things. You could have a group dinner with a bunch of people from your grade but don't get your expectations so high. You have to know the people you are going with and make sure your comfortable with them before you decide to spend a week or shorter together. A overly-organized person can be a misfit in a group of people that like to plan spontaneous events; even a person who cannot maintain hygiene or responsibility could be a misfit. I think what was so good about our trip was that none of us were in our separate cliques. With a big group of people the group starts to separate whether its by gender or cliques. You want a fun senior trip not a senior trip where you have to worry about keeping people together; keep that in mind!

Get to know your travel companions
If there are some new faces in your group make sure you interact with them before you pack your bags. Breaking the ice is very important specially on a trip. You don't want to sit through long uncomfortable silences or be dependent on your friend to strike a conversation. I admire my fellow ALPHA because first of all there were lots of Indians and it could get uncomfortable and not even that, we had a friend come from Singapore to join us on our trip and these two had never met, however this ALPHA never has a problem socializing. She interacted, enjoyed, conversed with everyone and I'm sure she became closer to so many more people!

Don't be too picky, be a team player
Before joining a trip, get to know about the travel plans and itinerary. Some people want complete luxury and want to spend tons of money, while others may be on a budget, so everyone needs to accommodate to each other's wishes. Get your itinerary together with your friends and sometimes even though there are things you don't like just go along with it you never know whether you will enjoy it or not. No one can expect the entire group to change their plans to suit your needs. It's not fair on the group that you are traveling with.

Voice your opinion
While I say that you should be a team player, that doesn't mean you should get bullied into doing nothing you want. Make sure you tell the people you are traveling with what you want to do as well so it satisfies everyone's needs. On our Thailand trip there were times were some of us would want to do different things than other people, and instead of getting bullied or arguing about it, we would split up and just meet later on and it worked out for all of us. If thats the best solution then do it!

Share responsibilities 
Girls shouldn't expect a lot out of the guys and guys shouldn't expect the girls to do everything. Everyone needs to chip in and do a bit of the work whether its making reservations, getting information on the hot spots of your destination, or figuring out the bill.

Most of all,

Keep an open mind and be patient!
Simply, just have fun! Be open to things, be patient, and your trip will definitely be enjoyable. Lay down certain guidelines like when to meet, budget sharing but do be patient if things go a little haywire. Don't create a scene if things don't go always as you want it to be. On our senior trip, I got into a jet ski accident and one of our after noons got completely wasted because of my trip to the hospital. It was really nice that no one complained and even if things got a bit chaotic everyone just kept a cool mind, they kept patient and we ended up having a great time that night! I know it's cliche, but patience is a virtue!