Have you got experience traveling with a big group of friends?

>>1226735
I have been to Istanbul with five friends. Was a clusterfuck but really fun. The only time I've ever gone with more people has been with eight people. But that was skiing so we never had to argue about plans or shit like that. We split into small groups by ability during the day and by night we agreed on somewhere to eat.

I'm not sure how I would handle 10 people on a bigger holiday just because I know how difficult it can be to get everyone to agree and to keep people together. Maybe just say fuck it and agree that sometimes you will split up and to be sure to back at the hotel by a certain time?

>>1226735
Plan ahead

Big groups can be a pain regardless where you are traveling. Plan out as much as you can prior to traveling, and realize that at some point your group will get split up and have a plan for that.

Make sure that everyone has a schedule or an idea of what they would like to do. I can't stress this enough, not everyone regardless how good of friends you all are, will want to do the exact same thing.

Don't try to always keep people in one large group. People regardless how close of friends they might be, can get on each others nerves or may want to go do something on their own.

>>1226799
Small groups are a great idea, if you have 10 people going splitting into 2 or 3 groups can avoid a lot of confusion and unneeded headaches.

>>1226735
Meet me at shinjuku station senpai

I've got like five friends that I'd love to go travelling with at least once. Only problem is we can't all really agree on a place that we want to go. I've suggested Southeast Asia, one has suggested Ireland, and another has suggested we go to Northern Africa. Of course, these plans will probably fall through as the rest of them have trouble committing to something this big, so I'm not really trying to fix it because I know that the rest of them will suddenly not want to do it right before we start booking shit.

>>1227057
>Travel with about 7 friends who just want to "wing it" on travel
>tell them we should all have ideas on what we are doing before we get there
>"Haha anon you worry too much there is so much to do that we can't be bored!"
>get to said place
>half the time the group is going back and forth on what they want to do
>end up wasting half the trip just sitting in the hotel or a bar while the group tries to figure out what things they missed by not agreeing on what to do
>"Wow that trip sucked"

>>1226735
On a group of 10 there will be at least 5 assholes who use the group as a safety net. They get shitfaced and act like idiots because they know the other guys watch their back in a fight, lie for them when they get caught stealing, pay for damages for everything, and finally carry them back to hotel when they pass out.

>>1227057
Anon, I've done friends-reunion trips in both Scotland and Ireland. Driving vacations put you on the road like 10am-3pm...stopping at antiquities or ruins, an interesting pub, and then settling in for a night at the local watering hole and good meal or music. It's comfortable and ther can be good chats in the car, a few hiking breaks.

Quantity six of you mean you need a van to have some fun roadtrip times, and you'll want a second person to be included as the driver, because it can be exhausting day after day. Once that expense is hammered out, you start researching just a little bit on the B&Bs, and you make only firm reservations on the Fri/Sat nights, or maybe on a single castle night or one resort that looks like a nice respite in the middle of a roughing it week.
Then you find a concert or golf course or fishing boat or celebrity chef's restaurant or craft brewery or great museum or some reason why you pick that town on that day.

In the end, you haven't really planned it all....it's still a flexible trip for them to nail down or live in the moment (go ahead and research nights just in case you do need a firm reservation for a festival occupancy issue). You've only done the backbone groundwork! Present it to buds, give rough estimate on funds, and see if it flies.

The most important tip I have is to not block the sidewalk or escalator when you're traveling with a large group.

Besides that, have everyone stay together the first day so you can all learn how to use public transportation, buy stuff, and order food. Then you can split the group up into smaller groups and go enjoy your vacation. Make a point to check in with everyone daily for morning coffee or evening tea and rearrange groups as necessary.

Also, you all need to make a list of the top three things you want to do. Then you can match up your lists and figure out how to split into smaller groups. You might have a hard time eating at restaurants together, so definitely make reservations in advance for your large group of 10. I know some restaurants don't even have seating for 10 people. You should make a point to have a big group dinner a couple times during your vacation. It lets you check who is getting along and who wants to switch groups.

>>1227072
i know that feel

Whenever I go on trips with like 3 other friends we're the most indecisive people ever. nobody commits to anything and we just waste tonnes of fucking time wondering what to do, even when it comes to easy things like food

>>1227262
Worst part is that if people would have taken a few moments to google a few things things and share what people would have liked/disliked. The whole mess would have been easily avoided.

>>1227291
yeah, on your own or with one other person is best. I think there it just creates less confusion. maybe 2 other people if everyone is well organized and get along

>>1227384
That's why I think if OP is going in a large group (10 people), it's probably best to break off into small groups if and when needed.

Sharing a hotel room, or meeting for meals is one thing in a large group, but trying to stick together at all times can cause a lot of headaches. If everyone wants to do large group events, then make sure everyone is in agreement before even leaving for your destination.

>>1226735

I think big travel groups have more cons than pros.

I have traveled solo, in a small group, and in a large group. IMO traveling solo or in a pair of 2 people is usually best. 4 people can be nice too. Over 6 is when things usually get messy.

Here's the pros and cons of big group travel:

>pros
group enthusiasm, people will be more fired up and energized to have fun
more people means better rates on everything
easier to get the good times rolling
it's fun to enter a bar or club as a pack and make it your own party of sorts

>cons
you are stuck to the group, any confusion or problems and you are right there in the middle of it
money splits can get complicated and people can feel like they got shorted or overpaid
there will always be drama, someone will get too drunk, get sick, someone will cheat on their spouse/gf or bf
the local people are much less likely to open up to a crowd than just one or two people
You'll be much much less likely to get into lesser known adventures that only a few unique individuals will find
Sometimes you'll be tired and just wanna stay in, but the group can be all "anon come have fun with us!"

Group trips are, up front, the more comfortable choice and seem fun. But you can truly go on a special adventure when you travel alone, or just with one other person.

Anyone else agree?

>>1227474
>I think big travel groups have more cons than pros.
Fully agree'd, but it's still fun.

>I have traveled solo, in a small group, and in a large group.
I'd say 2-4 is ideal, 5 is the maximum, anything over you are asking for some kind of issue

However on the pros and cons I would add/clarify a few things
>pros
More ideas circulating around
Easier to find someone willing to just go off on a one off (unless you have people who in the group makes you think you don't like the group)
In OP's case, might have more people fluent in the language
Easier to make a lot more memories

>cons
Picky people can sometimes really cause issues (I'm a vegan!, I can only eat at cheap places, I don't want to go to X, etc)
Drama is basically guaranteed with a group over 5
Makes it harder to do a thing with 1 or 2 others since someone in the group will feel left out
Keeping the group together is incredibly hard to manage even outside events
Someone will probably drag there feet if they don't want to go somewhere or don't want to leave somewhere
Someone backs out last minute because ...

Issues usually arrive a lot sooner when the group wants to "wing it" or "find stuff to do when we get there!" Do like others have mentioned and just plan your journey and hotspots to go to. While there may not be able to avoid any kind of issues when traveling, but there are steps you can do to minimize it and make it forgettable to the overall trip.

>>1227083
Dude some of my friends do the fighting thing. One of my friends acts wild as fuck and when it comes time to fight he like hints that I should back him up. Its like jesus christ dude can you not be insane for like one day

>>1227474
>there will always be drama, someone will get too drunk, get sick, someone will cheat on their spouse/gf or bf

Last time I went to Thailand with 6 friends. 2 of them hated each other and argued most the time. Another guy took loads of Valium and punched another friend, so they ignored each other for the rest of the holiday. They wouldn't come to this amazing beach, almost out of spite just because it was far closer to my (more expensive) hotel. It was great though and had 10fold better time then if I was alone.

Generally I prefer going with a group of mates but think it depends on the holiday as well. Skiing/drinking/festival/beach type holidays I can't see how that would be better going alone at all. Sightseeing/cultural/historical trips you are better going off solo/duo.

>>1226735
Idk.. 10 people seem like wayyy too many.. I would never travel with more than 4-6