Going on holiday with friends? How to avoid falling out over money
Here’s how to navigate tricky money conversations early, writes Vicky Shaw.
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.If you are going away on holiday with a friend or group of mates this summer, perhaps you’re hoping to deepen friendships, and create memories you’ll share together for a lifetime.
In reality however, holidays can sometimes be marred by fallouts with friends – and all too often it’s money that’s at the heart of resentments boiling over into arguments.
Nearly one in 10 (9%) people have lost a friend due to arguing about money on holiday, according to a new poll from budgeting app HyperJar. Men (11%) are more likely to say this has happened to them than women (7%).
Looking at different age groups, Gen Zs aged 18-24 are the most likely to have had such fallouts, followed by 25-34-year-olds, while those aged 65-plus are the least likely, the findings indicate.
Across the UK, people in London, the North East and the South East of England are the most likely to say they’ve fallen out with a friend over money while on holiday, while those in the East Midlands are the least likely, the survey of more than 2,000 people found.
So, how can you avoid holiday financial fallouts with friends?
Being up-front about your budget is the best place to start. This needs to be taken into consideration when deciding where to go, and also for planning what you’ll be doing when you get there – will there be lots of excursions and activities for example? How much will you be budgeting for food and drink and restaurant meals? People’s incomes will vary across friendship groups, so if you’re organising activities, make sure there are at least some which are relatively inexpensive, so everyone can join in.
Decide the spending vibe before you go...
Mat Megens, founder of HyperJar – which allows friends and family to share ‘jars’ to budget and spend together – says: “We’ve all been away with someone who’s on a champagne budget, while you need to stick to cold water, and it can easily lead to arguments as well as a nasty credit card bill when you get home.
“The number one tip to avoid falling out is to decide the spending vibe before you go. Is it blow-out or basic? If this isn’t sorted you can end up footing the bill for someone who’s broke, or going into unwanted debt as you try to keep up with the sunshine spenders,” he adds.
“Agreeing limits ahead of the holiday also means you can set a goal and start saving up together – this is one of the most popular uses of our shared ‘jars’, which act like pop-up digital kitties for groups on holiday.”
It may be worth setting up a group chat on your phones before your holiday, so everyone can remember who has agreed to take part in which activity and what each of you has agreed to pay. And if you’re feeling the pinch from friends not paying you back after your holiday, you could try asking for the funds but keep the conversation light with something like: “I really enjoyed our holiday, but now money is a bit tight.”
Hopefully, this will help avoid any confrontations, so you can all look back fondly on your break together.