Once upon a time, I traveled the world alongside 30 other students to earn my Global Studies degree.
We slept in many places on our journey across the planet. Some of my most memorable stays include renting a hammock for $6 a night in Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica; sleeping on mats in an ashram with my entire class (including teachers) in Puducherry, India; and at student lodging with two bunk beds crammed into a tiny room in Taipei, Taiwan.
Somehow, I’ve come out of these experiences still loving group travel.
In fact, I still travel internationally with a group of more than five… at least once a year, too.
Last year, I took a group trip to Hamburg, Germany for a music festival. The year before, that small group headed to Plitvice, Croatia… also for a music festival, along with some coastal driving. The year before that, we took a trip to London… to party at Printworks before it closed. (You might recognize Printworks from The Batman.)
After so much time traveling in a large group, I’ve learned quite a few things about how to put together a great trip. The most pressing part of the equation is finding lodging for groups of over five people.
Compared to transportation and day trips, landing a perfect pad takes time, consideration, and learning from a few mistakes.
If you want to level up your group trip game, then I’ve got suggestions. Whatever you do, avoid these mistakes when looking for hotels and rentals for a group larger than five.
Avoid these mistakes when booking group trips
Mistake #1: Booking a hotel that doesn’t have a kitchenette
Avoid hotels unless they offer kitchenettes and suites.
Your group will save a ton of money buying snacks and putting together mini meals. That’s important because every member of the group probably has a different budget. Eating out for every meal quickly adds up.
Another consideration is common space. You want a little area where everyone can hang out and review last night’s wildest adventures. Or put together a plan for the day. Or both, if you’re part of my group.
That being said, if someone in your group has rewards points they want to use, booking at an aparthotel or an extended stay hotel might be a great way to save on multiple room bookings.
Mistake #2: Shopping only for Airbnbs
Airbnb is great for groups of over five—don’t get me wrong.
But don’t forget about other platforms when you’re looking for a private rental. From VRBO to Vacasa to Booking, there might be a cheaper and more affordable option that better suits your needs.
Above, I also mentioned aparthotels. I suggest looking into these more boutique options, as well. I recently stayed in Milan with my dad, my stepmom, my brother, and his girlfriend at an aparthotel that perfectly met our needs.
We found that place just by Googling ‘aparthotel Milan’… sometimes, it’s really that easy.
Mistake #3: Not reading the fine print
I prefer rentals over hotels for lodging for larger groups with five or more people—but always read the rental description and reviews.
The main item you should be looking for is noise. Some rentals have a higher noise tolerance than others, mostly depending on the quality of the rental and how sensitive neighbors are.
To be blunt, it’s hard to keep five Americans quiet—even when we’re just chatting. Even for groups of five that aren’t American, it can be hard to keep the noise down.
After all, if you’re traveling with friends, then you’re probably trying to have fun… not monitor the decibel level when the good times start to roll.
When booking your rental, make sure that it suits your needs. Read the fine print—and always read the reviews, too. They’ll alert you to any problems that other guests ran into.
Mistake #4: Making the third wheel sleep on the couch
There’s almost always a third wheel when I’m traveling in a group of five or more.
While it’s tempting to have them sleep on the couch (especially if it’s an actual pull-out), this probably only works for younger travelers who aren’t as concerned with privacy.
In other words, as I cruise toward my mid-thirties, me and my friends are okay sharing rentals—but everyone wants some space. While sleeping on a couch might be perfectly comfortable, be mindful of where that couch is located.
If it’s near the bathroom or the kitchen, whoever is sleeping there will probably be woken early by foot traffic and coffee-brewing.
Alternatively, if you’ve found that relegating someone to the couch is the best option, I highly suggest that they pay less than the other guests for the rental.
It’s only fair—and might benefit anyone in your group on a shoestring budget.
Mistake #5: Distributing keys willy-nilly
If you’ve traveled on group trips before, you know that people tend to separate—especially on a late night.
Some friends might want to stay out and keep the party vibe going, while others might want to call it a night early. The same is true even for day jaunts; the group will splinter.
If you’re staying at a hotel, you don’t need to worry about keys. But if you’re staying at a rental, you need to be strategic about the limited number of sets you have. (They should never fall into the hands of the wayward partier—every group has one.)
Be very mindful about exchanging keys when your group is about to break up. The person heading home obviously needs one key, but the other pair (or two) should always stay out.
But don’t stress out if there aren’t enough copies.
On almost every trip I’ve been on, at least someone gets stranded without a set of keys at some point in time. So long as someone is back at the rental to let them in, it’s not a big deal—so long as that person stays awake and keeps their phone close.
