Top 10 Ways to Get the Trip Out of the Group Chat
Because “let’s go on a trip” has been sitting in your group chat since freshman year. Here’s how to actually make it happen this time.
We’ve all had that group chat, the one that’s been saying “we should totally go somewhere” since freshman year but has produced exactly zero booked trips and 47 TikToks of other friend groups actually traveling. You know, that one. Getting everyone to actually commit to a trip is harder than it looks (trust me, BEEN there). But don’t worry, I’ve cracked the code. Here are 10 ways to finally get that trip out of your group chat and have a spring break that all the other chats will be talking about.
1. Pick a date, not a destination (yet)
Everyone’s got opinions on where to go, but none of it matters if no one’s free. Lock down a date first. Vague “summer 2026”, ain’t gonna cut it. You need solid “second week of June 2026” to actually give everyone something real to plan around instead of a dream that keeps getting rescheduled. If you start vague, it will always remain vague, and everyone will think it was “just an idea” not an actual plan.
2. Nominate a CEO of planning
Every trip needs that person, the one who keeps everyone on track, makes the spreadsheet, and gently bullies people into actually booking. If you’re reading this, congrats. It’s probably you. You don’t have to remain the CEO the whole time, but it is on you to actually convince everyone to book.
3. Make a shared doc
Put anything and everything in here, destination ideas, Pinterest boards, TikToks. This is the place where the straggler has so much FOMO they just have to book. Color code who’s in, who’s “maybe,” and who still hasn’t renewed their passport. (Seriously, the 6-month passport rule has gotten too many people.)
4. Be honest about budgets early
No one wants to be the person googling “cheap flights to Paris” with $74 in their bank account. Talk openly about how much everyone’s actually comfortable spending before you fall in love with a villa in Santorini. Make sure to compromise based on everyone’s preference (we aren’t having this trip leave the group chat just to come back to no group chat).
5. Don’t sleep on student travel deals
College = your prime discount era. Affordable travel is easier to find than you think! From flights to accommodations to group travel companies (cough our College Break Collection makes it so you never have to Google “how to plan group travel” again cough), you can save big and skip the planning stress.
6. Accept that not everyone will come
You’ll never get 100% attendance, and that’s okay. Someone will have an internship, someone’s dog will have surgery, someone will “see how things go.” Go anyway. The trip’s better when you actually take it, even if there’s only two of you.
7. Plan a fake itinerary
Sometimes people need to see the dream to believe it. Throw together a mock itinerary, brunch spots, museums, beaches, nights out. Suddenly, it’s not “we should go to Spain,” it’s “we could literally be eating tapas here.” Or just go on an EF Ultimate Break trip—the itinerary’s already planned for you!
8. Make the Pinterest board (aka, what are we wearing?)
Because obviously the most important part of the trip is what we are wearing. Are we doing coastal grandma linen looks? Euro summer sequins? National Park granola chic? Start a Pinterest board to start pinning outfits and photo inspo and suddenly everyone is on board. Once everyone’s obsessed with the fits, it’s basically booked.
9. Set a booking deadline
Pick a date and treat it like your group’s Super Bowl. Make countdowns. Spam the chat with flight deals. Say things like “If we don’t book by Friday, I’m going alone.” (You won’t have to, but we're here if you do.)
10. Stop waiting for “the perfect time”
Spoiler: it doesn’t exist. There will always be exams, jobs, or money stuff. But you’ll never regret the trip you actually took. So, close the group chat, open a tab, and just. book. it.
At the end of the day, the hardest part isn’t choosing where to go, it’s actually going. The group chat will always be there, but your chance to make those “someday” plans happen won’t. So, stop waiting for everyone to agree, stop overthinking it, and just hit “book.” Because the best stories don’t start with “remember when we almost went…”, they start with “I can’t believe we actually did that.”
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