If you and your friends are anything like mine, you all have busy schedules and attend different universities across the country.
I miss my friends from high school a lot but getting us all in the same place is hard. Even over school breaks, we are all with family or have jobs and only get to spend a few hours together here and there.
What if there was a way for me and my friends to carve out a two or three-day hangout? And make it affordable and fun on top of that?
Well, I have good news for you, here is a guide to planning a “weekend away” for you and your friends that won’t break your piggy banks.
Getting Started
A couple of disclaimers, these are all suggestions and tips, and this process can be done in any order. Some groups may pick out dates first, others start with a location and go from there. You could even just start by discussing what you want to spend your time away doing.
I cannot give you specific plans because every group is different. But everything in this article is written to help you plan a “weekend” away with friends.
Location
I recommend trying to do something a bit far away from home for all of you. Go somewhere new or pretty. Most of our plans revolve around us staying in and hanging out, so I found some beautiful and comfortable places and sent them to my friends. I plan to aim for a place that looks comfortable and has nice views around it.
I could spend hours on Airbnb just looking through cool or pretty places we could go to in Missouri. If you want to have a more outdoorsy trip or stay somewhere more populated so you can go shopping, then you might prefer different locations. But in looking for a place for me and two friends to stay, here are some of my favorite finds.
Mountain View Cabin – Irontown, MO
I like the decor in this home as well as the views outside. It looks perfect to cozy up on the couch or even out by the fire and just talk.
Tree houses are big now? I like the idea because I was a fan of the “Magic Tree House” books as a kid and part of me just wants to travel through time.
This one is a lot bigger than the other two but it also is in a more secluded place. Less of a tourist attraction and more of a farmhouse set aside just for us to disconnect. (Don’t worry it has WIFI you will still be connected)
I just love the furniture in this one and it is a great price. The reviews also said it was picture book-esque.
This one is just so darling I can’t put it into words. It has such rich colors and I want to go there just because it is so goofy and pretty at the same time, I don’t know what else to say.
Of course, you could find a place in a hotel or on Vrbo but I prefer Airbnb because my family has an account with a good visitor rating that sometimes gets me discounts. And hotel rooms would not have full kitchens for us.
Quick tips for Airbnb:
- The price of the place will always go up at checkout because most places have extra fees they add on. Just be prepared for that!
- Talk about a comfortable price range for you and your friends, how much could you all reasonably spend per night? That changes what you are looking at a lot.
- Prices will change depending on the days you are staying, if you have flexibility you can try to aim for cheaper dates. The closer you get to the holidays, the more expensive it can get.
- Check the reviews and ratings of each location, it may help a lot to know what other people thought of the location.
- You will need to supply food for you and your friends, make sure to discuss meals and budget for those.
- Each Airbnb has different check-in/check-out policies, place one person in charge of those (probably the person who books the trip).
Activities?
Depending on your friend group, maybe you want to have plans or maybe you want to just wing it. Maybe just picking an activity for the whole weekend?
For me and my friends, we have a lot of shared interests. For the past year, we have discussed escaping to a secluded or pretty place to just read or binge-watch TV together for a weekend. We would switch between watching some of our favorite TV shows (Reign, Merlin, Gilmore Girls) to cooking fun meals together or even just sitting in the same room and having a read-a-thon.
Whatever you plan on doing, let your friends know because that could change what they want to pack. If you plan on hiking or going on walks, take tennis shoes and look up the weather. If you like my shut-in weekend with friends, maybe bring your comfiest pajamas and blankets.
Small Details
Also, some things you need to plan for, who is driving there? Are you all going together? Who sleeps where?
And, if you want to be gone for a few days you have to think about food. Are you going to order meals or eat out the whole time you are away? That can be pricey.
My friend group likes to cook together, so we discussed splitting up the meals between the three of us and hitting a grocery store for anything we don’t have on our way there. But that is just what would work for us.
Reminders
For a lot of university students, like me, you might have never planned a vacation or trip on your own. Do not be afraid to ask your parents or friends for help. I always have my mom look over the details with me and help pick out possible locations.
And if this is something out of your price range for now, running away to the countryside with your friends, that is totally okay! This is meant to be a fun thing, not a stressful activity. There are plenty of other ways to catch up with your friends or escape the craze of the winter holidays.
In fact, I wrote a Family Holiday Survival Guide last year. Go check it out if you want.
Just for Fun
Here are some of the places on Airbnb that were way out of my price range but made me happy.
This one is crazy beautiful with an entire wall of windows and it is close to Branson.
This one is something out of a movie. I don’t think I could comfortably fit three people inside nor do I want to but I have to share it because it is crazy cool.
Okay, this one looks perfectly normal, at least until you fall down the rabbit hole that is! This entire house fits nine people, has an in-home theatre, and a hot tub, oh and every room is decorated based on the Disney movie Alice in Wonderland! In one of the photos, there is an indoor slide…
If you have plans to take more people or want to go to a cute little town, this one is a perfect fit. I have been to Augusta quite a few times and can personally attest that it is a picture-perfect town with cute shops.
Those are just some of the fun places I found while I was scrolling through Airbnb.
Happy holidays to you all and I hope you get to spend lots of time with friends and family.
