Anna Goldfarb and Nell McShane Wulfhart want you to ask questions before booking a trip with a friend. Budget. Accommodations. Personal habits. Alone time. "It'll save you time, money and disappointment."
Correct. It will also save you a friend.
Goldfarb studies friendship. Wulfhart studies travel and decision-making. Between them, they have covered every way a Lisbon weekend can end a decade-long relationship. I respect the specialization.
Here is my analysis. Treat the vacation like a leveraged position. Your friend is the counterparty. Counterparty risk is highest when he says "I'm super chill, whatever works."
Whatever works means he wants the window seat, the better bed, and a 7 a.m. hike. You wanted a pool and a nap.
The experts say discuss budget first. Smart. Nothing reveals character like a friend who "doesn't really drink" until the check arrives, then wants to split it evenly. Seven appetizers. One of you had water. Venmo requests will follow you to your grave.
Personal habits matter too. Does he snore? Does he narrate? Does he say "we should just wing it" at 9 p.m. in a city with no vacancies?
Alone time is the sleeper item on the list. Some people need an hour to themselves each day. Others consider that a hostile act. Find out which one you are before the flight, not in a rental car outside Tucson.
I have a better system. I read charts. A chart never asks to share a hotel room. It never says "let's do a spreadsheet." It never cries at the airport.
The retail trader will read this advice and apply it to nothing. He will book a cabin with four friends and a shared Google Doc. By day two, the doc will be a hostage note.
Ask the questions. Then travel alone, like the rest of your portfolio.
Photo by Daniel Lee on Unsplash
Leave a Comment