How to convince your friends to travel with you

Published on Mar 24, 2018

4 min

Got friends who are on the fence about your future travel plans? We’ve got some persuasion mastery up our sleeves right here…

Have a travel-themed movie night

Very few things yell ‘squad goals’ like a movie night and this time, you’ll be in charge of what film to watch. Make sure you choose a film that’s guaranteed to get them inspired and in the mood for an epic adventure – think Eat Pray Love or anything from Wes Anderson. For extra effect, lay out some destination-inspired snacks to keep it immersive. You never know, the film might just do all the convincing for you…

Cook up an international feast

Nothing will get your bestie in the mood for travel like a scrumptious international feast inspired by your favourite destination, especially if it’s lovingly prepared by you. Cooking up a storm will kill two birds with one stone: 1) doing a lovely gesture for your friends and 2) adjusting their taste buds for the travels to come. You could even turn it into a little game, where your friend has to guess what destination you want to go on based on the food you cooked. If they’re a little harder to please, maybe throw in a dessert to sweeten the deal…

Tell them what they want to hear

Your own vision for this trip might have to take a bit of a back burner when convincing your friends to travel. It’s key that you appeal to their own sense of adventure, making sure the trip ticks all of their boxes rather than just your own. Of course, the trip should be a mix of the activities you both want to do, but you’ll have a better chance of getting them on board if you choose a destination they’ve already mentioned, rather than one they’re not as keen on.

Do all the hard work for them

Sometimes the hassle of planning a trip can deter you from actually going on one. If you want to convince your friend to travel, you’ll need to come with the research. Have your list ready of flight and trip options, spending money, visa information and realistic ideas of when you could go (keeping in mind their schedule, of course). Seeing that you’ve really put a lot of thought behind making sure the trip is do-able for both of you will show your friend how serious you are about travelling with them.

Make a mood board together

Visualising your dream trip will help it to feel more real, plus it’s also a super cute way of strengthening your friendship and creating something that you can both be proud of. When it comes down to the actual planning, it will come in super handy as you can put activities that you both want to do on there and make sure you’ve ticked at least most of them off your itinerary. I mean, what says ‘I appreciate you’ more than a little arts ‘n crafts, or a lovingly curated Pinterest board.

Talk in hypotheticals

If all else fails, turn to subliminal messages. Start talking about your hypothetical trip as much as possible, slipping it into conversations wherever you can. They’ll start to get excited about their ‘hypothetical’ beach days in Greece and pasta-making classes in Italy, and before you know it they’ll start joining in too.

Still can’t convince them? Just go solo…

You can’t force your friends to travel with you, and sometimes it’s a blessing in disguise. Travelling solo can be one of the most challenging, rewarding, empowering and exciting things you could ever do. You’ll learn so much about yourself, and you’ll likely make so many new friends who’ll be more than down for future travels. Over 50% of Contiki travellers are solo travellers, so you certainly won’t feel like a Billy-no-mates.