At the end of their senior year, many students plan themselves a post-graduation vacation to celebrate their four years of hard work, spend some quality time with their friends, and experience true independence before college. It can be exciting but also intimidating to plan as there are many discouraging factors that come into play when trying to book things as a teenager. So, here is a little inspiration and advice to help you “get your trip out of the group chat.”
Quick tip: I recommend meeting in person with your friends to complete these steps. When communicating over the phone or via text things can get really confusing.
Step 1) Choose a destination
This step can obviously go tons of different ways. For some friends, there is a quick and easy mutual agreement about where to go. However, if your friends have a bunch of different ideas it can be time consuming and especially stressful to finalize a location. That is why I suggest you start brainstorming and discussing it during the first semester of your senior year!
Here are some factors you should take into consideration when choosing a destination:
- Parents permission: Some people’s parents will be strict about how far away they are allowed to travel without them so make sure you are clear about your parents restrictions for you before you even consider certain options.
- Distance from home: If you plan on traveling to a foreign country make sure you have a very clear plan set for your travels because it will be a lot more difficult to plan. Keep in mind that there could be many obstacles such as getting a passport, adjusting to certain foreign customs, currency exchange, safety, and language barriers.
- Cost: Generally, the closer to home that you go, the cheaper your trip will be so if cost plays a big role in where you choose to visit, keep that in mind.
- Try something new!: Remember, your senior trip is a chance for you to explore the world wherever you want. I would recommend choosing a place that you have never been to before, to allow you the chance to experience something new.
I would suggest making slideshow presentations for each option and then presenting them to your friends to help narrow down the choices. If you are still struggling to choose a destination after going through this list, then I suggest drawing a random place out of a hat to decide for you!
Step 2) Finding lodging
Depending on where you choose to go there may be limited options, however here is my best advice for finding something practical and cost effective. Keep in mind that you also must be at least 18 years old to reserve a room anywhere so hopefully you or one of your friends meet that requirement! To start, don’t shy away from looking into rental properties. While many websites such as Airbnb or VRBO say that they don’t rent out to 18 year olds, many property managers are willing to make exceptions. Simply message the owners and let them know you are a responsible person (or group of people) and why they should allow you to stay at their property despite your age. You can also include that you are willing to pay a slight extra fee if you feel so inclined. Some may turn you down, so be sure to test out a few different places and don’t give up. One advantage of renting too is that you will likely have access to a kitchen. If you enjoy cooking, then this can be a very good way to save money on food as you will not have to go out to eat every night. If you prefer, you can also easily stay at a hotel but make sure to reserve your room as far in advance as possible. I also advise you look into various vacation package deals that you could get that include lodging. You can often find things like this through Costco or Expedia. Lastly, always double check the location of where you are thinking of staying. See if it is within walking or driving distance from where you plan to spend most of your time and or do activities and plan accordingly.
Step 3) Choosing transportation
Clearly, transportation will vary greatly depending on whatever destination you choose. If you need to fly to get to your destination, you will surely want to book your flights months in advance as they will be cheaper. You can also often find flights that come with a vacation package, like mentioned in the step above. If you plan on needing a car at all make sure you keep these points in mind:
- Ubering: This can be a good method of transportation but only really if you use it for short distances, otherwise it will get super expensive.
- Renting a car: It can be extremely expensive to rent a car and get insurance at the age of 18. In fact, most companies do not rent out until you are at least 21 so keep that in mind and find a company you can use way ahead of time.
- Driving your own car: If you have your own car, this could be a great and cost effective way to get around. However, if you would need to borrow a family car you definitely need to obtain permission to be able to use it for a whole week, which could be difficult.
Depending on where you choose to go for your senior trip, you can also consider riding a train or bus. A lot of urban cities have next to free bus routes and or subways. Stretching across all of California is the Amtrak Coastal Starlight train, which would be very useful in getting to a destination in southern California.
Step 4) Paying for your trip
Last but not least, you need to pay for everything. If your parents are helping you afford the trip then it will likely be a lot less stressful but here is my advice to anyone who is going to pay for it themselves. My biggest suggestion for this is organizing all of your expenses neatly into a google doc or spreadsheet to keep track of. If you are traveling with a large group of people, share it with them so you can keep track of if you owe each other any money. Plan out an estimated cost for all meals and activities before you go so that you know what to expect. It may also be helpful to also set a maximum amount that you are willing to spend, so that you can plan everything accordingly. Most likely you will end up spending more than you thought, whether it be on souvenirs, activities, or sweet treats, so just mentally prepare yourself for that.
Lastly, have fun! Your senior trip will likely be one of your fondest high school memories if it is planned and executed accordingly, so make sure to enjoy it. Hope this helps!