Hey Quilly Girls, 

I feel like I speak for most of us when I say that there’s nothing better than a weekend trip away. Both my best friend and I recently got broken up with and she had already planned a trip to her family beach house with her ex so we decided to pick up and still go. However, the tricky thing that can come with these trips is navigating the financial side of things. The major cost in most situations is accommodation. For us, the house we stayed in is her great-grandmother’s that has been in the family for years and they are lovely people who lend it out to friends and family to enjoy the way they grew up enjoying it, so we didn’t have to pay for it. On other occasions though, we search airbnb for ages. It depends on if you’re going anywhere to get out of town, or if you’re going to an area for something specific to determine how close you’re wanting to be and what you’re willing to pay for.

One of the most important things with planning is that everyone is on the same page. Even if someone has the ability to pay for a more extravagant place, or can afford to eat out for breakfast, lunch and dinner, most everyone is on a college student budget and they shouldn’t have to feel uncomfortable voicing that. Openness and honesty is the best policy here, and everyone’s perspective deserves the chance to be heard, but compromises sometimes have to be made. You should get an idea of what you want to pay total first, and then break it down by what is reasonable for the bulk of the cost (like food and housing).

I always recommend knowing how much you are willing to spend on the weekend before you start looking, because without a concept of your budget, you can end up spending $700 in two days without realizing (definitely not speaking from experience here…) It can be easier to keep that number down depending on how many people are going and how many ways things are being split too, so keep that in mind! If you’re wanting to keep costs low, I also recommend buying groceries to have food at your house/apartment/hotel, as this can rack up quite quickly too. I love a delicious sourdough bowl by the sea as much as the next girl, but maybe just one or two dinners over the course of the trip instead of every single meal. 

And when it comes to these meals out, if you’re able, it can be cheaper and easier to order together and Venmo later as long as there’s one person who is okay with footing the larger bill. Or, depending on how many people there are, you guys can trade who is paying for things. Just make sure to keep track of who’s paying for what, because you don’t want to get into a situation where someone feels taken advantage of. As long as you all know what you’re getting into, there’s no reason you can’t have an amazing time. Sometimes all you need is a break from the day to day at school, and a weekend away can be the perfect way to reset! 

Have fun, make memories, and don’t do anything I wouldn’t do (so there’s a lot of options).

Love you,
Quilly xoxo