Are you talking to yourself again?

I'm a bit selfish, so I saved the "Who" for last - mostly because if I've already determined the Where, When, and How and absolutely no one else can join me, I'll go solo. If you absolutely, positively, 100% cannot go without your SO/BFF/mom/dad/sister/brother/grandmother/grandfather or the whole graduating class of 2015, then you'll NEVER go where you want, when you want, and for as long as you want. If you're not as self-centered as me and are okay with compromise, then have your absolutes answer the Where, When, and How questions and see how they matched up. Then let the negotiating begin! If you have determined a 2-week Mediterranean cruise is the only trip that you can all agree on and you've determined that the only time you'll all have enough time and money for the trip is after you all retire, then maybe you need new friends. (Kidding Mell & Bev! We'll all be able to go together. Some day...)

If you do end up taking on some co-pilots, you might want to plan in some free time where you can get away from each other. Let's face it, 24/7 of anyone can become just a bit too much. Also, keep a Snickers in the car because Hangry is real. Confession Time! I was on a road trip with my best friend, we've spent endless hours with each other growing up and are pretty inseparable (well, except now that we live in different states - my fault. Sorry Christie!). Anyways, we were in New York City - the land of too many people and constant noise. We had been out exploring all morning, hadn't eaten in hours, and started arguing about silly things. So we split up for lunch. Met back up an hour later & everything was back to normal!

Also in the planning stages, have everyone prioritize their "must haves" to their "just interested in". Make sure you can hit everyone's must haves and then incorporate down to the just interests until your schedule is full (minus some free time, of course). Another plug for going solo - you get to do everything on your own list! However, you do end up talking to yourself quite often. It's inevitable. You might also come to believe you are an amazing singer. This is probably not true - but don't let that stop you from belting your face off at the local karaoke bar!

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Lastly, for those of you who like to “wing-it”, I still recommend a little research before you go. Having some ideas of what there is to do and what you’re interested in will help you actually do some of that stuff and not wander aimlessly, looking for the “best thing” to do or waiting for everyone in the party to agree on doing something, anything, please…. Not my story, because well, I’m too controlling for this to happen, but friends of mine wandered Ireland without a plan and came home with some regrets because no one would make a decision. Hence recommending having at least a list if you won’t commit to a fully planned spreadsheet tracked to the hour of the day….