MTCBudget guide
Friends want different holidays: how to choose a destination together
The short answer
Separate what each person must have from what they would like. Hard requirements (for example a budget limit, a need for a beach, or no long transfers) rule options out; preferences only rank what is left. Check requirements such as flight time, crowds or weather yourself: MTC does not verify them. Look for destinations strong in the interests you share, write down any requirement that no option meets, and agree the compromise openly instead of letting the loudest voice decide.
This guide is about the group decision. For the difference between beach, city and nature trips themselves, see the beach, city or nature guide; for comparing totals, see the guide on comparing destinations by total budget.
A high fit score means a destination matches more of the group's stated interests and limits. It does not prove that everyone agrees; one unmet hard requirement can still rule it out.
Unresolved is a valid outcome. If one friend needs a beach and another refuses one, say it plainly and decide whether to change the plan, alternate trips or travel separately for part of the time.
How to do it
- Each person lists up to two hard requirements and their top interests, privately if possible.
- Remove destinations that break anyone's hard requirement.
- Rank what remains by shared interests, then by budget fit for the tightest limit.
- Write down any requirement still unmet and agree the compromise out loud.
Worked example
Three destinations with different strengths priced for the same group of four friends on the same dates. The table shows cost only; matching interests is a separate step.
Scenario: Portugal · departing Riyadh · April · 7 days · 4 travellers · Mid-range · SAR · flights included
| Destination | Getting there | Ground spending | Whole-trip total |
|---|---|---|---|
| PortugalSeasonal price level: High | 9,600–15,000 SAR | 15,450–24,400 SAR | 25,050–39,400 SAR |
| VietnamSeasonal price level: High | 9,400–14,700 SAR | 6,950–10,800 SAR | 16,350–25,500 SAR |
| GeorgiaSeasonal price level: Shoulder | 5,100–7,950 SAR | 7,200–11,450 SAR | 12,300–19,400 SAR |
What this example assumes
- On-the-ground costs come from the site's cost bands, whose data reference is 2026-08-23. Loading this page does not refresh that data.
- Rooms are one room per two travellers. There is no children's pricing and no age-based discount anywhere in the model.
- Airfare is modelled from the departure metro and the travel month. It is not a quote, and if you already hold a real fare you should enter it in the calculator so it replaces the modelled one.
Cost data reference: 2026-08-23. Opening this page does not refresh it.
Where this goes wrong
- Treating a preference as a requirement, which rules out good compromises.
- Reading the highest fit score as everyone's agreement.
- Adding a second base on a short trip to please everyone, so nobody gets enough time anywhere.
What this guide does not do
- Every figure on this page is a modelled estimate built from typical costs for the stated scenario. It is not a live fare, not a live room rate, not an offer and not a booking.
- MTC compares destinations for one shared departure city, dates and currency. A Decision Room can collect destination votes, but neither votes nor a fit score prove that everyone agrees. MTC does not verify flight times, crowds or weather, find dates everyone is free, split costs or book anything.
Where to go next
- Each person shares their budget and preferences privately. Compare destination options and see where the group agrees, and where you need to compromise.
- Understand how beach, city and nature trips differ
- Compare shortlisted destinations by total trip budget
- When friends also have different budgets
- All travel budget guides
Sources
External documentation, paraphrased. The date is the day the page was read.
- My Travel Choices methodology: how rooms, party size, airfare and on-the-ground costs are modelledMy Travel Choices · 2026-09-29