MTCBudget guide
Places to travel with friends: finding a trip the whole group can enjoy
The short answer
There is no single best place to travel with friends. A good place is one that fits everyone's own budget, matches the interests you share and works from the city you all leave from. Shortlist a few options with different strengths, price them for the whole group on the same basis, then let each friend give their own budget and preferences privately before you compare and decide together.
Different budgets: do not average them. A destination that suits the average can still price one friend out. Each person's own budget band should be checked separately, which is what a Decision Room does privately.
Different vibes: one friend wants beaches, another food and cities, another a quiet break. Separate must-haves from nice-to-haves, and look for places strong in what you share instead of the one that pleases the loudest person.
Can't decide at all? Start smaller: agree one departure city, a rough month and a trip length, then compare three or four options side by side. A short, concrete list is easier to decide on than an open question.
Where you start changes the answer. The examples below use three departure cities in Europe, Asia and North America; the same idea gives different shortlists from each.
How to do it
- Agree the shared basics: one departure city, a rough month, trip length and the currency you compare in.
- Shortlist three or four places with different strengths, such as a beach, a city break and a food or culture trip.
- Compare modelled whole-group totals on the same basis to see the cost range.
- Share a Decision Room link: each friend answers with their own budget and preferences, then you compare the results together.
Worked example
Illustrative, editable examples: four friends, five days in May, mid-range style, priced for the whole group. Each figure is the total for the whole group, not what one person can afford. Change the party size, budget or month in the calculator.
Scenario: Portugal · departing London · May · 5 days · 4 travellers · Mid-range · GBP · flights included
| Destination | Getting there | Ground spending | Whole-trip total |
|---|---|---|---|
| PortugalSeasonal price level: High | 410–1,040 GBP | 2,170–3,420 GBP | 2,580–4,460 GBP |
| HungarySeasonal price level: High | 380–960 GBP | 1,380–2,190 GBP | 1,760–3,150 GBP |
| MoroccoSeasonal price level: High | 1,120–1,750 GBP | 1,260–2,000 GBP | 2,380–3,750 GBP |
From Singapore
Scenario: Vietnam · departing Singapore · May · 5 days · 4 travellers · Mid-range · SGD · flights included
| Destination | Getting there | Ground spending | Whole-trip total |
|---|---|---|---|
| VietnamSeasonal price level: Shoulder | 1,860–2,900 SGD | 1,530–2,410 SGD | 3,390–5,310 SGD |
| ThailandSeasonal price level: Low | 1,470–2,290 SGD | 1,910–3,010 SGD | 3,380–5,300 SGD |
| TaiwanSeasonal price level: Shoulder | 2,570–4,020 SGD | 2,100–3,340 SGD | 4,670–7,360 SGD |
- In this set, the lowest starting estimate (lower bound of the whole-group range) is Thailand (3,380–5,300 SGD) and the highest starting estimate is Taiwan (4,670–7,360 SGD). This orders lower bounds only; where ranges overlap, neither is definitively the lowest or highest total. It orders modelled cost, not fit.
From New York
Scenario: Colombia · departing New York · May · 5 days · 4 travellers · Mid-range · USD · flights included
| Destination | Getting there | Ground spending | Whole-trip total |
|---|---|---|---|
| ColombiaSeasonal price level: Low | 2,060–4,290 USD | 1,360–2,150 USD | 3,420–6,440 USD |
| PortugalSeasonal price level: High | 2,550–4,000 USD | 2,900–4,550 USD | 5,450–8,550 USD |
| Costa RicaSeasonal price level: Shoulder | 2,000–4,200 USD | 3,050–4,850 USD | 5,050–9,050 USD |
- In this set, the lowest starting estimate (lower bound of the whole-group range) is Colombia (3,420–6,440 USD) and the highest starting estimate is Portugal (5,450–8,550 USD). This orders lower bounds only; where ranges overlap, neither is definitively the lowest or highest total. It orders modelled cost, not fit.
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
- Picking a place from a list of 'best places' before checking it works from your own departure city.
- Averaging budgets, so the plan quietly excludes the friend with the tightest limit.
- Reading the cheapest total as the best choice; cost is one input, shared interests are another.
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.
- Visa costs, travel insurance and card charges are conditional questions that depend on your passport, your insurer and your bank. This guide tells you to ask them; it does not answer them for you, and it is not legal or financial advice.
- MTC compares destinations for one shared departure city, dates and currency. It does not plan routes from several cities, find dates everyone is free, check flight times or weather, split costs or book anything, and a Decision Room result does not mean everyone has agreed.
Where to go next
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