Frich Reveals: The Real Cost of Traveling with Friends
Group trips are iconic. The inside jokes, the matching airport fits, the shared photo dumps - what's not to love? But behind every "booked & busy" post, there's often a not-so-glamorous money moment. This week, we asked Frichies how far they were willing to stretch their finances just to say yes to the trip.
Spoiler: we're spending more than you'd think.
Have you ever used BNPL to pay for flights to go on a trip with friends?
38% of you said yes, and it makes sense. When your bank account says "ehh maybe not," but your friends say "girls trip," Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) is a tempting fix. But we're staying stern on our opinion here - if you can't afford to pay for the trip, you shouldn't go. BNPL shouldn't be treated as free access to money, it's for emergency purchases that you weren't able to save up for in advance.
Our approach? Make it the new norm in your friend group to plan ahead. Commit that you'll go on a trip and start putting money aside for it each month. And even if you can't get your friend group to commit 6 months ahead - you can definitely assume you'll be traveling & start a travel fund regardless if it's a group trip or a solo trip. And make sure to keep tha money in a HYSA (high yield savings account). Here are our favorites!
Have you ever gone into CC debt to be able to go on trips with friends?
Traveling with friends sounds fun... until your credit card bill hits. 30% of Frichies say they've gone into debt once to make a trip happen, and 26% admitted they've done it multiple times. That means over half of you have swiped your way onto a plane at least once.
We're sure you won't be surprise by our take here. While it's of course convenient to just swipe your card and pretend to not see your balance, credit card debt is one of the most expensive types of debt. So ask yourself - is that flight upgrade wotth the 25% upcharge on your debt? (No, i't's not.) Just play around with the numbers here & we're sure it will make you rethink your choices.
Have you ever sacrificed your monthly savings / investments to be able to afford to go on a trip?
63% of Frichies say they've paused saving or investing just to make the trip work. Whether it's dipping into your emergency fund or ghosting your Roth IRA for the month, sometimes the beach wins over your budget.
We get it, life's short and the airfare was on sale. But when skipping savings becomes the norm, that "just this once" energy can turn into a habit. And future you? She definitely notices when your summer glow fades but the financial gap doesn't.
Whether you're swiping, saving, or splitting costs, one thing's clear: travel is high on our priority list. Just make sure your money moves match your travel goals so you can say yes to the trip without saying goodbye to your financial wellbeing.
Need help balancing travel + budget life? Check out our video here!
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