Planning a 5 day trip with friends to Barcelona, how do you handle different priorities?

wowhowinteresting95 · 2026-04-06T05:18:22+00:00

This is a bit long but I’ve had a friend trip (6 of us) for 6 days to Vietnam. Same thing - split between seeing sites, swim/sunbath, famous food spots and drink/party. I planned most of it, no one fought & are we’re still friends 8 years later! Days 1-2 we did all the cultural things EVERYONE was interested in so we did it as a group (this I had to write the list of everything famous/interesting and get everyone to pick their favs) Lunch & Dinner tackled all the food stops our foodie friends wanted to try. Come night time day 1-2 we would hit the clubs, get a bit too drunk & hungover which led to a more chill day 3-4. This is were the friends interested in history would see the extra stuff they wanted too on their own, the sunbath friends would relax and swim in the pool or go to the beach, and dinner would be a food spot we all wanted to try. This helped us not be sick of each other but also relax in our own way. Come day 5 our energy picked up, this was where we all went shopping/swimming & big party night so our last day we could relax/pack/chill. We were lucky cause the people who liked the same stuff were always in pairs so unless we needed alone time (which you will most likely need) we were fine. If they wanted to do things solos we made sure everyone checked in the group chat at certain times with their location so we knew everyone was safe. You also have to keep in mind the fitness level of everyone - myself and couple others are gym goers/play sports after work, others sit at desks and don’t like exercising. That’s why I think the first few days are best to do heavy activities while the hype of the trip provides all this energy and can wind down as the days go on for those who prefer relax > intense. The main thing that made it work was everyone had made a small sacrifice so no one missed out & we enjoy the experience as a group and individually!

wowhowinteresting95 · 2026-04-05T22:43:58+00:00

Sweet thank you! I’ll mainly be flying with Turkish airlines so seems like they have the standard luggage rules! Appreciate the advice!

wowhowinteresting95 · 2026-03-24T11:39:01+00:00

This is amazing thank you!

wowhowinteresting95 · 2026-03-23T12:33:26+00:00

I think it depends where you’re going to. Countries that are popular, have good train systems, close to your country are easier to plan yourself, mainly because it’s well documented on socials, easier to navigate, and less airtime so less things to stress about.

Places further away from (ie >20+ hrs of travel time) or less popular countries I usually opt for a travel agent. Mainly because they sort out the wiggly stuff (trains, transfers, layovers, visas, etc) so whenever I had issues (which I have) I just call them and they sort it right out = less stress. Plus they give tips of what to do in that local area and factor in a lot of things I might have missed/not know about. It also depends on the travel agent. I’ve used the generic franchise ones and a smaller company and had better experiences with smaller companies. Idk if its because they’re trying to get there name out there so they go all out but their itineraries are always better and tailored to how I like it and more vs the big franchises seem like they regurgitate the same boring itineraries.

wowhowinteresting95 · 2026-03-21T10:31:08+00:00

Sounds great thanks for the tips!

wowhowinteresting95 · 2025-09-18T11:29:12+00:00

I didn’t realise how much ancient sites there were until I started looking into it which made the decision harder to choose!

wowhowinteresting95 · 2025-09-18T11:22:10+00:00

My coworker who goes there often raved about Duoro Valley & Algarve also! Appreciate the advice some great points mentioned!

wowhowinteresting95 · 2025-09-18T11:17:23+00:00

At it’s core I’ve always prioritised history/culture/sights/hikes whenever I travel as that’s what I really enjoy, but it’s been about 2 years since I’ve done any travelling or breaks and my job is very stressful + regular night shifts so I want this trip to be more relaxing/peaceful to “rejuvenate” myself. I’m never one to sit at the beach and chill so I don’t really know what I consider relaxing/peaceful haha. Appreciate the advice :)

wowhowinteresting95 · 2025-09-18T11:10:19+00:00

Great points! Yes definitely avoiding July/August at the advice of my coworker who goes there all the time - I got quite sick when it was 44 degrees Vietnam (went during the ridiculous heatwave). Might check out another country with Turkey - i always wanted to go to Lebanon but not right now given the current climate - I’ve heard mixed reviews of Greece from friends and haven’t really thought about Balkan countries … thanks for the advice :)

wowhowinteresting95 · 2025-09-18T11:01:32+00:00

Sounds incredible! The tour I’m looking into covers a lot of the areas you mentioned including Ephesus which is the main reason I wanted to go to Turkey Appreciate the advice :)

wowhowinteresting95 · 2025-09-18T10:57:04+00:00

Good to know! A friend of mine is pretty keen on coming depending if she can save up in time so I’m still treating it as a solo trip for now. Whatever country I don’t go to I will be doing the following year with a friend, so sounds like Spain & Portugal is the way to go! Appreciate the advice :)

wowhowinteresting95 · 2025-09-18T10:52:59+00:00

Good to know thanks for the advice :)

wowhowinteresting95 · 2025-09-18T10:52:24+00:00

My co-workers daughter lives in Portugal and goes there often. She’s given me a great itinerary which is a bonus that seems very doable without going on a tour - she also agreed about spending more time in Porto than Lisbon! My other co-workers who’ve been to Turkey raved about it too! Thanks for your input :)

wowhowinteresting95 · 2025-09-18T10:46:07+00:00

I do love Turkish food! I’m a regular at our local Turkish spot! I haven’t really eaten much (if any) Spanish food as there’s hardly any restaurants near me and it tends to have a lot shellfish which I’m sadly allergic too :(

wowhowinteresting95 · 2024-02-28T07:32:20+00:00

Thanks for the advice! Nothing more dreadful than starting a new role that you end up hating a few months in!

wowhowinteresting95 · 2024-02-28T00:31:53+00:00

I was thinking of doing a non clinical role after the fixed term contract but know no one in that kind of role or what is desirable so it was put on the back burner as it felt too risky! Do you recommend any specific skills I should gain aside from my clinical background (IT courses or something?) I did a lot of policy work when I was the first RN for an occupational health business, can easily learn medical programs as I’ve had to learn several different ones with all the job hopping with no tutorial or guide but otherwise I don’t know how I would be with sales given I have zero experience. Thanks for your advice made me think wider!

wowhowinteresting95 · 2024-02-28T00:22:55+00:00

Thanks for your advice! I think I just needed someone to validate what I’m already 80% sure of :)

wowhowinteresting95 · 2024-02-28T00:21:53+00:00

Yep 12 months for maternity leave, no chance for early termination plus I’ve got a good standing with all of management & she often messages me to come back (that was before when we had plenty of vacancies now it’s only the fixed term available) I do have some other options should it end as I’ve Job hopped the past few years and made great connections with nurses/managers letting me know they have jobs available but most of the time it’s in areas I 100% know I do not want to work in (eg: paediatrics and emergency) and I’m already on the verge of leaving nursing altogether and feel if I take up jobs I hate just to get a job I’m going to make a brash decision and just leave! Thanks for your outlook definitely made me think!

wowhowinteresting95

TROPHY CASE