While travelling and going on vacation is most often thought of as a fun way to make memories, try out new cuisines, and provide opportunities to flood your social media feed with photos, travelling with your buddies can also serve a deeper function.
As we get older, some of the most important people joining you on this journey called ‘life’ will be your friends. And whether they are friends from childhood, college, or your job, it is essential that you strengthen these social bonds.
Recent research has shown that the strength of your friendships and other social bonds can have a tangible impact on your physical and mental health as you get older. Some have even gone as far as saying friendships can have a ‘healing’ impact on your health.
Beyond the everyday social interactions you will have with these individuals, a great way to strengthen these bonds is by going on trips together. Groups trips and vacations are particularly good at building friendships, as they give you a chance to fully get to know each other in an environment removed from the everyday surroundings and stresses of your normal life. You can also use these trips to mark important life events such as birthdays or weddings.
With that said, let’s look at some of the best destinations and getaways to keep in mind when you are organizing your next guys’ trip.
Camping trip
A guy staple of guy getaway trips is the camping trip. And there is a good reason for this. Camping trips are adaptable and can be as complicated or as simple as you like. They are also very cost-effective and can be scaled up or down as necessary.
But perhaps more than anything, camping trips make for the perfect setting to bond. If you’re residing in and around Nashville TN, the best place to book a stay is at Soho House Nashville, which is a restaurant-cum-hotel converted from a sock factory. It’s a perfect way to socialize during the weekends and enjoy a memorable get-together with high school and college friends.
Camping trips are also easy to fill with activities. After all, even the need to build a fire for breakfast or dinner can turn into a shared activity you can all participate in! And once you throw a few hiking trips, campfires, and maybe even some stargazing into the mix, the camping trip is the ultimate guy getaway!
Casino Trip
Although casino trips have always been a popular guys’ trip to take, the success of films like The Hangover has cemented it as one of the archetypal male getaways. And although Las Vegas might be the ultimate destination for many male friend groups across the world, any casino destination should do the trick.
Casino destinations make for a terrific guys’ trip, as the combination of free-flowing alcoholic drinks, the thrill of gambling, and the party atmosphere of a city built on indulging your every desire is a great way to bond with your friends.
If you want to avoid embarrassing yourself in front of your friends at the card table, we recommend familiarizing yourself with the different casino game types you might end up playing. A great way to do this is to try some games in demo mode at an online casino before you head off. That will give you plenty of chances to get used to the different formats and game types before putting up any of your cash on the trip!
Road Trip
Going on a road trip is an often-overlooked trip type that makes for a great way to bond with friends.
Road trips are an excellent way to bond with friends, as the long drive time gives you plenty of time to hang out together and lose yourself in conversation with each other. With this in mind, the specific destination you are headed towards matters less than the journey itself.
We would recommend choosing a few stop-offs to make and always choosing the scenic route. Be sure to load up your phone with plenty of great music to listen to on the way, and don’t forget the road snacks to keep you going through the long stretches of driving!
Beach Trip
Whether or not a beach trip is a realistic option for you might depend on the season you are hoping to take the journey—after all, who wants to go to the beach in the dead of winter?
However, if the seasons do align with your travel plans, a beach trip is an excellent way of spending time with friends.
Try and choose the accommodation as close to the beach as possible, to really embrace the beach-bum life!
In terms of what activities are best, this might depend on the seasons and the type of beach available. If there is decent surf, all you need to do is chuck some surfboards in your car, and you are good to go! Other fun activities include swimming, kayaking, and having a BBQ right on the beach.
Sports focused trip
One of the common bonds holding many male friendship groups together is sports.
A fantastic trip idea is to make a journey to catch a game of your sport or sports team of choice. While home games are totally fine and make for a great way to hang out with friends, there is something undeniably special about journeying to watch an away game together.
The combination of live sports, travelling to a new city, and the thrill of a sports stadium make for a memorable shared experience. This combination makes a sports-focused trip the perfect way to bond with a friend or close family member.
