The new rules of group travel: Split costs smarter, prioritize beds, cap bathroom crowds
AUSTIN, Texas–(BUSINESS WIRE)–As spring break approaches, families and friend groups will travel together. Demand for traveling in groups has been steadily climbing in recent years with 57% of parents planning a multi-generational trip in the next year and 42% planning trips with friends or other families.*
A new study from Vrbo, the go-to accommodations choice for group travel, revealed how to avoid the most common hiccups when traveling with others. One in 3 travelers has gotten into a fight on a group vacation, and the number is even higher among Gen Z travelers (43%). To help navigate misunderstandings and awkward situations, Vrbo identified easy solutions to ensure this year’s spring break vacays stay drama-free.
“Splitting the cost of a big, beautiful vacation rental is smart, but everyone may not have the same definition of ‘splitting’,” said Melanie Fish, Vrbo’s travel expert. “Vrbo did a survey to figure out what causes group travel friction and how to head it off — you may think paying the same for a king size bed and the upper bunk is fair, but you need to know before you go if the rest of the group agrees.”
Money talks: Be transparent about budget and trip costs
Ensuring everyone is on the same page about splitting costs is key. Not having clear ground rules can lead to awkward conversations, disagreements, and in the worst-case scenario, someone spending more than they planned. Travelers overwhelmingly agree that the most important piece of travel etiquette when choosing a vacation rental is splitting expenses evenly — from the cost of the rental to shared expenses like groceries.
The study also revealed travelers’ varying preferences about how to divide costs fairly:
- Half of respondents believe guests who arrive a day late or leave a day earlier than the rest of the group should pay a smaller portion.
- 44% of people think you should pay less if you must share a room if others don’t.
- Almost 40% of Gen Zers travelers believe those traveling further should pay less of the shared trip costs.
- Vrbo’s tips for cost-sharing (and savings): Agree on a budget per person before booking accommodations, and collectively decide if you’re comfortable splitting per person, per bedroom, or per night. Vrbo always displays the full price, including fees, so there are no surprises about the total cost of the vacation rental. Travelers can also find discounts for early bookings made at least 60 days in advance, and last-minute bookings made within 30 days of check-in to get additional savings.
Choosing accommodations: enough room to gather, enough space to breathe
The beauty of booking a vacation rental for a group trip is that everyone can stay under one roof, cook meals together in the kitchen, and spend quality time around the pool, firepit, or in shared living spaces. But everyone should have a bit of personal space, especially for a good night’s sleep and to prevent crabby moods.
- Beds more important than bedrooms: Nearly two-thirds of travelers don’t mind sharing a bedroom as long as they have their own bed. The percentage is even higher among Gen Z travelers (75%). In fact, Gen Z travelers say the most important thing to look for in a vacation rental is the number of beds.
- Bathroom capacity: 55% of travelers would rather share a bathroom than a bedroom at a vacation rental, but survey respondents say four people is the maximum number of guests who should be expected to share a full bathroom.
- Vrbo’s tips for solving sleeping arrangements: When searching for vacation rentals, use the “minimum beds” filter to search for places that have enough beds for everyone. Travelers can also search by “bed type” if adults are unwilling to sleep in twin beds or bunk beds. Additionally, every Vrbo listing displays how many beds and what types of beds are in each bedroom to help guests plan their sleeping arrangements and room assignments.
Vrbo’s essential advice for drama-free group travel: Avoid surprises by planning together and booking trusted properties
These tools within the Vrbo app will help ensure the vacation rental meets the expectations of everyone on the trip. Use these features to plan efficiently and book your stay with confidence:
- Involve everyone in planning: Communication and involving everyone in planning is the secret to managing everyone’s expectations — 40% of respondents say creating a group text chat is important to avoid drama on vacation. Vrbo’s Trip Planner allows guests to save their favorite vacation rentals and invite other guests to like, comment, or add more options.
- Look for the “Loved by Guests” badge: No one wants to arrive at a vacation rental and discover that the place doesn’t look like the photos or is located farther away from the beach than they had hoped. Use the “Loved by Guests” filter to find Vrbo’s top-rated properties. Properties earn the “Loved by Guest” badge for having near-perfect ratings for cleanliness, location, listing accuracy, and ease of check-in.
- Choose properties with reliable hosts: Use the “Premier Host” filter to find properties managed by Vrbo’s most dedicated, experienced hosts who have a proven track record of delighting guests. To earn Premier Host status, properties must have a 9.4+ rating and a 0% host cancellation rate.
- Read reviews: Reading verified reviews from former guests helps travelers understand what to expect from their stay. Vrbo allows guests to upload photos alongside their written reviews, which also appear in the photo gallery of the listing page.
Group travel golden rules to remember before your stay
According to the research, there are some group travel pet peeves no booking platform can solve. Travelers weighed in to help Vrbo establish the following golden rules to remember when traveling with others:
- Don’t be late: Respondents say the number one pet peeve when staying at a vacation rental with other people is when someone is late, takes too long to get ready, and delays everyone’s plans.
- Do your share: The second biggest annoyance among group travelers is when a friend or family member doesn’t help with chores or cleanup.
- Put down your phone: One-third of group travelers are annoyed when a member of the travel party spends too much time on their phone instead of engaging with the group.
Although Vrbo can’t guarantee zero drama between your travel companions this spring break, every Vrbo stay is backed by VrboCare. Guests can rest assured that Vrbo has their back in the rare event that something goes awry with their vacation rental.
Download the Vrbo app to plan your next group getaway.
Sources
*US Family Travel Survey from the Family Travel Association and NYU School of Professional Studies
Third-party research was conducted by market research partner OnePoll. The study was conducted online among 2,000 U.S. adult respondents who have traveled to a vacation rental in the past three years with 2+ people.
About Vrbo
Since 1995, Vrbo® has been the go-to place for families and groups to find the perfect vacation rental for their next getaway — whether it’s a beach house, cozy cabin, city condo, or spacious villa with room for everyone.
Vrbo has grown into a trusted global vacation rental marketplace, connecting guests with dedicated hosts around the world. Offering high-quality stays and 24/7 live support, Vrbo helps guests spend less time worrying about trip planning and more time making lasting memories together.
Vrbo is part of Expedia Group and offers hosts exposure to nearly 1 billion average monthly searches on Expedia Group sites.
© 2026 Vrbo, an Expedia Group company. All rights reserved. Vrbo and the Vrbo logo are trademarks of HomeAway.com, Inc.
Contacts
