HELP! Tattered friendship leaves holiday in question

mooncakeslippers

I need any help or advice anyone has. I booked a holiday with two friends last year to somewhere a long way from home. Since the price was fairly high, we all paid in monthly instalments on the app to the company directly. 

Long story short, these friends hadn’t been treating me well for months following this and I tried sorting it or letting it go because of this holiday but eventually we’ve stopped speaking. 

I spoke to the company directly but as I’m not the lead passenger I have very little control. My options are: try and get them to buy me out (unlikely), everyone cancel the holiday and lose their deposit, they re-quote the holiday for two people (but I was advised this would likely eat into all the money I paid regardless) or I just bite the bullet and go on the holiday but risk spending a fair bit of time alone in another country as a young woman. 

The travel company have advised that I’m better sorting this with the other two girls directly and before feb because otherwise we lose more than the deposit if we cancel. 

I’m so stressed and anxious about losing potentially over £1000 of my money that I can’t afford. Please can anyone help me!

born_again

mooncakeslippers said:

I need any help or advice anyone has. I booked a holiday with two friends last year to somewhere a long way from home. Since the price was fairly high, we all paid in monthly instalments on the app to the company directly. 

Long story short, these friends hadn’t been treating me well for months following this and I tried sorting it or letting it go because of this holiday but eventually we’ve stopped speaking. 

I spoke to the company directly but as I’m not the lead passenger I have very little control. My options are: try and get them to buy me out (unlikely), everyone cancel the holiday and lose their deposit, they re-quote the holiday for two people (but I was advised this would likely eat into all the money I paid regardless) or I just bite the bullet and go on the holiday but risk spending a fair bit of time alone in another country as a young woman. 

The travel company have advised that I’m better sorting this with the other two girls directly and before feb because otherwise we lose more than the deposit if we cancel. 

I’m so stressed and anxious about losing potentially over £1000 of my money that I can’t afford. Please can anyone help me!

The company are going to be right. You need to sort it out with the others or between yourselves find someone else who could go & is prepared to pay you, Might incur a cost for change of name etc.

If you fail to go, then you will be liable for the full cost of your part.

saajan_12

Which country, and what's your personal appetite for solo travel? It can be quite enjoyable and safe depending on where. Especially if you can book day tours whereby you're with other people and have an itinerary to follow rather than wondering where to start.
Also what's the accommodation style - eg separate hotel rooms or a joint suite / house / AirBnb? That'll affect how practical it is to go together but still have a pleasant holiday even if you're not best friends. 

Other alternatives: 
- how much would a name change cost? Can you / they find another friend to replace you? Might be worth exploring even if they only pay part of your cost, something better than nothing 
- would the company change your booking and credit the monies paid already to a hotel resort or something that's less intimate (depending on what you'v ebooked so far). 

DullGreyGuy

Are you room sharing?

If your not then you could just go on the holiday and do your own thing

Bigphil1474

How can you not afford to lose the money as you wouldn't get it back if you went on the holiday?

As above, depends where you are going and accommodation, but you may be able to enjoy a nice holiday on your own, otherwise go for the least loss option which sounds like a requote for them 2 to go and you lose some of what you've paid.

Pollycat

saajan_12 said:

Which country, and what's your personal appetite for solo travel? It can be quite enjoyable and safe depending on where. Especially if you can book day tours whereby you're with other people and have an itinerary to follow rather than wondering where to start.
Also what's the accommodation style - eg separate hotel rooms or a joint suite / house / AirBnb? That'll affect how practical it is to go together but still have a pleasant holiday even if you're not best friends. 

+1 to this ^^^^.

If you're all sharing the same room, it might be more difficult between you, depending just how bad the friendship has fractured.

FlorayG

I would just go and spend the time on my own. Years ago I had this situation with a boyfriend, we broke up before the holiday - luckily the place we stayed had two bedrooms. We took turns having the hire car and I had quite a nice time; the worst part was sitting together on the 'plane because we were barely speaking
Also 'I can't afford to lose the money' sorry that's nonsense. You've already lost it whether you go or not. What you will be losing is a holiday, not the money

saajan_12

Also whichever option, i'd have a frank, calm conversation with the friends, agreeing to disagree on whatever the arguments have been and deciding what to do with the holiday. 
That could lead to an agreement to be civil and stay out of eachothers way until & during the holiday. Or it could highlight that things are too broken and everyone needs to take some of the hit because its simply untenable.