1 . The Friend Trip: Fun Without Conflicts

Anyone who said a friend is a friend forever has clearly never experienced a group trip where you will get into trouble arguing over plans and restaurant bills.     1     Here are some ways to do it without anyone getting unfriended.

Invite with care

“You cannot travel with everybody. All your friends are not travel friends,” says Irvin on her popular TikTok account. She suggests picking travel partners who share similar interests, and deciding ahead of time what kind of trip you will be taking—relaxation, partying or adventure.

Brainstorm as a group

    2     Some people prefer to use familiar spreadsheet such as Microsoft Excel to organise the plan and share it with friends. And creating an Airbnb wish list lets friends suggest accommodation options for the whole group to see.

Exchange the captain’s hat

Use a classic teacher’s trick to keep everyone engaged and share the planning burden: schedule a group leader to take ownership of each day’s activities.     3     By making everyone the driver, everyone also gets the chance at some point to sit back and be a passenger.

    4    

Tracking expenses for a whole group can expose a lot of pain points. “I have seen so many friendships break down because dissatisfaction builds when one person suspects other friends are taking advantage of her financially or not pulling their weight,” says friendship coach Jackson.     5     Jackson says he liked Splitwise to help groups manage everyone’s bills, so there’s no confusion about who owes what.

A．Prepare cash in advance

B．Automate the money flow

C．Travelling with your best friends can be a tough job.

D．There are countless situations where the group need to design travel routes.

E．Apps can help make complex calculations easy even while the trip is still underway.

F．Ask your friends where they want to go and what they want to do using Google Forms.

G．This person will be responsible for making that day’s tour plan or keeping everyone on schedule.

2 . I recently visited California’s most-visited national park—Yosemite. Turns out, there is a lot you can do and see over a couple days. Here’s my suggested route, if you decide to make a quick weekend trip to see Yosemite’s wonders.

Day 1, Saturday

6 a. m. : Hike the Four Mile Trail to Glacier Point. The 9. 6-mile round trip will take six to eight hours with rest stops, so plan accordingly. Leave early to beat the heat and enjoy the sunrise.

Pro tip: Don’t forget to look down-the view of the valley is truly jaw-dropping.

1 p. m. : Hike to Vernal Fall. If you’re looking for lunch, a tasty and efficient spot is Curry Village Pizza Deck. Plus, your next adventure is on the Mist Trail from nearby Happy Isles for a quick 1. 6-mile round-trip visit to Vemal Fall. It’s a nice cool-down hike after your morning workout and offers easy access to year-round falls.

4 p. m. : Learn some history at Yosemite Valley Visitor Center. Every national park visit requires a stop at the visitor center to learn about park’s history and main features. Here, you can check out the Yosemite Village as well, but the real secret is the free bike share program. Download the app and grab a pair of wheels here for your evening exploration.

Day 2, Sunday

6 a. m. : Drive up the picturesque Tioga Road. While your feet are recovering from yesterday’s mileage, take a leisurely drive up Tioga Road. Along the 45 miles to Tenaya Lake, take photos at the many viewpoints, but especially at Olmsted Point, which has a less-visited but very cool perspective on Half Dome. Have breakfast or lunch alongside the blue waters of Yosemite’s largest lake before heading back toward the valley.

3 p. m. : Complete your trip with a visit to Yosemite Climbing Museum in Mariposa. At a last stop, visit the charming historical town of Mariposa to check out the long-overdue Yosemite Climbing Museum opened in 2021. The famous climbing history displayed in the museum gave me a new appreciation for Yosemite, a place I can’t wait to return to.

1. Which of the following does the author suggest visiting in the morning?

A．Vernal Fall.

B．Yosemite Village.

C．Tenaya Lake.

D．Climbing Museum.

2. According to the author, the best thing to do at Yosemite Valley Visitor Center is __________.

A．cycling for evening exploration	B．learning about park’s history
C．going around the Yosemite Village	D．downloading the free bike share app

3. Why is Olmsted Point a good place to take photos?

A．Because it’s a less-visited place but with picturesque scenery.

B．Because it’s a place offering a better view of Half Dome.

C．Because it’s a rest stop for visitors to have breakfast or lunch.

D．Because it’s not such a place that is flooded with visitors taking photos.