I visited Europe for 10 days with a friend. Here are 3 ways we made sure it wasn't a disastrous girls' trip.

• I traveled to England, Scotland, and Belgium with a friend recently. 
• It was my first time traveling with a friend for an extended period. 
• Creating solo time on a group trip lets you recharge and pursue individual activities. 

Girls' trips can be a hit or miss.

They're either the greatest experience in your life — something to reminisce on with the grandkids one day — or an unmitigated disaster that ends in a shattered friendship. If you've perused TikTok, you've likely encountered the "Miami curse" phenomenon, when a group travels to Miami for vacation, and their friendship inexplicably falls apart by the end. 

Maybe it's finances or differing expectations, but droves of people have shared their experiences with friendship breakups after a trip to Florida on the app.

This September, I took a 10-day trip across Europe with a close friend, and fortunately, we had an amazing time. Here are three ways we made it through our trip to England, Scotland, and Belgium without complications. 

While traveling with a companion, create space and spend some time exploring solo activities 

My friend and I didn't stray far from each other when we landed in London, where we also shared an Airbnb with adjacent rooms. It was exciting exploring the historical sites, shopping, and eating our way through the city together, but in reality, we're both introverts who need time to recharge. 

That moment came after we'd caught separate early morning flights from London to Glasgow. Between the late nights and adjusting to a new timezone, I was exhausted, and evidently, so was she. Once we checked into our hotel rooms, we took time apart, allowing me to rest and explore the local neighborhood on foot. 

We had small breaks from each other throughout the rest of the trip, which made reuniting when we were refreshed much more fun. 

Communication is key, and so is checking in with your travel partner

Don't let unspoken feelings fester for too long, or they'll boil over into a bigger issue. That's true for most situations in life, but especially on extended trips with friends. When I noticed a change in my friend's mood in Glasgow, I initially didn't say anything because I didn't want to rock the boat, but I eventually broached the topic while eating Scottish breakfast one morning. 

It was briefly uncomfortable but ultimately allowed us to clear any misunderstandings. After that, we had a fantastic time experiencing Glasgow's nightlife.

Itineraries are great, but don't let it hinder spontaneous fun

My friend — being the incredibly organized person that she is — created a play-by-play breakdown of our trip, including restaurant reservations, tourist stops, and flight information. Most of the time, we followed the itinerary to great success. 

But it wasn't the end of the world when we missed our reservation for the British Museum in London or lunch at the Glasgow restaurant, The Butterfly and the Pig. We also window-shopped at Buchanan Galleries, a local shopping center in the Merchant City district, when The Butterfly and the Pig didn't pan out. 

We replaced the British Museum with a restaurant called Fischer's instead, allowing me my first experience with Austrian food. 

We found new adventures that we otherwise may not have tried if we stayed faithful to the itinerary. It's also important to include things each person wants to do so there's a variety of sights to see.