Hello all. I could use some advise.
We are planning a trip. 2 couples and 1 single. Should we divide the costs of the stay by 3 or 5?

Are you asking about splitting only the room costs or the cost of entire trip including add on for meals, transportation, activities, etc.

If just room, then have each couple pay for their accommodations and have the single pay his/hers. If you mean ALL costs do above for room (assuming the single person gets a separate room) and split all other costs 5 ways.

if one or more in your party is the type of person who always says something like “I only had the salad while you ate steak” at dinner then your only alternative is to ask for separate checks and have each person pay their own way.

Whatever arrangement you decide on make sure you fully discuss it and all agree BEFORE starting your trip.

What is your comfort level? Would you take the trip if the others were not along? Do you keep track of every nickel and dime when you travel?

We would go on a trip even if no one else wanted to, so the cost of things like car rental and gas would be the same for us so if someone wants to chip in that is fine but we would not require that they do. In actual fact sometimes our companions wanted to have a kitty that things like gas and car food and drinks came from. Every one kicked in and if more was needed as time went on then each added more and if there was money left over it was divided.

Almost always things like airfare, lodging, dinners, admission to sites etc. were paid by individuals. Occasionally someone might have so many points for lodging, or other things that would expire if not used, they would use them for everyone else to stay too.

Do settle on a plan at the start and do not sweat the small stuff. If you all get into the National Park on my senior pass, I will not expect any payment. If you dine out, ask for separate checks since that is the one area where folks tend to notice who ordered the most expensive wine and food then expected to split the check when some did not drink. This also allows each person to pay a tip since folks have very different ideas about that.

Agree with RoamsAround. For hotel rooms -- everyone pay their own. If sharing a rental / airbnb - split 5 ways. Car/gas - 5 ways. If practical, in sit down restaurants - separate checks solves everything.

was posting same time as oldemalloy

Assumptions seem to be accommodations are hotel rooms. I'm going to guess a STR, house, condo, apt. is a possibility. In which case I think dividing it by 5, per person, may be the more equitable way.

Sorry I should have clarified - we are considering a 3 bedroom home.
Thanks everyone that has responded thus far. VERY helpful!

I would probably divide a three bedroom by five.

Do all 3 bedrooms have an en suite bath, or is there one master bdrm/bath and the other rooms share a 'family bath', or are none of the bedrooms en suite?

If it is a 3 bedroom house and all the rooms are relatively equal size/equal bath access, then the rent could be split 3 ways IMO. BUT often a solo traveler gets the smallest, least desirable room -- if that's the case i'd think the single should get a break in the rent.

My view is slightly different - the size of the bedroom alone should not dictate how much each person should pay. All 5 of you will have equal use of all the common areas and amenities of the rental house and that has “value” which should be shared equally. Think of the “rent” as a pitcher of iced tea that costs $5 that you split 5 ways. You wouldn’t expect to split the cost 3 ways (i.e. 1share for each couple and 1 share for the single). Instead you’d splt the bill 5 ways regardless if one of you drank a little less.

We travel we a common purse for shared expenses. This includes meals, on-going car expenses (gas, tolls), museums if visited together. Rooms are paid by the individuals. One person holds the person (this task can be passed around depending on the length of the trip) and asks everyone to contribute an equal amount for the upcoming expense. It could be $50 or $100. When the money runs low, everyone throws in again what the holder requests. All this is established ahead of time to avoid any quibbling about restaurant meals.

RoamsAround, I like the way you illustrated your thinking.
Janisj makes some good points too.

This is often a touchy subject, isn’t it?
It does need to be addressed before the situation, rather than after.

I had the uncomfortable experience when I was young of being invited out with people, and asked to drive them, then to realize the only thing I could afford at the restaurant they chose was soup. They all had big meals and wine and insisted we split the bill. I literally could not, even had I wished to. I had no credit card back then and only a few dollars in my purse. They verbally made a huge deal of me being cheap. Then, nobody offered to help pay the parking fee and I had to ask because I did not have enough left. It was so dreadful, I still cringe. I became very conscious of making sure my friends never are put in that position.

When we traveled to Europe with friends, sometimes we paid. Sometimes they did. DH and the other man were always vying to pay. I asked my friend to just keep a rough tally of meals, taxis, etc. and have us settle up every once in awhile if it was getting too one sided. There was only about $100.00 total difference at the end of a ten day trip to Germany and Paris, probably just about the cost of our last meal. It worked a charm to have one person keep track that way.

As to the house, yes, everyone is using common areas, but I sure would not expect the single person to pay as much for likely a smaller room as a couple for a large room with bath. Something like that happened to us - Once. Another couple invited us for a weekend at a vacation place. We had been lead to think it belonged to them. We realized when we got there with other couples, and we had a pullout sofa in the living room and we were then handed a bill for half the rental. DH was P……. End of friendship. Why do people pull stunts like that?

If the bedrooms are truly equal accomodations then I would divide by 3.

If the single person is getting the shaft with being given a smaller room or bathroom across the hall or no balcony, whatever, then I'd divide by 5.

Divide house rental by 5. Separate bills when eating out. Have a kitty for buying groceries where for example, couples put in $40 each and the single puts in $20.
The room for the single realllllly doesn't enter into it--it's a room.

On my last trip with a friend (pre-Covid!) I discovered the app Splitwise. We often found ourselves with one person booking a show and the other paying at the restaurant...so it was very convenient to keep track with the app. You enter who paid for what and the app splits the costs and tells you if you owe anything. Haven't used it since (as I haven't travelled yet!) but it is worth checking out. Also handy for flatmates etc.

I used an App called Splittr when I travelled with a friend to Mexico for a few weeks a number of years ago, to divide expenses evenly. I’m not actually one to get upset if I pay a little more than a friend as I like treating friends to stuff, but the app was nice, tracking everything and can avoid unnecessary upset.

Also you probably should have a plan for what happens financially if one or more of the group cannot go or must leave early. Deciding while it's just a "what if" is a lot less disrupting than having to decide on the fly.

Good advice.

"Divide house rental by 5."

Let's say the house is $300 and bedrooms/bathrooms are exactly the same. Why should the two couples pay $120 a night, and the single $60 a night. Each room should be $100, so divide by 3.

Well, that does make sense for the house, even if they aren't exactly the same