In February 2024, Stasia Maltseva went to Thailand and Cambodia with six friends, everyone paying in cash and with no system to record expenses.

The cost of street food, souvenirs, group massages and tuk-tuk rides disappeared into an untraceable pit of paper money. They assumed they’d figure out the IOUs when the two-week trip ended. But when it came time to even out the books, “no one had the slightest idea” how much each person had spent, said Maltseva, a 36-year-old content manager from Amsterdam.

A huge argument unfolded, she said. One friend was under the impression that he was owed well over $200, but with no receipts and differing recollections, he went unpaid.

“It was a battle,” Maltseva said. “We joke about it now.”

Not all friendships are as forgiving. From bachelorette trips to bucket-list journeys with friends, group travel can easily give rise to contentious situations, especially over finances.

In a 2026 survey of 2,001 U.S.…