Plan a stag do without becoming the group's unofficial accountant

The problem with planning a stag do

Someone — usually the best man — ends up fronting the deposit, chasing everyone individually for their share, and still getting stuck deciding between paintball, go-karts, and a pub crawl because the group chat can't agree on anything. Some of the group are local, some are flying in for the weekend, and getting everyone onto the same plan without a dozen back-and-forth messages is its own job. Add a group dinner where the bill always runs longer than expected, and "just split it evenly" starts causing quiet resentment among the people who didn't order three rounds of drinks.

How Vacationist handles it

Vote on activities so the best man isn't the tie-breaker

Suggest paintball, go-karts, the pub crawl — whatever's on the table — and let the group vote with a five-tier system from "must do" to "group blocker." The plan reflects what the group actually wants instead of whoever the best man happened to agree with last. See how activity voting works.

Split deposits, activities, and the group dinner fairly

Log the deposit, each activity, and the dinner bill as separate costs, split equally where that's fair or with custom amounts when someone ordered a lot more than everyone else. Balances update live, so nobody's chasing anyone for cash after the weekend. See how expense splitting works.

One link, everyone's in — even the guy who never checks his phone

Send a single invite link, and out-of-towners flying in can join and participate instantly — no account, no app-store detour, no "did you see my message" follow-ups.

A shared checklist for costumes, gear, or whatever the group needs

One real-time list for anything the group needs to bring or book — updated instantly instead of buried three messages deep in a group chat.

What it costs

Free, with no ads. Voting, expense splitting, shared lists, and guest access cost nothing for the whole group. A Pro tier exists for organizers running multiple trips a year, but it isn't required for a single stag weekend.

Frequently asked questions

Does the best man have to front all the costs and collect from everyone manually?

No — log each cost as it happens and Vacationist tracks who owes what automatically. Everyone can see the live balance instead of relying on the best man to remember and chase it down.

Can we split the group dinner unevenly if some people ordered more?

Yes. Every expense supports custom splits, so the bill can be divided based on what people actually ordered instead of an even split that shortchanges the people who had one round.

Do out-of-towners need to download the app before the trip?

No — the invite link works in any browser, so anyone can join and fully participate without installing anything or making an account, even if they're flying in the morning of.

Can we vote on the itinerary before everyone arrives?

Yes — activities can be suggested and voted on as soon as the trip is created, so the plan is settled before the weekend starts instead of being decided on the spot.