You thought that you had it all figured out, didn’t you? On paper, everything looked sweet. You planned an awesome trip with your best buddies and everybody was super stoked about it, high fiving and fist bumping and whatnot. You even made a bunch of mixes with your favourite songs to keep you entertained on those long drives towards epic adventures.

Then, all of a sudden, everything started turning sour. After a couple of weeks spent exclusively in each other’s company, you began noticing things about your friends that you hadn’t quite grasped before.

How‘s it even possible to snore that loudly and survive the intense seismic activity that must be rattling your body to dust? You’re forcing us to listen to “500 Miles” by The Proclaimers again? Really? Well, you might just have to walk 500 miles if you don’t stop bellowing the lyrics in your god-awful excuse of a Scottish accent!

All right, calm down. It’s not all bad. Here are four tips to keep you from murdering your friends on your next road trip.

1. Bring a distraction

The fact that you’re going on a road trip together doesn’t mean that you have to be glued to each other at all times. You’re going to be spending a lot of time with each other as it is, and everybody needs some me time once in a while.

Wanting to be on your own for a while on a road trip doesn’t make you a buzz kill, so embrace it and use the alone time to defuse the blind rage that can only be brought about by your friend telling the same joke for the 700th time. Yes, I know why the chicken crossed the road, Kevin! I’ve known for years!

You need to unplug for a while and there are many convenient ways of doing so on the road. What could be better than a good book? If you start feeling like suffocating one of your childhood friends with a pillow, then the Game of Thrones series should be right up your alley.

You’ve thought about reading them anyway, so don’t just stare blankly out of the car window and imagine force-feeding your companions to dragons. Be one of those pissed-off cultural people and get some reading done instead. Plus, there are five books, which is more than enough to carry even the shortest temper through the longest road trip.

But what if I’m so pissed off I’ve become illiterate? Then listen to something. Pop on your headphones and let the soothing sounds of your favourite songs carry you as far away from The Proclaimers as humanly possible.

If you really want to concentrate on something else, then podcasts and audiobooks are the way to go. As you desperately try to grasp Neil deGrasse Tyson’s explanation of a black hole, you’ll eventually just forget to be grumpy.

2. Don’t be a dictator

History has a lot to teach us. For example, in 1939 a Russian guy called Josef and an Austrian bloke by the name of Adolf embarked on a round trip of Eastern Europe together. In the beginning it was all fun and games, and the two rogues had a jolly good time. It wasn’t meant to be, though, as they had a pretty big falling out due to clashing interests.

You see, while Adolf and Josef were travel buddies, they both wanted to do and see different things and just couldn’t see eye to eye. Finally, this led to them separating Pol… ehm, I mean going their separate ways in Poland. The two never did manage to meet up again and it all ended in a rather big row.

Now, you might ask, what should I take away from this? Well, certainly not that it’s cool to call your car The Gas Chamber if you fart in it long enough. No, the lesson here is that it’s okay to have different interests and one should be considerate towards one’s companions.

If your friends don’t want to see the same places or do the same stuff you’ve picked out, it’s fine! You don’t have to do everything together. And anyway, if you do different things you’ll have more unique experiences to share over dinner.

Being stubborn and inflexible are the quickest ways to turn old friends into new enemies. You’re on vacation, so live and let live. Otherwise we’re just going to have another Josef and Adolf type of situation on our hands, and is that really necessary? We haven’t even gotten over the first one yet.

If your friend wants to go and check out the world-famous Hello Kitty figurine collection that just happens to be in town while you’re there, who are you to say no? As long as he/she has a good time, it’s time well spent.

Plus, you don’t need anybody else to enjoy the heck out of the original sex toy collection used in the 50 Shades of Grey movie. They wouldn’t understand, anyway.

3. Open up

No, I don’t mean slice ‘em open with the Swiss army knife your dad gave you for your tenth birthday. Although, let’s be honest, who wouldn’t want to cut a hole in Kevin to see if his sense of humour is actually somewhere in there, small and sad as it may be.

You’re going to want to keep that sizzling rage you feel burning within you at an acceptable level. And what is the best way to deal with something searing hot? That’s right – venting.

I firmly believe that the most efficient method of dealing with any type of situation is being open and honest. The best way to neutralise problems before they outgrow you is to talk about them.

Bottling up your frustrations will turn you into the emotional equivalent of a can of Coke being opened after a good shaking. If you wish to avoid that, say what’s on your mind. You’re dealing with your friends, after all, so if you stay civil and polite, everything should be fine. If not, you’ll always have your daddy’s blade.

So go ahead and tell Kevin that he’s about as funny as a double homicide. Let Joseph know that his snoring is so ridiculously overwhelming that it’s giving you flashbacks of Vietnam, and you weren’t even in Vietnam. And Melissa should know that her singing voice could be utilised more effectively in psychological warfare than on a road trip.

Also, don’t flip out when some of this is directed towards you. You’re not the only one in the group who might find certain things annoying, so try to be understanding. Let’s be honest here, your Michael Caine impression is so bad that even Batman wouldn’t hesitate to end your life.

4. Don’t be a loan shark

All of us have a friend who just isn’t very good with money. Maybe in your group of buddies you’re that person. These are people whose budgets have more holes in them than a Michael Bay movie, but still spend their money as lavishly as, well, Michael Bay.

It’s absolutely fine to ask your friends to bail you out, but emotions will start running high if this becomes a common occurrence.

When it comes to planning, figuring out your road-trip budget and how not to go bust is pretty crucial. That way, when the day to hit the road finally dawns, the entire gang is on the same page and knows what to expect. Of course, even the best-laid plans can sometimes crash and burn, and trust me, your vacation will be no exception.

When the group has to carry someone who didn’t do enough planning back home, this will understandably create hard feelings. Besides, do you really want to have your awesome trip ruined by something as trivial as money?

If things do go south, at least it should be because of something interesting. Like a flat tire in an abandoned ghost town where an axe murderer is running loose. Or picking up a hitchhiker that turns out to be a Trump supporter.

Don’t let money be your downfall. Keep it in mind during the planning stages, and all should end well. We don’t need you and your friends adding to the pile of countless heinous crimes committed for cold, hard cash. Just look at the massive FIFA corruption scandal or the Volkswagen emissions kerfuffle. Or Michael Bay movies, for that matter.