Travelling with a large group for company can be cool (not to mention a great way to save), but certain difficulties can arise. For example, in the organization and agreeing on how costs should be split.
It’s necessary to compromise and please everyone the best you can, as well as take responsibility for entertainment and overnight accommodation.
Oh, there’s a lot to do, especially if you’re one of the designated organizers! Therefore, here we’re going to share with you how to do the impossible – to organize a group trip so that everyone enjoys it!
This post is part of our family travel advice series
What are the benefits of group travel? There are enough advantages:
- Savings on housing. For example, you can rent a villa! It will be hard for two people, but with a group – be it several families or a large group of friends the cost per person can reduce significantly.
- The opportunity to get on excursions for groups. Some places can be accessed only if there is a group of several people. If you are out of season and there are few tourists, your group may be extended access privileges.
- You will see familiar people from a new side.
- Meet new people (if there are any in the company).
- Anywhere is more fun together!
No matter how close friends and family are, spending 24/7 with the same people can be difficult. They often go on trips as best friends and return as sworn enemies.
So that a joint trip does not become a test of strength for your friendship and family ties, we have collected some valuable tips from people who often travel in large groups to help make your travel planning easier.
1. Choose fellow travellers properly
First, decide with whom you want to go on a trip. Choose people proven by time and situations, otherwise, you may be deeply disappointed with your group travel experience.
2. Make an itinerary in advance
For some people, a vacation is to lie on the beach for hours, drinking a cocktail, and for others – to have time to visit a dozen museums, galleries, and shops. We are all different, and that’s why everyone has the right to wish for something for themselves personally from the trip.
As a homework assignment, we advise you to draft a list of mandatory places in advance, think about event transportation solutions and discuss it with your travel companions. Try to take into account the wishes of everyone, look for common ground, and compromise.
A great idea is to use an itinerary planning tool where all group members can view the proposed locations, from accommodation choices to daily activities, and add their own suggestions.
Don’t be afraid to discuss every detail of the route in advance and use the internet for travel planning – this will help to avoid a significant part of possible reasons for conflicts on the journey itself.
3. Choose a leader
It may seem a little strange, but having a group leader most often works for the benefit of the group. With the approval of the leader, the group must decide who will take care of what. It always makes sense to divide each activity into smaller tasks and make someone responsible.
These small tasks can be deciding on dates, budget, accommodation, directions, events, etc; don’t let it all fall on one person, but do have one person taking the overall coordination roll.
4. Discuss the budget
Perhaps this is the most unpleasant point. Nothing spoils people, and the relationship between them like money.
Specify in advance the amounts that everyone is willing to spend; the same amount for someone can mean a vacation in a luxury hotel on the ocean, or this money will allow five nights in a cosy hostel in Barcelona, a couple of hearty dinners, and limited shopping.
5. Think about your daily routine
The questions “What time do we get up?” and “When do we go to bed?” it is also better to discuss it in advance. It will not be difficult for someone to jump up at 6 am and be the first to stand in line for an overview of the Eiffel Tower, but for someone, such an early rise is a whole feat.
One may want to carouse all night long in bars and local eateries; the other is important to get enough sleep so as not to feel overwhelmed in the morning.
6. Take a break from each other
There is nothing criminal in spending some time apart from each other on a trip. And this does not mean that you are bad friends and you cannot be relied on, it simply means each can pursue their own interests, and you all get that little bit of “me time”.
7. Be flexible and positive
Treat everything with humour. Don’t be afraid to change your plans. Be open to everything new. Be brave! If you don’t like Paris, go to Bordeaux, Strasbourg or Marseille. Make concessions, and do not forget to treat each other with respect, care, and understanding.
For sure, a lot of cool and atypical things will happen on such a trip. With friends, it’s easier to decide on some crazy act. Well, when will you still launch fireworks at 3 a.m. on the seashore in a storm? You can just give yourself up to the flow of events: there are always a lot of ideas in the company, and some of them will become a new experience for you.
Now over to you, do you have any further tips to share on travelling as a group? Let us know in the comments below.
We have more handy tips over here on how to carefully plan a multi-generation family trip – from toddlers to great-grandparents; there can be many challenges but also huge benefits in planning a multi-generation family vacation.
- See how we used this free online travel planning tool to plan out a family reunion trip to Thailand
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