Planning a Group Vacation Doesn’t Have to Be Scary- Top Tips For Enjoyable Group Travel

A group vacation involving more than one family, or even person, can be a challenge. With some planning and organization and the following tips, you’ll be ready to plan, and more importantly, ENJOY, your next group travel experience.

Schedule Dates Early

Finding a block of days is nearly impossible in this busy day and age. Now multiply that times 10 or 12 or however many are traveling in your group. Get the dates established early in the year before everyone has conflicts.

Don’t Procrastinate

Coordinate school and work schedules and get the planning started.

Making reservation and booking accommodations needs to be a priority in all trip planning. When traveling with a group it is even more important. Availability often decreases and the number of occupants increases.

Take Inventory

Know your group members. What are the ages? Activity levels? Interests? Bed times? Early risers vs. night owls. Spending habits?

Not everyone in the group will have the same interests. Some will love the outdoors and sunshine while others will be searching for shade or air conditioning. One will be hungry all of the time, while the next would rather skip a meal to continue an activity.

Decide on a Budget

Sort Out Expenses and keep good records. Decide up front how things will be paid and keep track as you go. A lump sum may land on one credit card, but with receipts and notes, it can all be evened up in the end.

Communicate

Be upfront with the group- Don’t hide anything. Now’s the time to be honest. Don’t wait or hold back and then complain later. Share you desires and concerns early in the trip planning.

Compromise

You won’t be able to please everyone all of the time. Survey the group and find common majority interests. You’ll be having fun and taking part in many activities, surely you’ll find one that makes each person happy some time during the trip.

Get a Plan for Activities

Decide on a few big events or attractions and go from there. A five day trip might be impossible to plan out minute by minute, especially for group, but schedule in a few things and work around them. A full day at an amusement park, a scheduled tour, a boat rental, a special dinner reservation, use these events as an “all play” and ad-lib from there.

Follow Up on the Arrangements

Verify the reservations and travel arrangements. Do you have the contact information, email confirmations, required codes, etc. for the accommodations? The same goes for any transportation documents: tickets, paperwork, IDs.

It never hurts to double check.

Consider the Details

You’ve made the reservations and the travel dates are approaching. Don’t let the small things become last minute decisions and potentially cause a hiccup for the trip before it even gets started. Things like meeting places and departure times and transportation arrangements, like who’s driving and who’s bringing the snacks, can all be decided in advance. Being prepared will get the vacation off on the right foot.

Reap the Rewards

Group vacations aren’t easy or convenient. They take extra planning and effort. However, the rewards can be well worth the hassle if done correctly. The comradery created from sharing these experiences is like none other. The memories made will last forever.

We hope your next group vacation is fantastic and even “out of this world” fun, like ours have been!

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