Congratulations! Your family or chosen family has entrusted you with planning your next group trip.
Also, if you’d rather have someone else do the planning this time around, contact me for a travel quote.
- Set your boundaries. Commit to the role only if the thought of planning a group trip brings you more joy than irritation, because moving (and planning) as a pack can come with its challenges. Communicate when planning ends and booking begins – make it clear that you are drafting the plan, but everyone will need to complete their own booking.
- Identify expectations.
- Try to get everyone to communicate their preferences and expectations, especially when it comes to critical things such as budget and activity level.
- Depending on the dynamics of your group, consider a planning meeting to brainstorm ideas, or instead send a poll or questionnaire.
- Determine if shared accommodations or individual rooms make more sense. Shared accommodations can be less expensive, but only if your group is reliable. Individual rooms create individual accountability, which can be critical. A shared rental can create a sense of togetherness, but individual spaces may be better if you’re combining people that don’t know each other well, or for example for families with different generations and noise expectations.
- A note on mismatched budgets: Talking about money can make people uncomfortable, but it’s important to get an idea of how much everyone is comfortable spending. If one person/group is footing the bill, it is their prerogative to set the budget for the bill, but if you’re splitting costs, use the budget of the person that is comfortable spending the least as your benchmark. You can have an excellent vacation at any price point, and it’s important that everyone feels comfortable and heard when it comes to their upper limit.
- Keep your co-travelers in the loop. Once you have your top destinations, rental houses, activities, etc. identified, run them by the group to see what folks are excited about and use that to guide decisions.
- Anticipate mismatched goals, and make room for them in the itinerary. Consider providing two daytime options that work for different activity levels, budgets or interests.
- Plan solo time, even on vacation. Take time to yourself to regroup, especially if your day-to-day life is a little less bustling as in the group. Nap. Meditate. Go for a walk.
- Plan together time, too. If one group went hiking and another went shopping, set a time to meet back up for dinner. If nightlife is on the itinerary, set a time for a round of shots or a group photo to get your energy and expectations aligned for the evening.
- You’ll need groceries, unless you’re relying on restaurants. Send a grocery delegation (gathering preferences and food sensitivities first, of course), go shopping as group, or assign meals in advance, but keep in mind that your eyes are probably bigger than your collective bellies.
- Carpool. If you’re driving to your destination, it will save you gas, extend the time together, and benefit the environment. Also, some vacation homes don’t have plentiful parking.
- Make it a tradition. It’s hard to corral groups, so make it a tradition to go somewhere (maybe even the same somewhere if it’s a hit) once a year.
Elated Travel LLC is small Oregon-based business designed to help you get the most out of your next trip, big or small.
Elated Travel LLC is an Independent Affiliate of A. S. A. P. Cruises Inc., Florida Seller of Travel Ref. No. ST15578 – CST 2090937-50 – Washington UBID No. 603189022. Services not available to residents of Hawaii.
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