How to plan a group vacation - without losing your mind.
So you’re the lucky one that drew the short straw and has to coordinate a trip with your friends or family, fun times for you! Planning a trip with a group of friends or family can be a really big pain (if I’m being honest). We have always lived very far away from our family which has led to us trying to coordinated our vacations around being able to meet up with the people we love. This has led to a lot of learning and adventure when it comes to coordinating multiple households from multiple locations. While group trips are some of the biggest pains to plan they are also are some of my favorite memories.
Don’t try to do everything together, you’ll want to kill each other in no time! When vacationing with my parents on an Alaskan cruise there was a day where Steve, the kids and I did a sled dog excursion, my Dad went on a photo safari and my Mom went shopping downtown. When we got back onboard the boat it was nice to get back together at dinner and talk about our days and what we all did. Trust me when I say, if I had to shop with my mom or my mom had to be around sled dogs we would be choking each other across the dinner table. Not to mention my kids would’ve been so loud they would’ve scared all of the animals away from my Dad which was the whole reason for the photo safari. You get my point, the entire day would’ve played out very differently! Not to mention the memories we were trying to force by doing something together are not as sweet as the memories of the excited conversation around the table that night.
Have one planner/keeper of documents/exc. This is where having a travel agent to work with makes a huge difference! When you work with a reputable travel advisor they should take all of the pressure off so no one in the group feels like they have to do the work of being the cruise director, so to speak. Look for a travel agent who is familiar with group travel and is associated with a professional organization like, ASTA, the Travel Institute, AAA or other accredited travel school. Typically the time it takes to become members of these associations keep the fraudsters away. A good travel agent should be able to coordinate and communicate all arrangements so that your group can just enjoy being together. They take the time to understand your group's interests, preferences, and budget. If any conflicts arrive, a capable travel agent should make recommendations and talk thru possible solutions for your group. With this information in hand, they will craft an itinerary that takes into account everyone’s wishes, interests and budget. Whether your group is seeking adventure, cultural exploration, or a luxurious retreat, a travel agent can curate the ideal itinerary that guarantees an unforgettable experience for everyone and keeps everyone on vacation and not having to do all the work.
Try the Splitwise app to keep track of expenses. We have found as we travel with friends, there are certain places and even entire countries that splitting the bill is frowned upon or just a plain old hassle. Splitwise is an app that keeps track of who has paid for what and makes it super easy to settle up at the end. For example, imagine we are in London with friends Timmy bought dinner, Jimmy paid for happy hour and Steve picked up drinks at the pub after dinner. We just entered in the receipts and settled up at the end of the week. This has made things sooooo easy, we even were able to buy a case of wine together and save on shipping!
Give yourself, and those around you, a break. It’s just a simple reality that traveling in a group just takes a little more… everything! More time, more patience, more planning ahead.
Restaurants with groups can be a bit of a headache, plan any dinners that you want to feel effortless ahead of time like a birthday/anniversary/occasion meal is scheduled with a reservation at a fancy restaurant or prepare for your beach day with a list of options in the area. Then,swe rdf the day where you have to just settle for a quick burger or slice of pizza don’t feel like quite as much of a disappointment.
Transportation, in my opinion it’s easiest to have all of your transportation arrangements pre-made unless you are traveling to a big city where there are multiple options. If you don’t, you run the risk of unexpected and often unpleasant trouble. Nothing ruins the beginning of your trip like not having cash for a cab when you can’t use a credit card or finding out at 11 pm at night that Uber doesn’t come out to the local regional airport (both of which happened to me). If you use a reputable travel agent they will know these types of details and how to navigate the landscape in an unfamiliar place. Did you know in San Antonio a lot of Mexican restaurants have a bus shuttle service to local resorts?
Tours, all of the worst tours I’ve ever been on have been group tours - that I went on with a group of friends. It’s bad enough to be in a group of people that are all jockeying for the best positions to see/hear/smell/touch whatever you came to the location see/hear/smell/touch. Just forget the tour group and cough up the extra few bucks to have your own tour guide. As my Uncle Paul used to say - it only costs a nickel more to go first class!
Delegate things for everyone, that way everyone feels like they have their things.
Most important, just BREATHE! And call me if you need anything!