Group Travel Tips

TRAVEL TIPS

Travelling as a group can seem very intimidating and a bit more stressful than solo travel because depending on the size of the group it could potentially turn into a nightmare if not carefully planned. Careful planning and inclusive engagement with all the members of the group throughout the whole planning process needs to happen to ensure that things go smoothly and according to plan. With all the necessary steps taken group travel is a greater opportunity to create beautiful memories with friends and strengthen bonds with our travel companions and reminisce about the group trip for years to come.

Choosing Members 

Before deciding on your trip, consider the group of people you want to travel with. Another important step is to have reliable people within your group in which you all have common interests and mutual understanding. And if there is a difference of opinion here and there you need to be sure that your companions are understanding and willing to compromise on certain matters if you don’t always agree on certain things. Something as small as choosing a place to eat can cause back and forth debates and conflict that is why it is important to choose people you get along with.

Start a group chat

After selecting group members, create a platform where the group can engage and exchange opinions, suggestions and discuss all the other necessary arrangements. The group chat can come in handy when dealing with airport transfers, potential excursions, and the breakdown of the bedrooms. Creating a group via WhatsApp or any other preferred social media platform is also a great way to build up excitement weeks before the trip, and sharing ideas, details, pictures, ideas and reminders on things to pack, sharing advice can go along way. 

Assign a group leader

It could seem as if it is an easy task to just plan, organise and do everything as a group but that can be really challenging and can cause misunderstanding and mistakes. It is best to appoint one or two group leaders who will be in direct contact with the tour operator or travel agency to better streamline communication in having one main point of contact on arrival at the country travelling to and they can be the “go to person” between the tour operator and the other group members. 

Alternative Accommodation

Choosing where to stay when you are planning a group trip is a big decision and can make a huge difference to your travel experience. Hotels are the preferred option when arranged by a tour operator as it will be included in the all inclusive rate. Alternative options to saving costs would be booking into an Airbnb, Guest House or traditional B&B. These places are more flexible in that you can cook group meals and hang out together without being cramped and separated in hotel rooms.

Group Packages

Looking into group deals can appear to be time-consuming but doing some research can save you money. Some group packages offer you greater discounts on tickets, the more people you travel with. These packages are also beneficial when it comes to accommodation, transfers, and excursion related costs. As such you can invest some time looking into and comparing these packages prior to taking your trip to help you secure a good deal that can help you all save up some money at the same time.

Make use of guidebooks

Use the Internet and local guidebooks to create a schedule of group activities. In an event that the group wants to engage in different things you can subdivide according to interests, such as shopping or museum touring, making it unnecessary for you to over-plan the trip. You can also use the group chat to keep in touch and make sure that everything is going well.

Be open to splitting up occasionally

When you are traveling as a group, there is no doubt that there will be moments in which different members prefer doing different activities because different activities can and will appeal to others and not to all. Splitting up occasionally for some activities is okay and might give you a more intimate encounter as opposed to doing everything together.

Book Restaurants and activities in advance

Last minute bookings are not very ideal when travelling as a group because some places my not have room for a large group because of various amounts of reasons as such you need to make sure you book in time. Same applies to activities that you are interested in taking part in during your trip, it is always wiser to call beforehand just to confirm how everything works with large group settings.