5 top tips for planning a big group trip
Travelling in a big group can be both exciting and daunting at the same time. This year, I had the opportunity to take two large group trips – a bachelorette trip of 10 girls to Miami and a trip for my birthday of 9 girls to Cannes in the French Riviera. Usually I don‘t travel with more than 4 people so I was very apprehensive about both holidays. Whilst the Miami trip was a complete disaster tarnished with arguments, the Cannes trip was one of the best holidays I’ve ever had with nothing but positive energy. This had me questioning why the two trips were so different and it led me to realise that there are 5 ESSENTIAL ingredients needed in order to make a group trip successful.
1.The holiday needs to cater to a mixture of needs
Whether the holiday is centred on you (e.g. for your birthday) or someone else, the holiday cannot just be ABOUT YOU or someone else. When travelling in a big group, you have to consider the needs and wants of everyone. Some people may enjoy a relaxing holiday where they do not do much apart from lounge on the beach whereas others may love an intense activity/excursion based trip. The perfect group trip will include a mixture of both so that all be satisfied. Consider sending a poll/list of activities to the group and asking each person to vote for their top three choices. This will help to plan the trip around the top votes and make the group feel part of the planning.
2. Allow some time for unplanned activity
Yes, it’s great to be organised and yes that helps to manage a large group of people. However, a holiday with a complete schedule from sunrise to sunset becomes more like a military camp and can make people feel like they are on a school trip. Allow a day or two (depending on the length of the trip) for the group to do something spontaneous. This can also offer you the opportunity to see something new in the country that you’re visiting that you may have never discovered when planning e.g. an unknown secluded tropical beach or great local bars and restaurants in less tourist-heavy areas.
3. Allow the group to separate sometimes
Everybody does not need to do everything together. Allow people to spend some time doing separate activities that they like and enjoy. This enables people to feel like they are getting the most value for their time and money. Set a time when everyone can come back together e.g. over dinner or meeting at a certain point of town for an excursion. If this is done with positive energy, the separation will actually allow you to have MORE to talk about when you all return as a group as you will have different experiences to share.
4. The group leader needs to maintain a positive attitude
This can be whoever the trip is focused on (e.g. the birthday girl/boy) and/or the main organiser. I cannot stress how important this is for a successful group trip. Energy transfers – when that particular person is not happy, moody or has a bad attitude, it filters through the group and changes the whole vibe of the trip. There will be occasions on holiday when things do not go to plan – that’s life I’m afraid! Maintaining a positive attitude sends a message to the group that it doesn’t matter what happens, you’re there to have a good time with great people. This positive vibe transfers throughout the group. If you laugh over spilt milk, others will laugh with you.
5. Room allocations need to be strategic
This may seem like an obvious one but it is more than simply putting people together who know each other and usually get along. Friendship dynamics matter for a group trip but so do characteristics and behaviour. We often discover new things about our friends' living habits when we go on holiday. Who will take a long time to get ready in the morning? Who has the patience to wait for such a person? Who is a morning person? Who struggles to get up on time for an activity? Who is high maintenance? Who is mellower? – It is important to consider these things when sorting rooms to ensure that you allocate rooms based on people who are compatible.
Group trips can be exciting and fun but make sure you consider these 5 things when planning your next large group adventure.
Good luck and happy travelling!
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