Group vacations can be a hit or a miss and it’s dependent on many scenarios including the type of vacation, where you’re going, and who you’re with. We all want to enjoy our vacation especially if it doesn’t happen often, so you want to ensure you can organize a successful group vacation when you do go on one.
I’ve been on many group trips ranging from 4 people to 30+ people and from bus tours, to all-inclusive vacations, to self-planned trips and if I’m being honest, some of them were the best trips of my life and some were not so good. A large part of it depends on how well you mesh with the other personalities on your trip, your interests and mindset, and even how flexible or adaptable you are. Sometimes you really get to know someone better and forge a stronger friendship or you can even risk losing the relationship (which I think is okay too – not everyone is meant to be in your life). So be ready for any outcome that may happen!
As you get ready for your group vacation, here are tips that you can use to make your group travel a good and successful vacation!
How To Prepare For Your Group Vacation
First, don’t forget to read The Ultimate Guide To Planning Your Trip Abroad and download your free Pre-Trip Planner And Checklist to help your group plan the entire trip. This will help ensure a smoother trip and allow for everyone’s input so that you can do a little of what everyone wants while you’re on vacation. It will also help with being able to offer opinions right from the start and be able to compromise about the nuances of your trip so that you can all be on the same page about where you’re going, what you’re going to do on the trip, what you need to do to prepare, and much more.
Another thing that will make everyone happy on your vacation is when you’re able to save money! Going on vacation isn’t always easily affordable especially if you have specifics that you want to experience on a trip. So in addition to the Best Ways To Save Money On Flights For Your Next Vacation and the Best Ways To Save Money On Hotels For Your Next Vacation, here are 8 Reason Why You Should Book Your Trips Earlier. And if you like to coordinate your outfits or just want to make sure you pack the right items for your trip, you can download this Free Packing Checklist For Every Vacation.
Tips To Follow On Organizing A Successful Group Vacation
1 – Agree On A Destination
The first thing you’ll need to do is agree on a destination. That will then determine budgets for flights, accommodations, food, and the activities you’ll be doing. Visiting a place that you’re all interested in will also make your group vacation so much more exciting and in tune with what you’re looking for to really enjoy this getaway.
I will say that for larger group trips, all-Inclusive vacations and cruises make it a lot easier since accommodations and food are all covered and some additional activities as well. There is less to coordinate and less to manage overall which can really help you focus on the trip itself rather than the coordination of the entire group vacation.
Out of all the cruise lines I’ve been on so far, I have really enjoyed the Royal Caribbean. But I found that Carnival is a great and cheaper option for younger people who like to party and soak up the sun, particularly in Caribbean destinations.
2 – Agree On A Budget
Unfortunately, most of us don’t have an unlimited budget and staying within budget is a big point when it comes to traveling in general. Once you determine the location you want to visit, agreeing on a max budget that you feel comfortable with spending for your trip will make it much easier to continue planning the rest of your group vacation. Because then, you will know what you feel comfortable spending on and can plan your accommodations, food, and activities accordingly.
3 – Have A Designated Travel Organizer/Leader
If you want to organize a successful group vacation, it’s always helpful to have a designated travel organizer or leader of the group. This person will basically be the gatekeeper of all of the information about your trip and the one who’s on top of all reservations, itineraries, timing, and such. Having a “second-in-command” will also be helpful and not put all the onus on just one person. Of course, keep in mind that everyone will be contributing, it’s just one person that will be managing all of it in one place for easy access.
Some parts of your trip will also require you to book with only one method of payment so someone in your group will have to be okay with using their credit card and then having the others send them their portions. Figuring out a way to split the bills will be essential when it comes to group vacations. There are apps like Splitwise and SettleUp that may help you share expenses with your friends easier.
4 – Having An Even Amount Of Travelers Help
You don’t want to leave anyone out so it’s always nice to be able to travel in even numbers and be able to split the group into twos if needed. Whether it’s a bus or airplane ride, a roller coaster, or even dune buggy excursions, you’ll occasionally encounter scenarios where twos are needed and it’ll be much easier and fairer for your group if you take this into account and are able to switch partners as needed.
5 – Consider Renting Out A House
When traveling, it is sometimes a lot cheaper to rent out an entire house and bring more people on your group vacation to lower the costs of accommodation. When you think about it, accommodations are a large cost of traveling especially if you are staying at more luxurious places. Renting a home or even a hotel for a couple of days can already be your entire month’s rent. So renting a house is a good option if you want to lower costs and have the freedom to hang out in a communal area and even make some meals together.
6 – Have Everyone Contribute To Your Group Vacation
Remember, this is a group vacation after all and if you want to make it a successful one, I think it’s important to be considerate of others. Be open and flexible and take into account all the likes and interests of each person and try to compromise so that everyone can be happy on their vacation.
Planning trips is not easy, let alone ones that involve multiple people. Assign tasks for each person to cover and have completed in order to make your group vacation successful. This will also prevent feelings of annoyance and disdain if someone feels like they did all the work and that others don’t care to help out. Unless you’re lucky enough to have someone in your group who loves travel planning, then it may be easy to avoid this.
7 – Don’t Feel Bad About Spending Time Alone Or Away From Others
Although it is a group vacation, sometimes it’s needed to spend time alone or away from other people in your group. Don’t feel bad about it though – that’s how some of us recharge. Plus, there are times when you’re really interested or passionate about visiting a certain location at your travel destination or going on a specific excursion that others don’t want to join and that’s okay. You don’t always have to do everything together and as long as you meet up during the day, have designated meal times, or whatever it may be, you’re still spending time together that you may normally get to do and that’s a pretty successful group vacation.
Here are more travel tips you’ll want to read before you go on your group vacation.