I attended a webinar yesterday about knowing when to slow down. It was about taking a break from work and giving yourself the needed rest and treat. If you have been engrossed with so much workload, you need to start planning to take time for a retreat. It would be better if it is in the company of people you bond well with. There are several reasons for this. You’ll gain valuable local knowledge and at the same time save cost. It is a better way to relax as you maximise your precious time off. Besides, do you know what it feels like to share a first-time experience with someone else?
Now that you are comfortable travelling in a group, proper planning and strategising need to be put in place to make it a memorable experience. Here is how to plan for a group trip:
1. Start plan
Start planning as soon as you and your friends decide on a trip. Ideas are usually exciting when they are fresh. The longer you stall, the more you’ll find excuses not to go. Plan early, let all interested parties meet to decide on dates, locations and budget. It’s best to plan the trip three or four months in advance.
2. Assign roles
You’re going on a trip far from home, not the mall, so it needs coordination. The group needs to assign a leader who would be responsible for planning and coordinating the trip from point A to Z. The group leader should be someone who is good at planning and communicating. The group leader generally keeps in contact with everyone, providing updates to the group while handling most of the detailed work. There should be division of the other responsibilities as they arise so that everyone is involved. Break down the responsibilities further. For example, choose someone to handle booking a hotel and another person to take care of the car rental.
3. Decide ‘where’
Choosing where to go is more than just googling nice places, it has more to do with understanding the group dynamics. First, let everyone in the group suggest where they would like to go, then vote. Also, consider the socio-cultural landscape of wherever the group decides.
4. Budget pool
The next thing is to decide how you fund the trip. It is not likely that everyone in the group would have the same amount. Set up a budget pool by collecting a set amount from everyone before your trip. You can do a weekly or monthly payment plan before your trip. Once you decide how much would fund the trip, members can start contributing the money weekly or monthly. The leader would then use the money to pay for accommodations, meals, transportation, drinks, and more while you’re on vacation. If there’s money left at the end, split it up or go wild one last night.
5. Accommodation
Most people would settle for a hotel, however, renting a spacious Airbnb apartment with plenty of beds and bathrooms is more cost-effective for group trips. Also, the best form of group bonding happens in a homely setting. Staying in an apartment with the group would most certainly feel like being in a reality TV show.
6. Food
If you’re staying in a hotel, you’ll probably end up eating out for most meals, so don’t forget to book restaurant reservations in advance. However, if you decide to rent an apartment, you can cook up big, fun group meals. Cooking adds a nice element to your experience, it fosters a sense of community and brings everyone together.
7. Create a flexible itinerary
An easy way to create and share an itinerary is through Google Docs. Add the group members to the document and give them permission to edit it. Suggest one or two optional activities per day which do not require advance bookings, such as a local hike or museum, and add a couple of pre-arranged splurges, such as spa treatments or fancy meals. Don’t forget to create room for spontaneity.
8. Travel arrangements
If you are all travelling from the same starting point, shop around for deals on a bus, train or even plane tickets. Travel arrangements are often cheaper to make in advance. If you need to get plane tickets, for instance, get the tickets right away to ensure you lock in the price and number of seats your group needs.