Group travel can be a challenge, even for people who get along perfectly. When planning for a group of people personalities come in to play and this is when everything can get dicey. These few steps may help you have a more successful trip.
1). Have one person as your group leader to funnel all communications. Remember the expression “too many chefs can spoil the brew”. If everyone is calling trying to plan the trip, nothing gets done.
2). Once you have established who the group leader is he or she should have two or three ideas of travel and a date so that the group can vote on it. It is also important to establish a budget. It really does not make sense to plan a $5000.00 per person trip if everyone can only afford $2500.00. The destination with the most votes will be the choice. If you are working with a non-family group I would not suggest this. I would state a destination and you are either in or out. If you try to do this any other way it will not work because there will be too many opinions and personalities.
3). Establish what you would like to accomplish on this trip. Is it a family gathering so that you can spend some quality time together? If so consider a time every day where the group can get together. Dinner may be the best time. Everyone can discuss how their day went. Or maybe you are working with a large group who are looking for an opportunity to network with other members they do not get to see often. A group such as this may want to get together for cocktails. They may also like the idea of doing a group excursion. The goal is to get everyone together to build stronger relationships.
4). Once you have figured out these basic steps it is now time to turn to a professional. A travel concierge can help with all the details. There are many details that are involved with planning a group. I can’t tell you how many times a group has gone bust because no one in the group could agree on anything. The so called group leader gets frustrated and gives up. The one I find that most people are uncomfortable with is collecting money from people. The travel concierge can arrange to collect the money over a time period and send it to the vendor. All the other details can be arranged as well. There are many details that can be involved in planning group travel. There is transportation, transfers, hotels, excursions, meeting space, special needs and so many other details that may evolve.
If you want to have a great group experience contact a travel professional. After all you are part of the group as well and don’t want to miss out on all the fun. Planning a group event? Click here for a 20 minute complimentary consultation. We collaborate with busy professionals and organizations that want to build stronger community.
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