Traveling in a group can be a challenging and exciting experience. Group travel can lead to both positive and negative results. You can be a perfect friend or family group and be well organized and trusting or you can be a group that is conflicted and chaotic. These aren’t excluded from each other either. It is possible for your group to be both conflicted and organized. Sometimes it can be unavoidable because of the many different types of travelers and personalities placed together.
Group travel should be a fun time and when you come across problems its important to know how to resolve them. Those problems can also be avoided by utilizing the right practical methods of communication, planning, and smart thinking. Regardless of the type of group trip, you are taking, you want to understand the workings of group travel and how to keep chaos and conflict at bay. Whether you are embarking on a large camping trip or a bachelorette party, the tips below will help you in managing your group trip.
1. Make Planning your Best Friend
Plan. Plan. Plan. You should be prepared for anything when you are traveling with a large group. There will be many moments where planning is essential and you want to be secure knowing you already thought ahead. When planning you must think about the many different factors and details of your trip. The activities you all want to do should be organized and well planned for your group.
Think about the different types of accommodations, transportation, group deals to help you determine the best options for your group. When you plan for a trip, regardless of the distance, you want to make sure that everyone has a say and is involved with the planning process. As the planner, you must consider everyone’s desires, ideas, and opinions to limit the amount of conflict over the itinerary. Compromise is most likely going to take place on a group trip to accommodate the overall need and desire of the group.
Take time to plan and think ahead about the options available. If you are planning a vacation or planning a day field trip, you must plan and consider the details. Discuss certain destinations and stops everyone wants to visit and use democracy to help with decision making.
2. Look for Group Discounts
Group discounts are essential for group travel. Why not take advantage of the deals out there for groups? Not only will you save money, but time as well. Discounts are usually arranged when there is a very large group that wants to purchase ahead of time. Group discounts are available in different types of places and activities. Here are some types of discounts you can get by traveling in a group:
- Airline discounts
- Tourist tours
- Cruises
- Hotels
- Restaurants
- Travel activities
Sometimes calling certain places and accommodations beforehand and explaining your group may help you gain insight on group deals that weren’t present before. You can also get tour groups for discounted prices at certain places. Tour groups are a good idea if you want to keep everyone together. This will make exploring landmarks and tourist areas of your destination easier as there will be a tour guide to help with logistics and details.
3. Use Comfortable Transportation
Comfortable transportation is always important when traveling, but when you are in a group it is crucial to have enough space and room. When traveling in groups, the type of transportation you should take is based on the destination you chose. If you are going long or shorter, drivable distances, it would be ideal for you to rent a charter or school bus based on your group size. If you are traveling extreme distances, traveling by plane is the best bet.
You want the whole group to be comfortable and safe. Sometimes sticking together and traveling together can lead to even more fun for your trip. There is something about being on the road or traveling to a new place with people you enjoy.
4. Consider renting a House
Determining where your group will stay takes a little brainstorming. Though sometimes it is beneficial and desired to book a hotel room or even a resort, it is smart to rent a house for everyone to utilize. This is ideal for group travel because you want to keep everyone together while making your lives simpler and more comforting. It will allow your group to save more money and time. Having to individually pay for rooms and having to wait for everyone to meet in a central place takes up important time and money that could be placed somewhere else.
Airbnb and other accommodation websites allow you to browse and rent other people’s homes in the area of your destination. You have the option of apartments, lofts, houses, and even condos when deciding on a place to stay.
Renting a home is also ideal for the time you want to spend together intimately. If you want to partake in-home activities like cozy games and storytelling, cooking together, and movie nights. Whether you are traveling for a day or a week, you still want to make sure everyone is comfortable and that you are being smart about your options.
5. Have a Backup Plan
You should always have a backup plan or plan B for your travels. You want to think ahead about the possible mishaps and situations that might occur and come up with ideas for just in case purposes. In cases where there are issues with your activities or accommodations, you want to have something ready for a backup.
There are times where your group will disagree on things and times where you may want to drift away from the group, having a set plan for when something surprises you or unexpected events occur is ideal for any kind of trip or vacation.
6. Communicate
Communication is what will keep your trip together and running smoothly. It can be hard to lose communication when traveling in a group so you must go out of your way to make sure that everyone has the knowledge needed. Your group will be separated at times and you should be able to keep the communication, whether it is through phone calls and texts or meeting up to be on one accord.
Set up a group text to have a central place for information and communication for when you are separated. You could even create phone lists for everyone in case of emergencies. The whole idea of communication while traveling is to limit and avoid any conflicts or unnecessary chaos.
