Travelling is a great experience that everyone looks forward to. And travelling with a group of like-minded people is more exciting and fun filled. Group vacations are fast catching up among groups such as friends, colleagues and family. If you are planning for a group vacation with your family or friends, here are some tips on how to plan for an exciting and successful group getaway:

Tips for Planning a Group Vacation

Choosing a Destination

Selecting a destination is the most challenging part of planning a group getaway. It involves keeping every member’s choice in mind and getting their approval on the choice of location, stay and activities available at the site. Once you have a majority on what type of vacation the group prefers, it is time to zero in on the specific destination. It is wise to choose a destination that is off season so that accommodation and activities get cheaper at those times. Use a good trip locator and travel rating websites to get great deals on all your bookings.

Booking Accommodation

Top travel sites provide a comparison of hotel prices by location. It is a good idea to go through these and compare prices for accommodation and transport as well. Many of the hotels also have combo offers for group bookings. Check them out and read reviews before taking the final decision.

Contact the Customer Service

Speaking to the customer service and sales representatives at the destination hotel can get you great deals. Making bookings online does not mean that you have to pay up the quoted prices. Online quotes are negotiable and are just a phone call away. What is more if you speak to a representative you might land a deal that may include a planner upgrade – that is the one who is arranging for the vacation gets a complementary upgrade or restaurant coupons free.

Organize Online

Planning and executing a group vacation can get very challenging if the person/s in-charge of the vacation is not organized. Creating an online group site with centralized information dispersal is the best way to achieve this. The site can have a common calendar where every member can add their flight details to coordinate pickups and logistics. The local resources in and around the holiday site can be put up on the site for everyone to access. Put up a list of common utilities that would be required for the trip and allocate responsibilities.

Do Not Become a Ring Master

Managing the group and getting things done can get pretty messy without some amount of discipline. The in-charge must take care not to get overwhelmed turn into a ring master trying to wield power. So it is important to lay the ground rules right at the start so that everyone is on the same page. Balance discipline with tolerance as after all a group vacation is all about having fun.

Plan Activities

In addition to arranging for the basics of the travel, the organizers must also think about getting every single member involved in some activity or the other. Make space for group interactions by organizing games, cooking and bon fire activities.

Dealing with Money

While many groups prefer spending separately for every expense, some others prefer sharing the common costs. In the latter case the burden of collecting payments falls entirely on the organizer. It is prudent to put up estimated price of the shared expenses and collecting it before the trip so as to avoid confusion later.

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