For many people, travelling together in a group sounds like a fantastic idea. If well planned,it can adventurous, therapeutic and cost-effective, but keeping everyone happy and organizedthroughout the journey can lead to a lot of frustration. Group trips can leave the best or the worst memories ever, depending on how well or how poorly the trip is planned. At the very best, traveling in-groups can mean cracking jokes, telling great stories, learning more about how to travel, and having plenty of laughs.
Women have increasingly welcomed the idea of traveling in organized groups as it helps to break the boring cultureof traveling in small family groups. It also serves as the perfect getaway for women with busy lifestyles.However, travelling in groups generally demands a lot more accurate planning and organization, which can lead to anxiety, uncertainty and poor planning.
So how do you make the most out of a women’s group trip, especially if you are a first timer?
Appoint a Group Leader
By appointing someone as the group leader, you can have a go-to person who is on top of all important travel informationand knows what planning still needs to be done and what is left to do, sothat nothing gets omitted.
If the responsibilities become too much for one person, it could be split into different sections with one person in charge of accommodation, another organizes transport and another looks after the budget for the trip.
Play to the strengths of your group members. If there issomeonewho loves planning, then let such a person lead the way (but support them if they ask for help of course) and if you’re all uncertain, appoint a decision maker or have a method for making decisions. It’sbetter to sort all of these right at the beginning and not waste your time while already on vacation trying to figure out how to do them.
Poll the Group
This is the best way to decide which activities are of interest, if your interest is to, as much as possible, include what the people enjoy. If the group likes to camp, include camping. If the group likes to hike, include hiking. If they like to cook, include cooking classes.
Plan and Review
Research and review the places of interest of your destination with time and events schedule in mind.Find out ahead, which days sites are open or closed, travel times to reach each location, and which mode of transportation you will be taking.
Budget
When travelling as a group, most arguments revolve around budget and expenses; people have different spending preferences as well as needs. If someone has cash to splash, but others are trying to be frugal, discuss that before you leave and work out a budget that suits everyone. Decide beforehand whether you’ll split bills equally or adopt a pay-for-what-you-want method. As a group, you should agree on a budget for your trip and then stick to it.
Meet Before the trip
Get to know yourselves better and ask questions when necessary, meeting in advance will make everyone feel more at ease with both the trip itinerary and with each other. Remember this is your first group trip together,therefore, it is important to know and meet your group members before the trip.
Stay On Track
At the end of each day, review the schedule of events andset a meeting time for the next morning. This early morning meeting in the hotel lobby is a good time to tackle any concerns or respond to questions that may have come up during the previous day. It sets the mood and tone for what to expect for the day and gets everyone on the same page.
Scheduling meeting times and a predictable routine will ensure everyone knows what time they have to be all set and ready to go.
Book in advance
One way to ensure you stick to a budget is to book your flights and hotels early. You should book as early as the end of the budgeting stage. Most flights and tourist destinations charge less when booked beforehand. The last thing you want on a vacation is to have finally all agreed on a place to dine, get the entire group there all at the same time, only for the restaurant to turn you away as they don’t have room for a large booking! Call ahead, or download a booking app to ensure you’ll get to enjoy the restaurant you’ve decided on.
This would also help eliminate confusion during the actual trip, as you will only need to follow the plan and not line up on cuesuncertain of whether you will get slots. The same goes for any pre-planned activities – it’s always worth calling ahead and booking to make sure they can have room for a group booking.
Consider alternative accommodation
Choosing where to stay as a group trip is a big decision and can make a huge difference to your travel experience.
For group travels, hotels are not necessarily the best option, unless you’re after an all-inclusive resort experience.Staying in an apartment or a house as a group gives you the chance to pepare group meals and hang out together without cramming yourselvesinto one small hotel room. You can also stay in some amazing houses, and at more affordable prices than hotels.
Split up
Just because you’re traveling as a group doesn’t mean you need to be glued together all the time, because everyone will have different ideas of must-see and must-do activities.If you can’t reach a agreement then split up according to whatever everyone wants to do. One group might want to spend the day at the beach while the other goes to a museum.
Agree To Have Fun
If someone is uncomfortable, it affects the others so everyone is encouraged to share their concerns or problems so they can be solved together. Solutions can be as simple as rearranging the roommate situation or adjusting the itinerary.Sometimes, it’s the unplanned solution that provides a most interesting memory — just like in everyday life.
