After the COVID-19 pandemic improved a bit in early 2021, many were eager to return to travel. People took family and solo trips, and group travel also picked up. When it comes to groups, I’ve learned over the years that it’s extremely important to carefully curate your list. It’s important to understand that just because someone is your friend doesn’t mean that you all have the same travel style/type and budget. Ultimately, when there is a mismatched group, travel experiences can end up being sub-par and stressful. Here are 3 tips to avoid stressful group trips:
- Agree on a Budget: Before any planning begins, talk with your friends about the ideal investment they want to make for the trip. Knowing this up front helps determine accommodation type, activities, and even the destination. For example, if guests only want to spend a couple hundred per day, then a destination such as Napa or Nantucket would likely be out of scope. Those locations require higher daily spends to have an optimal experience. As the group leader, you might want to consider alternate locations with similar theme but lower costs (e.g. Southwest Michigan wine trail or Traverse City). Also understand what types of experiences people value spending money on. Some prefer to splurge on 5-star accommodations, while others prefer to invest the most in activities/excursions.
- Select Activities: Talk with your group about the types of activities they enjoy on vacation. This might include spas, adventure, and my favorite…culinary experiences (cooking classes & restaurants). If you find that some in the group love culinary activities and the others prefer to spend their days white water rafting with a packed lunch of a sandwich and chips, then there could be a mismatch. Therefore, have an open and honest dialogue. It’s OK if you all have different preferences. That just means you need to adjust the activities accordingly, split the group up for certain activities, or consider a different destination or trip type.
- Collaborate: Everyone will want to have some level of input on the trip. As the group leader, you can guide the overall vision and structure of the trip. However, I suggest also providing opportunities for guests to provide input/feedback. For example, if you have two hotel options see if your friends have a preference. That type of approach ensures that everyone feels they had a hand in the trip planning.
Group Travel Planning Help: I can help you select a destination, refine the budget, develop an itinerary, and secure lodging/room blocks. Inquire about group trip design services.