There’s nothing more difficult than trying to get a group plan to come together. Everyone always wants to chime in and contribute ideas, but when it comes to the day of, nobody shows up. For many people, it’s easier to have an impromptu plan than to have everyone else show up as needed. Strangely enough, people will always show up for large events such as weddings or funerals. But when it comes to the group trip, why is the organiser almost always left holding the bag?
To ensure the group trip makes it out of the chat and into real life with a significant turnout, you can try these simple tips.
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1. Start planning the group trip early
If you are the one tasked with organising the group trip, start as early as you can. You don’t need to make announcements just yet but you can start looking up prices, destinations, necessities etc. This helps eliminate any last-minute hassle when providing necessary documents such as visas or vaccination certificates. If your group trip is international, you’d need to outline all the different requirements. By the time you give out the itinerary, there won’t be any omissions. Set a deadline for when members will need to have acquired all the required documents.
2. Keep communication open
The group chat can be a great place to start tossing out ideas and for people to confirm whether they can participate or not. However, if the original chat has too many members, it’s better to start a new chat to discuss travel plans. Once the destination and amount needed have been hashed out, those who want to be added to the itinerary can enter the group trip chat. Communication should remain open for people to share concerns or ideas freely.
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3. Invite reliable travellers
Members within the group chat can be eager to travel but some may have a history of being unreliable. If you have loved ones who would like to join but are known for flaking, they won’t change their behaviour just because the group trip is abroad. It’s important to let them down gently when they ask to join the travel plans. You can also ensure their compliance by telling them they can only come along if they get their documents or tickets in advance. If the trip is local, have them arrange their own accommodation so that any losses incurred from not showing up are their own.
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4. Get travel insurance
Once the numbers have been confirmed, invest in travel insurance. This is important, especially if you are travelling abroad. Travel insurance helps cover you in case you lose luggage, have flight delays or end up staying in a hospital. You may not get medical coverage when you’re abroad but travel insurance can include a stay in a hospital. 4 Travel Emergencies And How To Deal With Them
5. Get members to commit
By starting arrangements early, you can hash out the best dates for travel with the group. This way everyone has enough notice to clear their schedules. A way to ensure the members of the group commit is to get them to pay a deposit that will be added to the travel kitty to be used to pay for necessities. Many travel companies offer a discount for group trips when the booking is made in advance. Getting members to send their contributions within a certain period ensures only those who are serious about travelling to join the plan.
6. Consider an agent
Organising a large party group trip can be daunting. Thankfully, there are professionals whose job is to create itineraries with the schedule and budget you have. Once you’ve gotten a solid number of commitments, you can hire an agent to help the group. The agent will design the program, collect payments, create lists of requirements, and follow up on those dillydallying. Agents also have connections for the destinations in their program and can offer your crew unique experiences that you may not discover on your own. It can cost you a little extra but it saves you time and stress of following up with the group.
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