A small group of us have been going on vacation together for the last 5 years and the person who would normally organize these trips moved away at the end of last year. After much debate the responsibility fell to me to organize the trip, something which I was more than happy to do. As is to be expected, I made quite a few errors during my first group trip and needless to say, I have most definitely learned from them. I thought then that I would take a minute to go through the mistakes that I made and how you could avoid them if you are planning to organize a trip for yourself and a group of friends.
Take All Abilities Into Account
I had been so hung up on getting this trip just right that I failed to take into consideration that our friend Clint has mobility issues and I needed to look for disability accommodations. Thankfully, the hotel which I had already booked were able to accommodate Clint and fortunately for me, everything turned out alright in the end. I would urge you therefore that you look into the needs of everyone who is going on the trip and plan accordingly. I am not saying that you will have someone with a disability but perhaps there is a vegan going or someone who can’t eat gluten, whatever the case, do your research and bear it in mind when you book up to ensure that everyone has the best time.
Get Deposits
I almost lost out on over $1000 when we booked our trip because I paid for much of it up front with my credit card and then two people dropped out. Thankfully another couple of our friends were able to step in last minute and spare me my blushes. Thanks to this near miss, I can confidently say that the next time I book a trip for a group, I will not be paying a single cent until I have at least had a deposit from everyone who wants to go. Many people think that a vacation is a great idea but when the time comes to put their money where their mouth is, they flake out, for this reason I would also encourage you to take a deposit for the trip.
Don’t Micromanage
I thought that I was doing everyone a favor with the amount of plans that I had for our vacation but it turns out that I actually got a little bit carried away and failed to respect the fact that people just wanted to relax. The other problem that came from this is that throughout the trip, everyone was asking me things and it felt like I had no vacation of my own. The best solution to this therefore is to keep your planning duties simple, book the flights, the accommodation and organize the transport, beyond that, your friends are on their own.
I am looking forward to booking this year’s trip but I have most certainly learned from my mistakes.
