We have an autumn trip proposal that you will love: plan a group trip with your friends. Accept the challenge, gather your friends and plan a group getaway for this autumn.
Travelling with a group can be both a great experience or a horrible one, depending on how you plan it. Over the years we gained a lot of experience travel-wise as our team travels often. We travel together to a foreign country at least once a year when we go to our city break-style teambuildings. Besides that, most of us travel quite often in our free time as well. We gathered all the advice we could think of so you can organize a group trip with your friends easily and have a great time together.
First of all, if you never went on or organized a group trip, it might be a good idea to start with a weekend getaway or a shorter trip and see how it will go. But whether you go on a shorter or longer holiday, if you read our tips and apply them, you’ll be able to put together a great trip.
Second of all, this is the perfect time to organize something like this as autumn is the prime city break season. In autumn, you get to do a lot of sightseeing due to cooler weather, you can enjoy the beautiful colours of the season in style and you avoid the huge crowds. However, keep in mind that some of the super popular attractions will still be crowded.
Whether you gather to discuss everything face to face or you make an online group where you can create a poll and vote, you should settle how you will make your decisions as a group. It’s a good idea to meet face to face at least once to establish a few details to get started on the organizing. However, it’s not necessary to meet every time you have to decide something, so an online group works just fine most of the time.
If you have a person in your group who loves planning and has leadership skills, ask him to oversee the trip. This does not mean that he will be responsible to take care of everything or that he will make all the decisions. It means that he will get all members motivated & organised and will seek help and advice from each of you when something needs to be done.
Among the first things you need to get done is to settle the number of days and the exact date when people can be available for the trip. This will take the plan from the idea phase to the next phase when things will start to get settled.
Usually, if you’re group is bigger, not everyone will make it and no matter what date you will choose, it won’t be suitable for each member. That’s why it is important to settle the dates among the first things, it will put the plan in place and you’ll exactly for how many people you’re planning this trip.
Establish a budget for your holiday. If you haven’t thought this through, think of how much are you willing to pay for each thing. Settle the maximum amount for your plane tickets, accommodation, tours, entrance fees etc.
Keep in mind that not everyone earns the same amount of money, so be flexible when it comes to budgets. If you research things well, you will find great options for less money whether it’s you’re looking for accommodation, transportation, tours or something else.
Not sure where to go? City breaks are among the best choices in autumn. You can check out here a few great places we recommend going to this time of the year.
Start by throwing out a few ideas to your friends. If nothing works, open a map and see what’s close. Also, you can try searching for cheap flight tickets and decide based on what you find. However, if people come up with a bunch of ideas, try narrowing them down and discuss why they would or wouldn’t be a good option for your trip.
Decide what kind of accommodation you want to book. Do you want to go to a hotel, hostel or book an entire home?
If you choose a hostel, you can easily find a room or two which can accommodate all of your friends. Hostels are very cheap so if you’re on a budget, this is one of the best options. Moreover, you’ll be able to meet lots of cool people and have fun at the location as well.
However, if the group is numerous, it might be a good idea to book an entire home. This way, you’ll all be able to have your own room or share the room with fewer people. Moreover, you can enjoy meals together or late night talks.
But, if you like having more privacy and you don’t want to take care of things (such as cooking together), you can choose a hotel. You can ask if they have group discounts and you can ask for rooms on the same floor to be close to each other.
Are you going to drive, are you going by plane, bus or train? Establish how are you going to get to the destination. If not all members leave from the same place, agree on an approximate arrival time if that’s possible.
Next, plan how are you going to get around when you arrive. You can discuss renting a minivan or a car if there are people who want to drive. Take into consideration going by public transport as well, in most big cities public transport is well organised. Also, there might be group discounts or tourist tickets available.
Book all the tickets you need for arriving at the destination as soon as possible. It is important to make sure that you all have space on the same means of transportation if you leave from the same place. This brings us to the next important thing you have to book in time, the activties.
Try pre-planning and booking a few activities to make sure you will all be able to participate at the same time. Some tours or activities might get booked early so better do this in time to make sure get to go.
Take advantage of group discounts as well and make sure everyone is ok with the activities. Also, make sure you leave enough free time between activities and that you have a flexible itinerary.
Everyone should focus on the activities they want to do so that they make the most out of their holiday. Have free time or agree on not having to stay together at all times. For example, if you’re not a fan of museums, you should not go to one. You can make a list of top attractions and everyone can choose what they want to see. This way, you’ll know what to pre-book and how to organize things so that everyone will be able to make it.
To make sure you spend some time each day, try eating one meal together. Whether it’s breakfast or dinner, get-togethers are a good way to plan and organise upcoming activities also they’re a great way to fill in your day if you weren’t with the whole group.
We sure hope so! Now that you read all our tips, we hope they’ll help you plan your next group trip easier. Start with a getaway this autumn and get to share an amazing experience with your friends.
Traveling should be fun, so remember to take it easy, start your countdown and enjoy the experience!
