Has your group trip finally made it out of the text chain? Wondering how you’re going to plan this adventure and organize the trip? Whether you’re planning a trip abroad, domestically, outdoor, or city, here are 7 group travel tips you HAVE to know!
This post is all about the 7 must know group travel tips for your epic adventure.
Ask everyone what their “Must-Do” activities are, and prioritize them!
When you’re planning a group trip, particularly to another country or city, make sure to ask everyone to list their top “MUST DO” item … the thing that, if they missed, they would be disappointment. Try your best to prioritize these Must Do items early in the itinerary as much as possible. Likely, even if everything else goes wrong, your travel companion will be happy they got that one, MUST DO, bucket list travel item checked off.
Discuss budget with everyone ahead of time
Be very clear and transparent about the budget for this trip. Are people comfortable spending $200 a day, $500 a day, etc? Alternatively, you can also provide an estimated daily budget for the trip and ask them if they feel comfortable with it. Honoring the budget comfort zone is critical to making sure everyone leaves happy.
Ask about allergies and food intolerances ahead of time
Traveling with any group, even if just 4 or 5 people, takes a bit more planning than solo/couple travel. In particular, you will likely need reservations for large groups at restaurants, or you will need to buy groceries in bulk. If you’re a group trip planner, make sure to take everyone’s dietary modifications into account to make sure your don’t book a restaurant or fill a fridge that leaves someone out.
What are their travel icks?
Travel icks … we’ve all got them and everyone’s different! This could be shared bathrooms, using public transportation, street food, taking overnight flights/trains/buses, waiting in long lines, or more. Importantly, we can’t all avoid our travel icks. Some of these things are just a part of life and travel. But knowing about them and minimizing them can help prevent major meltdowns.
Plan a virtual meeting 1 month before the trip
I swear by this one … as the person who does group travel planning for any group I’m in, I love to ask everyone to jump on a FaceTime approximately 1 month ahead of time to go over the basic framework of the trip and any itinerary I may already have put together. It’s a good opportunity also to go through all the costs-to-date and make sure everyone’s OK.
Decide how to split costs before making any reservations
Most of the biggest mistakes I see with group travel comes down to cost. Do NOT wait until the end to split everything. Make sure you split everything – tickets, accommodation, groceries, food, etc – immediately using Venmo, Splitwise, etc. Otherwise, it can be difficult to keep track of everything, and someone will end up way overpaying.
Create a shared Album on Day 1
My last – but most FUN – travel group tip is to create a shared Album on Day 1 of the trip and have everyone upload the best photos of the day nightly. Otherwise, it’s too hard to catch up on the backlog of photos and videos. Plus, it’s a great way to wind down and reminisce about what you did that day.
