Vacation time is here and you have a large group who can’t
even agree on what toppings to order on a pizza. How in the world will you ever plan a
successful trip? Don’t panic! This can be much easier than it seems.
The first thing to do after deciding that the group wants to
spend their vacation time together is to elect someone to take ownership of the
trip and be the group’s leader. This
person should be easily accessible and be very organized because they will be
responsible for delegating duties, performing extensive research, collecting
funds to pay for big expenses, and arranging meetings and transportation. Once the group decides on a leader, the next
thing to determine is the destination.
Do you want to go somewhere close or far away? The beach or the mountains? A national park or Las Vegas?
Be democratic about your decision.
Majority rules! Once the decision
has been made, find out if anyone from the group has ever been to this
destination before and ask for suggestions including accommodations, places to
eat, and possible activities. Use the
Internet as a resource and find out as much as you can about where you are
going.
Take a head count of all those who are going. Choose your accommodations and what mode of
travel you will need to use to get there.
Start calculating a price, based on the total expenses divided by the
number of people going. Let everyone
know where you are going, in which establishment they will all be staying, how
much each person will need to pay. Set a
firm deadline for payment that is well in advance of the hotel or resort’s
cancellation policy. Open a discussion
with the group and ask for suggestions or complaints. Try to be as patient with people as possible.
If your travel plan includes a flight, arrange to have seats
that are close together. If many people
will be driving, carpool and have everyone chip-in on paying for gas. Remember that half the fun in going on a trip
is the journey itself. Plan some
activities to keep the group occupied along the way.
When you arrive, take another head count to be sure everyone
made it. Enjoy your time together and
take lots of pictures or video so that you’ll have memories to share
forever! There’s a reason you chose to
go on vacation with these people. If it
was just to get the group rate, then so be it, but do try to get along with
everyone. If conflict happens to arise
during the trip, remember to be democratic and go with the majority. Also, there’s nothing wrong with the group
splitting into smaller segments to enjoy activities!
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