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Group travel tips by Nina Price Travel as seen in Interview by the Irish Times
Booking for groups can be tricky, lots of people’s input, deciding where to go, agreeing on a budget and there is always that one person who will complain about everything. So, how do you arrange a group booking easily and without too much back and forth? Read below for my tips.
There are two ways to ease the pain of group booking, use an Independent travel agent or arrange it yourself. Using Nina Price Travel to book your holiday will inevitably make things a lot easier as I can coordinate flights, hotel rooms, experiences and bring everything together saving you the hassle, time and worry.
If you do want to arrange your own group booking then here are some of my tips for how to go about it.
The Organiser role.
Appoint one organiser, usually the person who loves to travel and then they can decide if they need another person to help them at times.
Communication is key with this role and the person who has taken it on needs to start thinking about the holiday as soon as possible. This is not just to get the best possible deals but people are busy in life so finding a date where everyone can go last minute will possibly not work
The organiser can then start to ask important questions like, how many people are in the group, what is the rough budget and what type of accommodation would people prefer such as an airbnb, hotel, villa.
The accommodation at times can be dictated by the budget, which makes understanding how much people can afford incredibly important.
Understand where people will be coming from, it might be that some people live in a different area so train tickets and times need to be coordinated for them.
Where to go.
Once a budget is agreed then deciding where to go is the next question for the group.
Is there a set theme for the holiday like a cooking holiday in Italy or a yoga retreat in Portugal? Or is it purely a case of where is in budget?
Companies like Not in the guide books are a great source for themed holiday experiences and Do something different and Viator offer different things to do in major cities.
With the budget in mind I would then start to look at where and what the group can do. I usually tend to give three options for countries as too much choice just delays the booking process. As an example a weekend city break could be Berlin, Prague or London and a beach holiday could be Ibiza, South of France or the Algarve.
This is where the coordinator is key as they need to set a clear timescale for people to respond and give their preferred option. If there is no clear decision then the communicator needs to make the decision and start planning the holiday.
Not everyone will be happy about a choice that is made but they must remember that this is a group booking. Compromise is key and at the end of the day everyone is still getting away.
What to do on the holiday.
Now you know where you are going it’s always nice to have a few things planned to give people options of things that they can do.
I find that putting together an itinerary for every hour is too much for people and just a few excursions or things to do are enough. Most people want a certain element of relaxing on holiday and not rush around for the sake of it.
It’s good to give the group some alternatives too. For example if go karting is arranged and someone doesn’t want to do it. Is there a nice restaurant or area near that they can explore?
Someone might want to go to the beach whilst the rest go shopping. This is fine as long as you arrange a time or place to meet later in the day so that the group re forms.
Other group booking tips
If you want to keep costs down then sharing a hold bag with a friend can save money.
Look at alternative places to fly in to which will be cheaper. For example flying into Venice Marco Polo airport will be much more expensive than Treviso which is 30 mins outside the city. In this case arranging transportation and taking the 30 min ride could potentially save you money.
Check peak seasons, holidays, sporting, music events which can generally push the whole cost of a holiday up.
Download apps like Split wise which allows everyone in the group to record what they spend on holiday. Then at the end of the trip you know who has paid more or less than the others.
Add on holidays extras to make the trip even special such as transportation from the airport, fast track through the airport or check in to a premium lounge.
Look out for group discounts on excursions in the destination you end up in.
Make sure everyone has insurance as this is always recommended for any trip, even if it’s just a long weekend
Lastly…… just go with the flow, at the end of the day it’s a holiday for everyone to enjoy and be together.
For further information on group bookings or if you would like me to arrange your group booking then please get in touch info@ninapricetravel.co.uk or contact me through my website Nina Price Travel
Great read