Why is it so rare for trips to “make it out of the group chat”? Group trips with friends have become the butt of jokes because they never end up happening. You talk about that trip with friends to the French countryside for years but never end up going.
Everyone loves to travel and dreams of a vacation with their friends but no one wants to actually plan it. That’s where you, That Planner Friend, come in. You need to take the reins and make the trip happen finally. Your friends will gladly thank you when all they have to do is send you cash and hop on a plane.
In this guide, we’ll go through each planning stage to help you plan a group trip for 15 or five of your friends.
Research
The sooner you can start researching a destination for a group trip the better. You want to give your friends plenty of notice for your planned trip.
The Destination
Does your group have a specific place in mind? Is there a specific beach house you’ve been dreaming of renting in Costa Rica? Or are you searching for a destination that’s ideal for big groups to visit in the fall?
You can ask for input from friends but as the planner, you are in charge of picking the destination. When people start to get indecisive about locations, plans get lost in the group chat. Talk to your friends about their travel interests in person. You won’t please everyone and that’s ok. They can choose whether they want to go on the group trip once you officially send them the invite.
Pick The Dates
After you pick a destination, you need to dive deep into it. How many days will you need to fully see the destination? Do you just want to get away for the weekend?
Once you’ve determined the ideal number of days, choose specific dates. Do you want to be there on a specific weekend for an event? Like New Orleans for Mardi Gras or Boston for a Red Sox game?
If not, airfare prices can help you nail down dates. For example, does it make more sense to fly in on a Thursday or Friday? Float your potential dates by your friends to see if there are any major conflicts.
Where To Stay
Next, you need to research where to stay in your destination because it can eventually affect your budget. What area will you stay in? Is it more cost-effective to get an Airbnb or a hotel?
For larger group trips, I recommend Airbnb because it gives people extra space to recharge from the group. If you book an Airbnb, make sure there are enough beds for everyone so no one gets the short end of the stick and has to sleep on the couch. You also need to decide if people will be sharing beds because that will affect number of beds and cost.
A hotel is efficient for smaller group trips. More than three hotel rooms start to get a bit complicated. If you’re traveling internationally, apartment-style boutique hotels are a good alternative to your average hotel or Airbnb.
Things To Do
At this stage, it’s too early to make an itinerary for a trip without sending invites, but you can give your friends an idea of what the trip will look like.
For example, for a mountain getaway, you could say something like, “We’ll spend time in nature, visit breweries after hiking, and play card games at the cabin.” If your friend hates the outdoors they can politely decline your invitation.
You can get more specific on an itinerary after you book the trip.
The Guest List
The guest list will determine many important factors like budget, lodging, and transportation.
There are two ways to go about your guest list: open and closed.
Open Guest List
For an open guest list, you can invite as many people as you’d like and build the trip around whoever wants to come.
Before you send out official invites ask each friend if they’d like to be included in your travel plans. With a rough guest list, you can start budgeting.
With an open guest list, you may be faced with people asking to bring plus ones like significant others or roommates. You’ll need to decide if you want to open that door. Do you want someone you don’t know on the trip? How will an extra person affect the budget? It’s up to you.
Closed Guest List
In a closed guest list, you set the number of guests depending on feasibility. For example, if you found your dream Airbnb in Tuscany that only houses 10 people, your guest list can only include 10 friends.
Make a list of the exact number of people you want to invite. If someone politely declines the invite you can find another friend to fill the spot. If a guest asks to bring a plus one, be honest with them about the situation and tell them you’ll let them know if a spot opens up (if that’s what you truly want).
Budget
You need a clear budget range before inviting anyone on your trip. It’s always best to overestimate the budget rather than underestimate it so there are no financial surprises for your guests.
Some destinations are more expensive than others because of variables out of your control like the flight cost or currency exchange. The more honest and transparent you can be about the cost of the trip, the better. For example, if you’re booking a beach house on July 4th weekend, it’ll be more expensive than booking the same destination in the winter.
Break down your budget by parts including lodging, transportation, and any extras.
Lodging
Your research should tell you the average nightly price for lodging. Give your friends a range like $300-$500 per person for three nights. You can create a range by identifying the lowest-cost lodging option and highest-cost option on your list.
What would it look like if only four people came on the trip versus 10? Would that affect the price of an Airbnb? Probably. So, you should plan for that by creating various budget scenarios to paint a clear financial picture for your friends.
When researching lodging, make sure to note taxes, service fees, and other costs, not just nightly rates.
Transportation
How will you get to your destination? Will you fly or drive? Do you need to rent a car?
For flights, check prices and to send your friends a range. I typically tell people to book their own flights after they confirm.
For rental cars, don’t forget to bake in extra money in the budget for insurance and extra charges for the car. I don’t request money for the rental car until after the trip to factor in any extra costs including gas.
Extra Costs
Be clear in what your budget includes and doesn’t include. Typically, your budget won’t include meals at restaurants or shopping because that is up to each person’s individual preferences and spending.
If you’re going to a cabin and plan on doing groceries and cooking at home, I typically set a budget of about $60 per person for a three-day weekend for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and alcohol.
When you start developing your itinerary, communicate prices for any excursions or tours. You can include the price in the original budget if it’s a must-do like whale watching in Cape Cod.
Invitation + Confirmation
After you’ve done all your research, created your guest list, and established a budget range then it’s time to invite everyone.
The invite should include all the important information like destination, dates, and budget. It also needs to include a specific date for confirmation. The confirmation date will be the drop dead of when the person needs to confirm so you can book the lodging. Here is a sample text:
Do not send an invite in a mass group text. Make sure to text everyone separately so people can evaluate the plan and their budget independently. Regardless, it’s always best to invite people individually and personally so they feel welcomed.
Make sure to be clear on how many days people need to take off from work so they can allocate their days accordingly.
Follow up on the drop dead confirmation date if your friend hasn’t already confirmed with you. Don’t be afraid to stick to your drop-dead date. If you stay too open you might end up losing money and costing the group if someone drops out.
Book It
Once you’ve 100% confirmed with everyone on your guest list, it’s time to book your group trip!
After you’ve booked the lodging send out the final price and send flight itineraries for people to book themselves.
Rental cars and tours don’t need to be booked until closer to the trip.
Get Ready For The Trip
Leading up to the trip, you’ll want to prepare your friends with an itinerary and packing list.
On group trips it’s helpful to have a loose itinerary. It gives people an idea of what to expect and what to pack.
Within your itinerary, you can bake in options for people to have free time. Make sure to give your friends the option to opt in or out of experiences that may affect the budget like a pricey hot air balloon ride or a museum.
Send your guests the itinerary leading up to the trip to get them excited. A week before the trip, check the weather and send your guests a packing list based on the itinerary.
And with that, you’re on your way to having the best time on a group trip! Drop any questions you may have in the comments below. I’m happy to help you plan your next group trip.
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