Setting out on the open road with your friends for an adventure is so exciting. It’s great for bringing you all closer together. However, sometimes big groups have different ideas about what the trip will include or the best ways of doing things, which can cause a bit of tension. To make your trip as fun and stress-free for everyone as possible, take a look at our tips for large group trips.
Get the accommodation booked early
Knowing exactly where you’re going to stay takes a lot of the pressure off on a holiday. Talk together about where you want to stay and get one person to get it booked in. You can even pay it off ahead of the trip so you’ve got one less thing to pay for when you’re away.
Have one message chain
Tying to plan anything with a big group can mean lots of message chains and that’s easy for important information like accommodation check ins to get lost. Once you know who is definitely coming on the trip, create a specific group chat for it where all reservation details can go. It’s also a great place to share photos while you’re away.
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Pre plan some activities
Having some activities planned ahead of time makes sure you’ll get in, especially as a large group. You definitely want to have some spontaneous fun while you’re away, but having a few things booked in before you set off helps shape the holiday. You might even be able to get a group discount if you book in ahead of time.
Be clear on budgets
Different people have different funds available. Make sure all your activities and meals are within everyone’s budget. This will completely avoid that potential stress for some of the group. This is something you can plan for ahead of the trip so you can all relax and enjoy yourselves on the break.
Plan some apart time
You love all the people you’re travelling with, but it’s okay to need a bit of alone time. Just because you’ve gone away together, doesn’t mean you have to spend every second together. Different people have different interests, so there’s no harm in splitting up for some activities. When you all come back together for a meal in the evening, you’ll have lots to talk about and have a better time for it!
Read some of our other healthy road trip tips here
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Don’t overschedule
Having too many activities scheduled for every day seems like a good way of maximising your time off. However, it can actually turn out to be quite stressful. If you’re all having a good time somewhere, you don’t want to have to rush off to make your next planned activity. Focus on building happy memories together rather than being overly ambitious with your planning and burning everyone out.
Play to people’s strengths
It’s likely your group will have a natural organiser who can book the accommodation and restaurants, so let them! If one of your friends is good at directions, let them lead the way when you’re out and about. Play to the social strengths of your group so one person doesn’t feel overburdened or become overly controlling!
Share the ride
You can make the drive to your destination part of the fun by travelling together in a minibus. Clubbing together to share the costs of a minibus hire and fuel is a lot cheaper than coming in lots of individual cars.
We hope these tips for large group trips will make your next adventure with friends fun and stress-free. Let us know how you get on by Tweeting us!