If you got excited seeing this headline, then it’s safe to assume you have a couple of archived travel plans. Between work, life, and conflicting schedules, it’s possible that planning a trip with friends just seems far from reach. Fitting individual budget and schedule needs when travelling with others can really seem like a hassle even with the many benefits of travelling with your best buddies. It’s even possible that your ‘pocket’ and friends are ready, but you just don’t know how to start planning a trip. We will share a Step-by-step guide on how to plan a budget-friendly group travel. Finally, you can dust off that passport and finally take that ‘group trip out of the group chat’.
Here are 7 steps for planning a trip with friends:
- Create a list: You actually need to have your list of interested friends who will be added to the group chat. Start with a feasible list of people before downsizing and adding them to the group. You have to remember that the realistic travel-buddy list is the one with people that have a very high chance of seeing the travels through. It’s also important that you create a list of enthusiastic people that will be committed to the goal.
- Set a realistic travel date: Typically, planning should be between a 60-90 day window to create urgency. Apart from the fact that it helps to fix a far-enough date for people to plan, it also weeds out the unserious candidates. So, between the first 30 days, someone should have made a payment to wake up everyone to the reality of the plans.
- Discuss budgets and payment plans: There should be a rough estimate of what the minimum budget should look like. Going above that could be a personal choice. The last thing you want is for anyone to under-budget; it could ruin a great time. A great way to combat this is to book and pay for the most expensive activities before the trip. This will minimise ‘surprise’ costs and allow flexibility in spending for other things during the trip. Also, things like transportation, groceries and whatever other necessities that may arise should be broken down and the cost properly split.
- Discuss accommodation preferences: Booking a hotel is easier because you get to pay for your room according to your budget (that is, according to the available room packages) but an AirBnB tends to be more fun because it’s a shared space. The cost for that could also be calculated per bed. For example, if the rent is $500 for a night and it has 5 beds, each person pays $100. Another option could be an all-inclusive resort so a good part of your activities are within a particular space.
- Discuss individual travel goals: Two common groups are the Vacationers and the Travellers. Vacationers want to relax, go to the beach, lounge around and generally prefer luxury treatment. Travellers are adventurers or explorers. It’s important to differentiate these two in your group so that each person can have an experience that is tailored to their interests. If there’s a mix of these interests, there could be arrangements made for group activities.
Remember the goal is enjoyment: Personalities will definitely clash and there might be some squabbles here but there should be room for arguments and different opinions. Just make sure your friends are reasonable and ready to compromise on some aspects of the trip. After all, being aligned makes for a more fun bunch. Remember that the vacation is just that – a vacation! Thankfully, there are so many agencies who offer package deals at very slashed prices so your planning process is cut in half. That is also a great avenue to explore. Watch out for our article teaching you how to save money if you’re travelling from Nigeria.
