Group travel is a great way to meet new people and visit fun locations all around the world. As the planner in charge, this can be a very difficult and stressful task if you don’t go about it the right way.
The good news is there are strategies you can use that will help you run a smoother group travel experience. You want your attendees to have a wonderful time and not run into any issues or obstacles while they’re away. Always remain calm and in control and remember all the reasons why you got into the business in the first place when you’re feeling frustrated or defeated.
Use Feedback from Past Trips
Get in the habit of sending out surveys and collecting formal and informal feedback for any trip you manage. Use these comments from past trips to help you improve the experience for those attending in the future. Review these remarks closely and take the responses seriously as you plan and prepare for the new trip ahead. You may discover there were aspects that went well or didn’t go so well that you weren’t even aware of as the planner.
Release Registration Early
The earlier you release registration, the more likely you are to get the desired amount of attendees to sign up and come along for your adventure. Do your homework well in advance for each trip so you can select a preferred hotel and airline and get this information out to those interested in attending early. You’ll feel less stressed out having these sorts of details all mapped out well in advance and not having to rush around at the last minute.
Use Technology to Stay Organized
The most important task you can do to ensure a smoother group travel experience is to stay organized. You need to have all of your files and important information documented and in order at all times if you want to survive the trip from start to finish. Use your laptop, online software project management programs and your smartphone as tools to help you accomplish this goal. Contact a service that can help should you lose the data on your iPhone and need to retrieve it quickly.
Have A Solid Agenda in Place
Another way to guarantee a smoother group travel experience is had by all is to create a solid agenda. It should include items such as daily activities, meals and incorporate breaks and free time for people to use as they choose. Also, be as detailed as possible and add notes about specific times and locations to your agenda, so everyone is where they need to be and not feeling lost or confused. Make the agenda just full enough so that people feel tired at the end of the day and are ready for a good night’s sleep.
Conclusion
Manage a smoother group travel experience when you implement these tips into your planning process. Try to always go with the flow and be on your toes should you need to change anything along the way. Most importantly, remember to smile and make sure everyone’s always in good spirits and having fun.
