One of the best kinds of trips is a trip with your best friends. Unlike traveling alone and knowing no one, traveling with friends has some awesome benefits and one of those is having pre-made traveling companions. Whether they be family or friends from high school or college that you don’t see to often, they are similar to you and therefore probably still enjoy many of the things you do.
I’m not saying that you have to be with them all the time from morning til night. They can be there in the beginning when you start your day at breakfast and then there for that afternoon cocktail. The nice thing is that you have someone to hang out with and share your day’s activities with other than yourself. Of course, if there is an activity you want to do together for bonding purposes you can do that too and have that in your bank of memorable stories.
Best Trips for Friends and Groups
One great choice to consider for a group trip is a cruise. There is something for everyone including the kids and kids at heart. The ship acts as your base camp, so everything begins and ends at the ship. You don’t need to worry about being spread all over and driving is not an issue.
Another reason why I like cruises is that you can do as much or as little as you’d like. One can take part in all the activities prescribed in the daily planner or just sit on the deck and talk over drinks.
Cruise lines also love when people organize groups. They have events departments specifically to assist with groups, whether it be a family reunion, a wedding or a conference. Groups are also fun as options become available depending on the number in the group.
Cruises are not the only solution for groups. It could be trips to Disney, a local amusement park or even a backyard party. Whatever your group has in common, you can put together a group trip to have fun together and get to know each other better and recharge together.
Getting Your Group Together
The hardest part of doing a group trip is probably getting everyone in agreement to do a trip and when to do it. We all have active lives with things going on, so that is the only real challenge. If you all have the will to do it, then it can be done. It may need to be planned way in advance so that calendars can be collectively booked.
Once you’ve gotten your friends together, the next part of the adventure is to decide how much time can be allotted to the trip and what you all want to do. This can be very easily done via video conference, group chats, etc. After you’re all on the same page, it’s time for the planning process.
The next step is to determine what trip or cruise you wish to book. The options are many including destination, company, and price. Do some searching to see what is available for the time of year that was agreed upon. The earlier you get this all organized the better.
Booking Your Trip
Now that your date and itinerary has been set, the next step is to actually book the trip. The best approach is to designate someone to be the point person for this step. This person will be the “agent” working with the travel agent or company. Yes, you could all do it individually, but the control system will get confusing. It’s bad enough that you’ll be trying to schedule for a whole group of people. You don’t need to be following up with everyone if they did their own booking.
The best approach to dealing with a group trip is to hire a good travel advisor or agent familiar with group travel. They will be able to coordinate and recommend strategies and activities for the group and even do the group bookings.
Departure Day
One of the major activities that should be coordinated is getting the group to the airport and/or cruise terminal. Getting everyone there together will make checking in simpler and allow for last minute communication clarifications.
If you’re doing a cruise from a nearby port, getting the group there together by common means such as a motor coach, will make it easier for baggage unloading and coordination. Getting from an airport, the best solution is to arrange for a transfer from the airport for the group.
Checking in will be done on a room by room basis, so the whole group will be split up. If families are traveling, families should stay together especially if children are with parents. Otherwise, there will be confusion created. Children not with their parents will pose additional challenges.
Once everyone is checked in, the fun can begin. How you choose to do your daily routines is up to you and those you’re traveling with. You have the choice to always be together or just when you feel like it.
Conclusion
Traveling with friends has its benefits and will certainly have its memories. I’d certainly recommend it as it is a way to reconnect and spend time when it normally is difficult. When the personal time is not being shared with work and other activities, you will certainly get to experience a different kind of connection.
