5 top tips for large group travel – while you’re there
Travelling as part of a large group can be one of the most rewarding ways to travel. Whether you know the people well, or are there to make new friends, it’s a fantastic opportunity to connect with people through the medium of embracing new opportunities. It’s not all fun and games, however! Here are our top tips for travelling in a group.
1. Don’t do everything all together all the time
This is rule number one for us at Hirasté! It might sound counter intuitive to go away on a group holiday and not spend all the time you can with the people you’ve travelled to see, but bear with us. These are not people you see all the time, we all have our idiosyncrasies (yes, even us!), and we all need our space (granted some more than others). The idea that you have to spend every waking second together puts a huge pressure on everyone, not to mention that it assumes you all want to do the same thing! Doing smaller group outings like going to a museum while others go for a hike is a perfectly acceptable way to organise your time. And it’s perfectly ok to announce that you’re going to sit an activity out if you don’t want to do it, or just need a break.
2. Share the load
It’s hard when you feel like you’re the only one pulling your weight, or when one person takes over and doesn’t let anyone else pitch in. Make sure everyone is contributing to the trip in some way. That might be never cooking but always doing the washing up for a self-catering holiday, it might be organising an activity every day but not making the dinner reservations, or it might be not doing bath time but reading stories to all the kids before bed.
3. Come together for at least 1 meal a day
You don’t have to do everything together on a group trip, but there is nothing like breaking bread together to deepen a connection with the people you’re travelling with and it really doesn’t matter which meal you choose. Breakfast is a lovely way to start the day as a group, discuss plans and activities, agree who is doing what and with who, and to debrief on the day before. Lunch is a lovely way to break up the day, perhaps at an al fresco restaurant or maybe over a picnic if you’re planning to be out for the whole day. Dinner is a great time to slow down after a busy day, recount tales of your adventures, and make plans for the following morning. Or maybe you choose to have all meals but not all the activities. However, you do it, makes sure it’s what works best for you and the rest of your group.
4. Agree meal and activity plans ahead of time
There’s nothing worse than everyone waiting for someone else to take the lead, or people saying they don’t mind whenever you suggest something. Have a broad outline of what you are going to do when you are away including a couple of wet weather plans and a range of activities to suit the ages and interests of your group. Know what people want to do about meals – maybe they love cooking or maybe they prefer to go out, or maybe it’s a blend of the two. Ask people to take responsibility for a meal or two each so that everyone in the group gets a chance to plan something the way they would like it to be.
5. Be willing to compromise
We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: compromise is key when planning and being on a group trip. By all means, do the things you love doing and if that’s readinig a book in the sun instead of going on a sweaty hike all day, then do it. But know that connecting with your group includes doing things that they love doing too (so maybe go on that hike one day, or visit that museum another day). The added benefit? Saying yes when you might have said no might just get you into your next favourite hobby!
So, what do you think about our top 5 things to do to make your group trip super successful? At Hirasté we believe compromise and variety are great components for a fabulous trip and we’re sure you’ll agree.
If you’re in the market for a group holiday somewhere in the UK, check out all our awesome properties listed on this site. They’ve all been hand-picked and vetted by the Hirasté team to make sure they will fit your exact criteria. You can search by destination or by trip type. We’ve got collections covering everything from spa trips to farms stays and everything in between. Have you got specific sleeping arrangements? Maybe you want one big house or maybe you’re a group of families all wanting their own space? Or maybe you’re super flexible! Whatever you need, our unique search function lets you find exactly what you’re looking for.
Be sure to check out the rest of our top tips for a successful group trip:
Top 5 things to consider before booking a group trip
Top 5 things to consider when booking a group trip
Top 5 things to consider before travelling as a group
Top 5 things to consider when you get home from a group trip