Family vacations are fun, but sometimes you have to get away with the guys. Taking a trip is perfect for reconnecting with old friends or going on an adventure with the most important guys in your life. Whether you're planning to travel with your dad and brothers or you're getting your college friends together for a trip, you can have a lot of fun and create some amazing memories. Planning a trip for a group can be a little difficult, though. It might even be harder than planning a family vacation because everyone can have different ideas about what you should all do. This guide will take you through some of the essential things you'll need to think about.
Decide Who's Coming
The first thing you need to do when planning a trip is to decide who's coming. You need to know numbers so that you can start making some solid plans. If you're the one proposing the trip, you can have some control over who's invited and how big your group is going to be. For a first trip, you probably don't want to have a huge number of people. Around three to five can be comfortable for a lot of people, whereas big groups of ten or more can prove more difficult. So if people start asking if they can bring their buddy from school or their second cousin, don't be afraid to say no.
Set a Budget
Defining a budget is one of the most important things you'll need to do, and it can be a little fraught. No one wants to step on any toes where money is concerned, and you might not have a good idea of what everyone can afford or what others might regard as expensive. However, there's going to need to be some discussion of money, so you will all need to bite the bullet and start throwing some numbers around. It's like you'll want to set a reasonable budget that's not too expensive for anyone but isn't too cheap either.
When you're budgeting, you'll have to think about the various costs involved in your trip. This can include travel (plane tickets, fuel, etc.), accommodation, food and drink, activities, or anything else you might need to cover. While everyone can choose to bring however much extra spending money they want, it's likely you'll all be staying in the same place and going to the same places to eat and drink. So you'll need to decide if it's a budget trip, a little luxury, or something in the middle.
Arrange a Suitable Time (Estimated)
Getting everyone together for a guys' trip isn't always simple. When you have other commitments, including work and family, it can be hard to get everyone on the same page. This is why it's often easier to choose a weekend, especially if you all typically work Monday to Friday. However, if you won't be going away on a weekend, you'll need to find dates that work for everyone. You might not choose exact dates just yet, but you should settle on a ballpark period that should be suitable for everyone. You can then finalize the exact dates when you start booking things and/or when everyone is sure they're available.
Share the Work
Planning a trip for a group can be a lot of work, so it's not necessarily fair if one person gets stuck with it all. When you're planning, consider giving everyone different responsibilities so that you all have tasks to do. It prevents the burden of the trip planning from being on one person's shoulders and it allows everyone to be involved. Of course, it's helpful if there's one main person who takes the lead to ensure the planning is going well. They can check up on the progress of the trip planning and maybe make final decisions when others can't come to a consensus.
Pick a Theme for Your Trip
Choosing where to go and what to do is obviously a big part of planning your trip. It might already be obvious what you want to do. Maybe you're planning a trip with your fishing buddies or you all love skiing. But it could also require a little more thought to decide what the purpose of your trip will be. If you want to base your trip around a specific activity, you might want to look at package deals or services that will arrange a private trip for you. At Mtievents.com, you can get help with planning a golf trip that's sure to be unforgettable. There are amazing places to visit across the US or around the world if you're looking for a unique golfing destination.
Your trip could also be based around a particular destination, rather than an activity that you want to do. Of course, many locations do lend themselves to doing certain things. If you were to plan a trip to Las Vegas, there are probably some key activities that you would end up doing. But you might be more concerned about where you go than what exactly it is you'll be doing when you get there. If you don't already have a destination in mind, think about what type of environment you're looking for. Are you city people or are you looking for an outdoor adventure? Are you looking for somewhere hot or cold? Nights out or taking in the local culture?
Organize Travel and Accommodation
Getting your travel and accommodation organized can be one of the most difficult things. Everyone needs to agree on dates, how you're traveling, and where you all want to stay. Depending on whether you're meeting up from various locations or you all live in the same place, you might want to make your own travel arrangements. However, if you plan to travel as a group, this could help you to find some good deals and save some money. There are various ways you might decide to travel, depending on where you're going. You could fly, drive, or even take a train or boat. Keep your budget in mind when you're planning.
Accommodation is another area where you have multiple options. You could have a choice of hotels, serviced apartments, villas, campsites, and more. What you choose will likely depend on your budget, where you're going and what you're doing, and the comfort levels that you're looking for. You might also want to think about how much privacy you all want. Are you willing to share sleeping space or do you all need your own room? It can often be cheaper to avoid hotels and consider other options if you're trying to save.
Consider Activities
You might be going on your guy's trip with certain activities in mind. Maybe you're going on a fishing trip, skiing trip, or a trip where you're planning to enjoy the nightlife as much as possible. But whether you already have an idea of what you want to do or not, you should think about planning some activities in advance. Some things should be booked ahead if you want to do them, whereas other activities can be a bit more spontaneous. You might not want to over-plan everything, but you don't want to miss out on anything that requires tickets or booking ahead.
Think about what types of activities everyone will enjoy doing together. There should be something for everyone on your trip, and maybe even a few choices on each day, in case you want to split up.
Spend Some Quality Time Together
Going on a guy trip gives you the perfect opportunity to spend some quality time together. It's something that can be hard to do when you lead busy lives, and you have your own families, jobs, and other commitments to worry about. But what it looks like to spend quality time together can vary, depending on who you are, your personalities, and what you like doing. It might mean sitting in relative silence while you fish. It could be letting off steam by doing something active, or it could be sitting and chatting while you have dinner and a few drinks. Your trip can be a chance to talk to each other about anything that's on your mind and catch up, or it can just be an opportunity to enjoy each other's company.
Allow for Some Alone Time
It can also be important to build some chances for alone time into your trip. You might want to try and spend every minute together if you haven't seen each other in a while. But it can be smart to split up sometimes, especially if you're starting to feel like you need a break from everyone else. There are often times when not everyone agrees on what they want to do, which presents a good opportunity to split up and do what you want without everyone having to join in.
When you're planning a guy's trip, consult everyone as a group to ensure everyone gets their say and your trip is fun and memorable.
