5 Tips To Ensure Hassle-Free Group Travel
Traveling in a group can be very exciting as you discover and explore new locations with your family or friends. However, group travel comes with its own set of drawbacks. Here are 5 tips to help you ensure a hassle-free group holiday.
Designate a group leader
The easiest way to invite trouble, when traveling in a group, is by giving group members free reign to do as they please. In order to ensure everyone is kept in check, assign a group leader. It will be the group leader’s responsibility to do a head count whenever necessary and to distribute responsibilities amongst the group members. Generally, the person in charge of preparing the itinerary is a good choice for team leader since they are already well familiar with the group’s planned schedule.
Assign everyone a travel buddy
It is every group’s worst nightmare to realize that a member is missing. Not to mention that the lost group member will be quite frightened themselves, especially if they’re in a foreign land and do not speak the local language. The best way to minimize the risk of someone drifting away from the group is to assign everyone a ‘travel buddy’. The travel buddies will be responsible for each other and make sure either one doesn’t get left behind. This system is very helpful when you are traveling to a country where English is not the primary language and your group has a few members who can speak the local language.
Book hotels well in advance
Booking hotel rooms well in advance is always a good idea; generally, the earlier you book the more you save. However, it is overly imperative to do so when traveling in a group. Booking very early will ensure that the hotel has enough time to reserve rooms that are nearby. This way, the group can stay next to each other and not be spread all over the hotel.
Charter a minibus for your transportation needs
The worst thing you can do when traveling in a group is to let every group member organize their own means of transportation. Can you imagine the tension that builds up as the whole group waits at the airport, waiting for that one couple who weren’t smart enough to pre-book a cab? Eliminate unnecessary stress by chartering a minibus for airport transfers and for getting around town. It is also much more practical to charter a minibus tour rather than trying to book tickets with a local city tour service; very rarely can these services accommodate medium to large groups.
Split up at the immigration counters
Upon reaching your destination, you will find that the longest queue in the airport is at the immigration counters. Do not let the entire group land up on at one immigration counter as a single party. You may think it will help move things along quickly, but it won’t. All you will end up with is a very upset immigration officer; there are few things worse in the world of travel and tourism than agitated immigration personnel. Split the group up so that they can easily make it through immigration with no hold-ups or delays. This is where the travel buddy system kicks in. Assign a meet-up point beyond the immigration counters, with the baggage carousel being the most obvious choice.
Follow the 5 simple tips mentioned and you will find that traveling in a group doesn’t have to be a major hassle.
Danny Morrison is an entrepreneur and runs a mini bus charter service in Perth. While he spends most of his time working, whenever he does get time off he goes out traveling with his friends and family. He swears by the guidelines he has set for himself while traveling, as he thinks safe traveling is not just a responsibility but a necessity. This feature is extremely evident in his selection of the drivers for his charter service.
