Whether you’re traveling to a meeting or planning a corporate retreat for your top executives, planning a group trip can be exciting and rewarding. In fact, group trips can be a great opportunity to bond with colleagues, learn something new or master the art of teamwork. Group trips can mean more precise planning and plenty of organization, and that is where BlueOrange Travel is an essential part of your planning process. With years of experience and network connections, BlueOrange is able to make your next group trip unforgettable.
Essential Tips for Planning a Group Trip
Follow the Leader
Your corporate team needs a designated leader to take an essential role in planning your group trip. This person will act as the contact with your travel agent, be responsible for planning on a designated timeline and be able to make decisions on your group’s behalf. Your team can still discuss and agree on the final choices together, if that works with your company’s travel policy, but a leader is essential to moving the planning project forward.
Stay on Budget
Being conscious of your company’s travel budget is an important part of planning any trip, but your entire group should be aware of the budgetary limits. This can include individual per diems or an overall budget for your whole group. WIth the shared goal of staying on budget at your destination, your group can do what is best for the company as a whole. Share your budget with your travel agent. They will be able to work with you and vendors to ensure your budget is maintained.
Flights and Travel First
Often flights are the most expensive aspect of travel. By booking your transportation first, you can work with your agent to find the very best itineraries for your group that help you stay on budget. Reserving airline or train seats first can also help you and your coworkers get into a travel frame of mind, and can help make travel planning less stressful.
Consider all your Options
Hotels aren’t always the best option for corporate groups. While they offer convenience, they can be short on space and are sometimes a more expensive option. Consider instead an apartment-style hotel that features plenty of room to meet as a team, cook together and spend more time together. This can build your team and support your budget.
Stay Organized
To take the stress out of group travel, keep your travel information in one place that is easily accessible by all the traveling members of your team and by someone staying at the office. In the case of emergencies, if the office has copies of your travel documents and passport, then duplicates can be made more quickly. This also ensures that everyone–both your travel partners and the office–knows when flights depart and arrive and where you or your team can be reached on a moment’s notice.
Pre-Plan Activities
Not every second of every day of your trip has to be planned with work or leisure, but pre-planning some activities can mean your team won’t feel bored or stressed about finding something to do while they are also trying to focus on work. While the work goals should be the main focus of any corporate group trip, activities can be a positive reward for hard work and a great way to build team camaraderie.
Split Up
Not everyone will want to do the same things during free time. Allow for flexibility and for the group to separate so everyone can have fulfilling experiences to make the whole trip so exciting. Time apart also helps groups appreciate their time together and can spark creativity and inspiration.
Plan a group trip for all your colleagues with BlueOrange Travel now. Let our expert travel planners make your experience unforgettable. Contact us now.