It’s almost that time of year, where we leave behind coats and cold weather and exchange them for bikinis and warm white sand beaches. You may have dreams of you and your friends making it out of your tired college town and to the shores of Myrtle Beach or Miami, but your dreams will be just dreams unless you throw some action behind it.
But how do you do that? Here are five tried and true tips that I’ve learned from my experience of getting trips out of the group chat:
- Assign a master planner
While it’s nice to have everyone participate in the planning process, at the end of the day, you need to have someone be the decision maker to make sure that things move forward. As the master planner, you will be making the Google Doc / Spreadsheet / Slides that gives the group the overview of the trip. You will be creating the itinerary, which means knowing what days will be packed with excursions and what days will be for rest. You will be fielding questions and giving quick answers. And you’ll be making the itemized cost sheet, which brings us to point number two.
- Have the prices outlined upfront
This will be the most painful (for your wallet) yet most important part. If you can cross the financial hill portion of trip planning, you will be so close to making those spring break dreams a reality. You have to think about your every movement throughout the trip: will you be taking Ubers, how many meals will you eat a day, what excursions will you be doing, etc. Make the average itemized cost list and send it out ASAP. Quite honestly, this list should be sent before any other planning takes place. There is nothing worse than picturing yourself relaxing on a beach in the Bahamas for a week and then having a rude awakening that the price of said relaxation is simply out of your budget. Don’t do it to yourself – talk money first and then let your dreams run wild.
- Decide on events that cater to everyone’s wants
People want different things out of their trip. Some people look forward to going dancing every night while others simply want to sit on the beach with a book in one hand and a drink in the other. It’s important that the trip itinerary is a balance of events that will both challenge your group and make them comfortable. That means that in between trying out new bars and beaches, maybe throw in a museum or a nature trail. This will make everyone’s investment in this trip worthwhile.
- Have a down payment
So, you have the trip idea. You have the itinerary and the itemized cost list. So far, everyone seems to be in agreement but here comes one of the largest obstacles to getting the trip out of the group chat: commitment. How do you actually get people to commit to a trip that is happening weeks into the future, when so many things can pop up? The short answer is, you can’t. But getting every person to pay a “down payment” of some sort might be the next best thing. This can look like paying for the AirBnb, getting the flight booked, or making a reservation at a nice restaurant. Whatever it is, the point is that you want people to put their money where their mouth is. While this is not a foolproof strategy, money is probably your strongest way to get commitment.
- Deal with comments, questions, or concerns that arise as soon as possible
Don’t let uncertainties linger. Someone is worried about not getting enough rest time on the trip? Find a place to put breaks in the schedule. Another person is wondering if there are enough vegetarian food options near your hotel? Go ahead and make a list of locations. Getting the trip out of the group chat means that everyone is on board, mentally, emotionally, and financially, with what is going on and is excited to make dreams a reality. Letting things go unanswered or unaddressed can mean that you can be so close to making it to the finish line and then that unresolved issue deals a fatal blow to everything. Don’t let questions fester.
At the end of the day, if the trip was meant to be, it will happen. All the planning in the world can’t prevent emergencies or more important events from getting in the way of your trip, and when these more important events pop up, your best course of action is to accept it with grace and just hope that you and your friends can make it happen next time.
Here’s to everyone’s spring break plans making it out of the group chat and onto our Instagram feeds in the next few months!