Group holidays are a fantastic idea, your friends or family all together in one place, at one time, which in today’s busy lifestyles can be a rarity. What could be better than spending a well-deserved break with your loved ones? The organisation of this many people can be a little tricky, so here is a helpful guide to help you avoid any disagreements or challenges when you begin to plan your time away, trying to keep everyone happy is key! Our UK holiday parks will make the perfect location.
1. Organise
Although it is easy to spot and know the most organised person in the group, don’t leave it to them to do all the work, the holiday is a chance for them to rest and enjoy their selves too. Try not to rely on their skills too much, spread the weight of the arranging throughout the group.
2. Delegate
To avoid overloading one person with jobs, as we mentioned in tip one, it is a great idea to give each person in the group their own element to research and part to organise. Accommodating each individual interest and working to their strengths will give you the best experience possible. So, if you have a foodie amongst your group, why not let them choose the restaurants? If you have a keen walker, then let them choose the hiking routes you take. If you have a mechanic or motor enthusiast, let them arrange the car hire.
3. Planning
The planning stage is usually the most difficult, as everyone is likely to want to do something slightly different, but you have a limited number of days on holiday, so a final decision needs to be made before you go. Choices should be made democratically, have each person suggest up to three activities they would like to do and get them to provide and share as much information as possible on that activity so that everyone is equally informed. You can then collectively make a vote of which attractions you would all like to go to together.
4. Booking
When you have made the vital decisions, the booking stage comes next. Choose an evening you are all free and make a night of the process. Share a meal, maybe a drink and get booking. When you are all together in person, it makes organising appropriate dates and payments much easier. It removes the ‘I owe you’s.’
5. Budget
Everyone going on your group holiday is likely to have a different budget. It is important to consider that not everybody will be able to afford the same thing. If you don’t do this, some members maybe expecting lavish meals out, while others will be thinking more about the local café. A limit could be set on how much you are willing to pay for attractions or how much a main meal is in a restaurant. Obviously, if you happen to be out shopping or go off and do your own thing for a day, it is completely up to that individual how they spend.
6. Itinerary
Once you’ve agreed upon your itinerary, try to stick to it. When you’ve spent so long planning and budgeting to come to a collective agreement, your itinerary will have been designed to meet all members. Things can get confusing, and people can get annoyed when there is a change in a plan. It is also difficult to give a large group direction, or even get everybody out of the door at the same time; the plan will make these things much easier. Include in your itinerary a backup plan, ideas of what to do if it’s raining or taxi numbers of cars nearby to your attraction.
7. Compromise
Group holidays are all about compromise. There might be times when you feel like you need some time alone, to stay at the accommodation to read a book or listen to music which fine if you don’t mind missing out on the agreed activity. Or if you’re off to the theme park, sitting down and having a coffee rather than going on the rides is great too! Sub groups are a great way to please more people if some of you want to head to the beach and others want to go shopping, split the group up and then you will all be happy.
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Is Your Suitcase Packed Like The Average Briton?
Research has been conducted by Nationwide FlexPlus, and has found that the average Briton going on a week’s holiday packs a rather impressive amount of stuff in their suitcase.
The research found that, on average, we pack seven t-shirts, eight lots of underwear, four pairs of shorts, two pairs of sandals, six pairs of socks, two pairs of sandals and two towels!
Add into this two swimsuits, two bottles of sun cream, a pair of sunglasses, one hat, two pairs of trainers or shoes, a couple of pairs of trousers and jumpers if the temperature dips, you’ve got your typical British suitcase.
Spending
Holidaymakers spend an average of £40 a day whilst on their trip, and 29% said that they do not worry about how much money they are spending whilst they are away.
The research also found that Britons spend around £140 before they’ve even reached their destination, splashing out £100 on clothes especially for their trip and £40 on toiletries.
All of this spending soon adds up, with Britons saying they spend around 10% of their annual salary on their main holiday.
Planning for the trips
As well as the main holiday, us Britons love a short trip to get away from the hustle and bustle of daily life, taking an average of four short breaks of less than three days per year.
These trips take a lot of planning and packing, which the average woman starts planning around six days before their trip, whilst men are a bit more relaxed, starting around four days beforehand.
Holidaymakers from Liverpool and Newcastle were the most likely to pre-plan their packing, starting an average of six days before their trip is due to commence.
Meanwhile, those from Brighton were the most likely to pack on short notice, leaving it until just a few days before they went around, around three days before their holiday.
Multi-generation holidays
65% of those questioned for the survey said that they had been on a big, multi-generation family holiday in the past, which included children, aunties and uncles and grandparents all heading on the same trip.
Nearly three-quarters (71%) of those questioned said that they think these styles of holiday give the parents more of an opportunity to relax, as grandparents can keep an eye on the kids.
The final finding of the study was that, despite people packing plenty of sun cream, 68% of holidaymakers end up getting sunburnt on their trip. So if you are planning on checking out our holiday homes for sale this summer, make sure you slather on that sun cream and stay protected!