Tips for organising group trips

A snowHead

Me and a friend are looking at organising a largish group trip next season, 15-20 people.

Having never organised any trip this large I thought i would ask Snowheads for tips and things to avoid!

Our main worry is that we would spend our holiday organising rather than enjoying it and skiing?

So all advice is welcome!

A snowHead

wam15 having done this for the last 20 years with groups of various sizes from 6 - 22 I think the key tip is getting commitment from the participants. This means money - up front and non refundable deposit money, the bigger the better. Don't believe your mates (or your mate's mate) that they are "definitely in". You are never definitely in until you've paid. Laughing

We also book a chalet that is a little larger than we actually need so as to provide some flexibility for sharing rooms or adding the odd person or two who tags along at the last minute. Do a deal with the chalet owner for a price for the whole chalet - not a per person price.

The only really stressful part is transfers - worrying whether or not the bus you booked will be at the airport or will pick you up in time to get your flight. Once people are in resort it is easier to leave them to their own devices.

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

I co-organised a trip for 8 this year and even that was a lot of hassle! Most of it was before the holiday itself though, once we were there it was all OK (after I sorted out a little mix-up with the rooms). If the people you're taking are adults they should be able to mostly take care of themselves...

The hardest thing was getting solid commitments out of people. My advice would be to organise dates as early as possible (the sooner they're fixed the better) and start hassling for commitment/deposit straight away.

Next years' trip is looking much bigger already (because this one was such a success apparently!) so I'm a little apprehensive...

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Orgainsing the holiday will be a piece of cake compared to managing the group!

Accept, before you start, that you won't be able to please everyone. Then try to get eveyone to say exactly what they're looking for. Pin them down - hard - before you start looking for the holiday. That way you'll have a fighting chance.

I can virtaully guarantee, though, that at least one will book on and then start complaining that it isn't what they wanted!

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

wam15, You've had some great advice off Tiger2, & bobmcstuff, I've organised several group trips over the years and like with non-skiing they can be a pain in the back bottom!!

Depends on if you DIY or go with a TO. TO's if you book ahead only need a small £50 deposit with the balance due 12 weeks before hand. Either the TO can keep track of who's paid what or it's up to you. Regardless a spreadsheet is your friend. As previously mentioned getting comittment is key so getting a feel for who wants to come is OK but this needs to be backed by cold hard cash. So I'd say "if you want to come I need X deposit by x date" Chances are if it drags out you could loose a particualr hotel or resort you've been looking at-more is lost through indecision than worng decision. Agree and acceptable budget and take it from there.

This is probably my biggest peice of advice. Individuals are easy to deal with when you get a group it's difficult therefore take as many choices away as you can. You decide on the resort, hotel etc etc. Rather than ask where do you want to go, what sort of hotel/chalet preference you have. Chances are if you ask you'll get 20 different sets of need sand wants so you do the research it to what will suit your groups needs the best and keep them out of it.

Once it's all booked then IME that's the hardest bit done. When you get there it depends on the ability level of your group. Skiing all day every day in a group where abilites vary is a recipe to wee wee people off. You're there to enjoy yourselves so if you have beginners stick them in ski school and arrange to meet for lunch etc.

Bit of a thankless task organising group stuff, it can be quite stressful when at the 11th hour there's 5k balance left on holiday and you can't get in touch with X,Y, & Z mate!!! If you have un-reliables in your party lie and tell them the balance is due a month before it actually is to give a bit of a buffer..... Twisted Evil

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Make the decision, and then tell everyone what it is.

As oppose to asking people to all chime in with ideas. That will never work.

"We're going to Sauze, on Jan 15th. Who's in? Let me know by 3pm and I'll book flights."

rather than

"Hey who fancies a ski trip? Where and when? Please reply-to all! Let's get a discussion going!"

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

I agree, money = commitment and tends to focus the mind Toofy Grin

Set up a spreadsheet so you can keep track who owes what and who has paid, and keep the receipts in case anyone queries your payments (unlikely, but cover yourself).

The problem I've always had is trying to commit everyone to the same budget - there's always one who says "can you do it for £400 all in?" even after you've been through all the costs and narrowed down the options...

Send everyone a travel itinerary and anything they need to print, and then just tell them to be at the right place at the right time - you shouldn't need to count everyone on and off all the time, let them sort their own families and just relax and look out for yours.

After all it is free

IU have arranged a few group trips and I have found booking through Direct Ski is handy as each member of the group has a log in to the booking system to pay for their holiday and ski hire if you need it.

It takes a lot of hassle out of it all.

*Ski* the Net with snowHeads

Some great tips here already, to add to the above here are the top tips I recommend to our party leaders:

*Fill up a chalet to get free places.
*Organise early, especially travel, so that you all travel together making airport transfers cheaper.
*Send the web site link to your friends and talk to the operator for any other information you need to organise your group.
*Collect payments from your group well in advance and give payment deadlines.
*Create a face book page for your trip and post information on it for all your group to see (then you don't keep getting asked the same questios)... and you can also post photos on it afterwards.
*Find out the rooming of the chalet / hotel before arrival so you can allocate rooms, this stops arguments on arrival!
*Find out the Chalet day off so you can book your restaurant early prior to arrival.
*If you have a special occassion or want to organise something special for the group to talk the chalet company.

snowHeads are a friendly bunch.

When you say "fill up a chalet" do you mean: you'll be given a couple of free places if you commit to fully booking somewhere?

All seems like good advice. I only went with four others just recently, but once dates were decided between a couple of us the Facebook group description ran: "Val Thorens is where we're going, from 24th-31st, who's in?". When I found several places I texted everyone saying to go on the group straight away to pick one otherwise we wouldn't get any of them.

snow reports

Having tried to co-organise a trip I can vouch for the quality of advice given here.

It started out with a mate replying "Ooh, definitely in and so is my family and 25 of my mates!" Then, one by one his 25 mates dropped out, but my mate and his family were still "definitely in!" No worries, I thought... Never fancied that large a group anyway. So, I started to gather some offers for flights and accommodation and my mate started saying "Couldn't we rather...?" or "How about option X?" or "What other options are there?", and finishing with "Well, you know... on second thought..."

So, basically we ended up going alone, which was fun enough.

In any case, the fact that time = commitment should go without saying, but it may not be clear to everyone. The other important advice is not to open the floor for discussion. Give them two options: a) take it, b) leave it.

I would never agree to responsibilities beyond taking the group to the resort. That means ski school, ski hire etc is their worry, not yours.

You know it makes sense.

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

Just getting everyone to say yes is the hard part in my experience, and that's for much smaller groups than you're talking about. Getting 15-20 people to agree on a date, let alone a venue and a budget will be quite heroic.

A snowHead

We always used to pass on any discounts - I wouldn't want to ski with anyone who wasn't a friend.

A snowHead

Thanks everyone for all the responses, has given me a lot to think about.

All seems like very good advice will try to follow it as much as possible. The main thing Iv taken so far is to up the deposit I was thinking about!!

The one plus side I can see with the group im looking at, is that there will be no families invloved therefore if people drop out it will be one bye one!

We had also decided to make it clear to the beginners that they should get lessons and we are not teaching them!

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

My very personal advice is:

Do not do friends of friends. You may find:

They bounce cheques
Complain all the time that this is not as good as when they went to Vail (where someone else paid them to go)
Have nut/garlic allergies
Smoke
Do not respond to any communications (actually I have friends like that, but they only respond when they are not going to do something)

Stick to people you know.

Do not pass on any discounts immediately but keep them to cover any bad debtors etc. Then take everyone out for dinner one evening.

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Is it necessary for one person to organise 20 people? Why don't you suggest splitting the organising duties, then you'll get an immediate and strong indication of the commitment levels of others.

Say you'll be organising for 6 people you know (for example), then agree resort and dates and let the others arrange their side of the group. I've done this where I've sourced a chalet, reserved half of it and told the chalet company to expect a call from A.N.Other, then told A.N.Other that I've done the leg-work to locate a chalet and it's now over to them to finish the job off. Worked fine and the risks were spread.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

1. Pick a resort you like; you're doing the donkey work.

2. Pick a Hotel/Apartment/Chalet Hotel you like; see 1.

3. Tell everyone which flight to book and give them a contact web page/email addy/phone number of who to book the accomodation with.

4. Get them to confirm to you when they've booked and paid for flight and accom and then book the transfer. Worse case you get let down on the cost of the transfer; but you can spread this cost over the rest of the group if that happens.

5. Make sure they know they are grown ups and have to sort out lessons and lift passes for themselves.

You'll need to Register first of course.

I've organised groups of 18-30 (people not ages!) for about 10 years. Mosha Marc, has hit the nail on the head - make sure you are happy with the resort etc. and don't give too many choices. I have found going the TO route best for me in case of problems with flights or transfers. I get the TO to 'hold' the accommodation while I request deposit cheques. Once I have people's cheques in I pay the whole deposit on my credit card (added insurance and convenience). I ask for cheques to be made payable to my credit card so simply go to the bank and pay off my statement when it comes in. I send out an email to each person as their cheque arrives confirming receipt and giving details of the holiday .... something like .... please accept this email as your receipt for ..... holiday reference etc. and state that the deposit is non-refundable and that it is their responsibility to fill the place if for any reason they have to drop out. I share all discounts across the group equally. Oh and ... yes .... have an earlier date for the balance cheques or as already mentioned I have found it easier when TO's have payment pages individuals can log into to pay their balances. Life has got more complicated now the group like sole use of a chalet and not a chalet hotel. Lots of searching for the right bed configurations en-suites etc. I would add I normally get a free group leader's lift pass from the TO but not always as don't always use the same company.

I've never had a problem I couldn't resolve as have a brilliant group of friends that are all keen to pay up as they know I've spent hours seeking out the best deal possible for them. Unless there's a price incentive I don't get involved with any ski hire or lift pass advance purchases as these can normally be done on the transfer coach. My group know that once we are there I step back and don't organise anything including the night off. We've actually found it easier to buy in pizzas, salads etc. to have in the chalet for that evening. Sounds mean but ..... no ..... just practical and much more relaxing with so many people and busy restaurants. We've experienced a few disasters in the past so prefer to get the all clear with chalet staff and ensure we clean everything up perfectly. We are big tippers but that's another thread Laughing

Good luck with your plans.

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

All great advice. I've ended up arranging group trips of between 6 and 12 people, and every time there is at least a few who drop out and sometimes a last minute addition or two.

Mostly mine have been budget trips, I provide an outline cost then get people to commit with a deposit. I will usually say 'I'm thinknig about going to xx resort on xx date, costing about xx which includes xx'. Let me know by DATE if you are interested. Then I have an an idea what size accommodation to book. I may give the group a choice of accommodation, either X (cheaper but further from lift) or Y (more expensive, pool, closer to lift), and go with the majority vote. Then its not me who picked the accomm, but them. Then I collect deposits pretty sharpish. I have tended to use online agents so that once the deposit is paid, it is up to the individuals to pay the balance, and it is very clear who's balance is outstanding.

I also find accommodation that is flexible and tend to book a 10 bed place if 8 are going, for example, to allow for rooming flexiblity, and generally more actual room in the lounge/dining table/sharing of bathrooms. This means we can accommdate an extra at the last minute if needed, but its not a big deal if someone drops out, its only the accommodation costs that need tobe split less ways (minus the non refunded deposit).

I will use a facebook group to provide info about intended flights, Ill book my flight early while prices are low, then leave it up to individuals to book their flights. I will have a suggested transfer option, but will not book til much nearer the time, when flight times/numbers are lookingmore solid. I also use facebook to provide local resort info links, ski school, ski hire, resort maps, if people want to look at or not. Then I dont have to answer many questions as its all online.

People will be unreliable, and will not appreciate the amount of time you've put in. Deposits are key, as is knowing the people going or not having ultimate responsibility if they drop out. Once in resort, it tends to be minimal hassle, other than being the one carrying the paperwork for check-in.

After all it is free

Echo advice above:
Get a deposit from everyone super early before even finding accommodation. Set a cut off date for this.
Once you have a deposit then look for accommodation, find a chalet and fill it with maybe two spare beds. Make sure you have enough double / twin / triple rooms etc. maybe find a choice of two and say a or b, but def no more choice than that!
Try and go with a TO do you don't have to with about transfers an stuff and regional flights can be offered to some extent.
Don't muck about trying to accommodate people who are being difficult and only want to come for the weekend, only want an afternoon flight, need to fly back a day early etc etc.
Yeah you can't please everyone but if you say at the start 'going away on date x, to resort x, budget of x and should be able to stay in a catered chalet with sauna for the price, deposit of x, who's in?' then expectations are all set at a simmilar level.

I've organised loads over the last 30 years or so......

1, Don't give choices.... decide what you want and then let people know:

"we are going to <> From <> to <>. We are flying with <>. We are staying at <> on a 1/2 board basis. <> is planning on some all day lessons; I plan to ski fast and hard all week; if you can keep up you are welcome to join me.

2, Once people know; tell them to book it if they want to come....

last time we did this we got 6 kids and 9 adults all within walking distance of each other in 2 chalets in St. Anton and had a fantastic time.

*Ski* the Net with snowHeads

snowHeads are a friendly bunch.

Have organised many groups of adults/friends/school trips over the years. Worst experience was with my largest group - the Heinz trip as there were 57 assorted people. We were due to fly from Manchester at 6am on 1st January all travelling from Edinburgh. We partied at my house on 31st Dec, yes all of us and filled one room with luggage and skis waiting for the coach to take us to the airport. It was booked with a local coach company I used regularly and had chatted to the owner on the phone earlier on 31st Dec. When it got to midnight and no coach we were panicing. This was before mobile phones and I had no way to contact the coach owner except his office number. I phoned the police who had an emergency contact number for the garage. The driver had misunderstood his boss and thought the trip was the evening of 1st January and must have been the only person in Scotland who had not been drinking. I phoned Manchester airport to explain we would be late. Tough was their attitude but they did ask how many in the group. When I said 57 they said they would hold the flight until we got there. The coach arrived about 1 am and we just made it to Manchester and were whisked in. Then one family discovered their eldest daughter didn't have a separate passport as she had been 16 the previous week and was just on parent's passports. She was supposed to be left behind but several faxes to Italy agreed to wave the need as the regulation had just come in. I said this was several years ago.
We had a great time once we got there as we had a whole hotel and everyone found a friend for skiing and apres ski. That's what I love about taking groups as everyone seems to find a buddy. And what I learned was no matter how many groups you organise someone does something you never imagined could happen. Be prepared for ANYTHING!

snow reports

I've organised five or six small group holidays. I do it differently from most of the advice here - i work on the basis of passing as much responsibility onto the others as possible. We tend to do DIY as a consequence - i'm not sticking my credit card on a group booking with a TO or with a Chalet. The way i do it is just do some research of resorts/accommodation which I think will be good. Then I put together a group email to all the guys interested in going. Once there is a consensus - say 6 out of ten are agreed, i just tell everyone to book flights and let me know when they've done that. We all then book on the same flights and then I sort out the accommodation and transfers. I usually build in a bit of redundancy on numbers for the transfer and accommodation in case of late bookers.

Depending on the size of the group, i find that hiring cars is the cheapest mode of transfer to resort for everywhere except for the resorts very close to the airport.

I don't organise lift passes or lessons, and i don't make itineraries for what we will do and where we will eat etc - everyone in the group is a grown up and can decide what they want to do themselves.

So far all of the trips i have organised have been successful.

As said above, large non refundable deposits. I did it for a few years but never again. Chalets are best as most things are included, I agree with the discount thing, have a bit of a float to cover contingencies.

I understand there's a bloke in Devon who does advise for this sort of thing Twisted Evil

You know it makes sense.

jbob

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

Cheers everyone for all the responses. Has given me a lot to think about.

I have also shown the advice to the guy whos going to be helping me.

I will let you guys know how it all turns out and what we end up doing.

A snowHead

I've organised a few group trips - skiing and not skiing. I've always asked what people absolutely want and what they are flexible on and then I make the decision and ask folk if they are in or not. Don't do it by committee. Unless I really know and trust everyone really well then I always say it's going to be more money than it is and get all the money well in advance. If some one does drop out (it happens, so plan for it) then you have enough money to cover it instead of going to ask everyone for more. If there's cash left when you get back home (and only then!) then give everyone a nice surprise Very Happy

A snowHead

Booking through a TO means people can manage and pay for their own bookings rather than one person taking on the burden. That's what we do. As long as everyone knows which hotel/resort/week to book, let them sort their own once you have all made a decision. Some people within a group might want to choose a different departure airport, some might want equipment carriage or hire, some might want lessons. Crystal (and I expect other TOs) will happily link the bookings so that the group can be accommodated in adjoining rooms, share a table at meal times, etc.

Help!!

Tips for organising group trips

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