A holiday with friends can be an unforgettable experience – provided that you’ve put in the necessary groundwork. Ideally, your trip should cater to the tastes and preferences of everyone in your party, and avoid unnecessary stress and hassle. But exactly what steps are required to make that happen?
Expectation management is critical if you want to avoid disappointment. If you don’t know what everyone’s interested in, or how much money they have to spend, or when they are free to travel, then your attempt to organise a holiday might be doomed from the start. As such, it’s worth talking to everyone, asking them key questions, and soliciting feedback. You might open a WhatsApp group to get feedback from everyone – but talking to everyone on a one-to-one basis will make it easier to cater to everyone’s tastes.
It’s unlikely that a large party will share a common set of interests. But there’s a way around that: find a destination that provides something for everyone. Most city breaks might provide a combination of great pubs, museums, parks, and monuments. If you book a holiday resort that’s particularly focussed on a single activity, like rock climbing, then you had better be sure that everyone wants to climb rocks all week.
In some cases, resorts that might seem to have a particular focus can actually be quite diverse. For example, group ski holidays can provide both relaxing and more intense activities. There might be ski runs to cater to skiers of every level of skill. On the other hand, you might find apres-ski activities to consider, too. Do your research, and pick a resort that matches the needs of your group.
Your itinerary should be designed to support a little bit of personal freedom. You might encourage everyone to split up to pursue their own interests, and then reconvene later on in the day. This will help to avoid compromises and resentment as no one will feel that they’re being forced to do things they don’t enjoy. As such, you’re much less likely to have one or two members of the group sulking for much of the time.
Getting the right accommodation is critical. Ideally, you’ll want lodgings that suit the dynamics of the group and that encourage you to socialise with one another. In many cases, that means staying together in a single building. For a summer trip to a Mediterranean location, this might mean a villa; for a winter break in an Alpine ski resort, this might mean a chalet.
