Organizing Group Travel: Crafting the Perfect Travel Crew

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We all know that traveling with friends can make or break your relationship. It can break them REAL FAST. But, group trips can also be unforgettable experiences with your friends and can strengthen your bond and understanding of each other. Heck, it might even turn into a tradition! However, at the same time, actually enjoying yourselves should be a top priority. That is why it is highly vital to pay close attention to who you are inviting while you are planning and organizing group travel.

This guide will talk you through the ends and outs of how to select your travel crew for your next group trip!

Tip 1: Keep Friend Groups Separate

When in doubt, link up by association. A lot of people usually have separate friend groups already (school friends, hobby friends, coworkers, etc) who more or less are familiar with each other’s habits already. You know how everyone gets along in the group and what irks them about one another. There are no surprises in terms of relationships or getting along.

Once you start adding in outside people into the mix, you might discover they don’t get along or butt heads. That is not something you want to find out along the way either. So, the easiest and safest way to round up and organize group travel is by picking people who already vibe with each other. Not to say that there WON’T be hiccups, because there still can be, but it’ll give you a good idea.

But, not everyone has separate friend groups. Managing to scrape together three friends as an adult is hard enough, never mind having separate groups of people! Or in some instances (like if you want to invite your favorite people who don’t necessarily know each other), move on to Tip #2!

Tip 2: Match by Energy

There are two main methods for organizing group travel. Either deciding the destination based on the people, or deciding the people based on the destination. Both are valid and efficient. What they have in common is the vibe of the trip. You should try to match people based on the energy you want for the trip.

Let’s say you take the destination route. You pick Las Vegas, California USA. It’s nickname, “Sin City,” is not a random coincidence. The city is loud, energetic, and fun. And while there are popular attractions such as the Neon Museum that are more low-key, the majority of activities are more inviting to the party atmosphere. So, if you want to have a wild good time in Las Vegas, it would be the most productive to select friends who enjoy that kind of energy.

Likewise, if you have a certain group of people in mind, pick a destination based off what they like and what travel style they want. And on that note…

Tips 3: Know Your Squad

If you want to have a good time, you’re going to need to know what “good time” means to your perspective travel crew. To put it frankly, if you want an all-inclusive resort trip, it’s not going to be the best idea to bring along your antsy friends that can’t sit still long enough to tie their shoes.

If you know them pretty well, you can probably guess what kind of activities they like. But you MAY not know their travel style. Do they like always being on the go, or do they prefer a slower pace with a lot of downtime in between excursions? Do they prioritize spending money on food and comfort, or experiences?

But these are things that don’t often come up in every day conversations, so be sure to ask them. Or – have them take my “Travel Crew Personality Quiz” to find out how they like to travel with their friends. Then, based on their results, you can place them appropriately in your hypothetical trip ideas!

Tip 4: Size Matters!

When organizing group travel, you need to think about the size of the group, especially when it comes to creating the squad for the trip. The more people, the greater chance for conflict. But also, it depends on the people. If you have a lot of quiet friends, it can liven up the group if you include a few added friends that are great conversationalists. But if you’re planning a roadtrip, any more than four or five and you’re looking at needed a bigger SUV or two cars.

The smaller the group, the more imperative it is that people are comfortable talking with each other. For larger groups, it is natural for people to form their own talking circles. So, it’s okay if not everyone is as close or comfortable with each other at the start. They will get to know each other on the trip and not feel lonely!

Tip 5: Friends with Benefits

Eyyyy! Any friends with travel benefits is always welcome! If you have friends working in the travel or hospitality industries, hit em up! Not only can they help you plan, but they can also hook you up with great discounts and lodging rates! If anyone has a credit card that includes travel insurance, have that person book tickets and rentals so if anything happens, it’s insured without needing external travel insurance.

Not to say you should vet your friends based on what they can bring to the table. But. I mean.

It’s something to keep in mind.

It’s a win-win situation.

Organizing Group Travel: Conclusion

Hopefully, these five tips have made it easier to create your travel crew! Organizing group travel isn’t easy, but it IS worth it. Trust me. Just remember that not everything will go perfectly. There will always be a wild card when it comes to travel. So focus on things you CAN control, like who to invite, and learn to adjust and roll with the punches for everything else.

Now that you have your travel squad picked out, it’s time to move on to the next steps of organizing group travel: logistic planning! Check out my other posts on this topic below!

• Best Tools for Travel Planning [coming soon]
• What You NEED to Discuss Before Going on a Group Trip
• Underrated Group Destinations in the USA for: food, art, culture, relaxation

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