How to Plan a Successful Group Trip

It’s holiday time! In today’s fast-paced, hectic life, people move, and our families get separated. Holidays are that special time of year when we all meet together someplace special, like Wally World. We spend days together and remember all those reasons we moved out in the first place. We leave happy to have spent time with family, and happy that we’ll soon be 3,000 miles away. How did the same genes that produced us in all our glory also produce the rest of these people? If you plan to vacation with your family any time soon, learn from my recent travel experience.

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How to Plan a Successful Group Trip

Melvin, Bernice, Europa, and I went to Wally World. Europa brought 8-year-old Thomas, her genetically engineered child with an IQ of 410 and the cutest little hobby of toppling governments that won’t comply with Europa’s wishes. Otherwise, he’s a typical 8-year old. He likes to skateboard.

Melvin’s a planner. He spent each morning calculating the perfect order in which to see the rides, while the rest of us—the “doers”—kept wishing he’d hurry. He spent so much time planning to have fun that he never actually had it.

Sort Out Your Planners and Doers

If you travel with planners, have them do their planning before you take the trip and after you’re done for the day. In fact, if they really like planning so much, leave them at home with the map and have them call you once a day to tell you how you should be having fun. They’ll have just as good a time, and the money you save can buy an extra Wally World hot dog, with sauerkraut!

Doers have their own special quirks. They have so much fun just being there that they can never make a decision. If your group is all doers, appoint a decider. Europa appointed herself. Can’t decide between the Haunted Tea House and Adventure Island? One crack of Europa’s whip and we were running for the Tea House. I still can’t quite sit down. If you have several strong personalities, you can even take turns being the decider.

Have the Planners and Doers Compromise

When you travel with a group, people have different goals, even though they rarely realize it.

Bernice channeled a great strategy from her 5,000 year-old spirit guide that satisfied our planners and doers. We got to the park early, went right to the back of the park, and worked our way forward. Since everyone else starts at the front, there were no lines for the first rides we want on. Wally World also has a “fast pass” system where you can get a pass to get right on a ride at a specific time. On the way to the back, we grabbed a fast pass for the ride at the front that we really wanted. By the time we made it back to the front, it was time to get right on the ride.

There’s one more type of person: the 8-year old. Never ask an 8-year old if he wants to do something he’s never done before. He won’t know. He’s never done it. Instead, tell him what you’re doing and if he objects, then consider the objection.

How to Budget with a Group

Bernice likes to be careful with her money. “It is Goddess energy made real,” she likes to remind us. This may be the first time she’s traveled with an 8-year old. Every purchase was a debate. After the sixth argument about how much Goddess energy made real Thomas was allowed to spend on a hot pretzel, we gave Bernice a small bucket of ice cream and while she was distracted, we channeled my spirit guide who gave Thomas a daily budget. He could spend his budget on anything he wanted. It meant no haggling over each purchase, and Thomas would learn the value of money. When he spent his budget for the day, he was done. This spirit guide thing could be useful…

Shut Down the Electronics on a Trip

You’ve gotten the money taken care of, now comes the fun. Be efficient about it! You’re there to have fun and enjoy each other’s company. The best way to do that is by actually being there. My spirit guide says that being present is the path to enlightenment. Melvin waited 50 minutes in line to go on the Super Car Race ride with me. He spent the whole ride texting about it to his friends and trying to hold his phone still to get it on video. At the end, he turned to me and said, “We waited 50 minutes for that? That was boring!” His phone had a great time. Don’t be Melvin. Turn off your phone and enjoy where you are!

Align Your Trip Goals

By the end of our second day, our trip was disintegrating. Thomas wanted to go skateboard. Bernice wanted to go to JungleLand and commune with the Zambian Monkey-Giraffe. Melvin wanted to go on Mission: SpaceFlight again, and Europa was talking about negotiating to buy Wally World and turn its underground service passageways into her worldwide headquarters. Even our decider couldn’t bring coherence to the group.

When you travel with a group, people have different goals, even though they rarely realize it. Mine is to spend time with friends. Melvin’s is to ride his favorite rides. Bernice wants her spiritual experience, and Europa’s goal is growing her empire. Sigh. Europa’s goal is always growing her empire.

The Key to Successful Group Trips

Acknowledge your goals before you start your day, and structure your day so everyone has a chance to get their goals met. Don’t try to force yourselves to do everything together unless your goals all align. Next time we vacation, we can meet my goal of togetherness by riding the rides we all want to do on the first day, together. On other days, Bernice will visit JungleLand, Melvin will ride Mission:SpaceFlight 2,000 times, and so on. We’ll go our separate ways in the morning, and all meet for dinner. That way, we’ll pursue our separate goals and still fulfill our group goals as well.

Let’s recap: when going on vacation, let your planners plan, but only when it won’t detract from the experience. Give your doers a decider (or rotate the role) to keep them from getting stalled. Don’t ask your kids’ opinion on things they haven’t done, and give them a budget rather than haggling over every purchase. Turn off your cell phone, enjoy yourself, and make sure you have something there to meet everyone’s goals.

This is Stever Robbins. Remember to follow me on Facebook.

Work Less, Do More, and have a Great Life!

Friends Traveling image courtesy of Shutterstock