Think back to those memories of high school trips; 6AM drop offs, fifty odd students, bags loaded into the back of a yellow school bus, adventures of fast food, cheap motels and public (see: free) tourist stops. Group travel really doesn’t have to be this way! When booking travel as a group you may be able to take advantage of great benefits such as; upgraded accommodations, lower airfare and admission costs, and/or jumping queues.

Whether you have a group of 5 or 5000, you want your wedding, business conference, vacation, sports travel or family holiday to come off without a hitch. We asked Flight Centre’s global group travel consultants to come up with points to remember whether you are travelling close to home or across the globe.

In Your Own Backyard

Ok, not literally your backyard but in your region, province or state. Perhaps you are booking a regional sales meeting and need to be mindful of expenses. Think of how many times you’ve thought ‘that’s such a beautiful place, I’ve never been there, and it’s only 2 hours away’.  For example, if you’re in Toronto and your sales team is spread across Ontario you might look at Deerhurst Resort; centrally located, great facilities, and a nice golf course to finish up your meetings on!

Leverage Your Regional Meccas

Orlando and Las Vegas have nailed the North American market for business conferences; if they’re booked up you can leverage with Florida at large or Atlantic City. With so many locations and choices available there is a great opportunity to negotiate fantastic rates while ensuring there’s a little something for everyone. This is not to take away from all the other incredible destinations but for the purpose of this post it’s about abundance and availability!

Experience the Lavish

Perhaps it’s a luxury cruise around the southern tip of South America or a secluded beach destination on the other side of the globe; planning an exotic location can reward your group with an experience that is beyond everyone’s wildest dreams. When booking group travel to far off destinations it is important to consider visa and passports, home country restrictions, and different currencies; what may be a deal for you could be a fortune for your guests.

Sport Teams

Hey, here’s a little known tidbit of information for sporting teams – ensure you are registered as a sports team. This could very well allow you make last minute changes to your list of travelers up to the last moment without being hit with penalties or buy additional tickets at inflated prices.

Remember, when booking group travel it is best to plan well in advance so you can take advantage of great group rates. Oh sure, you can find last minutes deals but usually they are only enough seats and rooms for couples or small families and not for your larger group.

To wrap it up – whether you’re the do-it-yourself type or you engage someone experienced in group travel, there is a wealth of knowledge out there to help you plan the perfect group travel experience.

So what tips would you pass along to help make planning and booking group travel a smoother experience?

We have highlighted Deerhurst Resort in Ontario, Canada in today’s map below.

Categories: Destinations, Tips and Tricks

This entry was posted on Thursday, April 2nd, 2009 at 4:03 pm and is filed under Destinations, Tips and Tricks. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.