Going on holiday or travel for an extended period of time can be exciting and most people don’t want to go alone. Normally you might go with a partner or a couple of friends. If you have a family then you might plan a couple of weeks away somewhere warm and relaxing. Sometimes though people decide to go away in groups.

There can be a few reasons for this. It might be two families that are close deciding to go on holiday together. It could be a group of friends that all planned to have a week in Portugal or maybe even go travelling for a year together.

Negatives of travelling in a group

Whatever the reason was for a group holiday or wherever the destination, there is one thing common to groups travelling together. That is stress. It is very difficult to coordinate everyone and also hard to make everyone happy. All that time together leaves tempers frayed and sometimes one person seems to end up taking more responsibility than others in the group leading to resentment.

There are some ways you can avoid this.

Spend time apart

Just because you’re traveling as a group doesn’t mean you have to be glued to each other all the time. If you want to do something on your own make it clear that there is no problem but you have plans. Poor communication is usually where problems start arising.

Make a planner

A group travel planner helps keep everyone up to date on what happens when. For instance if you have to be in another town on a certain day due to hotel bookings make sure everything is written down.

Manage activity money

If there are events and activities you are all going to then it may be easier to get everyone to pay one person ahead of time. So one person has all the entry fees. For example if you were taking two cars to a national park in Portugal then ask for the car parking fees in advance so there is no problem later. Owing and borrowing money can lead to problems if someone forgets to pay back. 

Work out budgets

Another way money can cause conflict is by differing holiday budgets. Before you go away you should work out what level of spending everyone is comfortable with. If you are staying in hotels then you should have an idea of what everyone wants to spend each night. This way no one feels uncomfortable or is overspending.

Hire a driver

Instead of one or two people driving around all the time getting stressed and annoyed, why not hire transport along with a driver. If you wanted to tour Portugal for a week or plan on going through Spain and France then it makes sense to get someone else to take on the responsibility while you relax with friends and family.

With bus hire then you are likely to see far more of the landscape and countryside plus you will enjoy being with your friends and remember why you came as a group in the first place. 

Choose a leader

This will depend on the dynamics of your family or friends but often there is one person happy to step up. Having one person who arranges hotel or apartment bookings and knows the itinerary can avoid confusion and misinformation. 

Consider houses instead of hotels

If you are staying in one area for a while then maybe think about renting a holiday let. This means there will be more space to spread out. There will be a kitchen where meals can be prepared together and in the evenings you can relax there or go out. Hotel rooms by their nature lead people to go out regardless of whether they actually want to. Staying in an Airbnb or holiday rental could be far more relaxing and natural. Find one with a pool and watch everyone settle into holiday mode. 

Book restaurants ahead of time

One of the most stressful things about travelling in a group is trying to get everyone to agree where to go. This definitely applies to choosing restaurants and will almost certainly be a nightly occurrence.

If everyone can come to an agreement about a place beforehand then try and book beforehand. If you have spent 30 minutes getting vegetarians and meat eaters to decide on somewhere suitable for both then turning up to find it is full is not going to go down well with anyone. 

Summary

So to reduce stress, spend time alone, have a group leader, book restaurants, use a professional driver & hire a bus and consider using a house as a base instead of a hotel and hopefully you will have a relaxing holiday.