A friend of mine just got back from a trip to the Grand Canyon. He had an awful time. Sure, the Grand Canyon was an amazing thing to see. However he went with a group of 16 family members. They were traveling in four different cars. The vacation was more hassle than fun.

He needed to follow some simple tips to make group travel a better experience:

• Assign a leader. Group trips go better when there is only one person in charge. Managing a group vacation is like managing teams at the office. Others can have input but someone has to organize everything.
• Plan everything in advance. Spontaneous trips don’t work well with large groups. Use group software to help you keep track of everyone’s desires and schedules for the trip.
• Schedule in some free time. This allows everyone to do something they want to do on the trip even if others don’t care to do it.
• Expect delays. Groups travel slowly. Just assume that it’s going to take awhile to get around during a group vacation.
• Create a budget. Some people will have to limit their spending on the trip so figure out how to make it easy for everyone.
• Have fun. Relax. Remember why you want to be here. Take pictures. Enjoy yourself.

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