What is considered group travel and when is this the best solution?
Group travel can be a very different experience from traditional or solo trips. From group travel planning to the moment you touch down in your chosen location, there is a lot more to consider when there are more of you going.
That is why many choose to use a group travel agency to make this process easier.
But what exactly qualifies as group travel and when will you know if it’s best to book group flights, tours and accommodation using specialist providers?
Let us explain.
How do we define group travel?
Some argue that a family of four is travelling as a group, and while they are not completely wrong, this is not widely considered to be group travel as we know it.
Rather, group travel refers to 10 or more people who want to travel on the same booking. So this often applies to things like corporate travel where whole teams go away together or school trips for an entire class.
It could also be a trip for a much larger group of friends or a family reunion. Ultimately, the purpose of the rip doesn't matter, it’s more about the number of travellers and the way in which you book group flights and other travel arrangements.
When is this the best solution for you?
Now we know what sort of number qualifies as group travel, it’s much easier to determine if this is the best solution for your trip.
Sure, larger trips can be broken down into smaller bookings. For example, when arranging corporate travel, creating multiple bookings for different employees or teams.
But let’s face it, this is time-consuming, it can also be confusing and it is unnecessary.
In any case where you’re managing the travel arrangements of 10 or more people, it’s best to choose a group travel agency or specialist provider to help.
That’s because it is around this number of people when travel planning and group arrangements become quite challenging.
The benefits of using a group travel agency
If you’ve not worked with a group travel agency before, you might be wondering how they can help with your arrangements. Especially if you’re already well-organised and usually take on most of the travel planning yourself.
But when it comes to group travel, particularly much bigger groups, there are several reasons it is best to use a group travel agency and some of the key benefits include:
Getting the best deals - Group travel agents can often bag much better deals for you as they have existing relationships with airlines, hotels, tour providers and more
Not having to handle the logistics - One of the key benefits of a group travel agency is that you don’t have to take on the logistics and complex planning yourself. They can take all of the stress out of travel planning for you
Having access to expertise - Their job is to offer you expert advice and answer questions about group air travel, bookings, etc. So if you’ve not planned a big trip before, having them onboard can help to give you peace of mind
Affording you extra flexibility - When you book group flights through an agency, in most cases, you don’t have to provide the names of all passengers right away to hold the seats. Plus, they can help you to make changes to your booking when needed, so this affords you more flexibility when booking
Reducing the risk of a mistake - Using a dedicated group travel agency reduces the risk of a mistake or booking error. And should something go wrong, they can help you to fix it
If you’d like to know more about how they can help with your travel arrangements, you can also check out our guide on four reasons to book your trip through a group travel agency, here.
So, is group travel the best solution for your trip?
If you know that you’re going to be planning a trip for 10 or more people, we suggest using a dedicated group travel agency like BTG.
This could be even more beneficial if you’ve not planned a group trip before, if you need extra flexibility or if you're just worried about handling all the arrangements yourself.
Whether it’s a school trip, corporate travel or any other kind of group getaway, get in touch with our friendly team today to see how we can help make your trip more relaxing right from the start.