Organising non-family group trip for first time - any things to do or avoid?

dobby wrote:Cheers, Gareth. I was going to do a SurveyMonkey to see what people want - for me, it's skiing with a few quiet beers. I can get mullered anytime.

The first time I organized the J2Ski group holiday I used Survey Monkey and posted it up on J2Ski. It worked quite well. But now that those who have already been on one of these group holidays know each other (Old Andy is currently organizing the 4th one) we discuss dates, resorts, and chalets/hotels in our private FB group in order to get a short list, and then we vote on it to reach a decision and book the accommodation before we post the holiday up on J2Ski so that other people can join us.

Best of luck with organising your group holiday! :)

This is what I put in my Survey Monkey questionnaire:


1. Would you like to go during the school holidays?
I have no preference
Yes
No
2. Which resort would you like to go to?
(Put a selection of about 5 resorts)
3. Which sort of accommodation would you prefer?
Self-catering
Hotel
Catered chalet
4. How would you like to get to the resort?
Self-drive
Train
Fly
5. Which month would you prefer to go?
January
February
March
6. How many people would be coming in your family group?
1
2
3
4
5
7. How much would you be willing to pay for the accommodation and airport transfers?
£200 - £400
£400 - £600
£600 - £800
£800 - £1000
8. How would you describe your skiing ability?
Beginner
Lower intermediate
Upper intermediate
Advanced
Expert
9. Would you need to hire these?
I don't need to hire anything
I need to hire skis
I need to hire boots
I need to hire skis and boots
I need to hire a snowboard
10. Are you willing to share your room?
No, I want sole occupancy and I am willing to pay the extra if necessary
I am only willing to share with my own friends
I am willing to share with other J2Skiers
It will depend on whether the accommodation is S/C, hotel, or catered chalet

Tony is right about cost, four days DIY is usually the same cost as a week with a tour operator.
However if like my ski buddies and I you have young kids or a non skiing partner its far easier to get away for a short break.

Have a think about where you want to go and let your group know, most people are delighted to be told where and when and how much rather than do the hard work themselves.

The survey mechanism is fine but the problem is when you get a conflict of preferences.

An alternative is to decide for yourself first, get a couple of others to financially commit, and organise for this 'core' group. Then make it a fait accompli for the rest. At least that way all you're looking for is a yes/no, not a "Yes, but only if I can fly to Zurich" / "Yes, but only if it's ski-in, ski-out." / "Yes, but only if there's a spa and masseuse available." etc ...".

In practical terms, my sister-in-law did this and booked self-catering accommodation for the 'core' set of 4 family who financially committed early on. Then as other people came in, she booked another 4-person apartment, and then another.

People can be surprisingly selfish about 'provisionally' reserving a place and then dropping-out and then calling you at the last minute to say "Actually, you'll be pleased to know I can make it after all!"

Brucie wrote:Tell your friends where and when you are going and if they want to join you they can book themselves. One free place for a party is not worth the hassle. Trust me;

When we went Thursay - monday to Andorra and Italy it was fine .The last 2years we've gone to Austria and we had to wait to book are accommodation with about 3-4 weeks before going.They hold on to rooms for Saturday-Saturday / Sunday-Sunday bookings and don't release spare dates until the last minute .ie this year we were going to Ischgl but couldnt find any rooms within budget so had to switch to St Anton and even then we struggled .
They dont like splitting weeks .