Group Holidays Planned Around Everyone Who's Coming

What you actually get from booking through me

Someone always ends up running the group chat, chasing deposits, and fielding "can we get a discount if I bring my sister" messages. It doesn't have to be you.

You send me the idea - the group size, roughly who's coming, the kind of trip, the sort of budget. I come back with two or three real options and actual prices.

You pick one. From there:

• I set up the group booking and give the whole group one point of contact for paying and confirming their details.
• I chase the guests who haven't paid their deposit, not you.
• I book the flights, the accommodation, the transfers, and any activities the group's added on.
• I send one document with every confirmation, timing and contact in it.
• I deal with the airline or supplier if anything changes. I don't send you back to a call centre.
• If three more people want to come, or two drop out, I sort it. Groups change size - that's normal, not a problem.

The bit organisers notice most is not being the one everyone messages at 11pm asking where the villa is, or whether they've paid yet. That's my job now.

The things I plan around

Group trips have moving parts a couple's holiday doesn't.

• Group size and how it might change. People confirm late, drop out, or ask to bring a plus-one. I build in flexibility where the supplier allows it, so one change doesn't unravel the whole booking.
• Who's actually paying for what. One person covering everything, a shared kitty, or everyone paying their own share - I set the booking up to match, so nobody's chasing anyone for money on WhatsApp.
• Mixed budgets within the same group. Not everyone in a hen party or reunion has the same amount to spend. I find accommodation that lets people pay for what they want - a smaller room, a bigger one, extra activities - without anyone feeling awkward about it.
• A genuine range of ages. A reunion with grandparents and toddlers, or a wedding with guests aged eight to eighty, needs a venue that actually works for all of it.
• Legal requirements for getting married abroad. Residency rules, paperwork deadlines and local marriage law vary hugely by country. I know which destinations make this simple and which ones make it a headache.
• Dietary needs and accessibility across a bigger guest list. The more people, the more requirements. I collect them once and pass them on properly, so nobody's sorting it out at check-in.

Managing a group booking without it becoming a full-time job

Groups are harder to organise than they sound. Three things help.

• One point of contact. Ideally you, or whoever's actually organising. I deal with that person, not twenty different guests with twenty different questions.
• A clear deadline for numbers. The earlier a final headcount is confirmed, the more choice and the better the price. Rooms held on provisional numbers for months tend to get more expensive, not less.
• A simple way to collect deposits. Whether that's one person covering it and getting paid back, or everyone paying individually, decide it early. It's far easier to set a booking up around a payment method than to change it halfway through.

A note on destination weddings specifically: the legal admin - residency requirements, document deadlines, sometimes a civil ceremony at home before the "real" one abroad - needs sorting months ahead of the trip, not weeks. I'll tell you exactly what's needed and by when.

Booked with full protection

Every group trip I book is covered, whatever the size.

• ABTA covers package holidays that do not involve a flight.
• ATOL covers flight-inclusive packages. You get an ATOL certificate with every booking.

If a supplier collapses or a major disruption hits, your money - and your group's money - is protected. My ABTA number is P7384.