The holidays are a great time for traveling, but you’re going to need to prepare ahead of time if you want to really create an experience that will leave behind memories that last a lifetime. It’s tempting to think that you can just travel at the last minute and still pull off an amazing holiday party, but that’s just not the case.
Holiday parties while traveling can be a fun way to mix things up, but you really need to make sure that you have the full cooperation of everyone on board. You will definitely want to make sure that you think about everything involved in getting your party off the ground.
Let’s start with location. You really want to make sure that you keep things fresh with a nice destination that everyone can agree with. If you’re going to travel during the winter months, why not select a tropical location that’s going to make you feel incredible? That would be the best way to go. When people are regretting snow, showing them a sunny place can make them really want to go.
If you’re going to be doing a vacation, you’re going to need to think about the costs that everyone’s going to have to share. You don’t want to be stuck with last minute expenses that take out of your personal vacation budget. If people need to get passports, it might be a good thing to really ensure that you plan in advance. A lot of people tend to put too much stock in getting rush service — nothing relating the government is ever “expedited” to our liking. You need to bake in enough time to not only send the paperwork over, but to receive your passport back.
When it comes to trying to travel, you’re going to want to make absolutely sure that everyone is in agreement. Yes, we stated that from the get go but when you’re trying to pull off something complicated, you’re going to be surrounded by a lot of different ideas and attitudes. It can be tempting to deviate from your plan to make one or two people happy, but that’s not a good idea at all.
Try to think about the details of the holiday party itself. Will you be able to buy everything you need on location? If you think that you’re going to be able to carry everything you need for the party, you might want to think again. Unless you really want to overstep the weight limits for air travel and pay heavy fees, you’re going to be limited on what you can bring. If you already know your destination and accommodations ahead of time, you’re going to want to send everything ahead of time. This can be costly though, so make sure that you figure out the most affordable option.
The local laws of your host country will play a role in what you can buy when you get there. If you are going to a country that has very few alcohol options, then you know that you will not be able to serve alcohol. If you’re trying to prepare meals for a small group, you might want to think about vacation rentals rather than hotels. That way you would actually get a stovetop that you can use to cook food. You might even get an oven. This will cut down on you having to go to a restaurant and pay money. Naturally, if you really do want to make sure that you are going to have fine food, then it might be worth your while to work in a restaurant — private rooms are available at fine restaurants for parties all the time.
The overall point here is that your holiday party will be what you make of it. If you have doubts about whether or not someone will come, it’s better to assume that they will come rather than assume that they won’t. That way if you have extra left over, you can distribute it around the group rather than come up short because you didn’t plan ahead.
When it comes to the holiday party itself, you also want to make sure that you capture the event. Having a good digital camera and/or camcorder means that you will always have the memories to look at later. Since you will want to be the best host for your guests, you might want to make sure that you actually have a way to give the guests the photos and video clips from the party.
The social media revolution has made that pretty effortless, since you can just upload everything to Facebook. Privacy setting scan be built in to make sure that only the people from the party have the ability to see that photo album or that video. It’s completely up to you, so don’t feel pressured to do something that you’re going to regret later.
Overall, you have the power to create an amazing party and enjoy another destination that’s going to create wonderful experiences for your travel group. The holiday season is a time where you really need to plan carefully, but there are always deals to be had for people that know their research skills are up to par — look carefully, plan well, and execute quickly. That’s the real key to typing everything together. Yes, you might be a little nervous as time passes, but you do have the power to make big things happen, so don’t delay — plan your holiday party today — holiday style!
