By Laura Tracy for The Travel Exchange

So, you’re going to Disney World and you can hardly contain your excitement. The only downer is that you are going with a hater. Now, hater might be too strong a word, but to you, they might as well be. These are the people who think that Disney is overrated, overpriced, and overcrowded all based on an experience that they had in July when they were 7 years old. So, how do you cope? How do you plan? And how do you change someone’s mind?

They don’t get it, and they aren’t going to no matter how much you yammer on about Cinderella’s Royal Table, so let it go for now. You will have to resign yourself to sharing your plans with other Disney friends and family and not dwell on their lack of excitement. If you push it, you may lose them before you even board the Magical Express!

First, consider getting a travel agent. While you could probably walk through the park with your eyes closed, you never know what you might not know, and google searches are only as good as the terms you select to search. By getting a travel agent (which costs you $0 by the way) you will have an objective perspective from someone who truly is an expert (imagine you if planned 20 to 30 trips per year, lol) as well as someone who has planned trips for varying levels of Disney obsession. A good travel agent will not only tailor their advice to your unique situation, but they will also provide the level of service that you need; hands on or hands off.

Next, keep it simple, do NOT over-plan. This is quite possibly the biggest mistake that excited planners can make when traveling with someone new to Disney. You think, ‘oh my, we have to do everything so that you know WHY I love it so much’. But, no, you don’t have to do everything, you can’t, and you shouldn’t try. First off, this puts enormous pressure on both you and your guest. Pressure to run from attraction to attraction, hit every show, have multiple dining reservations in one day, and (worst of all) pressure to LOVE it all. Your guest will not be able to deny the work that you put into this planning and will feel pressured to have a good time (or act like they are even if they aren’t). Also, when was the last time you truly enjoyed a vacation where you literally “ran” from one thing to another? It’s sometimes overwhelming, even to those of us that are committed (pun intended).

Make strategic use of your “extra magic hours” and fastpasses. This is HUGE and quite possibly the most important piece of advice in this post. Long lines can turn a fun day sour very quickly. If you use morning magic hours (usually 8-9am) you can get an hour in where there are almost no lines for anything. By pre-planning fastpasses for that park immediately following the morning hour, you could get 4 nice hours of line-free park time. Once you use your first 3 fastpasses, you can make one additional fast pass at a time by using the My Disney Experience app or by visiting a park kiosk (it's called a rolling fast pass). By fastpassing in demand rides as early as possible (either with the 3 initial fast passes or with one of your early rolling fastpasses), you can then leisurely enjoy the lower lines at less in-demand attractions and shows (and of course shopping) as you travel from one to the next. I went on a trip recently, where we didn’t even do an in-demand attraction unless we had a fastpass and it was one of the most relaxing and fun trips we have had to date.

Long story less long: don’t drive yourself crazy trying to make the trip perfect. Disney has this magical way of becoming perfect if you relax, sit-back, and let it happen. With a little strategic pre-planning (not over-planning) and some pixie dust from a travel agent, your companion may find themselves on their way to fandom sooner than you think. Mine sure did, he asked me about going back for our 7th trip together just the other day!

By Laura Tracy for The Travel Exchange

"What do you suggest?" The four words every travel agent dreads hearing. It's not that we don't want to be helpful, or that we don't want to share our expertise in selecting a destination, it's that we don't know you; not really. Even if we haven't just met, it's not likely that we're best friends and a vacation is an incredibly personal thing. Sending you somewhere that doesn't fit you or your family would not lead you to the conclusion "O well, I just didn't give Laura enough information before asking her where we should go", instead, we know that it will most likely lead you to "I can't believe Laura recommended this, it is terrible and I am having a terrible time". So, help us help you and do some thinking before you begin to plan your next trip.

Relaxation or Adventure
This is one of the easiest ways to filter out options for vacation. If you would get bored sitting on a beach and soaking up the sun, then perhaps an island vacation is not in your future. If you are afraid of heights and don't care for roller coasters, perhaps a theme park is not either. Sometimes (most times) folks are looking for a little of both, so don't be afraid to make that clear. Indicate to your travel agent up front that you are looking for something that is relaxing, but has enough activities to keep you from getting bored. These are questions that most good travel agents will ask up front, but if you are ready and already know the answer,  you will get through the process of elimination much quicker.

Are we there Yet?
Deciding when to vacation is another great way of filtering out many of the available options. For example, February may not be the best time for a hike through the Appalachians and September may not be an ideal time of year for a Caribbean cruise. Why? Well, this is where our expertise comes into play and shows the value of our services. We know information about different destinations that can render them unfavorable during certain times of the year. Even if you are flexible try to narrow yourself down to a month or a season so that you don't drive yourself crazy wondering about all of the "options". You should be making your vacation suit your needs and not the other way around. 

To fly or not to fly, that is the question...
This may be the single most important decision you make about your vacation. We all know that flying adds complication, time, and expense, so deciding if you want to deal with all of that up front can help to save you a ton of time planning. If you don't want to fly, you are limited to a radius around your home equal to the amount of time you are willing to drive. So, if you are willing to drive 5 hours and live in New Jersey, DC is in and Florida is out. If you do want to fly, the world becomes your oyster again, but be aware that the cost of the flight is the driving factor in the price fluctuation of vacation packages. For example, if the round trip airfare to Punta Cana was $500 yesterday but $600 today, it is a good bet that the quote for your total package has gone up by about $100. If you let your agent wait to give you an exact quote until around the time you are ready to book, you will save both of you a lot of worry about pricing and a lot of back and forth with new quotes as days go by. If there is a more advantageous time to book (with regard to airfare) this is yet another advantage to using a travel agent since they should be able to give you those tips!

All in the family
Always tell your travel agent up front exactly who is traveling. The suggestions that I would give for 2 adults and 2 children are much, much different than those that I would give for just you and your spouse. If it is just the two of you, you may want to consider a couples only resort destination.  What if you are traveling with other families? By getting everyone on board with using one travel agent,  you may be able to save the whole group money in the log run. Depending on the size of the group, you may be eligible for discounts on rooms, flights, excursions, and more...

Hands on or hands off?
This is an incredibly important question, how much work do you want to do for this vacation? As a Travel Agent who specializes in Disney, I have booked a lot of reservations over the years; resort reservations, dining reservation, tour reservations, fast passes...the list goes on and on. The problem is that I cannot book any of that without someone's input. As a travel agent, I can inform and advise (and be the one getting up at 6am to make the actual reservation), but I can't do any of that without your help. If you don't have an interest in a trip that takes up that much of your time for planning, perhaps you would prefer an all-inclusive or a cruise. There are limited planning requirements and, in theory, you could just show up on the date of departure and enjoy what is built into the standard package! Personal preferences with regard to planning is a key factor in the final decision on destination.

The moral of the story is to think ahead. You do not have to decide the minute details of your trip, or really even decide where you want to go before you reach out to us, but you do have to have an idea of your position on some of these factors before you reach out to us. Try to remember that your travel agent does not get paid until you complete your travel, so a few minor decisions up front could save both of you a lot of time and uncertainty.

What do you think travelers and travel agents, did I miss something you really feel like you need to think about up front before you even start planning?

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By Laura Tracy for the Travel Exchange

“Let’s plan a family reunion” or “How about a destination wedding” are some of the most dreaded words for the family organizers; especially us Type A personalities. Things always sound fun in the abstract, but when it comes time to plan, it can begin to feel like you are herding cats to get a decision on things like destination, dates, pricing, or really anything! Hopefully, some of these tips for getting everything organized will help you get started.

FIRST AND FOREMOST, WHEN?

There is almost nothing more important than deciding when to travel, but don’t fall into the trap of needing everyone’s blessing! In the very beginning, solicit feedback from everyone about general time frames (winter, spring, summer, fall) and then just pick a date and stick with it. If you try to go through the hassle of selecting a date that everyone agrees with, you will drive yourself crazy. It’s better to be decisive and save your energy for more important battles. Whoever can go, will go, whoever cannot, will not.

IT’S ALL ABOUT THE BENJAMINS

The next most important decision is about the trip budget. Having a realistic idea of what everyone can afford will significantly narrow down possible destinations and accommodations very quickly. The best way to do this is to seek out the maximum budget per family and then select a destination with packages that are within the lowest of all of them. If you have 5 families traveling, and a family with 2 adults and 2 children can only afford $3,000, well then $3,000 is the per family max for the whole group. This not only makes your life easier, but avoids any uncomfortable situations where someone would have to decline joining the group because of price.

FIND A TRAVEL AGENT

You may be the organizer for this little getaway, but you don’t want to put yourself in a position where this vacation becomes all work and you are unable to enjoy it yourself. Travel agent services are (or should be) free, so let someone else organize everyone’s room requests and payments. Another consideration is that travel agents know how to maximize the situation to get you the best value for your dollar, can offer advice about your destination, and will plan and distribute the information that the group needs during the planning process. Let someone else be the point of contact and do the work, you just enjoy your vacation!

WHERE SHOULD WE GO?

If you don’t already know where you are going, your newly appointed travel agent should be able to help you with this. Since you already have a time selected and an idea of maximum budget, your travel agent should be able to suggest some appropriate destinations. Make sure that you share with your travel agent the most important factors for your traveling party because they can sometimes be mutually exclusive. For example, are low crowds more important than weather, or is value more important than activities?

BE A FACILITATOR

Okay, so now you have a travel agent, this is great news for you and your sanity. Keep in mind, however, that you may have to play facilitator. If members of your group are unresponsive, the travel agent may get stuck at an impasse or become unable to set something up for the whole group because of one straggler. These are your friends and family, so don’t hesitate to step in to ensure that everyone responds in a timely fashion. Your travel agent will appreciate it because it will be less time chasing something down and more time to plan the fun stuff!

REMEMBER, YOU HAVE SOME POWER

Resorts love having large groups staying on property, so sometimes they will be willing to sweeten your packages with some perks; don’t be afraid to ask! Resorts will sometimes upgrade rooms, provide free meeting space, upgrade dining or arrange special event dining or excursions, and much more. You never know what they are willing to do to accommodate your group until you ask!

Don’t let the task of organizing a large trip overwhelm you. By accepting that you cannot possibly clear every little decision by every traveler in the group and by asking for a little free help from an experienced travel agent, you should be able to plan a memorable getaway without driving yourself crazy. Contact us today if you would like some more information about planning group travel.

Tell us some of your group travel horror stories in the comments below!!!

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