How to Plan a Weekend Getaway with Friends

These days its not uncommon to plan a weekend getaway with friends. There is nothing like hanging out with your friends. It's a good stress break that everyone enjoys. No one has to worry about calls from the office and the kids can stay home. A well planned weekend getaway promotes bonding and maximizes fun for all involved.

Advance planning makes the difference between a fabulous weekend getaway with friends or hurt feelings. If you are planning a vacation with friends here are a few tips to help make everything go smoothly.

Get everyone involved.

When you plan the weekend getaway with friends think about how to get everyone involved. From small details to large details there is something that everyone can do. Recruiting help with tasks promotes bonding and can get the weekend vacation off to a great start.

Trip organizer

This person is responsible for the details. Some getaways are easier to plan than others. A cabin rented for the weekend may be the easiest trip to plan. The trip organizer would arrange for the cabin and be responsible to the rental company of anything goes wrong. It is up to this person to be aware of any fine print, relate that to the others on the trip and be sure that the rules are followed.

Once the date is set and the cabin is reserved most everything else will fall into place. Recruiting other people to help with the details can help make your vacation with friends a success.

Food person

When you plan a weekend getaway with friends it is helpful to have someone help organize food and snacks. Generally this person will inquire about food allergies and circulate a sign up list. If snacks are to be shared this is the time to remind everyone. Having everyone bring something gets every person involved. The food person just makes sure that meals are covered and duplicates avoided.

Activity organizer

Asking a person to plan an activity can help the weekend with friends go smoothly. An activity can be planned in case of rain. The person may want to see if there's a hot restaurant or show in the area and see if the group is interested.

Facebook or groups

Using Facebook or another online group can help plan a weekend getaway with friends. Everyone always knows what's going on and can communicate easily. For more than 2-3 other people a group or Facebook pages helps things go smoothly.

Email

When you plan a weekend getaway with friends put as much in writing as possible. This helps avoid misunderstandings and potentially hurt feelings. The name, address and map to the getaway location, food list and sample itinerary can be developed and sent by email. This also makes it easier for friends to leave information with their families at home.

Transportation
This person gets to figure out how everyone will arrive at the destination. Will the group car pool, caravan or rent a mini-van? These details are often overlooked until the last minute. Asking someone to plan this helps get the weekend getaway with friend off to the right foot.

Go with the flow.
Even the best laid plans can change. The hot restaurant may have a line that stretches across the parking lot or activities may get rained out. When you plan a weekend getaway with friends allow for flexibility. Some of the most spontaneous moments can be the most memorable.