- James organised a trip along the
Douro River to Portugal for his members.
As well as day trips, we know you like to offer short
breaks, tell us how you organise these?
We always try to book with reputable companies like Potters
Resort or Warner Leisure. My approach to last year’s trip
with Potters Resort was to budget and to consider the costs
of everything, including the accommodation quote, coach
fees and other excursions on the trip. We tend to go Fridays
to Mondays, so I build the budget around 35 people and
then come up with a price.
We meet once a month with the club and give people
enough lead time to see how it goes. Last year’s trip was
so popular that by the time we had finished our two-hour
meeting, I had filled the first coach. We ended up with a
waiting list and once I got enough interest, increased it to a
double decker. It was very popular.
Has there been a previous trip which stands out?
Leonardslee Lakes and Gardens in Horsham last year was
superb. It had been closed for 10 years, with the team
there spending a long time refurbishing its grounds. It
was reopened in April last year and we were one of the
first groups to go and see it at the beginning of May. It was
just beautiful.
How do you decide where to go?Another lady at the club called Linda helps my wife and I
with the organising. We meet in January and start to plan
out the whole year, having probably already booked our
February and March trips. Some of the members put ideas
into a suggestions box so we certainly consider these. We
also like to go to trade events to pick up different leaflets and
ideas, as well as being able to talk to people on the stands.How does Group Leisure & Travel magazine help with
trip ideas?I’ve been getting the magazine for a few years now and
what I find works best is when I see places featured in
the publication that I am planning on visiting. I will take
cuttings from the magazine to the club meet up to give our
members more information which gets more heads turning
and means we can fill a coach.- James and wife Marilyn have been organising trips
together since 2013.
“Planning is key. Use the advice
given by reputable companies,
always use a reliable coach
operator and budget correctly.”You can read more about what group organisers have
been getting up to at groupleisureandtravel.com.44 April 2020 groupleisureandtravel.com
My Group & I