Inspired Travel Group is a full-service corporate travel agency servicing clients right the way across North America. Our people first approach to travel ensures only the highest levels of personalized, attentive service.
Planning group travel is a big responsibility. Whether it’s a school trip, company offsite, university research tour or sports tournament, one person often ends up coordinating it all — flights, hotels, rooming lists, meal plans and last-minute changes. That person might be you.
And while the rest of the group gets to enjoy the experience, you’re the one staying up late finalizing bookings and answering questions that start with “just checking if…”
This guide was created to help you get it right. It covers everything you need to know to plan a group trip that runs smoothly — without losing sleep or spending hours chasing down details. If it still feels like too much, Inspired Travel Group can manage the entire process for you. But let’s walk through it together first.
💼 Group Trip Coming Up? Let Inspired Travel Group Take Care of the Flights, Hotels and Headaches. Get Started Today!
Before you start building the itinerary or requesting quotes, take time to clarify the core details:
This information will guide every other decision, from flights to hotel options to your communication style.
Group travel often involves more hidden costs than you expect. Before you commit to anything, work out the total budget or per-person cost and understand what it needs to cover.
Common inclusions:
Make sure everyone involved understands what’s included and what’s not — especially if travellers are covering some costs themselves. If you’re handling billing and reimbursements, organize that process early to avoid confusion later.
Group flights (typically 10 or more people) are different from individual bookings. Most airlines offer group contracts that let you:
You’ll need to decide whether travelers must all fly together or if some can take alternate routes. You’ll also want to confirm if upgrades or deviations are allowed and who covers the cost of changes.
Booking flights early gives you more flexibility and better pricing.
Hotels are a major part of the travel experience — and often one of the most time-consuming parts to organize.
When booking for a group, consider:
Also clarify how payment will be handled. Will you cover incidentals or ask travellers to provide their own cards? And make sure to review cancellation terms — especially if your group size may change.
Don’t wait until the last minute to plan how your group will get around. Transportation needs vary depending on your schedule and location, but the key is to plan with intention.
Questions to ask:
If your itinerary might change mid-trip, choose a flexible provider who can adapt to adjustments on the go.
Food can quickly become a source of stress on group trips. Whether you’re arranging group meals or leaving travellers to choose their own, plan ahead and be clear.
Things to confirm:
For school and university trips, some meals may be required to meet supervision standards. For company offsites, group dinners are often the highlight, but only if they’re properly organized.
Beyond travel and logistics, many group trips include special events, educational components or cultural experiences. If your trip includes extras like these, be sure to book them in advance.
You may need to arrange:
These elements add value to the experience, but they also add complexity. Confirm times, capacity limits and reservation policies as early as possible.
Once everything is booked, your focus should shift to preparing the group.
Make sure travellers receive:
If you’re managing a large group, consider assigning leads or point people to help answer questions on-site. The more prepared your travellers are, the less you’ll need to manage during the trip.
Even the best-planned trips can hit snags. A hotel might lose a reservation. A flight might get delayed. Someone might get sick or leave early.
Be ready by building a simple contingency plan:
If you’re organizing alone, this can be a heavy lift. If you’re working with a travel management team like ours, these moments are handled behind the scenes, no panic necessary.
Once everyone is home, there’s still work to do. Gather feedback while it’s fresh. Review what worked and what could be improved. Reconcile expenses and prepare any internal reports or reimbursements.
You may also want to save templates, forms and vendor contacts, especially if you’re doing this again next year.
Planning group travel is possible on your own. But it’s time-consuming. It’s high-stakes. And it often means you’re stuck managing logistics when you should be participating in the event itself.
That’s where Inspired Travel Group comes in.
We work with schools, universities, businesses and teams across North America to handle group travel from start to finish. Flights, hotels, rooming lists, changes, emergencies — we take care of it all, so you don’t have to.
You’ll have one dedicated expert who understands your group’s needs and works with you every step of the way.
Let’s make your next trip the smoothest one yet!
💡 Need help planning group trips? Work with a corporate travel agency that gets it. Inspired Travel Group handles every detail with expert care. Get Started Today!
