Photo by Alexandra Luniel on Unsplash
Who is the planner in your friend group? If the answer is no one it could be you!
I have been talking about taking a Ski Trip with friends for the past 3 years, and it has always taken a back seat to other activities, especially when I started to look at prices. Skiing is expensive, and that doesn’t even account for the travel, accommodation, food, and Aprés Ski activities I was counting on doing.
This year, I finally decided to just plan it and keep track of how much I realistically spent. These are the steps I took in this specific order.
1. Research and Create a Rough Plan:
In my mind, there were two main options for deciding where to go skiing:
- Flying
- Driving
To keep costs down, I decided driving was the best option and allowed for more of the group to join. It also significantly limited the options, which was my goal.
I compiled a list of all the Ski Resorts in Michigan and started looking at Airbnb prices in those areas to get an idea of the average spend.
2. Set and Get Expectations:
Not everyone wants to spend 2k on a long weekend ski trip, so determining a per/person budget early on is key. That was,y people know how much they should expect to spend in order to come, and there are no surprises later on.
You can gauge this by just asking everyone individually, but since money is such a sensitive topic, I like to create a short Google Form with a few questions.
- How much are you willing to spend per/night on Airbnb?
- Airbnb could range from $-$$ in these areas
- Would you be okay eating out one of the nights?
- How much are you willing to spend on Skiing? How many days would you like to ski?
- For reference Lift Tickets range from $-$$ and Rentals $-$$
- This will determine if we stay for 2 nights or 3 nights
- How long are you willing to travel?
- List the length of travel for a few of the possible Ski Resorts
This might seem like overkill, but it avoids awkward conversations and resentment from forming.
Another tip is to include a frame of reference.
For example, if I were asked how much I was willing to spend on an Airbnb, I’d have no clue what to write, especially because there are so many unknown contributing factors. How many people are going, where the Airbnb is located, etc.
3. Deciding Where To Go:
Doing the research for the group will encourage more final participation. I spent some time looking through the top Ski Resorts based on the Form Results.
I also ensured to find a few Airbnb options in each location that fit within people’s price range.
You can send out the options to the group, but if your group of friends is indecisive and isn’t picky, sometimes it helps to only share your top two options or just pick. You are the one planning it after all.
4. Booking a Place:
This is the home stretch. After the place is booked, the trip becomes a lot more solidified.
Send out a couple of Airbnb options to the group and take a final vote. My rules when it comes to finding the perfect place are that everyone should have an actual bed, couples shouldn’t have to share a room, people with roommates should be comfortable, and it is within everyone’s price range. These are just mine, but everyone should be able to set their requirements and expectations.
If you cannot find a place that meets your requirements, you might need to reevaluate or ensure everyone is comfortable. That is why I mentioned doing a little bit of research ahead of time before choosing a destination.
5. Itinerary
Put together a general Itinerary. This can be as detailed or high-level as you like. At a minimum, be sure to include all time-sensitive activities, such as dinner reservations or anything you would like to do as a full group.
Find a cute template on Canva to quickly create an itinerary that could be shared with the group.
6. Reservations:
Plan to make all reservations at least a month out from the trip. Think about Restaurant Reservations, Ski Rentals, Purchasing Lift Tickets online, or any other experiences.
Find places that will allow you to make reservations for large groups to avoid not having a plan once you are there.
Send out a reminder to everyone for anything that needs to be purchased individually like Lift Tickets.
7. Meal Planning:
Now that you have an Itinerary and Reservations for certain meals, you can just fill in the rest. Plan meals that are easy to make and will feed a large group of people. There are two ways I like to divvy up the responsibility.
- Treat the trip like a potluck. Share a list of all the meals you need to plan for and have everyone commit/responsible for certain items.
- In a similar way tell everyone to pick a meal they are responsible for providing. For example, I could be responsible for Saturday Breakfast
- If there are not enough meals for everyone to have one have people double up
Make sure to check for any food allergies in the group.