Group Travel Organizer — Run the group trip without the group chat.
Set the per-person fee and see the break-even, collect the forms and deposits, book the coach and the rooms, and give everyone the day-by-day plan.
- Free to start
- No sign-up to try
- Plan together
Everything in one plan
The fee, the forms, the coach, the rooms and the itinerary usually live in five places. Here they’re one.
Includes a sign-up list, a break-even price per participant and a trip schedule.
Idea board
Pick the places worth the bus ride.
The Lincoln Memorial at dusk, Air and Space, a Capitol tour, the hotel a Metro ride out. Keep each with a photo, a price and a note, and pass on the ones that won’t work for 45.
“Four to a room, free bus parking, breakfast included.”An idea on the board of the “Washington, DC class trip” example
- Sights, coaches and hotels on one board
- Track each one: researching, contacted, shortlisted
- Pass on the ones that won’t work, without losing them
Idea board 1/2
Map
Where you’re going, and what’s near it.
The destination on the map, so the hotels, restaurants and group tours it finds are near where the coach drops you.
1 Washington, DC · DestinationThe “Washington, DC class trip” example’s map
- Group-friendly hotels and restaurants nearby
- Tours and coach hire near the destination
Fee & budget
Charge enough, and not a dollar more.
What each participant pays against what the coach, rooms, meals and entries cost — the break-even per person, the surplus or shortfall, and a contingency for the student who drops out.
$318 per participant to break even · you charge $425.00 · +$4,825 projected surplusThe “Washington, DC class trip” example’s budget
- Fees netted against every cost
- A contingency reserve from the start
Budget and break-even 1/2
Day by day & checklist
Every form, deposit and departure time.
Sign-ups and deposits, permission and medical forms, chaperones, the rooming list, the coach’s safety record — then the trip itself, from the departure point to settling up.
Verify the charter carrier’s safety recordThe “Washington, DC class trip” example’s checklist
- Forms, deposits and balance reminders
- The trip day by day, in pictures
The trip, day by day 1/2
Recommendations
Built for groups, near where you’re going.
Group-friendly hotels, restaurants that take large bookings, tours and coach hire near the destination — and guides on collecting money and what deposits can’t be refunded. Open one and it lists real places near you, with ratings and addresses.
Recommend restaurants that take large bookings near WashingtonIn the “Washington, DC class trip” example’s recommendations
- Hotels, restaurants, tours and coaches
- Guides on money, deposits and refunds
Local picks, opened 2/2
About the Group Travel Organizer
Organizing a trip for a group is two jobs at once: running the vendors (the bus, the rooms, the meals, the entry fees) and running the people (sign-ups, forms, balances, the rooming list). This planner does both. Set the headcount and the per-person fee, and the fee income nets against the vendor costs so the headline is the number an organizer actually sweats: what is still left to cover.
Pick the kind of activity — school or class trip, team or tournament travel, retreat or offsite, band or performance tour, mission or service trip, camp, reunion, or group conference travel — and the planner seeds the costs and deadlines that kind of trip actually has, from charter-bus deposits to the chaperone list to the post-trip reconciliation. Track every participant on the built-in sign-up list, edit every line in place, and save, share, or export to CSV or PDF.
What you can do
- Participant fees net against costs — the headline is what is left to cover
- Eight activity types: school, sports, retreat, tour, mission, camp, reunion, conference
- Participant list with invitations, sign-ups, and headcount handoff
- Charter bus, group lodging, and meals priced by headcount and nights
- The organizer costs people forget: forms, insurance, processing fees, contingency
Frequently asked questions
How do I set the per-person fee for a group trip?
Rough the real costs first — transport, lodging, meals, entry fees, plus insurance, payment processing, and a contingency line — then divide by the participants you can realistically count on, not the ones who said "maybe". The planner nets fee income against costs as you adjust either side, so you can watch the shortfall close before you publish the price.
Should we collect money before booking?
For large or nonrefundable costs, yes. Collect deposits before the bus or the room block is booked, and make the refund rule clear up front. It protects whoever is fronting the card, and the planner's payment schedule shows exactly which vendor deposits land before the trip.
How is this different from the fundraiser planner?
A fundraiser sells tickets to maximize what is raised for a cause; a group trip collects a fee to cover its own costs. Both net income against costs, but this planner is built around participants — sign-ups, forms, rooming lists, chaperones — rather than ticket sales and sponsors.
When should I use the regular trip planner instead?
When it is your own vacation, paid from one wallet, use the Trip & Vacation Planner. Use this one when you are organizing other people who each pay a share — a class, a team, a youth group, a reunion, or a retreat.
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Other planning tools that pair well with the Group Travel Organizer.
Photos by Tim Mossholder, Khanh Do and Yosuke Ota on Unsplash.