Holidays are supposed to be fun, God damn it…
Group holidays are great craic. You work hard all year-round and you deserve a break. And who better to enjoy a break with than your friends? Sounds so simple right? Wrong. So, so wrong. Organising it will be the most stressful period of your life.
Where are we going?
The first question, and the first issue that arises. Who would have known that this would prove to be so stressful? You might want to go to Amsterdam, but your mate just went there last month. That’s off limits. Right, so, Prague? Nope. One of the lads went there with his college course last year. Berlin? Too expensive. Maybe we should just head down the country instead… I hear Waterford is lovely this time of year…
When?
This one definitely shouldn’t be too hard… There’s only six of us, can’t be an issue, but alas, here we are. Last time we met up we all agreed that we would go the first weekend in February. Now you’re telling me that you can’t get it off work? I just got it off work! This isn’t going to end well, is it?
“Will we book it this weekend?”
Right, so we can’t even figure out when we’re going to meet up to book the holiday, never mind pick a date to actually go. If we all book it separately, something is bound to go wrong. Someone is going to book the wrong date, or the wrong flight, or the wrong country altogether. Waterford is looking more and more likely here…
“Ah no, that hotel looks shite.”
There is always going to be someone who complains about absolutely everything. They won’t be happy no matter where they’re staying, or what you’re doing. Ah well. Don’t mind them. Just pick a place and go with it.
“We’re paying how much!?”
Holidays aren’t cheap. Even if you get a bargain with flights, and cheap accommodation, chances are you’re going to spend a stupid amount of money when you go away. You know you’re in for an expensive time, so for God’s sake, don’t complain about it.
We’re all going to end up paying the same amount. It has to be done.
“My mate says that we should…”
Okay, we get it. You know someone who went to this place before. That doesn’t mean that we have to do the holiday the EXACT way that they did. I know they went to a certain restaurant when they were here, and I’m sure it was lovely, but this is a big country, let’s just see for ourselves…
Transport
Your family holiday lured you into a false sense of security. Once the plane landed, you knew exactly where we had to go and how you were going to get there. But with your mates, not so much. The bus takes too long. The train only comes once an hour. A taxi is too expensive. Time to give up…
“Yeah, I’m coming too”
Consider yourself lucky if you haven’t had this happen to you. You’ve been organising a holiday for weeks, meeting up regularly, constantly posting in the group chat. Everyone is informed. Everyone knows what they have to know. And then one week before you’re heading, someone pipes up and lets you know that they’ve booked a flight too. Obviously you’re happy that they’re coming, but it throws the whole plan out the window. Ah well, better to just go with it.
Lack of contact
This might be the biggest issue. There’s always one guy who has no problem with anything suggested in the group chat, but once they get there they give out about absolutely everything. Who would be an organiser, eh?
LISTEN: You Must Be Jokin’ with Aideen McQueen – Faith healers, Coolock craic and Gigging as Gaeilge
