GTOs Allison Udy from Milton Village Community Association and Andrea Golder of Thames Valley Tours have provided useful advice to make group holidays a success and avoid common stumbling blocks.
Over the last couple of years Allison’s group have been on various trips, including Belfast by air with Success Tours, a French Chateaux and Disneyland Paris with Greatdays Travel and a trip to Lapland with Transun.
Allison said: “All trips were well organised, destinations and hotels were brilliant for groups and the tours were great value for money… Lapland was absolutely amazing, hence we’re going again!
“I have another two Lapland trips booked, a Hamburg & Amsterdam Cruise with Ambassador Cruise Lines, a Success Tours trip to Jersey and our first venture to the Far East; a tour to China and Japan in 2027 with Wendy Wu. The latter three all have 70 to 90 passengers booked on!”
Thames Valley Tours have already enjoyed three overseas holidays in 2025. GTO Andrea Golder said: “So far this year my group have enjoyed threec successful overseas trips: a coach tour to Amsterdam and the Keukenhof Gardens with Success Tours, a trip to Rhodes run by ‘Living Crete Holidays’ and a trip to Tuscany also with Success Tours.
“We have two more lined up for this year including a cruise and several others in the pipeline right through to 2027.”
What are your top tips for organising trips overseas?
Allison Udy said: “Make sure you protect your money with a bonded tour operator - ATOL if holiday is by air and/or an operator with a Trust account, or possibly ABTA.
“Try and visit the destination or see if there is a fam trip available. Not only will you have first-hand knowledge, but it is much easier to sell somewhere to your group if you’ve been there and you’re full of enthusiasm.
“Make sure to do simple checks, especially if you’re creating your own itinerary for the tour operator, or to check their suggested itinerary - flight/ferry/train times, driving times, where will you be come meal times - are you somewhere suitable or can you get to somewhere suitable for them to buy lunch or dinner at reasonable times of the day.
“I try not to spend more time travelling to and from a place than the time we have at the destination. Occasionally, it might be necessary if you’re attending an event and/or it’s costly, but generally, if we spend all day travelling there and all day travelling back, I would want to spend an absolute minimum of two days in the destination.”
Andrea Golder’s top tips for organising overseas holidays:
- Check that passport expiry dates meet the destination requirements and make sure everyone has appropriate travel insurance. If cruising, you may require additional ‘cruise cover’ which is not always included as standard.
- Set up a WhatsApp group for the trip. It is invaluable for communication with the group before and during the trip, sharing photos and is completely free to use.
- Travellers to the EU should obtain a ‘Global Health Insurance Card’ (GHIC) which will enable them to obtain free medical treatment at state facilities. These replace the old EHIC cards, which may still be used if in date.
- Ask for Special Assistance through airports for those who require it. Airlines will carry mobility aids such as wheelchairs, walkers, or mobility scooters free of charge, but will need specifications.
- Check the hotel website for amenities, e.g. people may wish to bring a kettle (if none are provided).
- Recommend that people carry any medication in their hand luggage in case their hold luggage is not accessible for any length of time or goes missing. Always bring less clothes than you think you will need.
- Carry less cash if credit cards could be used instead and avoid drawing cash out at airports, as they give the worst rates. Always opt to make card payments in the local currency as the rates of exchange are likely to be better than the shops.
- The group should to be aware that they are likely to be charged a form of Tourist tax, payable to the hotel. This can be a charge per person per night, or sometimes a charge per room per night.
- Check your mobile phone’s policy regarding overseas usage and consider switching off ‘Data Roaming’ and logging in only when you have access to Wi-Fi as background activity can easily use up all your data allowance if you remain logged in.
- Learn a few words in the local language. “Hello”, “goodbye”, “please” and “thank you” at the very least. A translation app can also be handy.
Are there any new challenges GTOs need to be aware of?
Andrea Golder said: “From October there will be a new Entry/Exit system, EES, to register non-EU nationals entering the EU. The first time a person crosses a border point after EES is introduced, they will need to have their fingerprints scanned or face photographed by the passport control officers. You can speed this up by registering some of your details in advance either at the crossing point or on an app made available by the country of arrival.
“Passports will not then be stamped. Biometric passport holders will be able to enter more quickly using the self-service system if available.
“ETIAS the European Travel and Authorisation System, is due to be introduced in the autumn of 2026. ETIAS will serve as a visa waiver for citizens of third countries, including the UK, who enter the EU. It will cost £7 and will be valid for three years. The EU will give advance warning of the exact date of implementation.”
Heading abroad? Let us know where you’re going with your group by emailing editorial@groupleisureandtravel.com.
