Group Travel Tips for Direct Groups: Part 2 – Planning Your Trip Timeline

Now that you have decided on the purpose of your group trip, where you want to travel and what time of the year, you will now be faced with the task of planning your group tour. There will be many questions to answer, lots of details to complete and numerous deadlines to meet. Knowing what to tackle first, what decisions to make and what support you will need throughout both the planning period and on the trip will help make the process run smoothly. The key is to plan far in advance.The planning all begins with a timeline. Following are some general guidelines for mapping out the period from when the seed is planted until the departure date. Note: This timeline may differ depending upon your type of group, what destination you have chosen and when you may be traveling.18 Months Prior to DepartureWho will be invited to participate?
Determine the approximate length and dates of the trip.
Begin researching your chosen destination to find out what attractions, museums, theme parks, outdoor adventures, water parks, etc. you would like to attend and the costs associated with each.
Begin researching transportation, hotels, vacation homes, dining and shopping (if applicable) and the costs associated with each.
If this is a school trip, talk with the school principal and/or administration to receive their approval.10 to 12 Months Prior to DepartureSet firm dates.
If flying, final pricing may not be available until 10 months prior to departure. Also, arrange transportation to and from the airport when you have secured your flights.
Motorcoach/minibus companies also work 10 months in advance. If traveling by motorcoach or minibus, you should begin the quoting/booking process now and choose a transportation company.
If you are traveling by van(s) from your hometown, then begin the quoting/booking process from van rental companies.
Begin the hotel/vacation home resort quoting/booking process. After receiving the quotes, choose a hotel/vacation home resort and book it!
If you have decided to include meals in the trip, begin the group-friendly restaurant, dinner show quoting/booking process. After receiving the quotes, choose which restaurants your group desires and book them!
If shopping is important to your group, this will be a good time to request a meet/greet to obtain discounts from the shopping center/retail store.
If you are a youth group, determine who your chaperones will be which may include parents, teachers, sponsors, etc.
Project the estimated/approximate cost per person.
Announce the tour including the cost per person and start promoting it by means of email, flyers, posters, website, social media, newsletters, etc.
Set up a deposit and payment schedule for each member in your group as they sign up.
If participating in a music/dance/theatre festival, fill out all paperwork and submit.
If you desire travel insurance, now is the time to research, fill out paperwork and submit.6 to 9 Months Prior to DepartureContinue promoting the trip via newsletters, social media, emails, meetings, etc., keeping interest alive in those who have signed up and possibly attracting a few more to sign up.
If you are a school group, scouting troop, youth group etc., begin fundraising activities if needed.
If your trip is an educational tour, create a list of reading materials or study exercises to prepare students for the trip
Distribute a copy of the itinerary to all members of your group (meetings, association, youth group, scouting, religious, reunion, etc.)
Participants should be signed up with deposits paid.
Confirm all reservations including hotel/vacation homes, transportation, attractions, dining, shopping, travel insurance and anything else.4 Months Prior to DepartureContinue promoting the trip via newsletters, social media, emails, meetings, etc., keeping interest alive in those who have signed up and possibly attracting a few more to sign up.
Contact anyone who has shown an interest but still has not committed.
Continue fundraising if needed.
Collect payments per your payment schedule.3 Months Prior to DepartureFinal payments are due from those who have paid deposits, made payments, etc.
Finalize lists of all participants and choose roommates for hotels (if applicable), seating arrangements on the motorcoach (if applicable), and/or seating arrangements on your flight if flying
Purchase all theme park, attraction, water park and dinner show tickets and begin making final payments to your chosen hotel/vacation homes, restaurants, transportation companies, etc.1 Month Prior to DepartureSchedule a final meeting to confirm the details of your trip including packing lists, travel tips and any last-minute information.
Make sure you obtain emergency contact, medical and allergy information from each traveler.
If you are a youth group, make sure parents have your emergency contact information.
Make sure all permission forms, travel insurance forms, etc. are completed for each traveler.As previously stated, the above timeline is a general guide and can differ depending upon your type of group, what destination you have chosen and when you may be traveling. Use this timeline as a guide to map out your trip from the start of planning to the departure date. By employing this step-by-step process, you will be able to successfully plan each stage of your group trip resulting in a smooth tour without any surprises.

The Best Cities in the US & Canada to Do House Flipping

Flipping a house can be a great real estate investment. But in order for you to begin any serious house flipping you need to have a great credit score. Many people are addicted to the house flipping shows on television and are really interested in learning how to flip a house. If you really want to learn how to flip a house there are many places you can go for information. There are websites and you can even find seminars at your local community college or hotel conference room to learn the art of house flipping. But the best way is to find someone who has been doing it for a while and see if you can work for them.

Flipping properties is when an investor purchases a house, fixes it up and/or brings it to code and then sell it for a reasonable profit. The process of flipping properties has created a huge rush in the real estate market. Both the United States and Canada have a number of cities that would be great for flipping a house.

In the United States there are ten cities that are great for flipping homes. These cities are: Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Raleigh NC, Houston, Austin, San Antonio, Boston, NY City, and last but not least Portland. Now we move on to Canada. The best cities in Canada for flipping homes are: Calgary & Saskatewan.

All of these cities have great potential when it comes to flipping homes. But as with any investment you need to do your research and be careful. With the low cost of homes now it could be better than ever to buy homes to flip. You may need to wait a little while until the market kicks back up again to sell the homes. But if you have the money and can afford to wait longer than thirty days to sell you may find yourself with a great investment and a nice fat bank account.

Professional computer science paper writers

Students pursuing computer science courses write computer science papers during and at the end of the semester. Students experience problems when writing computer science papers and this affects their grades. Some students do not have the skills and knowledge needed to write such assignments. Others have no time to complete the homework. This has compelled students to submit low quality computer science papers. As a result, students buy computer science papers from writing organizations. Many organizations around the globe offer help to students.

Most organizations helping students in their academic do not offer legitimate help, and this has affected student achievement. Students do not have the capability to differentiate genuine companies from those not genuine. Thus, they buy computer science papers from any company.

Students should consider various things when purchasing computer science paper including quality, deadline and plagiarism. Students should get assistance from companies that have the following attributes.

First, students should buy computer science papers from companies that have specialist writers.

Different companies hire different writers, and this determines the quality of services they offer to students. Some companies hire poor writers and others experienced and expert writers.

Therefore, students should be familiar with the writers before deciding to buy computer science papers. Students should get aid from specialist writers. The writers should have specialized in the computer science field. They can have knowledge in different areas of computer science.

This will ensure students get professional and satisfactory assignments. Many companies do not have the capability to employee specialist writers with adequate knowledge in computer science.

Instead, the companies employ writers with general degree and knowledge. The writers offer low quality services to students as they lack the skills and knowledge. The writers should have masters, doctorate and undergraduate qualifications. This will enable students to get pleasant work. The writers will also serve students from diverse academic levels. Some companies employ college writers with no knowledge and experience in writing masters, doctorate and undergraduate computer science papers.

Second, students should buy computer science papers from writers capable of providing original assignments. The writers should not obtain content from the internet and paste it as this influences student score. The writers should be able to use different sources and paraphrase the content of every source. The content not paraphrased should be put in quotes. Quotations preserve the originality of ideas and also prevent plagiarism. Hence, the writers should have experience in synthesizing content gotten from different sources into complete and original computer science papers. The writers should detect plagiarism before handing the home work to respective clients. This will eliminate any traces of plagiarism and boost student grades. The custom writing company should give originality and student score priority.

Third, students should buy computer science papers from writers capable of providing quality work. Quality comprises of correct grammar, coherency, no spelling errors and plagiarism. The writers should be conversant with the quality components to ensure each component is included.

The writers should ensure the assignments have no grammar and spelling mistakes. They should proofread the content to eliminate such mistakes. Editors should also check the assignments for errors before sending them to clients. Additionally, the writers should read computer science papers to ensure they have coherency. The flow of computer science papers affects student grades. The reader should be able to connect the ideas and read them clearly.