Planning is the key if you have everything laid out it takes a lot of the problems out of the way to begin with.  Did I mention to make sure to plan?

First things first,

You need an idea of which direction you want to go, then you need to fine tune your destinations.  Find out what your group is interested in doing ask around talk amongst the group find out what similar groups have done.

Surveys –

Surveys are a great way to find out interest and fine tune your planning.

We used surveys, two of them to be exact, the first one was to find out the general area people wanted to go, we did give several choices for them to choose from we had already decided on going West.  Other choices included length of the trip, choices for the week
The Second survey we used to fine tune the interest of activities that people wanted to do.

We had everybody use a point system where they put their first choice as #1, and continue down until all the numbers were used doing this we were able to put them into a spreadsheet and whichever one had the lowest number was the winner – kind of like golf.

Here are samples of our surveys and results:

Sample Initial Survey 

Sample Itineraries  

Sample Initial Survey Results 

Sample Initial Survey Ranking 

Sample Follow Up Survey

Sample Follow Up Survey Results

Sample Follow Up Survey Rankings 

Not much to say about this question, your group will have to figure out what works best for your group.

Just camping?  Group sites or split up amongst smaller sites?
Or hotels?

Biggest factor would be cost a camping trip is a lot cheaper than staying in hotels, this guidebook is mostly factored around camping vs hotels

For camping you can look at: Private camp grounds (like KOA’s), National Park campgrounds, State Campgrounds, Federal land campgrounds & back country camping.

All of these have there benefits and downfalls.  The private ones for the most part will have the nicest facilities with National Parks 2nd on the list for facilities  We found the state and federal lands to be very minimal on there offerings for facilities some didn’t even have running water we had to bring our own, let alone a shower or toilet.

Back country is a whole different beast, but it is a great way to see parts of the country that not many other people do. At Yellowstone how many millions of people only know the boardwalks of the tourist areas, get out and get to places off the boardwalks, even if it is just for a night or 2 it will give you a new perspective on the area.

Do you want to be on a group site or split up amongst multiple smaller sites?  What is the benefit of being on a group site? Everybody and all your supplies in one central area!

Did you know that Yellowstone National Park starts booking group sites for the next year at the beginning of the current camping season? thus they start to book those precious group sites over a year in advance.  Maybe your not going to Yellowstone but if they do this I can guarantee others do the same.

So as soon as you have an idea of what campsites you will be wanting call and find out when they start booking for the timeframe of your Big Trip. This could make or break a trip especially if you are thinking of doing one on a short notice and find out no camp grounds are available.

Is this a place you can drive to?  Fly? Take a train? Rent a bus?  Each has it’s benefits and downfalls. 

Driving (weather on your own or via bus) depending on the distance is maybe a cheaper rate but will take the longest if it is a far distance plus extra costs for extra nights on the road plus rules for how long bus drivers can drive plus having to put up the bus driver.  Can be just as costly as flying and you don’t get there as quickly.

Train – Can be a longer trip, easier than driving can be just as costly as flying.

Flying – fastest but can be costly.  A word of advice if you are planning to book as a group it will cost more than just buying tickets individually.  We ended up booking our tickets in smaller groups split between 2 cities that we are located in the middle of.  We would buy as many tickets that were available at that price level usually in groups of 3 to 6, max would be 9 but there were never that many available at a single level.  Every time we bought the price would jump since the plan was filling out.  We did have a corporate travel agent help with advice but did the buying ourselves to save the fees involved with the agency.  The agent would let us know how many were available at the next level.  She was also very helpful in figuring out which flights to book in the first place.

Can you do it all yourself or do you need to hire out?

Some items will require professional help (like if you plan to go whitewater rafting you will need a company to do the work for you and it provides a level of safety that should be required).  Don’t forget to factor in tips for anything hired out like bus drivers, white water raft guides, servers, etc.. this is one thing we didn’t really budget in but luckily we had enough room to cover the tips.

Is the trip open to just organization members and leaders or is it open to other family members? 

We offered it up to family members but you can limit it to just organization members.  You might have to go outside the normal leaders in order to get enough help.  Families can be fine on the trip as long as they know what the rules are.  We required anybody going on the “Big Trip” to attend some of our normal camp outs so they knew how it worked.  Also you will need to lay out the expectations for the behavior (see the rule book section) we required everybody to help with all aspects of the trip, obliviously taking turns but everybody helped cook, clean, set up camp, break down camp & load unload the truck.  Also it was made clear of how rules were to be followed and who would enforce the rules.  We try to have our group lead but the scouts so maybe it doesn’t run as smooth as if it did with total parents running it so sometimes it can be tough for parents to sit back and watch scouts do it and they would want to but in to run things.

But maybe you will allow for different expectations of participation, that is your group’s call.

Activities – Free or paid - Ranger Programs, White Water, Museums, Back country, Rodeo, Tram, Hiking

The activities are what you make out of them.  Is your group a rugged type?  Where back country and lots of hiking is what they like Or is your group more of lets drive around and hit the highlights.

We tried to offer a variety of things but on a trip like this you spend a lot of time doing hiking.  Hiking is one of the best ways to get up close and personal with the landscape.  We did offer different levels on the same day we had a group do a mountain hike and another group do a valley hike.  This is can be voluntary or you might have to politely tell someone they shouldn’t do an aggressive hike due to their ability.

We did try to give a day break between large hiking days, it can take a toll on your body and tough to get up and go and do it again day after day.  So make sure to include less stressful body days.
See our back country section on our experience for the back country.
There can be lots of free stuff to do make sure to fully look into the areas you are traveling to.

See the resource section on places to find activities - some suggestions that we did:
White Water can be a great activity in lots of sections of the country, but you will want a company to help make sure you are doing it safe.
Canoeing or boating
Museums
Trams – A great way to get to the top of the mountain, not everybody can climb a mountain but everybody can ride a tram.  You can either hike down or take the tram back down.  Jackson Hole has a great tram ride.
Ranger Programs
Visitor Centers

Now you know what you are doing, how does it fit into your schedule?

Some things to consider:
How much ground do you have to cover? You will need to start and end on certain days so it is just trying to plug in everything in between.
How much time will it take to explore each of your destinations?
How early do you want to get up each day?
When do you want to end your day?
What cooking needs to be done? Or you eating out?
Where are you going on the next day?

sample itinerary 

Sample Itineraries  

Something to consider for the first and last day of the trip, How are you getting to and from the Airport?

Option 1 - Families Drop off at Airport

Benefit no cost and no real planning Cons - lack of control what if someone over sleeps, your time to get them there can be a problem.

Option 2 - Arrange for Transportation from your normal meeting spot.

This can give you the cushion incase someone oversleeps or just plain is late. You have a couple of options for this. Either arrange for group families to carpool to the Airport or get a bus rental. You can contact your local school for a bus rental or contact your local limo companies to see about a bus rental. We have done booth, in 2006 we used the school buses but found it cheaper in 2011 to use the limo company. Don't forget your tip for your driver.

With a group of any size you are likely to encounter this syndrome, I don’t want to do that is likely to be heard.  It is important for you to do as much deciding as a group that way what you are doing is the common goal of the entire group.

What you can do is offer smaller groups that can decide which way they go and what they see with a meet time at the end of the day.
Or offer a couple of choices on a single day.

We used the small groups for some activities and we also used the different choices.  For example we did a high peak hike to Mt. Washburn and did a valley hike for those who did not want aggressive hiking both were done on the same day.  Only down fall is people need to choose between the options and might feel like they are not seeing it all.  Also we offered a back country overnight along with a group that did some more touring via the vans.

Will you have down time? 

This will all depend on what you want to do and if (and when) it would fit in your schedule. Maybe trying to give a time at the camp ground where the group can kick back, play games and relax a little bit.  Or some time with options spend some time doing as much as each subgroup wants to do, they can do lots in that time or choose to stop and smell the roses.

I know this sounds like a personal question but none the less... Large groups with multiple vehicles can be hard to keep the group together and you can overwhelm areas, sometimes it maybe better to split into smaller groups.
Smaller groups can cater to individual tastes, maybe one group wants to hike more, one wants to go to visitor centers, etc…
But there is something about having the entire group together that makes it feel more like the Big Trip that it is.

Do group meetings to help explain the trip and what is expected of trip participants.

The meetings we did:
Initial meeting to explain what the general plan was and what the possible options were also laid out what expectations would be for fundraising and payments.

2nd Meeting laid out what our actual plan would be, this was before final commitment for the trip was.  Gave the itinerary, update on costs, fundraising issues, etc..

The final meeting for all trip participants before the trip to explain rules and regulations, go over the final itinerary.

More meeting info is in the resource section

Samples of the:

Sample Information Meeting Initial

Sample Final Information Meeting Presentation

Sample Itinerary Presentation 

Now a days everybody has a cell phone right?

Technology can be great and not so great.  It can give a safety line of being separated.  It can give you directions, look for phone numbers, help with weather radar.  It can also allow with facebook to give people not on a trip updates on your activities.

Problems with technology: Lets people disconnect and not be involved with the trip, social media issues, enough places to charge them.

There will be lots of what I call “what if’s” you can try to plan for all you can think of but you are bound to encounter something that isn’t in your thought pattern.  Some of the “what if’s” I was thinking of: Medical emergency, gear truck problems, vehicle issues, lost person, heat issues, problems with behavior, missed plane connections, etc…

Some of these items like behavior can be laid out in advance what is expected and what consequences would be.

Some of these items you just have to have a plan in place like medical issues or lost persons.  We had a binder for each vehicle that contained all the needed information for medical emergencies (health forms, waivers and permission to treat) and also had an information sheet with a picture and all vital information that would be needed for authorities if someone went missing.

Vehicle issues we made sure to use a rental for our gear truck that had plenty of service locations and a good system.  You might want to make sure people have AAA and have some basic tools in the gear truck for minor repairs if needed, of course someone who knows there way around a vehicle is good.

Air problems you just have to go with the flow and it is always good to have someone who travels a lot to help resolve issues.  On the way back our plane had to make an emergency landing due to someone smelling smoke in the cabin, luckily they didn’t find anything but of course after it was resolved the group missed their connecting flight in New York City.  We had someone who was instrumental with getting the group on 2 flights so they weren’t separated too much.  Luckily this was on the way home so it did not disrupt the trip.  People did get home late about 12 to 18 hours late but everybody was safe.

Before leaving on the trip a week or 2 head make sure to check to make sure all reservations are still in affect.  Nothing is worse than getting on the trip and finding out you don’t have a vehicle or a place to sleep.

Hygiene might be tough as campgrounds are not hotels.  We had several times where we didn’t have access to showers for up to 3 days.  When you have the access to showers it is important to make sure everybody is cleaning up, sometimes younger scouts can be fine being dirty but for health issues they need to clean up.  Most of the places we camped at had at least a sink and people could wash up but there was one time we didn’t have access to water and had to go get it from another location not too far away, this is doable but you have to plan for it and bring water jugs.

Showers can be tricky some were timed, some you paid and had as long as you want, most of them we had to drive to so it took organization.  We found we spent more than we thought we would on showers but this is something I personally wouldn’t mind going over budget on.

We choose to use a private facebook page that friends and families back home could track our trip and see all the fun.  I am sure there are new ways that this can be done with instagram, twitter and other social media.  But make sure to keep a level of privacy for safety of the youth and for people who might all be away from their house leaving it open for thieves.  We had a mother who was our reporter to give updates but anybody with the capabilities could post and update.

You will need to get from point A to point B, so how to do it?  We rented 12 to 15 passenger vans through a smaller local company.  You can rent from larger rental companies but there rules can be hard to deal with.  Drivers will need to make sure there insurance meets the requirements for the rental company and your organization.  Maybe it will be more advantageous to buy through the rental company.

Large rental companies are very particular of how many drivers you have and how you pay.  We had debit cards for the troop but if we were to have rented from a larger company the driver would have had to pay with their own personal credit card, which could put a burden on the driver.

It is harder to find local rental companies, you might have to do some hunting to find them.  Between 2006 and 2011 the company we used in 06 had left that market but we were lucky to find the one we did they were very accommodating.

Are there rules as to what people can buy (like no knives) and limits to size?  Or is it anything goes?  You will have to judge that by how much space you have, with our gear truck making the trip back it gave control for people to buy as much as they want but if you had to fit it in a plane for the trip back it would limit that.  Also it is good to come up with a recommended allotment of money that the youth should bring with them.  Will you manage their money or will it be solely their personal responsibility (which is what our opinion was).  Maybe they blow it on the first day?  If they do they will learn a lesson later on down the road in the trip.

We choose to give to the group a t-shirt and a nalgene style water bottle with the trip logo on it.  We gave people the opportunity to buy additional t-shirts, the more you buy at one time the better the price break.

T-Shirts are a nice addition to group photographs and can help for keeping track of people.  The only trick would be to get everybody to where them on the same day.

Here is our sample of the T-Shirt order form - Sample T-Shirt Order Form

If you can, try to create some sort of logo to identify your trip. This can be used on forms, in presentations and even on merchandise like T-shirts. If you can't come up with something you can probably have at least the t-shirt design done by the t-shirt company, you might even be able to use the design they create on other things, just ask for permission first.

There will be deadlines both within the organization and outside the organization.

First you will need a deadline for registration, payments and forms due all of these are for your organization.  When your forms might due to your governing organization like we had to fill out a tour permit for our local BSA council.

Other deadlines you will get are for reservations: Reservations for camping, vehicles, airlines, permits, etc…

Your doing all this to have a good time, Right? Sometimes it will feel like your a gluten for punishment so....

It is important, especially for the head leader as most of the stress falls onto them, you find a way to enjoy it.  Of course having a good plan and rules laid out in advance takes a lot of stress away.  Also a good maps, directions and itineraries helps a lot.  Distribute responsibilities to share the load and don’t be afraid to ask for help.

Have Fun, Make Memories, Enjoy the work to get to this point.

But make sure to keep managing to make sure everything goes as planned.  You will need to make some adjustments for problems and unexpected changes.

You will have some in your group that will not be going for various reasons like cost, conflicts with schedule and lack of interest to name a few.  It is important to keep them involved in your normal program and try not to make everything about the big trip.

Regular activities & advancement

With all of the Big Trip planning and fundraising it is easy to forget about the normal stuff.  Try to make sure you keep going on your advancements & monthly activities to keep the interest in your organization.  If it only becomes about your big trip you will loose the people not going on the trip and it will crash after the trip.