Many companies arrange annual Christmas parties and other celebrations throughout the year. Corporate events are a tried and tested way to thank your personnel for all their valuable work. The latest trend, however, is to arrange a working holiday abroad for a single team or for the entire staff of a company.
Offsite trips for a couple of days or even for a full week are a particularly good and memorable way to reward your team for a successful project or to encourage team spirit in your organisation. In addition to work, corporate offsite itinerary usually includes activities and get-togethers, and the entire venue – a hotel, for example – can be reserved for your people only.
A well-executed trip can even boost your image as an employer. Epic photos on social media show what a great place your company is to work for. Everybody would love to be in a team that has fun together and gets more than a decent reward for their devotion.
START YOUR PLANNING WITH A REALISTIC BUDGET AND THE RIGHT LOCATION
There are surprisingly many hurdles to cross when arranging a corporate offsite abroad, and it’s difficult to take them all into account when planning such a trip for the first time. The very first mistake that a company can do is to choose the wrong destination. A particular country or a city can sound very appealing, but it might be nigh impossible to find a reasonable way to get there. Due to Covid-19, the selection of flights is not at the same level as in the pre-pandemic times, and prices have generally gone up. A good place to start your planning is to decide on a budget and to check the schedules before making any reservations.
When your budget is in order, it’s time to get carried away with fabulous views and venues – but let’s not forget the purpose of the trip. A spectacular countryside mansion might be the perfect setting for a memorable offsite – but the local Internet connection might make working remotely impossible. In addition, a poor selection of workspaces might be a big drawback if you’re planning to work in smaller groups.
And let’s not forget everyone’s favourite subject, bureaucracy. Different countries have different approaches to permits, which can be a nasty surprise when you reach your destination. You can also expect to have other bumps along the way: in addition to your company insurance, working with a travel agent provides extra coverage for unfortunate events.
PROS AND CONS OF GROUP TRAVEL
When planning a team offsite abroad, it’s always a good idea to find a trusted local operator to arrange everything on location. Without a trustworthy partner, it can be challenging to make sure that big promises on websites are actually valid and that the reservations are OK – or that the retreat venue even exists! Transportation and trips can also be more easily arranged when you choose competent partners, and it’s always important to take the language barrier and cultural differences into account.
Booking flights is at least a piece of cake, anyone can do it online! Sure, if you’re planning a holiday for yourself and your family, but not really if you have a group of more than nine travellers. In that case, you can’t even make your own flight reservations, and a travel agent must be involved in the process.
It’s also unfortunately no use looking for great discounts when travelling with a bigger crew, as group prices are always higher when flying. Using a travel agent gives you some additional bonuses, though: cancellation terms are very clear, and you might get more flexible payment terms. With a travel agent, it’s also easier to predict the final price of the tickets. If you reserve a great deal of tickets to the same flight, dynamic pricing algorithms might make the rates suddenly soar!
EASIER TRAVELLING WITH A RELIABLE PARTNER
Arranging a team offsite abroad can be a real grind, and you can’t trust that everyone in your group is at their best behaviour for the entire trip. Indeed, there should be room for having fun, and it’s more than fair that everyone in your staff gets to relax and have fun as well as to concentrate on their own work. The best solution is to leave all the arrangements of your retreat to professional hands. This way, the entire team gets a wonderful experience and possible issues get resolved quickly and efficiently.
Idea Group has 15 years of experience in arranging team offsites abroad. In many countries, we already have good and trustworthy partners with local connections and experience. We would love to plan and arrange your corporate retreat abroad! Tell us what you wish, and we’ll make sure that everyone in your company gets an experience to remember.
