It is my 40th birthday coming up in a less than two months now (eek) and I have still not yet decided how to celebrate! I would definitely like to mark the occasion in some sort of special way; I am just not yet sure how.
I did have a few ideas, such as a party for example. And I also played around with the thought of doing something that wasn’t really for me as such, but yet still tied in nicely with my birthday too; my favourite was organising a charity fundraiser gig, meaning I could combine doing something useful with my own celebration, rather than it being all about me. However, time seems to have got away from me far too quickly to even begin organising that for September now! (I still might well do it anyway though, as a belated thing or generally).
It did also get me thinking about previous ‘big’ birthdays though. For my 18th I just went to a local pub for drinks. For my 21st, I went to a London theatre show with my mum and a few friends. Then for my 30th birthday, myself and some friends looked into cottages for large groups and went away for a weekend.
The cottage idea worked really well as we were able to spend time together relaxing during the day and having fun in the evenings. It was also good because Squiggle was a young toddler and needed to tag along, so it fitted in with her needs too.
There are lots of different types of cottages, such as those at www.partyhouses.co.uk, that cater for a range of needs. So no matter what type of group getaway you are planning, there is bound to be the perfect property to accomodate.
There are many ways to make the most of a group weekend away, or longer trip, with a large group of friends, or even family reunion. Here are my top tips for making group getaways the best they can be…
Type of Accomodation
As mentioned, I had a young child with me, as well as friends. This altered the dynamics of the group somewhat of course, and affected the type of property and its facilities that we chose. If I had been in a group of exclusively adult friends, my requirements would have been different.
Find the Ideal Location
Choosing where to stay is essential to ensuring a good trip. The location is important; in terms of ease of journey and travelling time, but also what there is to do in the area too.
Planning Your Stay
It is helpful to consider both the location and the accomodation itself in terms of what you plan to do during the daytimes and how you intend to spend the evenings too. For example, somewhere surrounded by nature for lovely scenic walks and outdoor picnics makes a beautiful setting, and provides free daytime activities outdoors enjoying the fresh air.
For evening entertainment during group getaways there are several fun ideas you might consider:
• Karaoke evening
• Disco (or silent disco)
• Live music
• Games night
• Home cinema
Of course these are just a few examples of things you can do! But by having a rough plan of activities in advance it really helps with the other decisions. This then leads to fun birthday celebrations!
Have you ever been on group getaways? What are your top tips?
*This is a collaborative post