The Advantages of Coach Hire for Group Travel
Almost everyone has been on a group trip sometime during their life. Perhaps it was a school trip during their childhood, a business trip as an adult, or just a family holiday that’s a chance to get together and reconnect.
But when you’re planning a group trip of your own, you’ll realise how much work went into the great trips you remember. In addition to choosing your itinerary, lodgings and meals, you’ll have to pick a mode of transport. Do you rely on taxis or ride shares? Put your trust in public transit? Or gather everyone on a coach trip?
There’s no doubt that hiring a coach ahead of time will cut down on a lot of stress and bother later on. And it actually has numerous other advantages too.
In this post, we’ll discuss all the benefits of coach or minibus hire for group travel and how it helps ensure you have a smooth, safe journey – with opportunities for fun and relaxation too.
Saving your time for what really matters
When you’re travelling, you want to be able to focus on your reason for your journey – whether that’s enjoyment or work.
Yet transportation can often take up a lot of your time. If you’re trying to get from one place to another via car, you could end up waiting for ages for a taxi or driving around looking for a place to park. And if you’re betting on public transit, you could very well find yourself stuck on a train platform or at a bus stop due to delays or cancellations.
Likewise, there’s a lot of coordination to do with these modes of transit. You’ll be looking at maps and transit schedules and trying to communicate with everyone to ensure they get to your destination successfully.
This all adds up to minutes and hours lost that should be spent on something useful and meaningful.
With a hired coach from a reputable company, you won’t face this waste of time. Your coach will be where you need it, when you need it, picking up everyone in the group at once. That gives you the time to focus on what’s important.
Keeping everyone safe
Safety is crucial when you’re travelling with a large group. It can be easy to get lost in an unfamiliar place, especially if you’re out and about after dark. It’s also important to make sure you get home safe after a night out on the town.
Hiring a coach is an excellent way to protect everyone’s safety and security. You’re not relying on an unknown ride share driver – you’ve got a trained, experienced and DBS-checked driver. There’s also no need to wait out on city curbs or at transit stops in the dark for a taxi, train or bus, and no need to go into parking structures at night either.
Moreover, if you are planning to enjoy bars or even a glass of wine with dinner, you don’t have to stress about having a designated driver. That’s a plus for everyone.
Staying together
Another tricky thing about group travel is keeping everyone together. If you have a specific schedule in mind, you’ll want to make sure everyone gets to the right place at the right moment so you don’t miss an event or activity.
But that can be challenging when everyone’s traveling separately in their own cars and taxis or make their way on public transit. If someone gets confused about the instructions, you could end up with an issue where some members of the part are missing.
The beauty of coach travel is that everyone’s together on each step of the journey. There’s no waiting for stragglers and no worrying about arriving early. Simply step on your coach, and your whole party will be at your destination before you know it.
Bonding and relaxation
There’s no doubt that being on the road or in a train can be stressful. In a car, you’re trying to navigate or worrying about traffic. On public transit, you’re checking your watch and your map to make sure you get off at the right place. There’s certainly little opportunity to chill and have fun with these types of transport.
With coach travel, it’s a whole different picture. After your coach sets off, you can enjoy your time however you like. Take a nap, chat with a friend, snap some photos or take care of a bit of work – whichever you prefer, it’s easy.
Larger coaches may even come equipped with sound and movie systems, so you can show a film for everyone to watch together. Or you may have a microphone so you can play a bingo or quiz type game as you travel.
In this way, you’re getting the most out of every moment on your trip. If you’re traveling with family or friends, you can use time on the road for bonding – turning transit into a great memory rather than a boring or stressful one.
No expensive surprises
When you’re navigating travel moment by moment, it’s hard to know exactly how much your transportation will cost. Ride shares can shock you with surge pricing, and taxis can also stun you with huge fares. Parking can be a shock, too. That’s not to mention costly train tickets.
With coach travel, there’s no unknown part of your budget. You know exactly what your transportation will cost, so you won’t ever have to make a choice about paying a huge fee to get where you need to go. And you’ll often find that coach travel is more affordable than all of those individual costs added up.
For business trip planners, there’s an extra plus here too – no expense reports to handle to reimburse for ride shares and taxis, and no worries for business travelers who have lost their receipts. Less paperwork to process means time saved for the company, which adds up to lower costs overall.
Take a group trip in comfort with Star Coaches
At Star Coaches, we have the expert drivers, up-to-date fleet and years of experience that add up to a fantastic group trip for you. Our vehicles range in size from a 16-20 seat minibus to a large 70-72 seat coach, so there’s always an option that’s just right for your group.
If you’re ready to take a group trip in comfort on an affordable luxury coach, you can request a quote today. Alternatively, if you’ve got questions, we’d be delighted to help. Just reach out to us at info@star-coaches.com or 01924 477111.
