Why 3 in 4 travel plans go pfft

If your “barkada’s” planned trip never made it out of the chat group, chances are you are not alone.

Nearly three in four Filipino group trips would never make it beyond the planning stage without a designated travel planner, according to a survey by online travel platform Klook.

The survey, released Tuesday, found that 72.2 percent of Filipino travel planners said group trips only materialize because of their efforts, while 75.3 percent of respondents believed their groups would not travel as successfully without someone taking charge of planning.

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Most Filipino planners said they spend more than 10 hours organizing a trip, while some devote as much as 40 hours coordinating itineraries, schedules, transportation, and activities.

Likely because of that burden, travel planning emerged as the “#1 least thanked task for Filipinos,” based on its survey of 2,725 respondents across 10 markets, Klook said.

Those who had planned the trip said they were likely to get blamed for travel decisions, compared to those friends who were not involved in the planning.

For designated planners, managing budgets emerged as the biggest challenge, cited by 57.6 percent of respondents. Coordinating schedules ranked second at 51.9 percent, followed by dealing with last-minute itinerary changes at 43 percent.

Most common complaints

Nearly two-thirds also said one of their biggest responsibilities was making decisions meant to minimize conflicts within the group and keep fellow travelers satisfied throughout the trip.

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Even if the vacation has begun, the work does not end for the designated planners. More than four in 10 Filipino planners said they had to check their phones at least six times a day during trips to manage bookings, directions, and other logistics.

Among the most common complaints received by planners were expenses exceeding someone’s budget, cited by 58.2 percent, followed by suggestions that another itinerary would have been better at 55.7 percent, and claims that the trip could have been planned more effectively at 54.4 percent.

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Because of that imbalance between effort and recognition, more than eight in 10 Filipino travel planners said they deserve greater appreciation for organizing group trips, the Klook survey said.

“So maybe it’s finally time to give that friend a proper ‘Thank you’ for all their hard work. Or better yet, try planning the next trip for them instead,” Klook said.

“Taking some time to look into activities or accommodations, or even just supporting their interest checks in the group chat, would definitely go a long way,” it added. INQ