If you are planning a trip with friends, you should plan a guided trip that will automatically line up some of your activities. A destination management company can get you there, book your hotel, and take you on a tour around your destination. If you are planning a trip with friends, this is a perfect situation as it does not leave the onus on anyone to plan and keep track of the trip. Although you will want to go on all of the tour activities, it is a good idea to plan time for you and your group to see what you want to see around the city that may not be included in the paid tour. Here is how to plan a trip so that you have time off.
Stay over on the trip
If the guided tour through your destination management company is four days, stay along for six days. This will give you time to take in the sights that are planned by the tour, then regroup and determine what you all have not yet seen in the area. An extra two days to explore can mean that everyone gets either a morning, afternoon, or evening to participate in the activity of their choice, assuming that you are going with a group of six or fewer.
Opt out of one of the trip days
Come together as a group and select one of the days of the trip that everyone is okay with skipping. Use this day in order to roam around the city and see the things that you all will like. Remember to plan this day around any meals that the trip management may provide you with. You want to take full advantage of any meals that are included in the trip cost to keep costs down and experience as much local food as possible.
Plan from 8 until 5
Another way that you can have time for yourselves as a personal group on a tour is to plan to go on the guided tour for a full "work day." Give the tour from 8am until around 5pm, then take off on your own to do as you please. If you are going on your vacation in the summer, this can be an especially good idea, as the temperature will be lowering as you are preparing to spend a night out seeking out your own adventures.
