How to Plan a Business Road Trip for Team Bonding

The best way to bond with your employees is to take them on a business road trip. Plan an overnight road trip and let your employees know that they can plan the rest of the trip by themselves—as long as they follow certain guidelines. Here are some tips for planning a successful business road trip:

Decide on a Destination

Once you’ve decided on the general idea, it’s time to plan the trip. First, pick a destination at least a day’s drive away. This means that everyone will have plenty of time in transit and feel like they’re traveling somewhere new instead of just going home again.

Next up, choose an exciting place with plenty of things to do. It should be fun! Also, ensure it isn’t too far away, so people don’t get frustrated by how long it takes them to get there every day. Finally, try not to pick somewhere super expensive so that your business won’t lose money just because some coworkers wanted to go on vacation together! 

Pick a Time Frame for the Trip

An important consideration while selecting a destination is how long you want to take on the road. This will help you determine how many days per location are needed and how many days of travel time there will be.

A good rule of thumb is that business trips should last no longer than two days in any location, but with some flexibility built in. You can also use this to determine the locations you’ll visit: if you have five locations across three states, then it would make sense to plan your route so that every state gets visited once, but no more or less than once.

Once you have your itinerary set up, start thinking about all those extra days at home and work before they get lonely!

Plan Ahead

Planning is the key to a successful road trip. First, you must figure out how much time you have to plan for your trip. Do you have one day? Two weeks? A month? The more time you have, the easier it will be for everyone to prepare in advance and ensure they have everything ready before heading out on the road.

Secondly, once you’ve figured out when your team will leave and return, start mapping out possible routes that could work well with everyone’s schedule so everyone can participate in planning where they want to go while still making sure they can get home at reasonable times each day.

Thirdly, if anyone has any dietary restrictions or other needs that affect their ability to travel safely, ensure those things are considered, so nothing goes wrong during the trip itself!

Keep the Vehicle Ready

Make sure the vehicle is in good working order. Check that the tires are in good condition and that the oil, battery, brakes, and lights are all functioning correctly. If a long trip is planned, it’s also essential to check that tires aren’t worn out or low on air pressure—and if they are, it would be wise to get them changed before starting your road trip adventure!

Keep an eye on your fuel gauge throughout the journey — you don’t want to run out of gas halfway through when there’s nowhere around for several miles! That’s why having a full tank of gas could be very helpful for your team bonding business trip. Also, make sure there’s enough water available in case someone needs some refreshment during their journey back home again.

If you don’t want to go through all the hassle, it’s best to consider rental minivans. When you rental minivans, the service provider will take care of everything, from gas to engine oil to other maintenance. All you and your employees need to do is board the van and enjoy the road trip. Moreover, these minivans have ample space so that your employees feel comfortable and don’t get frustrated during the road trip.

Take Breaks Along the Way

As you drive from place to place, there are plenty of opportunities to stop and take breaks. This is especially true if you plan your road trip around interesting places for everyone involved in your business.

For example, if one employee has a special interest in history, consider stopping at historical sites along the way. Perhaps another employee’s family has ties to a particular area, or maybe one of your employees’ children would like to stop somewhere along the way so they can visit their grandparents.

If possible, ensure everyone knows which restaurants have vegetarian or gluten-free options before you set out on your adventure!

Stop Overnight If It’s Safe to Do So

If you’re traveling with a group of employees, plan on spending the night at each stop. If it’s safe to do so, stay in a hotel or other lodging facility. If not, pull over on the side of the road and sleep in your vehicle. Sleeping at night is dangerous because it’s harder to see what’s happening around you, and it’s harder for others to see you as well.

You must be alert when driving at night, which means getting enough sleep beforehand and ensuring everyone stays awake during the day. You also need to react quickly if something goes wrong—for example, if someone starts swerving into your lane—and this requires seeing enough that these motions are noticeable before they happen.

This doesn’t mean that you should travel only during daylight hours. Sometimes circumstances necessitate going out after dark—but extreme caution should be taken!

Be Flexible With Your Plans If Necessary

Be flexible with your plans if necessary. For example, if one employee is exhausted and needs to sleep, asking another employee to drive while she rests is OK.

You can also be flexible when planning and executing a road trip as a team. If you’re planning on driving from point A to point B but realize there are better sights along the way, don’t be afraid to change course! In fact, this is one of the best parts about road trips: discovering new places and trying out new things along the way.

And flexibility extends beyond just what happens on your trip – it also applies back at the office! When working with coworkers and clients alike, try being flexible by offering different options instead of just one solution at all times.

Conclusion

Planning a business trip can be stressful, but it’s a great way to build a closer bond with your employees. Remember that planning is the most important part of any successful road trip. Decide where you want to go and how long you have. Create a budget for gas, food, etc. Finally, make sure everyone knows their role on the trip (driver or navigator) before leaving home base!