WEEKEND
The feels on the bus Spending days, or weeks, with a bunch of strangers is a daunting ask. Get the right group, though, and it can be magic Story Brad Crouch
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oing on a coach holiday tour is a bit like entering the Big Brother household. You join a bunch of strangers and for the immediate future you all travel, walk, laugh, marvel, photograph, shop, eat, drink and sleep together – in your own rooms of course. The group dynamics is as much of the experience as exploring interesting new sights. As such it is worth having a loose checklist before signing up for a tour. How big will the group be? What age demographic – some trips are firmly aimed at younger people, others at more mature travellers. Will guests be all Australians? How fit do you need to be to keep up? How much free time is set aside for your own exploring, meals or even a nap? Size of the coach? Is tipping included? Entry fees? A recent trip was a vivid reminder of how a cohesive group can make all the difference between a good and a great holiday. Bunnik Tour’ Jewels of Dalmatia tour through Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovinia, Montenegro and Slovenia had 18 people in our “bubble”, as Bunnik limits their tour groups to 20. They also use full size coaches so we all had a double seat to ourselves if wanted, plenty of personal space. Unspoken etiquette meant no one hogged particular seats – people just sat anywhere each day. The size also meant the group was easy to keep track of in more crowded areas, where larger groups needed a leader with a flag or umbrella. Our ever-cheerful Slovenian tour leader Martina Orehek simply wore a bright jacket – and had an 20 SAWeekend October 8-9, 2022
uncanny instinct to find group members who might take a wrong turn after dawdling in an interesting shop. An airline hiccup meant I was the first “intruder” into the bubble, arriving in Zagreb a day late and joining the group at
dinner for the first introduction. My Viking bride teaches group dynamics at university so had tips for me on how a good group functions. Apparently they go through stages: forming (meeting), storming (settling in period), norming (understanding acceptable behaviour, eg arrive on time), and performing (synergy). With the obvious shared aims of having a good time exploring an interesting part of the world this group quickly reached the performing stage. This included learning – and remembering – names early. No cliques formed, and on one occasion when I was alone in a hotel foyer writing a journal as the rest of the group arrived and formed a chatty circle, one woman pretty much insisted I come over and join. Be that gal or guy – in a manageable group this size, which included several singles, ensure everyone is included. Chatting with different people at meals, on the coach, and strolling the sights you soon learn everyone has a story. Different jobs, experiences, skills, life events – as time goes on you bond. While selfies are OK, remember to offer to take pictures of people with their own cameras at highlight sights. By tour’s end friendships had formed thanks to incredible shared experiences, from the Plitvice Lakes, Hvar, and Dubrovnik to Sarajevo, Lake Bled, Split, Kotor and Ljubljana. We went from the Postojna Caves 140m underground to the 1535m high Mt Vogel via cable car, with plenty of castles, cathedrals and waterfront restaurants in between.
A Bunnik Tours group travelling in Croatia, clockwise from top: at Plitvice Lakes National Par; in Rovinj; lunch on Hvar island; and dinner in Zagreb. Pictures: Brad Crouch
Remember, on the final day as people go their own way, you may or may not see your new friends at breakfast or the airport. So ensure you have a group farewell dinner the night before, in the group dynamics phase known as “adjourning”. And have someone make a quick speech thanking the tour leader, and congratulating each person for making your group the best damn tour group in town. It’s all warm and fuzzy and fun. As it was at the excellent Gallo Restaurant in Zagreb, Croatia, as I said my farewells to Anna, Geoff, Vikki, Martin, Jane, Marg, Jill, Michael, Laurie, Peter, Anne, Glenn, Liz, Len, Lynette, Dennis and Martina who made a good group great.
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