Plan your Christmas lunch trip well in advance

If you are considering putting the Christmas lunch on the Oslo boat, you can in this article get wiser on how to plan the trip so that it becomes the highlight of the year in the company.

A Christmas lunch trip with the Oslo boat lasts about two days, so there is plenty of time for both socializing, leisure and professional content. It can be a challenge to arrange, because the trip must have the perfect balance between activities of a social nature and professional content, which is also entertaining. In addition, as a planner, you must make sure that the trip suits all the employees in your company.

We have gathered some good advice on how to put together a program that makes full use of the time and creates the best conditions for the Christmas lunch trip to be the highlight of the year in the company.

Define the purpose of the trip

What do you want the employees and the company as a whole to get out of the trip?

Whether there is a focus on the social, learning or development, it affects your planning and prioritization of time as well as choice of activities. Therefore, it is important that you think about the purpose of the trip.

If necessary, remember to reconcile the purpose with the management if you are not one of the company's primary decision makers.

The trip can, for example, be used as a study trip, as an internal conference with speakers or as a development seminar for new strategies as well as a “shake-together” trip.

A successful Christmas lunch trip typically has several elements on the program, and that helps in planning to be aware of what you want to achieve with the trip.

Plan well in advance

An impromptu trip according to the motto "we find out" is not appropriate when the company is going on a trip.

It gives several options to plan well in advance, especially if you choose to go on a trip with the Oslo boat during the Christmas season, which is high season.

There is a greater chance that you will have your wishes fulfilled both in terms of restaurants, entertainment, activities and cabins, if you plan well in advance. The bigger the company, the more important it is to be out early.

## Be flexible

It is a good idea to have several dates to choose from when it comes to the day of departure. That way, you increase the likelihood that you can have your wishes for the trip fulfilled.

This applies to both the time on board as well as your wishes for experiences and activities in Oslo.

## Make a budget

Before you really start planning your trip, you should set a budget so that you know what you are dealing with.

It also provides a great overview along the way when you obtain prices and plan activities that you can plot it all into a budget.

That way, it quickly becomes clear what is within reach and you will save a lot of time and unnecessary work by being sharp on budgeting.

## Know your employees and colleagues

The more you know about the tour participants, the greater the chance that the tour will be a success.

If you know the participants' preferences and limitations, you can take them into account in the planning and put together the program for the trip so that it hits the spot in terms of content for the group.

Does anyone have any allergies or other reservations that the ship's restaurant should be aware of? Do any of the participants have physical limitations, claustrophobia or fear of heights that need to be considered in the distribution of cabins, the planning of walks, entertainment or activities in general?

It can be tempting to keep the program secret from participants in an attempt to create a surprise. For parts of the program, it can also be fine, but by posting the program to the participants well in advance, you have the opportunity to respond to their input.

That way, you increase the likelihood that the program will fit the group and that there is nothing you have overlooked in the planning.

## Balance between planned activities and leisure

There is no final decision on how much or how little you should put into the program for the Christmas lunch trip.

It is very individual how many planned activities and how much free time should be on a company trip. It is up to you to find out in the planning based on the defined purpose of the trip.

For some, team building is the most important thing, for others, peace and quiet are a high priority. It all depends on what happens in the company at the time the Christmas lunch trip takes place.

## Use good tools in planning

There is no need to try to keep track of it all in your head or on a regular block when more practical digital tools are available. You can find tools for both planning and evaluation online.

Also make sure that it is easy for the participants to register via a website or an online service, where you can also obtain important information about the participants' wishes and limitations as well as any allergies and more.

If you have the opportunity to put a program online with addresses, times and contacts, then you have further made it easy for the participants to follow and shop independently on the trip.

Really good fun with the planning!