Group trip planning starts with dates everyone can do
Everyone agrees the trip is a great idea, and then nobody can agree when. Propose a few candidate weekends, share one link with the group, and settle the dates before anyone pays a deposit.
How to pick dates for a group trip
Turn each date option into one slot
Decider votes on specific times, so represent each candidate trip as a single slot: for example the Friday evening departure of each weekend you are considering. Name the poll clearly, such as "Lisbon trip: which weekend?", so everyone knows each slot stands for the whole trip.
Share the link with the group
Post one link in the group chat. Friends type their name and vote from their phone without creating an account, including the partner or friend-of-a-friend who is not in every chat.
Compare Yes, Maybe and No per weekend
Live totals show which weekend most people can do, and the names show who is missing from each. Maybe flags the friend waiting on leave approval before anyone treats them as confirmed.
Lock the dates, then book
Lock the winning option and everyone adds it to Google, Outlook, Apple or Yahoo Calendar. Now the group can book flights and accommodation knowing who is actually coming.
Why a date poll beats planning in the group chat
- The dates get fixed before money is spent, so nobody books a non-refundable flight for a weekend half the group cannot make.
- Every friend's answer sits against every weekend, which makes the clash with someone's wedding or work trip visible straight away.
- Quiet members answer. Tapping Yes or No on a few weekends is easier than arguing for your preferred dates in a busy thread.
- Friends living in other countries see each option in their own time zone, useful when you are meeting at the destination from different starting points.
- Nobody signs up for anything, and the voting page has no ads.
Ready to settle the trip dates?
Add one slot per candidate weekend, share the link with your friends, and lock the dates before anyone books.
Trips are date ranges, so propose candidate weekends
A trip is a stretch of days, not a one-hour meeting. Decider does not have a date-range picker, so the clean way to use it is to decide the trip length first and then offer the start of each candidate stretch as one slot: Friday 6pm of four different weekends, or the Thursday of two possible long weekends. Each slot is then a yes or no on the whole trip.
Keep the options few and real. Three to five weekends is enough. Check public holidays and school terms first, because they change both prices and who is free, and leave out any weekend you already know a key person cannot do.
Someone always has a wedding
With six or eight friends, at least one weekend will clash with a wedding, a stag or hen do, a family birthday or a work deadline. That is why a poll beats asking "when works?": the No votes surface those clashes on day one rather than after flights are booked.
If the trip is built around one person, such as a birthday or a send-off, pick the weekend they voted Yes on with the most others. If it is a general friends trip, go with the highest Yes total and accept that one person may miss out this time.
Fix the dates before deposits and flights
Flights and group accommodation usually get more expensive the longer you wait, and a large rental often needs a deposit from someone. Agree the dates first, then let one person book and collect money from the others. Decider handles the date decision; splitting costs and choosing the destination are separate conversations for the group.
Trips planned this way
Friends' weekends away
City breaks, cabin weekends and festivals, where the hard part is finding a weekend six people can all do.
Stag, hen and birthday trips
Trips built around one person, where their availability comes first and the votes show who else can join.
Family holidays
Several households sharing a rental, each with its own school holidays and work leave to fit around.
Club and team trips
Ski trips, walking weekends or tournament travel for a club, where the organiser needs a headcount before booking.
Group trip planning questions
How do I pick dates for a group trip with Decider?
Decide how long the trip is, then add one slot for the start of each candidate stretch, such as the Friday evening of each weekend you are considering. Share the link, let friends vote Yes, Maybe or No, and lock the option with the best turnout.
Can friends vote on whole date ranges?
Decider votes on specific time slots rather than date ranges. Treat each slot as standing for one candidate trip, and say so in the poll name, so a Yes on that slot means a Yes to the whole weekend or week.
Do my friends need an account to vote?
No. Friends open the link, type their name and vote. Only the person organising the trip signs in to create the poll and lock the dates.
Is it free to run a friends trip date poll?
Yes. Creating polls is free, and the friends you invite never pay or see adverts on the voting page.
Does Decider help with budgets, bookings or splitting costs?
No. Decider is for agreeing on the dates. Once the dates are locked, book travel and accommodation as usual and use whatever method your group prefers for sharing costs.
How many date options should a group trip poll have?
Three to five candidate weekends or weeks is usually enough. Fewer options leave too many clashes, and more spread the votes so thinly that no option clearly wins.
Other groups people schedule with Decider
- Schedule a standupPick a recurring daily standup time the whole team can actually make, including remote members in other time zones.
- Holiday party pollPick the office holiday party or family Christmas date with a poll: propose a few dates, share one link, everyone votes.
- Book club schedulingFind a book club meeting date that works for the whole group without a long group chat.
- Sports team schedulingSet practice and match times your squad can commit to, and see who is actually available before you book the pitch.
Agree on the dates, then plan the fun part
One link for the group, no accounts for friends, and no ads on the voting page.