Who to Invite on a Great Ocean Road Tour

You’ve been thinking about it for years. You know that it is quite the popular tourist activity, but have never had the time. Until now! Whether you’re from Victoria, other parts of Australia, or even from overseas, you’ve heard of the Great Ocean Road. You’ve done your basic research and have realised that it’s definitely something you’re keen to do. So much so that you’ve signed up for, or at least are thinking about the Great Ocean Road tours available.  

You’ve signed up (or are going to) for this experience alone, but are considering inviting others to join you. But whom should you invite? Before dishing out the invites, consider these questions:

•           Why do you want to invite other people?
•           Who do you think would want to see the Great Ocean Road?
•           Who would benefit from doing a Great Ocean Road tour?
•           What are you hoping they’ll get out of the tour?
•           Are you compatible travelling buddies?
•           Are you doing the Great Ocean Road tour in combination with other Melbourne tours? If so, are you able to spend that much time with them?

Once you’ve confirmed that you really do want to invite others along for the tour, you need to determine who these lucky people will be. Your options are:

Family

Whether its your mum, dad, brother, sister, cousin, aunt, uncle, nephew, niece, grandma, grandad or even step- family members, think carefully about who to invite. You’ll firstly need to find out if they want to, or would want to, do a Great Ocean Road tour or a tour of the greater Melbourne/Victorian area.

You’ll also need to determine if you can spend that much time with them, and if you have a tumultuous relationship, if you even want to. You’ll also need to consider if they view travelling the same way that you do. Will you be compatible travelling companions? If you’re one that values silence and inner reflection, a chatterbox who talks 24/7 may not be the best travel buddy.

Friends

You could invite your best friend from your childhood, or the person you studied with at TAFE or university. You could invite any friend, but you’ll need to consider the same principles that apply to family members. For example, can you spend significant periods of time with this person? Do they have a similar travel style to you? Are they open to new experiences?

Colleagues

You could even invite your work colleagues. It may be that you’ve known them for years, or that they are new and that you’d like to get to know them better. Perhaps you’ve discussed travelling around Melbourne and Victoria before?

Again, ask yourself the main questions. Why do you want to invite them? Perhaps you’re the boss and want to get to know your colleagues outside of work? This could be a great way to get to know each other and bond, as well as to experience Australia together.

Neighbours

This may seem odd to many who do not know their neighbours, but maybe you have a great relationship with yours. Would your relationship benefit from doing this tour? Or maybe you don’t know them at all, but would like to. You probably should invite them immediately. Spend a few weeks getting to know them. Build up to it. In the meantime, try to work out what they are like travelling and whether you’d be suitable companions.

Acquaintances

Maybe they are the parents of your child’s best friend? Or perhaps you play sport together on the weekends? If you’d like to get to know them more, once again, don’t offer them to join you first up. Find out what their travel style is like, if they are free when you’ve booked in, and if they even like travelling.

Regardless of who you invite, whether its your mum, or your best childhood friend, or your new work colleague, the most important thing is that the people have the time to do a Great Ocean Road tour and are open to the experience.

When you invite them and they express interest, discuss what you both would want to get out of the trip. This ensures that you are both on the same page. Discuss ways to achieve the trip outcome. Also discuss some of your negative points that may arise during the trip. Be honest: Everyone has his or her bad points. Be upfront and let them know that you’re aware of them and have ways to deal with them if it arises.

Once you’ve determined that you’re compatible travel companions, make the most of it and enjoy!