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This Spotlight is sponsored by Klook.
Everyone loves a good group holiday, but getting there often depends on one friend doing hours of work behind the scenes
If you have a typical friend group that occasionally (or often) travels together, you'll know that there's one person who takes on most of the responsibility.
They take it upon themself to compare flights across five different websites, figure out the best route from the airport, keep track of everyone's budget, remind the group to renew their passports, and somehow still end up entertaining questions like, "What day is our flight, ah?", for the millionth time.
In fact, a recent Klook survey found that these "travel planner" friends are among those who get the least appreciation
According to the survey involving 2,725 travellers across 10 markets, travel planning was ranked the least appreciated favour, behind even simple acts of kindness like carrying heavy bags or opening doors.
It shows that despite the hours spent researching, booking and organising, being the friend who plans every trip is often a thankless job.
Here's a closer look at the survey results:
1. The biggest challenge Malaysian travel planners face is managing group expectations
Nearly two-thirds (63.1%) said budgeting is their biggest source of stress, followed by coordinating everyone's schedules (45%) and dealing with last-minute changes (38.9%).
At the same time, 65.1% of planners believe that a super valuable skill is the ability to find options that keep everyone happy and avoid unnecessary disagreements.
2. Planning takes way more time and energy than everyone realises
According to the survey, non-planners generally believe organising a week-long group trip takes fewer than 10 hours.
In reality, over 70% of Malaysian travel planners said they spend over 10 hours preparing for a single holiday.
From this number, 40.3% spend up to 20 hours planning, while another 35.5% spend 40 hours or more before anyone has even packed their suitcases. Phew.
3. The work continues during the trip, and sometimes, the planner gets all the blame
More than half of Malaysian travel planners said they check their phones at least six times a day during the trip to monitor bookings, directions, transport arrangements, and other logistics.
Meanwhile, they're also the ones most likely to hear complaints when something doesn't go according to plan.
Interestingly, planners say they get blamed far more often than their travel companions admit to blaming them.
The most common criticisms include hearing things like "I could've planned this better", "Why didn't we do this instead?", or "That's out of my budget."
Considering the amount of work involved, it's hardly surprising that many planners feel their role is undervalued
More than eight in 10 Malaysian travel planners believe they deserve to be paid at least US$50 (around RM210) per hour for organising a trip.
Given that many spend between 10 and 20 hours planning, the survey estimates their unpaid effort could be worth as much as US$1,000 (around RM4,200) before the holiday even begins.
This is why Klook wants to show some appreciation for the holiday planners in their group
With countless booking platforms, reviews, itineraries, and prices to compare, planning a holiday has become more complicated than ever.
Klook aims to simplify that process by bringing travel essentials, experiences, and value together in one trusted platform, helping travellers feel more confident about the choices they make!
