Not every person in a group is going to become lifelong friends, and even though we are known for our passion and commitment to the group dynamic, it’s impossible to expect perfection here. Should the worst-case happen, we’ve listed some tips on how to manage difficult situations or conversations while on tour, as well as knowing when it’s ok to call out behaviours that are affecting you or others, and how it’s best to go about it.

There’s nothing worse on a group tour than a clique. The, “you can’t sit with us” types that dominate the status quo and like to dictate outcomes or influence the decisions of others. We understand that there’ll be people you get on with more than others, but this incredible friendship forming should never result in exclusionary behaviours, such as banding together and dominating others around you.

Flash Pack has a ZERO TOLERANCE policy on all of the above, and we will not accept this type of behaviour from anyone on our tours.

If you find yourself being the one on the receiving end of, or witnessing, this type of behaviour while on tour, please report it to your Pack Leader immediately, as well as sending us an email here at Flash pack to [email protected]. Both Flash Pack and your Pack Leader will be here to support you.

If you are the one witnessing this type of behaviour toward someone else, especially when it comes to references on someone else’s ethnic or cultural nuances in a particular country - please say something. Calling someone out for being insensitive doesn’t have to be confrontational. There are ways of making awareness an open dialogue that actually helps someone learn why what they have said is offensive or, as we like to say these days, not PC. If you don’t feel comfortable doing this, please speak to your Pack Leader, tell them what was said, and the Pack Leader can help facilitate a discussion with the group, making a point of addressing these things openly and transparently.

Negativity gets pretty boring, pretty quickly. Especially to those around you when they start to feel like that’s all they hear. We want Flashpackers to be able to roll with the punches and enjoy the unexpected if it hits while on tour. Focusing on every single detail that wasn’t what you expected, then making complaint to it, not only brings down your groups morale, it also affects our Pack Leader’s ability to keep the spark for adventure alive in you as well as others. Your Pack Leader doesn’t want to let you down, so the feedback and the attitude you bring to every day on tour is what will make or break the experience for yourself and others around you.

If you are truly unhappy with the tour itself, or the way the Pack Leader is running it, we ask that you contact us as soon as possible, so we have the opportunity to talk through it with you at the time, rather than after the fact. It’s always best to book a call if you can, that way we can truly understand the why’s and what’s, and respond effectively to the situation and reasoning for it. This allows us to also act on it in a much quicker way, and we find this is where the most success for adequate resolution occurs for our Flashpackers.