Helpful Hints
You Can Add Questions To Your Group Site
Consider Making First Deposit Equal to Empty Pillow
What is YOUR Total Trip Cost
Meal Planning Saves Money
Trip Insurance Is Available

Planning

Read and sign your contract

It is important for leaders to thoroughly read their contract and double check all dates and details. If you have any questions regarding any part of your contract, please call us. Do not assume anything.

Pay your first deposit / payment

Your first payment holds your space and locks in your rates. Making payments on time is important to keeping your space. Note dates for future deposits on your contract and set your group payments a week in advance so you have time to contact late payers and turn around the payment to Ski Daddy.

Use your group website

Log in with your leader password and update your group website with details that are helpful to your group – how much the full cost is, when you are leaving, and if you are adding stops along the way. The more details and information you add, the easier it will be for trip members to make decisions and sign up.

Each person will need to be signed up on the ski daddy website. We encourage you to sign yourself up as the leader before sending the link to your group. From there, it’s easy to customize the registration page. Half the group going on the bus? Making a sweatshirt for the group? Anything can be added to your page to help keep everyone informed along the way.

The group website is also a great place to communicate payment and cancellation details to your group. You have the contract with details listed out, but it is your responsibility, as the leader, to communicate these to your group. You may also want to place tighter restrictions of your own to protect you and your organization. For example, Ski Daddy will have cancellation policies and dates on your contract. But you may want to bump up those dates, so if someone backs out, you have time to find a new person to fill the spot before you are into penalties with the Ski Daddy contact. Since you are reserving whole rooms, if people back out, they can really leave you in a bind. Many leaders make the deposits non-refundable and the full cost of an empty pillow. It is the leader’s responsibility to communicate all details to their members and we encourage you to have a signed statement on your own with your trip members.

Customize Your Group Site

Customize Your Sign Up Page

Send out the link

There are many ways to send out the link to have trip members sign up. You can send it by text, email, Facebook, Twitter, or by whatever means your group communicates. Once your people sign up on the ski daddy group website, the leader tools can work for you and your job gets much easier!
You may want to have them specifically look at the trip insurance link that is on your group website. It is up to each trip member to decide if trip insurance is a good option for them.

Add members to the trip

Each time someone signs up, you will receive an email. At this point, they are not fully signed up. They are initially in the “holding tank” and can be added to the group when you are ready or once they have paid. You can also un-register and delete people. Only you know who is actually going, who has paid, etc. We encourage you to also think about rooming assignments as people sign up – keeping boy/girl or family ratios in account.

Send Invoices

Use the group accounting tool to easily send out invoices. This is a great way to ensure you are collecting the correct amount and members can double check that they signed up correctly. Make sure you account for empty pillows or extra costs you have added.

Rooming List

Create your rooming list and notify us when finished. This will help you see girl/boys or family ratios, where you might have empty pillows, and double check you have reserved the correct room types. It will go out to the lodging company and helps check in go smoothly.

Helpful Hints

You can add questions to your  group website

This is best to do BEFORE people start signing up. You can also assign a cost value to the questions and it will integrate into the group accounting page where you invoice your members!

• Do you want to ride the bus for an extra $150?
• Do you want to have your own bed for an extra $200?
• Do you want the group sweatshirt for an extra $20?
• What size sweatshirt do you want?

These are just a few example questions! You can customize your trip registration page so you have all the details in one location and everything is itemized on your invoices.

Consider making your first deposit equal to the cost of an empty pillow

Leaders are assuming risk when the save a spot for members going on a trip. If the initial deposit is low, some people will walk away from the cost if they need to cancel. This can leave leaders in a bind when the full empty pillow cost is still due on an unfilled spot. Getting the full empty pillow cost up front allows leaders to rest assured knowing that cost is covered. You have the payment whether the spot gets refilled or not.

Use the group accounting tool to invoice your trip members. It allows you to start with the full cost that you are charging for the trip and then automatically adds in the extra costs based on how each person signed up. It saves leaders a ton of time! Not sure how to use it? Just watch this video or give us a shout. We are happy to help.

What is YOUR total trip cost?

You will need to calculate your total trip cost with items that are in addition the ski daddy cost. You will want to update you website with the total cost before sending out the link to have people sign up.

• Are you adding in cost for the bus or travel up to CO?
• Are you covering the cost of leaders or chaperones?
• Are you adding in cost for food?

You may want to account for a few empty pillows on the front end of trip. Groups often do not fill every single pillow. This can be because of girl/boy ratios, leader safety rules of not sharing a bed, or simply because of lower registration. Covering the cost for a few empty pillows might save you frustration in the end. You can always give a little money back to your trippers if you end up with extra, but you do not want to have to go to them and ask for more.

Meal planning can save your group a lot of money, but planning ahead is the key!

Condos & Cabins With Kitchens

If you are staying in places with a kitchen, cooking can be easy and cost saving! Think about bringing crock pots for easy. Throw together in the morning and then your meal is ready to go after skiing. Utilize Sams or Costco for “click and pull” options in Denver can get you set up with everything you need for larger meals in very little time. Night 1 -Frozen lasagnas and salad kits , Night 2 -Chili dogs and Frito pie, Night 3 -Chicken tenders and potato salad. Combined with one night out in the town , and your group has all 4 nights covered!

Hotel Rooms

If you can’t cook in your rooms, you just need to get a little creative. Ski Daddy is always here to help you through what might be available in your specific resort. For instance, Winter Park has multiple options for budgets. Elevation Pizza is a great delivery option. Hernando’s does family style spaghetti dinners. Subway is your answer for sandwich platters. Throw in crock pots for soups or chili dogs. You can still save money with just a little creativity.

Trip Insurance linked to Travel Guard is offered on your group website where each person signs up

Each trip member needs to look into trip insurance and decide if it is something they want to purchase. Leaders can also purchase it for the entire group. Different plans are offered with varying coverage so you need to contact Travel Guard directly with any questions or claims.