Following research revealing that travel planners are the least-thanked people in every group chat, Klook is inviting the world to nominate — or self-nominate — the planner who deserves a trip they do not have to plan.
The Unsung Heroes of Group Travel
Every FIT (Free Independent Traveler) group trip has a planner: the one who builds the spreadsheet, fields “wait, what time do we leave?” texts at midnight, and takes the blame when the itinerary does not please everyone. Yet, despite keeping the trip on track, that person rarely gets the credit when everything goes right.
Klook’s survey of 2,725 travelers across 10 markets confirms what travel planners have long suspected. Travel planning ranks among the least-thanked tasks people do for others, behind everyday favors such as carrying bags or holding doors. More than 8 in 10 planners say they spend over 10 hours organizing a single group trip. By their own estimate, that work is worth more than US$50 an hour.
Even when someone else takes over the planning, 42.4% of travel planners admit they quietly and anxiously watch from the sidelines. They keep checking, second-guessing decisions, and staying ready to step in if needed.
A Vacation From Planning Vacations
It is easy to see why. Handing a trip to another person does not necessarily remove the work; it simply relocates it. Someone still has to juggle the tabs, chase the group chat, and make the decisions.
“We built Klook to make travel planning simpler, so travelers can spend less time on admin and more time on experiences,” says Marcus Yong, VP of Global Marketing at Klook. “Now we’re taking that promise one step further with a fully planned getaway for five travel planners who always get travel right for their friends and families.”
“It’s their turn to take a vacation from planning vacations,” he adds.
From Aug. 10 to 31, 2026, Klook is launching a global search for five travel planners who are really good at doing their job and really tired from doing it. The winners will receive a 7-day hosted trip to Switzerland in December 2026, where their only job is to show up.
How to Nominate a Travel Planner
Entering is simple. Nominate the travel planner in your life — or yourself — by telling Klook about a time they kept the whole trip together. What did they organize? What went hilariously wrong? And why do they deserve this getaway?
The story will help Klook understand why each nominee deserves a vacation from planning vacations.
For bonus points, entrants can upload a 60-second video or share a link via TikTok, YouTube, or Google Drive showing their travel planner in action. It could feature their legendary spreadsheets, chaotic group chat screenshots, or the moment they somehow saved the trip while everyone else simply enjoyed the ride.
Full details are available at Klook’s Thank You, Travel Planners campaign page.
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