Rethinking the Office Christmas Do
Another December evening squeezed into a function room above a pub, competing with three other companies for the attention of overworked bar staff, whilst paying premium prices for lukewarm canapés. Sound familiar?
Here’s a thought that might surprise you: taking your team abroad for the Christmas party could actually cost you less than staying in the UK, and deliver infinitely more value in return.
The Numbers Don’t Lie
British hospitality venues know they’ve got you over a barrel come December. Prices surge, availability shrinks, and you’re often left paying champagne prices for a prosecco experience. Meanwhile, stunning European destinations offer remarkable value during the same period, with flights often cheaper than a train to London and accommodation that puts many UK venues to shame.
But here’s where it gets really interesting. Instead of a forgettable four-hour affair, you could transform your Christmas celebration into a weekend experience: flights, accommodation, activities, and all for a comparable budget. Suddenly, you’re not just ticking a box; you’re creating memories.
The Real Value: Team Bonding That Actually Works
Let’s be honest, how much genuine team bonding happens at a standard Christmas party? A few awkward conversations near the buffet, perhaps, before everyone retreats to their usual cliques.
Take your team overseas for a weekend, and something magical happens. Without the option to slip away early or retreat to separate homes, people actually connect. They share breakfasts, explore new cities together, and experience genuine adventures as a group. The conversations that happen on a canal boat in Amsterdam or wandering through a European Christmas market are worth more than a hundred team-building exercises back at the office.
This isn’t just feel-good nonsense; it’s sound business thinking. Teams that genuinely know and trust each other perform better, communicate more effectively, and stay together longer. Your Christmas party budget suddenly becomes an investment in your company’s most valuable asset: your people.
A Weekend in Amsterdam: One Company’s Experience
Don’t just take our word for it. Recently, ETW Travel arranged a weekend Christmas celebration in Amsterdam for a group looking to do something different. The result? An experience that exceeded every expectation.
From the moment they landed, every detail had been considered. The transfer company, coordinated by the exceptional Ugar, managed the logistics with remarkable precision, keeping everyone informed, adapting to the group’s needs, and ensuring not a single moment was wasted on confusion or waiting around.
The hotel set the tone perfectly: stunning rooms, a sophisticated cocktail bar, and that wonderful European touch of complimentary wine and beer during happy hour. When the group arrived on Friday evening, their private function room had been beautifully prepared. An immediate reminder that this was no ordinary Christmas do.
The highlight? A private canal boat cruise through Amsterdam’s iconic waterways. When travel delays threatened to disrupt the original Friday schedule, the boat company seamlessly moved the experience to Saturday. The kind of flexibility that makes all the difference. On board, hosts Lia and Roger proved to be the perfect guides: knowledgeable about the city, genuinely warm and friendly, and dedicated to ensuring every glass stayed full throughout the two-hour voyage.
The feedback from the trip organiser, Nas, said it all:
“Super trip. Massive thank you as always to you ladies for organising.”
That’s the ETW Travel difference: a single point of contact who handles everything, so you can focus on what matters – enjoying the experience with your team.
Why ETW Travel?
Arranging an overseas trip for a group isn’t simply a matter of booking flights and a hotel. It’s coordinating transfers, securing group rates, arranging activities, managing dietary requirements, handling the inevitable last-minute changes, and ensuring someone is always on hand when questions arise.
ETW Travel specialises in precisely this kind of corporate travel. With established relationships across Europe’s best venues, transport providers, and activity companies, they secure the kind of experiences and rates you simply couldn’t arrange independently. More importantly, they’ve done this hundreds of times before, which means they anticipate problems before they arise and solve them before you even notice.
Make Next Year’s Different
Your team has worked hard all year. They deserve more than another forgettable evening in an overcrowded venue. They deserve an experience. One that says “thank you” in a way that truly resonates.
Whether it’s Amsterdam’s charming canals, the Christmas markets of Cologne, the tapas bars of Barcelona, or somewhere else entirely, ETW Travel can design a weekend celebration that fits your budget and exceeds your expectations.
Ready to give your team the Christmas party they’ll actually remember? Get in touch with ETW Travel today and discover how easy and affordable overseas celebrations can be.
Recent Comments