What do you do when someone drops out of a group trip?
Short answer
Agree the rule before you book: whether a person who drops out owes their share of non-refundable costs. Settled in advance it's an administrative step; settled afterwards it's an argument that outlasts the trip.
Write the rule down while everyone's keen
Before the first deposit, state plainly what happens if someone pulls out — usually that non-refundable costs already committed on their behalf stay theirs. Nobody objects to this in the abstract. Everybody objects to it retroactively.
Handling the gap
- Check whether the accommodation cost actually changes — often it doesn't
- Offer the spot to someone outside the original group before absorbing the cost
- If the group covers it, decide as a group rather than letting the organiser eat it