Hobbies & leisure

Have you ever participated in or organized a bachelor party? When you are called to do so, please don't take it too lightly!

It's not just a quick-and-ready party where you go to have some drinks like you probably do every weekend, it's an important rite of passage which should’t be neglected. There's a reason why the French call it the ‘enterrement de vie de garcon’, which translates into ‘burial of a boy’s life’.

So, you have to participate in the organization of a bachelor party for the first time? Well, it's time to go looking for ideas! In this article we'll give you some ideas to get started, as well as useful do's and don'ts.

I'd like to start you off with a 'don't', actually. Don't organize YOUR favourite party. Think about your friend, his personality, and what he would want. You think hiring a stripper would be hilarious fun? Ask your friend how he feels about it, or at least think about what he would want. There is no point in embarassing the guest of honor or making him uncomfortable, is there?

Now that you've established what your friend would like or dislike, it's time to think about the organisation. Is it just an evening you're planning, an entire day or even an entire weekend?

Will the other guests be available for more than just an evening? Plan ahead and check everybody's availability before you start.

Now that you've established your friend's wishes and made sure everyone is available and on board, it's time to think about the actual activities.

For the most part you can split the event up in two parts: during the day you need to plan certain activities, and during the evening you need to think about where to have dinner and where to go for drinks afterwards.

You can't really over-plan it: try to cover all your bases to be sure you don't have any problems:

• Have you covered transportation between every activity and venue?
• Have you covered lunch and dinner?
• Have your activities been planned and booked?
• Have you checked out every venue you will go to beforehand to avoid letdowns?
• Are all participants aware of the activities/venues and the timing?

Use this checklist when you are done and make sure everything is covered: you don't want any bad surprises on the day!

Now all there is left to do is think about which activities you would like to do during the day. Some cool suggestions are karting, paintball, bowling, playing pool, a city game... the possibilities are limitless, just make sure to have fun!