New research has lifted the lid on the different personalities that make up a group trip, with 64% of Brits saying a getaway would never get off the ground without the ‘Chief Vacation Officer’ (CVO).

From starting the chat to choosing destinations and deciphering endless messages, 53% of Brits say those who organise group getaways play an undervalued role in making trips happen.

The research found that while every group trip needs a CVO, most of them often come with their own cast of characters. One in five (20%) identify themselves as the “The Snap Happy One”, who can’t let a meal or moment pass without taking a photo, while a further 15% admit they are the “Busy Bee” who can never quite make the dates.

The Group Trip Cast of Characters

1. CVO – takes charge and makes the trip happen
2. Busy Bee – somehow never free
3. Ghost – says they are in before vanishing until the airport
4. Window Shopper – sends endless inspiration without ever locking anything in
5. The Snap Happy One – starts planning photo opportunities before they leave, mapping the most Instagram-worthy spots
6. The Fluent-ish Friend – brushes up on the local language weeks before departure, clocking up Duolingo lessons and practising key phrases in the hope they’ll sound like a fluent local

Commissioned by Samsung, the research found that phones are becoming an increasingly important tool for today’s trip planners, with 67% relying on their mobile to help organise trips, from using social media to discover new destinations (40%) and AI platforms to help build the perfect itinerary (42%). Despite this, almost half of respondents (46%) admit they still struggle to keep track of the group chat, bookings and everyone’s preferences in one place.

The planning juggle is no longer confined to laptops or kitchen tables either, with Gen Z turning everyday downtime into personal-admin windows, as nearly a quarter admit to planning a holiday during their lunch break or on the commute (24%).

To shine a spotlight on the heroic work of CVO’s, Samsung has enlisted the support of Vicky Pattison, a self-confessed Chief Vacation Officer, to explore how travel planning has evolved from a simple booking task into a juggling act across apps and content streams, and the pride she feels when the plans finally exit the group chat.

The campaign highlights the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7 as the ultimate travel command centre for the modern CVO. With its immersive foldable screen, expansive cover display and Multi Window functionality, it helps holiday planners compare flights, hotels and itineraries while keeping the group chat open and moving. Built for planning on the go, its AI-powered features also make it easier to manage to-do lists, track details and turn holiday ideas into booked trips.

Vicky Pattison commented:

“It’s safe to say I love a holiday, and in my friendship group I am absolutely the lead booker and honestly, I thrive from the challenge. What starts as a simple ‘we should all go away’ somehow turns into you sorting dates, comparing hotels, collecting passport details and reminding people to pay you back and I secretly get a kick out of it. Everyone loves the holiday once it’s booked, but very few people see what goes into making it happen.

I think every friendship group has that one person who ends up carrying the trip from idea to reality, and with the Galaxy Z Fold7’s Multi Window, it’s so much simpler than it was before.”

The study revealed the biggest holiday planning challenges, including choosing where to stay (27%), collecting everyone’s passport details (11%) and finding dates that work for everyone (42%), all making the top 10.

Top 10 Holiday Planning Challenges

1. Finding dates that work for everyone (42%)
2. Agreeing on a budget everyone is happy with (31%)
3. Choosing where to stay (27%)
4. Making decisions when no one else will commit (23%)
5. Getting everyone to reply in the group chat (23%)
6. Dealing with people changing their mind repeatedly (23%)
7. Chasing people for payments or deposits (21%)
8. Comparing too many destination options (20%)
9. Aligning on activities so everyone feels the trip is worth it (20%)
10. Deciding on flights or travel times (19%)

It’s no surprise, therefore, that over a third of Brits (37%) believe having better tools to support holiday planning would make them more likely to organise more trips abroad.

When it comes to ease of planning, Brits identified being able to view multiple apps at once (38%), easy multitasking between chats, bookings and itineraries (34%) and a large screen for comparing options more easily (32%) as the device features they would find most useful when planning a group trip.

Annika Bizon, Mobile Experience VP of Product and Marketing, at Samsung, said:

“The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7 is built for the way modern holidays come together. Whether you’re comparing destinations and social media side by side or managing group chats and itineraries in real time, its expansive 8-inch unfolding display and Multi Window experience make it easy to plan, book and bring every part of your trip together in one place.”

Every friendship group has someone who somehow makes the trip happen, and 79% of those who regularly plan group holidays say a device that lets them view multiple apps and conversations at once would be useful.

With Multi Window, Galaxy Z Fold7 lets CVOs keep the group chat open while comparing flights, hotels and itineraries side by side. Features including Live Translate help break through language barriers when making calls, sending messages or having face-to-face conversations abroad, while its foldable form factor makes it easier to get everyone into the group photo once they get there. From first message to final photo, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7 is built to get the trip out of the chat and into real life.

While many brands have followed our lead since the introduction of the Samsung Galaxy Fold in 2019, it is Samsung that stands out as the ultimate architect of the foldable smartphone sector. Our heritage in foldables is what ensures we drive continued innovation in future designs.

Separating Rumour From Reality

As the premium foldable space moves so quickly, the tech world is constantly buzzing with anticipation. Our focus remains on improving our foldables to meet consumer expectations, as well as the democratisation of technology. Slimmer devices with smoother displays and advancing AI capabilities are some of our key focus areas

At the same time, we focus on how consumers actually use their foldables day to day. This informs how we develop innovative form factors and aspect ratios, to create devices designed for consumers first.

A Heritage of Relentless Innovation Without Delay

What truly separates a category leader from the rest of the industry is consistency. While many companies have experimented with concepts, Samsung has spent the last seven years actively defining and redefining the standard for foldable smartphones.

Since the ground-breaking release of the original Samsung Galaxy Fold in 2019, Samsung has consistently delivered significant foldable innovations year on year, entirely without delay.

Through every generation of the Galaxy Z Fold and Z Flip series, the commitment to consistent hardware updates and software innovations has transformed a daring engineering experiment into an irreplaceable part of modern mobile life.

What form will the next foldable innovation take?

Stay tuned and make sure to register at samsung.com/unpacked for exclusive benefits, upcoming teasers, trailers, and updates ahead of Galaxy Unpacked July 2026.

I have worked my entire career as an engineer, and I have seen many innovations at Samsung that have pushed the limits of what’s possible with smartphones. Our mission is, and always has been, to create technology that makes people’s lives better. Ten years ago, we set out to create a transformative technology by looking at the one thing all smartphones were synonymous with — a flat rectangular display. We asked ourselves a simple question:How can we have it all – a bigger screen and better portability?  

We saw an opportunity not only to design a new shape but also to create new experiences that had never been possible with a smartphone before. Overcoming many technological hurdles, we successfully introduced the first-ever Galaxy foldable smartphone in 2019 and have changed the future of our industry ever since.

Last year, we saw almost 10 million foldable smartphones shipped worldwide. That’s an industry increase of more than 300% from 2020, and I predict this fast-paced growth will continue. We are reaching the moment where these foldable devices are becoming widespread and staking a bigger claim in the overall smartphone market.

More importantly, Samsung Galaxy foldables have changed the way we use mobile devices and helped enable better lifestyles for users worldwide.

As Lifestyles Evolve, a New Legacy Unfolds

The world is more connected than ever and is moving at a much faster pace. Work and play intermix, and the lines between the physical and digital world have blurred. Where we turn for work, entertainment, wellness and more has become a single place — our phone. As such, our users need a flexible device to keep up with their daily demands.

The Galaxy Fold and Galaxy Flip deliver on that mandate. Last year, 70% of Galaxy foldable users turned to the Flip to help them see the world from a different point of view. Flip users love owning a device built for self-expression, whether choosing bold colour options for their device or taking pictures in a new way with Flex mode.

It’s a different experience with the Fold. Nearly one out of three Galaxy foldable users last year opted for this ultimate productivity device, which has empowered them to do more through hyper-connected, individual computing. Fold users love the multitasking capability of a screen that doubles in size, so they can be more efficient and get things done faster.

Both foldable users have enthusiastically embraced what we have created. Their response is our biggest motivation to push forward, and that’s why we are committed to this journey of seeking new possibilities for mobile innovation.

This year, we’ve made advancements in every detail and opened the new experiences enabled by these behavior-shifting devices. I am excited to see people to discover new ways to do more of the things they love with the new foldable.

Of course, this wouldn’t have been possible without the open collaboration and a shared desire with our partners to continuously bring new innovations to the mobile category. We are working with industry leaders including Google, Microsoft and other carrier partners to expand the experiences that are possible throughout the foldable ecosystem.

Redefining What’s Possible for People Everywhere

Three years ago, Galaxy foldables could be summed up in a single word: radical. Very quickly, however, it became clear that this groundbreaking, flexible design fit perfectly into modern lifestyles. As a result, what was once a novelty three years ago, is now the preferred choice for millions.

At our upcoming Unpacked on August 10th, you’ll see that the impact of our innovation is not only about what technology can do. It’s about what you can do. We’ve once again taken our inspiration from the most important source — Galaxy users — to push the limits of what’s possible.

I can’t wait to show you the potential of our new Samsung Galaxy foldables as the ultimate tool for both productivity and self-expression. Now, you can do more than you ever thought possible, all at once, on one device.

Get ready to unfold your world.