Anyone who knows me knows how much I like to travel alone. I have no problem going out on my own and love the freedom this type of travel gives me. But going on an organized group trip has its advantages. A lot of things are just more fun with other people and you might not dare to do every trip alone.
The word “group tour” might make many people think of a horde of chattering, photo-taking tourists being carted from one sight to the next by a flag-waving tour guide. But apart from these clichés, there are real alternatives – also for individualists: adventure and adventure trips in small groups with local guides, travelers who want to look behind the scenes, want to experience a country and its culture. There are many reasons that speak for a group tour…
This article was created with the support of Mendese Escapes , which offers guided group tours to many countries. The trips are a colorful mix of discovery, adventure and fun., they offer small group trips for mostly women over 50. The people mostly come from different countries, which makes for an interesting mix. A really cool concept, which has nothing in common with boring group trips.
8 Reasons for a Group Trip
#01 – Experience more together and share experiences
You experience more together and the experiences are even better when you can share them with your new friends from the group. The travelers usually have similar interests, so you quickly make new friends. And sometimes these persist even after returning home.
#02 – A good mix
How well the group harmonizes also depends on the right mix. The more colorful and diverse the better! Depending on the tour operator, it may even be an international group, the tour language is then English. This is how you get to know travelers from all over the world. In addition, single travelers, couples and friends also travel in a group, so that you also feel comfortable when you are traveling solo. And in my experience, a good mix is also ideal for the age of the travelers.
#03 – No extra costs for solo travelers
Many tour operators offer half double rooms. Then you share the room with a traveler of the same sex, the expensive single room surcharges do not apply. A fair thing I think. And if you want to have the room to yourself, you can of course book this for an additional charge.
#04 – Convenience in organization
I admit I’m a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to planning and organizing a trip. That’s why I drive myself crazy before a trip, go through one travel guide after the next and try to plan far too many sights in too short a time. I’m all the more relaxed when I know that everything is already arranged for a group trip. I don’t have to worry about transport from A to B, I don’t have to look where I’m staying and I only need to find out in advance which tour itinerary or tour operator suits me best.
#05 – Freedom to Explore
The day is not planned from morning to night on all group trips. The highlights of a country are often an integral part of a tour, but there is still time for optional activities and for your own discoveries. Of course, you can also stroll around the market longer and shop extensively, sit comfortably in a café or enjoy the beach. Or you can team up with your new friends and embark on a tour of discovery.
#06 – The Tour Guide – Your friend and helper
He/she not only imparts knowledge about the destination country and the culture, but is also the contact person for all questions and aches and pains and enriches your trip immensely. He/She chats out of the box, reports on experiences, translates, gives you local insider tips, helps you if you need a doctor or a pharmacy or even with immigration formalities, visa extensions, etc. And the tour guide travels with his group, is part of the group and celebrate with us.
#07 – Security
Be it an accident, strike, natural disaster or unrest – it can always happen that something unforeseen happens and your trip cannot go as planned. The route may then be changed or another means of transport chosen – you are in good hands anyway. And your loved ones at home also have a contact they can turn to.
#08 – Special experiences
Many group trips also include experiences that are difficult to enjoy alone. The tour operators organize experiences that are very special and that you will remember fondly, such as an Arabic storyteller and henna painting over the rooftops of Fez, a ox-cart ride through a Cambodian village, a pisco-mixing class in Peru’s Nazca or an introduction to date harvesting in a palm grove in Egypt.
