Travel: Do I group trip or go it solo?

When you get that itch to pack your bags and go see the world, it can be hard to daydream about anything else. But one of the first and most important decisions you make when planning a trip will be whether you want to have a solo adventure or join a group trip. Both have clear upsides and downsides, I have done both many a time; so here I will outline the basics strengths and weaknesses to help you decide to go on a group trip, or try your hand traveling solo

Money

The cost of a prospective trip will always be one of your biggest factors in what you do and where you can go. Image: Wix.com

Travel is expensive, and the impact of a trip on your wallet will always be one of the most significant choices you make on where it is you go and what it is that you do. There is no point flying halfway around the world only to get there and have no money left to do anything you planned to do (unless you want to try beg-packing, which I would advise against in the strongest possible terms). An advantage of going it alone means that you are in control of what you spend and how (to an extent...). Not bothered by fancy hotels or efficient transport? That's a quick buck saved there. If you only want to pass through a notoriously expensive city instead of staying the night, the money saved from a tourist trap hostel could easily pay for a few cheap meals in a less exorbitant place. I have generally found planning your own trips at your own pace to be much cheaper than doing an equivalent trip in the same region. A few years ago I backpacked around the Western Balkans for two and a half weeks for around £1500 all in (flights included), while an equivalent budget trip that went to the same cities would have cost be in excess of £2000 before flights, meals and any other additional spends. The flip-side of this is that when on a guided trip your expenses are much easier to control, as long as you can budget well and don't set your heart on eating Michelin starred meals every night you can keep costs down as the biggest expenses (transport, accommodation, guides) will be included in the trip price. All decent tour operators will give you a rough breakdown of what is included and what isn't on their website which allows you to budget accordingly. Having said all this; I have also been on group tours that I simply could not believe the price, and would have really struggled to do cheaper myself. One craftily booked Intrepid trip to India set me back a mere £450, but covered an unforgettable 22 days of in depth and authentic travel.

Social

Friends made while traveling can last a lifetime- Image: Max Story

Going solo on a trip can get quite lonely. Never staying in one place for more than a few nights and many miles away from home will lead to the inevitable mid-trip wobble, riddled with homesickness. But those of a more extroverted disposition who crave that human connection abroad who go alone are not condemned to solitude. Hostels are a great and really cheap way of meeting new friends abroad. Often filled with like-minded travellers on a budget, conversations over unpacking your bag at your bunk can very quickly lead to going for a few drinks together, and undoubtedly bumping into a friendly face the following day. I have spent many a night whiling away the time over a beer in a hostel bar with the eclectic group that happen to be staying there that night. On a group trip however it is a little more straightforward, there is very little risk you you ever being too lonely as you will be bunched with a large group of other travellers for the duration of the trip. the people on your trip can honestly make or break it; I have made some fantastic friends on the trip who I keep on contact with and meet up with too this day, but a fringe weirdo can make the trip that bit more exciting or terrify you (Bunking with a Kiwi conspiracy theorist around Nepal certainly gives you something to write home about). The size on group trips varies by the operator, so make sure to check all the information before booking. My intrepid to India had only five of us, while my Contiki around Europe grew to a whopping 35 at one point! In short it is considerably easier to make friends and be social on group trips, but by no means impossible and just a rewarding to do it when you go alone.

Itinerary and planning

Planning your next trip is a labour of love, but a labour nonetheless. Image: Max Story

If you are anything like me, planning the trip is almost half the fun. figuring out transport and dates, trying to squeeze every ounce of spare time you can into a location and figuring out the budget to make it all happen. This is probably why I enjoy solo travelling so much; what you actually end up doing is a reward for your own forward planning. The other major upside of this is your own freedom; you can have a proper adventure at your own risk. Not too fussed about a certain city? Skip it altogether. The downside of this is that often things can take much longer, and you are left at the whims of (often slightly dodgy) local transport. One advantage of a group trip is that they will transport you everywhere that is on your itinerary (as long as you don't sleep in...). Not only is this often quicker, but you can save on having to cash out on private transport yourself if you want to visit sights en route, as it can often be very difficult to reach places that are out of the way, even if between two destinations, without spending a whole day travelling there and back. The downside to this is that you will only go where it is already on your itinerary. While there is nothing stopping you from spending an extra day or two before or after your trip to get your own personal sightseeing in, or spending your allotted free time to venture outwards, it can become a little restricting, especially if there are certain places or activities on your bucket list that are not included in the trip itself. Different tour operators will offer different types of trips: Contiki are geared more towards the party crowd, with their trips often becoming very boozy, while Exodus caters for those who want to hike, bike or kayak around their chosen destinations. Obviously, there are also different levels of service offered by most major tour companies, which will become apparent when you see the price tag on each trip. I prefer to go for the lower-end ones. Not only am I more likely to be spending time with other shoestring travellers my own age (Some trips enforce a maximum age limit as well), but I also enjoy the freedom and extra spare time they provide. If you prefer slightly boujee-er hotels, more comfortable transport, and more inclusions, and also don't mind paying (often quite a lot) more, then a higher-end trip would be for you. However, I think it all comes down to is a total sense of adventure, and while that is certainly not lost on a group trip, there is nothing that can compare to going your own way and having a true adventure on your own.

Sustainability and local impact

You should always consider your impact on the environment and the communities you are visiting. Image: Max Story

Travel can allow you to connect deeply with local places, and you visiting certain places can make a big impact to the local people and economy. I always try to make sure that as much of the money I spend goes to the local communities, which is not as simple as it may seem. Websites such as GetYourGuide and Viator may be really handy for finding activities and day trips, but they often take a large portion of the sale price to themselves, which can jack up the prices and leave local guides and drivers with less money than their time is worth. When travelling alone, I always try to book with local hotels (not international chains) and guides directly via their website, which is often cheaper and you know exactly where your money is going too. This is also a priority for many tour operators: Intrepid Travel operate the Intrepid foundation, where money from each booking is invested in the communities you visit, while G Adventures gives a ripple score to most of their trips, and an indication of how much of the money you spend will go to and stay in local communities. Both of the above also have solid climate pledges as well as detailed information on how they plan to reduce their emissions and how much carbon is generated per-trip, something that is very hard to do when going alone. Many group tours will also take pride in allowing you to spend time with those who are in need. On my intrepid trip to India, they took us to a cafe run by acid attack survivors, and in Morocco, our guide led us to a women's association teahouse. There is nothing stopping you from doing any of this yourself, but it is helpful to have a guide there who can ensure that the money is going to the right place and isn't exploitative poorism.

Closing thoughts

Well, what should you do? Start putting pen to paper and planning your own dream itinerary or leave the work to the experts and put down a deposit for a trip? Ultimately, that is up to you and what you prefer. I have always loved doing both, but it can really depend on the destination. Somewhere like India or China can be daunting to travel alone and having a guide with you can be a massive help, but you do lose that sense of adventure. To use an example, on my first visit to Morocco, I went on my own, wandering the souks solo and taking buses to the coast or the desert was an exhilarating experience and despite still travelling on the road well trodden, I felt like a modern-day adventurer. But on my second trip I booked a tour with Intrepid, and I can honestly say that I got so much more out of my time the second time around. With a guide to aid us and a driver ready to leave whenever we were packed up was a supremely efficient way of doing it, but I would not trade the memories or the experience of either of those trips for the world.

This post is in no way on behalf of, sponsored by, or at all affiliated with any of the companies mentioned in the text above.

No generative AI was used in the creation of this post.

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