Travelling for the first time, or the first time solo, can be pretty daunting, so opting for travelling around in a small, organised group can be a great way to explore a new destination without the stress of having to plan everything yourself.
You’ve spent hours looking at destinations, reading reviews, and selecting your small group operator. You’ve packed up your backpack and can barely lift it. You’re ready to roll. But there’s a gnawing sense of uncertainty. What will the people be like? Will I enjoy myself? Is this the type of travel for me? All very normal questions to ask.
So, here’s what to expect from small group travel from someone who’s done it a few times…
Not Everyone Is Travelling Solo
Even if you’re travelling alone, don’t be mistaken into thinking that everyone else is coming alone. I’ve met friends travelling together, couples on anniversaries, people who’ve met each other on other travels, and of course, plenty of solo travellers, but don’t be surprised if some people know each other already.
Think about it, it can be scary travelling alone, so if someone you know wants to do the same kind of travel, then it makes sense and can make things cheaper when you’re on the road. The misconception is that if you travel with other people, you won’t meet as many new people – in a small group, this definitely isn’t true. You’re with the same group for the duration of your trip, so you get really familiar pretty quickly.
It’s Going To Be International
Every small group I’ve been on has been a melting pot of nationalities. I’m British, and I’ve met Germans, Dutch, French, Italians, Australians, Kiwis, South Africans, Americans, the list goes on. It’s a great opportunity to scope out different cultures, ask them about where they’re from for potential future trips, and check out where they’ve travelled, because it’s probably going to be different.
Even if your group is mostly people from your country, that’s a cool way of finding out about different parts of your country and making friends that you can visit on future adventures. In the past, I’ve had people I’ve met from small group trips stay with me, and I’ve shown them around where I live, and I’ve stayed with other people and gotten destination tips on where’s best to check out next.
Get Comfortable & Be Yourself
Look, after a few trips, I know I definitely have my “traveller bio” down – those couple of lines you say when you meet another traveller in a hostel or bar. It’s your basic: who are you, where are you from, where are you going, who are you with. But when you’re travelling consistently with the same group of people, you don’t need to be this basic. You’re going to spend a lot of downtime with these people; if it’s a multi-stop tour, that’s a lot of bus days. You definitely get to know who you’re travelling with, so there’s no point not being yourself.
When you’re tired after a long travel day and can’t find an affordable place to eat, your true colours are going to show anyway. Be yourself, otherwise you’re going to spend so much time and energy pretending that you’re going to miss all the amazing stuff going on around you.
No One Likes A Diva
If you’re the kind of person who needs your own space, king-size beds and someone to carry your bags, then unless you’re on some kind of luxury package, small group travel probably isn’t going to be for you. You’re sharing rooms with people you don’t know, you’re setting up camps, and you’ve got specific times that the bus wants to leave. If you’re a diva about these kinds of things, it’s going to annoy your fellow travellers very quickly.
No one likes the person who is last on the bus when you’ve been up early and ready to go for twenty minutes. No one likes the person who brings a giant suitcase and refuses to carry it to the room or get it out of the van. No one likes the person who rolls into the shared room every night at 4am when there’s a 6am leave time. Don’t be that person.
Make Sure You Know What You Want To See Or Do
When you’re in a group and making friends, the instinct is to stick together on excursions or when you’re exploring a new place. That’s great, there’s nothing wrong with that, but make sure you’re doing what you want to do. Chances are, you’ve spent a fair bit of money on this trip, so not getting to see that one thing you were really excited about or missing out on doing a specific excursion because you want to stay with the group, is not ideal.
Before you go, make a list of the top five things that are must-sees or must-dos for you, and try not to compromise on these. There’s a reason you’re choosing to visit this country or city in particular, so make sure you get to do what you are there for. Who knows, someone else in the group might want to check it out with you. It’s small group travel, but at the end of the day is your trip, do it your way.
Don’t do the maths
By and large, on a small group tour, you’re paying a premium for convenience and security. You’re not having to think about the logistics; you have guides, and everything is taken care of. It’s not going to be as cheap as if you did it yourself, unless you’re somewhere really remote or doing niche activities.
On one long bus ride, a few of us worked out the cost of a trip where most of the time, the accommodation was camping. It was not a fun realisation to see how much we were paying for convenience, social aspects, and security versus travelling solo.
Small group travel is a great way to explore the world if you’re not quite ready to brave it completely alone yet, or if you want something more specialist. The small group trips I’ve chosen to go on have predominantly been tours with 5+ stops in a short amount of time, so the organised element took all the timetabling stress out of it all. I’ve also been on small group trips to learn how to surf and to practice yoga. This made it much cheaper and more convenient than booking hostels, transport, and lessons separately. There are loads of reasons to pick small group travel for your next adventure, and now you know what to expect, it’s time to start Googling…
