Hey, it's Ernest from Trip Astute. In this video, we're exploring whether it's worth
traveling on an organized group tour or just traveling on your own.
(light chiming music)
Traveling to unknown places can be a difficult and scary experience,
especially if you're traveling on your own. A question that I'm often asked is
whether it's worth paying for an organized group tour. The answer is,
unfortunately, it depends. I've done both so I thought I'd share my thoughts on
both approaches. First off, if you're new here, I want to welcome you to our
channel. Trip Astute is a travel channel that is focused on sharing ways to make
travel easier, affordable, and more enjoyable. Traveling can be stressful and
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through travel tips, points and miles, and innovative gear. If that sounds
interesting to you, please consider subscribing. When talking about group vs.
solo travel, I know a lot of people who are passionate about this subject. In
fact, a friend of mine claims she would never pay for a group tour since it costs
too much money and she would rather organize her own itinerary. I totally get
that perspective, but on the other hand, I've had some incredible experiences
while an organized group tours, and I honestly feel like I saw and experienced
more when I had a local guide and other travelers to share the experience. Also,
if you're wondering what I mean when I say organized group tour, I mean a tour
company and service that is more than a day. So I'm not actually talking about a
tour that you might take for a day to see a few attractions. These are
generally multi-day trips where you travel, eat, and stay with a group of
fellow travelers and a local tour guide. A couple examples are G Adventures and
Intrepid which operate tours all over the world.
I've actually used G Adventures twice, once in Panama and once in Southeast Asia, and
I'd say both were amazing experiences. So, let's talk about the advantages of
traveling solo. Number 1: Freedom. Obviously, you're in charge of your own
itinerary and schedule. If you want to sleep in on a certain day, then you can
do it. If you'd rather see certain attractions over others, you have
complete control over where you go and what you do.
Number 2: Self-development. Traveling solo can be challenging at times,
especially when there are language barriers and mistakes. However, those are also
opportunities to grow as a person. I remember being anxious the first time
I traveled overseas on my own, but I feel like being out of my comfort zone was a
good thing and helped me to develop as a person. Some of you might recall that
part of the Trip Astute creed is that traveling is like an education that
helps you grow as a person and is an experience that can never be taken away.
I truly believe that the experiences during travel, both good and bad, have
really helped shaped my views and perspectives. Number 3: Ability to
leverage points. One thing that this community will appreciate is the ability
to use your points to book hotels and flights. This is often not possible when
you're traveling on a group tour and the hotel fees are built-in as they have
arrangements with the specific local hotels.
I still have managed to use my points to book my flights at the beginning and end
of the tour, but any travel that occurred during a tour was just part of the total
fee. So what about the cons? There are definitely some drawbacks to traveling
solo. Number 1: Safety. I think the biggest issue when traveling alone is
safety. I hear horror stories all the time of
people walking through the wrong parts of town only to get mugged or
pickpocketed. You're especially vulnerable when you get off the beaten
path, which I like to do since I dislike being around tourists all the time. But
it's something to consider if you're travelling on your own. Number
2: Logistics. Getting from one location to another can be confusing, especially
if you're in locations where there isn't strong infrastructure. Crossing
land borders can be very intimidating and confusing, and you sometimes have to
deal with corrupt officials. Having a group tour organize logistics can make
the process so much easier. Number 3: Loneliness. This is actually a big one.
When you're traveling solo, you'll often be eating meals alone and really
spending a lot of time with yourself. While that's not a horrible thing, it is
something to consider when booking a solo trip. You'll often meet others but
it can be isolating to travel on your own. So what about traveling as a group?
Well, there are definitely some advantages and disadvantages. Let's start
with the advantages. Number 1: Sharing experiences with others. When you travel
with a group, you're going to have the dynamic of experiencing things with
other people. There is something to be said about sharing memories and
experiences with people, and living with them over a period of time. I
know I've made some great friendships over the years when traveling in a group,
and I still keep in touch with many of them. Number 2: Local expertise. When you
travel in a group tour, you'll often have a guide with local expertise and
language skills. This is helpful for so many reasons. I remember when I visited
Panama a few years ago on a group tour, our guide warned us whenever we were
vulnerable to any scams. It was nice having that extra expertise and also
support whenever there was a communication issue. In fact, I arrived a
day early in Thailand before joining my tour in 2016 and was nearly scammed by a
tuk-tuk driver when leaving one of the temples, so it definitely happens!
Number 3: Pre-planned itineraries. Group travel means that you don't have
to plan anything. The tour will often plan out your schedule. You might not
want to wake up at 4 a.m. in the morning to go visit the temples of Angkor Wat in
Cambodia, but guess what, your entire group is scheduled to do it and you have
to be downstairs by 4:15. I know that might sound terrible,
but seeing the sunrise at Angkor Wat was an incredible experience, and honestly,
when I think back at my group travel experiences, I appreciate the fact that
we had a full schedule of activities. In a way, it forces you to see more and take
advantage of your surroundings. Number 4: Greater security. There's no denying
that there is safety in numbers. When you're in a group, you're less likely to
get targeted and you always have each other to depend on. So group travel
sounds great, right? Well there are a few cons. Number 1: Drama. It's inevitable
that there will be some personality conflicts in your group. I've never been
on a group travel tour where there wasn't an argument or some kind of
dramatic situation. I think it's kind of funny, but just know that it's part of
the experience. Number 2: Lack of control. When you travel in a group,
you definitely have less ability to do your own thing. Most group tours give you
the option to opt out of certain activities or meals, but if you're going
to another city or location, there is no option. You have to be on the bus or else
everyone your group will be looking for you. Number 3: Less privacy.
This is also an inevitable consequence of traveling on a group tour. There are
ways to still have some privacy. For example, when I traveled to Southeast Asia
on a G Adventures tour, I opted to have my own private hotel room and paid a little
extra. I was traveling with a younger group so I figured that there was going
to be a lot of late nights and partying. Since I'm in my late 30s, I figured I
might want to catch up on my sleep at night and have more peace and quiet in
my hotel room. Yeah, I know, I'm old! Cost for either option is difficult to
measure. On the one hand, you could argue that doing it all yourself is cheaper.
However, in my experience, I don't know that that's always the case. When I look back
at some of my trips, it would have been expensive to hire a driver to take me
to all the places that we visited during the tour. In fact, because the group tours
have arrangements with local drivers and guides, it seemed like we often had our
own private transportation. In terms of recommendations, I think the biggest
reason to go solo is if you're going somewhere where you don't plan to move
around. For example, if you're going to Costa Rica and you're planning to just
hang out near the jungle surrounding the volcano in Arenal, you could probably do
it on your own very easily. But if you want to see more of the country,
including the cloud forests of Monte Verde or the ocean city of Guanacaste,
then it might make more sense to join a tour. That way, you don't have to worry
about the logistics of getting from one place to another. Plus, you'll share the
experience with others and make some great friends along the way. If you're
interested in traveling on an organized group tour,
I do recommend G Adventures and Intrepid. My understanding is that Intrepid tends
to attract a lot of Australian travelers, while G Adventures, which is based in
Canada, attracts more European and North American travelers. There are other
organized travel companies out there, but if you're just starting out, these are
two that I would recommend. What do you all think about traveling solo versus
with an organized group? Do you prefer one over the other? Please share your
experience below. If you enjoyed this video or found it useful, please give us
a thumbs up and consider sharing our video with others who might benefit from
our content. Until next time, travel safe and travel smart.