Travel is something that can be enjoyed by any age group. Many people choose to travel within their own borders and explore the country they were born in and others like to fly further afield. Gap year students often explore South America or Southeast Asia before heading to Australia to look for work.
Regardless of where you fly off to, it is often more enjoyable to travel with others. Traveling alone has many benefits but when you are with someone else you get to share experiences and witness beautiful locations together.
Here are some of the reasons that traveling in a group is beneficial and a few things to avoid.
Saving money
Traveling together in a group can often be less expensive than traveling solo. This is because as a group you may be able to get discounts on activities and tours for one thing. If you decide to rent accommodation then you can cook together instead of paying out for restaurants. Food shopping for a group is cheaper than a solo traveler once divided up.
Shared experiences
You don’t need to be going on a year-long journey to see amazing places. Two weeks traveling in your own country will mean that you visit places you have never seen before. Solo travel can be lonely unless you take steps to avoid it. Seeing some incredible scenery or have a great experience and then having no one to share it with can be disappointing. Talking about the great day trekking you had after the event over dinner is a big part of the experience. Reliving favorite moments with your fellow travelers is fun and you can’t do this if you are traveling alone.
Private hire car
There are no two ways about this, some countries have terrible roads and transport. Local buses with no suspension bouncing around on pot-holed roads might be part of the travel ‘experience’ but it gets old quite quickly. As does sitting in bus stations for an hour because the driver refuses to leave until he sells that last seat. Renting a private car has advantages but you could also just hire private minivans as you need them.
Because you are traveling in numbers you can hire your own private minivan. It might cost twice the price of a ticket each but if you are only talking about $4 then paying out the extra to have your own van might make sense. Instead of 15 people crammed into a minibus, you now have just your group and the driver leaves when you want and stops where you want.
Sharing hotel rooms and spaces
Another area that you can save money is by sharing space. A three-person room works out cheaper per guest than a single room for one. Also, you could rent a camping space. Campsites rent pitches.
As a group, you might be able to negotiate rent on an area of land. Use an area converter to work out how much space you need for your group in your preferred measurement and then speak to the campsite owners for a price. Groups are more likely to be able to work out a discount and pay for a piece of land than a single camper could.
With larger numbers you have safety
Another benefit of traveling together is safety. Traveling overseas comes with its own dangers and perils as you will visit areas you are unfamiliar with. It is easy to work down the wrong street at night but as a group, you will be unlikely to attract the same unwanted attention as a solo traveler would. Planning is a good idea and Travel Aware has advice on solo and group safety.
Planning is difficult
So, unfortunately, there are some negatives to group travel. Planning everything and getting everyone on board can be time-consuming and difficult. Everyone will have their own ideas of what to do, so some concessions need to be made. It is best to remember that you don’t always have to be together and splitting up sometimes can be a good way to get a breather.
Some other ways to improve group travel
To make the most of the traveling together and avoid pitfalls you could appoint a team leader who will organize the itinerary, book activities, and pool money for entry fees, buses, etc if everyone can agree to this.
Booking restaurants ahead of time with OpenTable is a great way to avoid disappointment at finding a restaurant is full plus it saves the headache of deciding where to go each night if you can do it in advance.
Summary
Although there are some downsides to group travel there are many more benefits. Saving money means you can use it for fun activities and souvenirs instead of spending it on hotel rooms. Sharing space means safety and again a cash saving. Generally, group travel is a way that you can bond with your friends or family over the experiences you share and the places you visit.
We are happy to present this collaborative post to offer valuable information to our readers.
