Travelling with a friend or a small group has its pros and cons. Depending on the type of company you keep, it can be an exciting and rewarding moment, or one filled with grief and regret. Avid travellers will tell you that it is not always safe to travel alone. With so many cheaper ways to travel, more travellers can now afford to travel with friends or a small group.
When you are planning your tours, you have to keep in mind the pros and cons that would be highlighted below to help you make a better decision. Ultimately, the experience you would get will depend on the size and type of friends or group you tag along with.
Pros
There is a saying that it is always better to start from the good before heading to the bad. On this premise, let us look at some of the advantages that come with group travel.
"A friendship built on the premise of shared interests tends to last longer."
You Don’t Get To Do All The Planning
Planning a trip can be overwhelming -which could be even worse if it is an international trip you are thinking of. When you travel with friends or a small group, you will have some hands that will assist you in planning. There is a saying: “two heads are better than one”. When you plan with friends or a small group, you will be able to cover more ground in terms of researching your destination. Better research always leads to better experience. Responsibility is also shared. Instead of handling the bulk of the work, you will only handle a sizeable chunk of it which is less overwhelming.
Reduced Cost Of Travel
Obviously, responsibility and cost will be shared among everyone involved, unless you are the one sponsoring the entire trip. Travel agencies and hotels often offer special discounts to a group which is not available to solo travelers. It is clearly cheaper to share a room with a friend than to have all the cost of it to yourself.
A Feeling Of Safety
Cultural shock accompanied by anxiety or even outright fear is a common phenomenon with travelers. The first challenge you may likely encounter is that of loneliness considering that you are bound to encounter a location where there are not any English speakers. When you have a trusted friend by your side, there is an air of safety that hovers around you. Irrespective of the predominant language of your host nation, you will always have someone to talk to and keep you company. This also explains why it is paramount to travel with like minds.
You Explore More Ground
When you travel with a friend or a small group, there is a tendency that you would not spend most of your time in your hotel room, unlike when you travel alone. The larger the party, the higher the tendency of getting a tour guide. A tour guide is usually a local who is familiar with the terrain. In this case, you will spend less time wandering. You get to see more exciting places. Some of these benefits are not available to solo travelers.
Expanding Your Friend List
When you travel with a small group, you may only know a little about them. But along the journey, you will have a chance of becoming closer to them due to shared interests and responsibility in new circumstances. A friendship built on the premise of shared interests tends to last longer.
Cons
There is no option you make in life that doesn’t come with a good and bad side. Traveling with a friend or a small group has its downsides too.
"Simple matters easily turn complex and increase frustration."
Loss Of Privacy
Having a shared roommate can bring down costs but also increase irritation. The diversity of opinions makes it more difficult to arrive at a conclusion. Simple matters easily turn complex and increase frustration.
Watered Down Experience
Sticking to a friend or your small group during a trip can water down your experience. You lose the urge to interact more with the locals and even trying to learn their language. There is often no challenge to force you to be more than what you are.
Things May Not Always Go The Way You Want
Group activity always favors the majority. You might have interesting ideas in your head but if the majority doesn’t see through your perspective, your plans may just remain plans.
Traveling is a transformative experience and an experience everyone should have once in their lifetime. Sharing the adventure with friends and loved ones can be exciting but you must decide what you really want and strike the balance.