It’s the age-old debate… Solo or group travel? Which one should I choose?
Last year, I decided it was finally time for a proper “hot girl summer,” so I went travelling across South East Asia, Bali and Australia. It was something I’d wanted to do for ages but I just didn’t have the confidence to go by myself.
After visiting Cambodia with my family the year before, I knew I needed to see more of the world and get out of my comfort zone. I thought, I’m 27, I’ve got no mortgage tying me down, and life’s too short to wait. So, instead of saving for a house deposit (sorry, mum!) I used that money to travel instead.
I had done a tiny bit of solo travel before - a summer camp in America. But flying completely alone to Asia felt terrifying. Where do you even start? How do you plan a trip by yourself? I’m literally too scared to phone the doctors… How do I book the overnight train? What if I get stopped at customs? My stress levels were through the roof. But luckily for me, I found the perfect solution… Group Travel!
What Is Group Travel?
Group travel is a totally different vibe to solo travel. You join a tour where pretty much everything is organised for you - airport pick up, transfers, accommodation, and usually most meals! Most costs are paid upfront, so your only job is to show up, bring some spending money and enjoy the trip!
My first group tour was in Thailand, I remember arriving in Bangkok airport with my 28kg overweight suitcase ready for an adventure! As soon as I arrived in the arrivals hall, I was met with the nicest guide who was super excited to meet me. Already, I felt super safe and relaxed.
On the first night, we had a lovely group dinner and met our new travel group, all 20 of us. We went through the itinerary for the whole trip and how we would get from A-B. As a nervous traveler, this was so reassuring that everything was sorted and I didn't need to worry about anything!
On the Thailand group tour, I experienced some amazing things that I wouldn’t have had the confidence to do by myself. Including: Scuba diving and quad biking through the jungle. This is something that I always wanted to do but didn’t want to go by myself. My favourite memory was diving and spotting whale sharks in the distance - a truly MAGICAL moment!
So what made me choose a group tour?
- Zero stress: airport pickups, buses, and transfers were all sorted for me. I didn’t have to figure out how to get from Bangkok to Phuket or from Ubud to Seminyak. We had a private minibus with A/C and an amazing local guide and driver who made sure we got from A-B smoothly.
- Luxury (not hostels!): I’m really not a hostel person - I just can’t imagine sharing a dorm with 8 other people snoring all night! so staying in comfy hotels and boutique villas felt like a little slice of heaven. It was great because you got to still share with others in the group and it felt like a sleepover every night and you got added extra luxuries such as: laundry, pools, swim up bars and more!
- Instant friends: Traveling alone can be lonely and scary, but on a group tour, you are bound to make friends. I met some of my closest friends on my Thailand tour and to this day, we still hang out! I never felt lonely on the group tours, I always had someone to talk to and it was so easy to make friends.
- Local experiences made easy: Group tours tend to include some really unique local experiences you might not find on your own! Like hidden temples, meeting locals, hidden street food tours, or even building your own lantern! The local guides know all the history facts, local food places and when traveling solo, you miss out on this part. The local guides definitely made the trip feel more special with their facts and knowledge of the less touristy places.
What Is Solo Travel?
Solo travel is just you, yourself, and your backpack (or suitcase, we don’t judge here!). You set your schedule, decide how long to stay in each place and meet people along the way. You control your trip, the way you want it. Want to sleep in for three days? Go for it. Eat noodles at 3 a.m.? No one’s stopping you. But all that freedom comes with lots of planning headaches, and sometimes a lot of moments where you just want someone else to make the choice for you!
My First Solo Trip
I was 25 when I did my first solo trip. I decided to get out of the UK and into the sun- I arrived in Denpensar and booked what I thought was a ‘gorgeous boutique hotel with infinity pool’ . It turned out to be a sketchy hotel with an ice cold plunge pool right next to the reception desk - Literally gobsmacked… that' s when it hit me… I budget traveled a bit too hard. I don’t know what I expected for £20 a night though. I felt unsafe and nervous, being in an area I didn’t know, surrounded by a language I didn’t understand. I checked out immediately and booked into a local hostel which was just so overwhelming and it was a 20 bed dorm… no thank you! I found it quite difficult to plan my days. I thought hostels were full of friendly people but literally most people in my hostel room just slept all day. Like hello you’re in Bali!!! Go explore! I just felt a bit lost and wasn’t really confident enough to go out and do things by myself. I also didn’t want to rent a bike in Bali because it is literally like Mario Kart on the roads. I soon found out that without transport, it was pretty hard to get around Bali and I was literally stuck in Canggu. I soon realised that maybe solo travel wasn’t for me.
I decided to spontaneously book onto a last minute Bali group tour. We were put in a really nice hotel and it actually had an infinity pool! On the first night, we went through the itinerary - it included everything I wanted to do including the Monkey forest, Mt Batur hike, temples and so much more! Everything I wanted to do but was not sure how to do it. I’d looked at private tours to these places but they were about £190 per tour! Which soon adds up. I knew that on this guided tour, I would get to experience everything and not have to worry about how to get there.
So which one should I choose?
Whilst solo travel does have its perks, it’s not for everyone. That’s why with a Camp trip, you get the best of both worlds. You get the enjoyment of a group trip but also get lots of free time to go out and explore on your own too but all of the stressy stuff is sorted for you!
If you’re torn between going solo or joining a group - here’s my honest take: solo travel gives you total freedom to go wherever you want and do whatever you want. But group travel makes exploring a new place way easier, less stressy, and more social - you don’t have the stress of trying to book all your hotels and transport and you know that everything is booked and sorted for you. (and that you won’t end up in a sketchy hotel in the middle of Canggu like I did!) Whether you want to explore temples and feed elephants in Thailand, sip coconuts and surf waves in Bali, paint lanterns and eat street food in Vietnam, or immerse yourself in the history of Cambodia, there’s a Camp Trip to suit everyone!
So if you can’t decide where to start - or just don’t want the stress of planning it all - a Camp tour might just be your answer! - Get in touch with one of our Travel Experts today to start planning your dream trip…