Travel has been an integral part of my life since I was 18 years old. It started with a high school graduation trip through the Mediterranean with a former teacher (and friend) who organized an itinerary through EF tours. It was one of the most eye opening experiences of my life (and really an indicator as to how culturally illiterate I was in 2004).It didn’t take long before I realized travel was something that I wanted to do for the rest of my life and absorb as much culture as I could, but I always wondered what would’ve happened if I decided to travel on my own (or with a small group of friends, rather than 30 some odd classmates). It’s a debate between people that I have met along the way, how different the experience is between taking a tour and going about it on your own. I’ve done both and I can tell you that they each have their Pros & Cons. So let’s explore the differences between the two.

Before we start I should distinguish what I mean when I refer to “Group Tours” versus “Independent Travel.” Group tours will refer to any trip that has a longer itinerary, so a trip where a tour company has planned the accommodation and transportation over a period of time, you’re with a group of people and are being led by a guide who takes care of things on behalf of the company.

Independent travel refers to a lack of a “tour company” setting up a trip itinerary for you.

Group Tours:

The Convenience

Why go through the stresses of planning a trip when you can have someone else do it for you? Tours have always been the most convenient way to travel because most things are already built into the program. Don’t know what to do when you’re in a new city? chances are your tour already has some ideas for you (plus you pay for things in advance for easier budgeting).

Most travelers understand the anxiety that builds up just before a trip, tours help to alleviate that anxiety because you’re less worried about things like arranging transportation of accommodation.

Tour Guides

A lot of people think that a tour guide is some old lady with an umbrella herding groups of clueless people through a city. While that may be true in some cases, the person in charge of your tour is so much more than a babysitter.

They are tasked with ensuring your experience is the best it can be as well as organizing all the logistical things that you would stress about. More importantly, the tour guide usually has a wealth of knowledge of the places you are going. Imagine having a sentient travel resource with you all the time, I’ve often had the most memorable experiences because of a great tour guide. On a less glamorous note, if you have any problems, you have someone there at all times to help you get through it all.

Variety in a short period of Time

If you look at most tour itineraries, you end up seeing a lot of things in a short period of time. Many people can only travel for a couple of weeks at the most, on a tour they can feasibly go through 3 or 4 countries (or more) without having to worry about securing transportation(in unfamiliar locations most of the time). Combine that with the resource you have in your tour operator and you could have some excellent experiences in a myriad of cities & countries.

The bond you create with the people you travel with

Whether you’re on a tour that is 6 people or 30, you’re experiencing some life changing moments with somebody. It’s funny how time distorts when you travel, because there is a point where you feel like you’ve known somebody all your life because of the shared experiences. A sense of camaraderie is usually built (to some degree) with the people you are traveling with, I’ve found that people within the tour group tend to look out for one another. I’ve met some of my best friends because we were in the same tours together. There’s also the convenience of having people around you when something happens, minor or major. It’s almost like a built in support group (and in some cases, a source for ibuprofen or Imodium if you forget to pack it).

Tours aren’t nearly as stuffy as people assume

We all understand the inherit romance of seeing the world with just your backpack and a sense of adventure. It’s not nearly as glorious to say that you had a company plan things for you and help you, but the reality is these tours aren’t nearly as strict as people make them out to be. Group tours operate for your enjoyment and are meant to create a framework for your experience, so you should never feel the need to participate in anything that you don’t want to. You can even choose your style of travel with some of these companies, want to save some money and camp most of the time? you totally can. Options are great, and you will get plenty.

Two companies that I’ve enjoyed using in the past: G Adventures & Intrepid travel, who are said to be “small group adventure travel” companies. Every time I’ve used either company the groups have not been bigger than 10 people and we’ve always used local transportation whether it be a converted school bus or a shared van.

Independent Travel:

You’re Independent! (duh)

Don’t want to deal with the same faces everyday? don’t want to comply with others quirks? you don’t have to! You can really just up and go at your own pace & leisure (friends & travel companions may protest) without having to deal with set times & appointments scheduled by someone who isn’t you. Of course if you’re traveling with people, it is different, but you & your group are only limited to your own plans. Think of the freedom of being able to do things on your own time, want to stay in the city for an extra night? Do it. Tour groups have set the travel schedule for you, so you’re off to the next city when the schedule dictates.

Absolute Control over your spending

There are plenty of tours that a very fairly priced for what you get, but what if you’re cool with staying in more remedial accommodations to save a couple bucks a night? Maybe the added cost of a day tour is not something you want to spend your money on. The potential for traveling on a shoestring budget is a lot more feasible if you control ALL of your money and activities (so long as you have impulse control). There are plenty of free things to do in most cities and it’s not hard to find information on it.

When I was in Santiago Chile, I took two different walking tours with “Tours 4 Tips,” a company that runs daily city tours that don’t have a set cost (but you should tip the guide generously, don’t be stingy). Tours usually have you staying in hotels and sometimes using private transportation, that all adds up to costs that you may not want to incur when you’re cool with staying in hostel and taking a public bus. If you’re staying in a hostel or couch surfing, more times than not there is kitchen access for you to save some money on food, you’re not going to be able to make anything too complicated (hostel kitchen appliances are not that good) but you can really stretch your dollar at the local markets.

Modern technology has made it easier than ever

With things like Wi-fi & smart phones, you have resources at your fingertips at almost anytime. With popular travel apps & websites out there that can pretty much plan your trips for you, you’ve got wealth of knowledge that extends past lonely planet guide books & travel brochures. You can connect with an international community that can share it’s vast and endless amounts of knowledge with you for no cost a lot of the time. Sometimes this takes some time from your trip because the research falls on you, but the resource is invaluable. With that being said, talking with a human rather than a screen will always be something that I prefer because sometimes it’s hard to phrase your questions (if you don’t know what to ask a search engine, you can’t really SHOW it what you’re talking about). Just to flex your modern technology power, I suggest you listen to the Zero To Travel Podcast, more specifically this episode called “Travel Grab Bag” where several traveler bloggers talk about their favorite travel apps (among other things). If you’re in a podcast mood, check out Extra Pack of Peanuts also, both of them are excellent resources.

By the way, if you’re looking for the best cell carrier for international travel, T-mobile is pretty damn good.

The people you meet along the way

I’ve found that when I’m on tours I tend to be less sociable with people outside the group because I’m not forced to interact with random travelers. I’ve met some of the best people from around the world because I just happen to be eating in a hostel’s common room, imagine the possibilities for life changing experiences with people you’ll never forget because you just happen to be there. It makes for one hell of a story. The guys in the picture I met when I was in Chile, We met because we happen to take the same free city walking tour. There really is no “best way” to travel, you just have to do it and find what’s best for you. I’ve had points in time where solo travel was better for me and vice versa so you should just explore the possibilities. I know it sound like a cop out, but how you get there really doesn’t matter, so long as you get there. It’s a big world friends, you deserve to experience it.

-Vy

P.S. no matter what you do, get travel insurance. Seriously.

Here are some links to some tour companies that may interest you:

Tour Companies

G Adventures: a small group adventures travel company. An excellent company to fit your style whether you’re looking for a comfortable trip or something on a shoestring.

Intrepid: another small group adventure travel company, I did a Spain/Portugal/Morocco trip trough them and it was excellent.

EF college break: For large tour groups ages 18-28, I used them my earlier years in college and met some great people.

Topdeck: for 18 – 30 somethings, some good variety in terms of trips. The groups tend to be bigger from what I’ve seen and they’ve got some great festival tours.

Contiki: I’ve never been on a Contiki tour before, but from my interactions with people who have been on them (and their website) it is really seems about the comforts of home while traveling with 18 – 30 somethings. I think it may be one of the pricier tour groups on the list as well

Resources:

HostelWorld: Hostel world is the largest hostel booking site in the world, and what I use to book most of my accommodations

CouchSurfing: Stay with local hosts, save a little money, and join a global community

AirBnB: Another resource for accommodations where you can rent out people’s houses or rooms

Hotels.com: collect 10 nights and get 1 free? hell yes!

TripIt: send all your travel confirmations and this will organize it all for you into a master itinerary

TripAdvisor: They are not without their own controversies, but you can find some good things here.

Lonely Planet: My favorite guidebooks

Fodors: another great resource

Get Lost! Amsterdam: I know it’s pretty specific, but I LOVE this guidebook to Amsterdam. It’s where I learned that “Stoned as a shrimp” was an actual phrase

World Nomads: Travel insurance! seriously, make sure you get it.

Podcasts

Extra Pack of Peanuts: Travis & his wife Heather are a pleasure to listen to and also an amazing resource to travel hacking and using airline miles.

Zero To Travel: The first travel podcast I listened to, Jason Moore is quite inspiring.

The Travelers: Nathaniel just revamped his podcast (it used to be the Daily Travel Podcast) and his website is great.

Amateur Traveler: I just started listening, but it’s destination specific episodes are excellent!

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