Pro Tips: How to Choose Between Group Travel and Solo Travel

Don’t be fooled by the title of this post. I’m no pro. When I first started my international travel I was only 23, and the only foreign country I’d ever been to was Mexico. Which doesn’t really count, since at the time I’d just sold out to have the all-inclusive resort “experience.”

I always felt the desire to travel abroad but I let life responsibilities get in my way – play sports in college to stay out of debt, graduate early to jumpstart your career, start building your savings account to buy a house.

After a year and a half of true “adulting,” I finally decided to look up for a second and catch my breath. Here I was trying to fast-forward through life’s big steps as a young twenty something. Shouldn’t I gain some actual life experience first? “See the world” before trying to conquer it? So right then and there I decided it was time to put my money where my heart was – I was going to book a trip.

I gathered all my co-dependent courage and texted an old college teammate of mine. She was a teacher, like me, and together we had the perfect schedule. An entire summer in which we could jet off to Europe for three weeks and not miss a thing. So how did we go about this? It started with a google search.

“Trips to Europe”

Fair warning – Google this phrase and your laptop will soon be overloaded with flights, hotel packages, and “best deals.” If you ask me, it’s just a lot of noise that can be extremely overwhelming. 

Let’s try again …

“Trips to Europe for first time travellers”

Much better. It was through a bit of research that I just happened to stumble across an excellent company that seemed like the real deal. EF Ultimate Break. They provide travel experiences in groups of all ages – educational trips for students, recreational trips for young adults, and even sightseeing trips for older adults. It seemed simple enough, so we booked. And thank God we did. 

As a first time foreign traveller with little to no experience, and a lot of anxiety about going it alone or messing something up – group travel is the way to go. 

I’ve compiled a list of all the best parts of group travel:

• They plan everything for you!
  • All you have to do is pick your destination(s) and pay up! They have experts whose job it is to plan every aspect of your vacation.
  • EF Ultimate included all transportation, all lodging, monument tours, and offered excursion packages for an extra cost, many of which were well worth it. You won’t get stuck with a sketchy Airbnb, or struggle with airline issues – if there’s a problem, EF will find you a solution so you don’t have to stress. 
• Tour Guides
  • Each trip is assigned a tour director that travels with the group for the duration of the vacation. Think of your guide as the best hotel concierge you’ve ever met, on steroids. 
  • The EF guides are AMAZING! They’re incredibly fun, kind, and helpful. They are often fluent in the language of the countries to which you travel and extremely well versed in the culture. They’ve been to those cities many times so they know all the best tips for transportation, dives, and local spots. They’re literally there to help you with anything you need. Our tour director was the greatest, and made everything about our trip easy and enjoyable. (Shoutout to the best guide, Gigi!)
• Safety
  • If you’re anything like me, safety is of the utmost importance when travelling. I ALWAYS felt safe while doing group travel. You’re usually surrounded by your group and your tour director is there if you need anything.
• Socializing
  • If you want to travel the world but can’t find anyone to take the plunge with you – group travel is the best possible solution. I made friends incredibly quickly on my trip with EF, and one of them I still travel with to this day! It’s an excellent way to meet new people and create connections that last.

While group travel was an amazing first experience for me…I wanted to keep it just that, a first experience. There were a lot of benefits to using a travel service for a trip abroad, but like everything, it came with drawbacks as well. 

Here’s some things to consider when deciding on group travel:

• Cost
  • The company takes care of all the details for you, but you pay the price. If you’re looking to travel on more of a budget, group travel isn’t necessarily for you.
• Socializing
  • Wait, wasn’t this on the pros list? It was great to connect with some awesome, like-minded people while participating in group travel, but there’s always going to be people you won’t vibe with. In my case, I didn’t vibe with the party girls who were prioritizing shots over sights. You’re able to separate and do your own thing, but sometimes it’s just unavoidable.
• Freedom
  • Planning your own trip gives you the freedom to create your dream vacation. You can make your own itinerary and add or drop things from it at your leisure! You aren’t on anyone’s schedule but your own.
• Adventure
  • If you’re looking for a truly authentic travel experience – plan it yourself. While it was nice to know there was always easy transportation set up for me while I roamed through Italy and Greece, there’s nothing like the memories I have of trying to navigate round-abouts on the left side of the road in Ireland, struggling through cold showers in my overrated Airbnb, taking a two hour detour to visit a Donkey Sanctuary, or getting lost (literally) in Connemara National Park for hours. Getting to explore completely on your own (or in my case with two best friends) creates unforgettable memories that long withstand any others. 

I’m obviously no expert, but I believe it all boils down to what you’re willing to spend and invest in. Weigh your options: Cost effective or reduced stress? Go with the group or roll solo? It’s all about what makes the most sense for you when picking your travel accommodations. 

But, here’s the good news – no matter which route you choose for your journey abroad, it’s sure to be a remarkable experience. One that you’ll never regret.