Do you travel often? or at least have that get away once a year? How do you travel? within a group or solo? What are the perks of traveling in a group or solo?
Why do we travel? Why do we need to travel? What are our reasons? Why would be subject ourselves to repugnant trips, spend sleepless nights on bus rides? Is it worth it to try those new unsettling cuisines? Why do we choose to experience a tiresome activity whilst others subject themselves to somewhere less safe or hostile places? Why do we need all this fiasco?
These questions are too simple and are easy to answer right? We travel because it is part of our system, it runs in our blood. We can’t wait to give in to the demands of the carefree and restless desire of the itchy footed adrenaline to go somewhere and do something that totally new. To get a break from technology, get the well-deserved relaxation and peace of mind by breaking away from the daily life routine.
Well, I do believe that everything we do needs a purpose and so is traveling. Everyone of us wanted to travel and no matter what our reasons might be, it is a very personal story that is worth the risks and the sacrifices. Each of our reasons for traveling are guaranteed to be different from others. For me, I travel because there is no other way to exist. It helped me open my eyes, learn more about myself and become more open-minded. Travel gives us better perspective through meeting different people from other cultures. It challenges us, helps us move forward, teaches us, gives us a sense of accomplishment and help proves that dreams do really come true!
How would you enjoy your travels? Do you prefer to do it in large groups? Small groups? Or Solo?
No matter how you are going to do your travels, whatever reasons you have by doing it that way have corresponding pros and cons. For instance, traveling in large groups on foreign land can be less expensive as you will be sharing with everything from accommodation, transportation and food. Traveling solo has definitely the most favorable when you’re going to have no definite plan of your itinerary. There are perks of traveling in small groups too that are a bit different from traveling solo or in large groups.
The following are few of the perks of traveling in small groups:
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Culture Immersion
One of the perks of traveling in small group is to get to see the things the locals do. It is really humbling that you will get to witness how they experience life, how they go out and cook and go on with their daily lives. You can just easily slip in and try to blend in and behave as they do.
However, with the bigger group, you can’t really slip in that easily. It’s really hard for large group to intermingle with the locals but in small groups, everything will become easily accessible and manageable.
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Being one with the locals
Another perk of traveling in small group is getting a quality time to spend with the locals. When traveling in small group, you can just couch surf or have a home-stay. When in large group, it is really hard and nearly impossible to do that thus accommodations will usually be at hotels, resorts and the likes. However, when with small group, living with the locals and spending time with them is really an exhilarating experience and you will get a bit more connected to them as they will become like your extended family.
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Small group brings peace of mind and convenience
It doesn’t mean that traveling with large groups will be inconvenient and gruesome but traveling in small group really mean a little better. When in small group, you could get access to places that you couldn’t do in bigger groups like eating in small restaurants, chilling in small yet cozy coffee shops. When in large groups, you always consider if the place can accommodate all especially when finding some place to eat. Being in large groups means going to big restaurants or places wherein these places are more designed for tourists which means the food are a bit expensive.
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Accessibility and Travel like locals
Another significant perk of traveling in small group is the privilege to travel as locals do. For example, in remote places that there is a limited mode of transportation like motorbikes, traveling in small groups can just be done with 4 – 6 motorbikes.
When traveling in small group, you can just creep in and out silently to any place than arriving in a massive and huge bus when traveling in large group. It opens the opportunities to have access to places that would be impractical for a larger group.
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Less impact on the places you visited
Traveling in small group can cause lesser impact to the place of interest visited.
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Self-Awareness
Being in a small group gives an opportunity to have enough time to oneself. You seemed to be more aware of yourself and so you tried to blend in a little bit more.
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Quality time with your companions
It can’t be denied that having quality time with your companion is one of the perks of traveling in small groups. When you’re in small group, you’ll get a lot of time to interact more with each one of the group compared to the interaction you will be having when being in larger ones. It does not go with saying that when in larger group, everyone couldn’t get to know each other or get to have time with each other, but it simply means everyone can’t really interact with each other along the journey or at least have a reasonable time to interact with each other.
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Opportunity for new Friendships
Traveling in larger group would sometimes limit each individual to interact with fellow travelers. The chances are slim on meeting other like-minded travelers when being with a larger group. However, when being in a small group, the chances of finding and meeting new friends along the journey is very likely that could be one of those who will last for a lifetime.
For me, these things listed above are the perks of traveling in small groups. Have you been into travel with larger groups? Or Travel Solo? Can you cite some advantages?
So, that’s my list about the perks of traveling in small groups! Do you have anything to add on the list? Let us talk about it and write it down on the comments section below. Happy travels!
