Alone on the open road. Just me and my thoughts. Operating on my own schedule. Arriving and leaving as I please. Creating my own itinerary. Eating meals where and when I want to. That was my preferred travel experience. There were a few times though when I relied on group travel or joined agency tours. These three travel options balance flexibility and lower costs (solo) versus security and an expert leading your trip (group, tour). Solo, group, and traveling with a tour each have their advantages and disadvantages and it’s important to consider all factors when deciding between each form of travel.
As an independent traveler, I found that solo travel provided the best opportunities for discovery. I am an early riser who can sleep on a plane or a train and hit the ground running upon arrival. I like visiting out of the way locations and neighborhoods. I like visiting places that other people aren’t interested in. Sometimes I’m rewarded. Sometimes there’s a reason why people don’t go to the places that no one ever visits. I have no regrets about visiting an out of the way place and having it be horrible. But I would feel bad if I convinced someone else to tag along with me to that horrible place.
Traveling solo requires more planning but provides the flexibility to shift and quickly move on to the next area. If you pop into a restaurant and don’t like the menu, move to the next place. Keep moving until you find a place you like. Certain countries are more difficult to travel through than others (I’m thinking of India when I write this—India always seems to be the exception) and in certain scenarios it’s nice having one other person with you when you travel. You can split taxi costs to/from the airport or when hiring a driver for the day.
I relied on group travel when nature activities were involved and/or there were difficulties in physically traveling from point A to point B. With group travel you meet other travelers from around the world—usually Canadians, English, and Australians. Group travel provides a safety aspect which is why the times I traveled with a group was when I was hiking in remote areas. Alternatively, you could begin the hike solo, find other solo travelers, and form a group as you go. In a certain respect group, hiking in mountainous areas defies the concept of hiking to get away from it all. I was hiking in the Himalayas and instead of breathing fresh air, was breathing the dust kicked up from the people walking in front of me. Then there’s the rain in Patagonia. There’s nothing worse than trudging through pouring rain in a pack of twenty people. In these situations, I learned to walk far behind (if it’s dusty) or far in the front (if it’s raining), which helped to create a feeling that I was alone on the path. There were also times when I skipped a group meal in favor of a more intimate dining experience to maintain a semblance of independent travel.
If you are a fan of group travel and have always joined tour groups during your previous travels, that type of travel is not compatible with around the world travel because of the high costs. Conservatively group travel doubles the cost of an activity even if you join a low-cost group through Intrepid, Gap, or similar service providers.
I'll do a group travel plug for Dragoman, a company I enjoyed using, which specializes in overland travel. Dragoman drives you from Point A to Point B in remote areas where it's not as simple as hopping on a bus to your next destination because…there are no buses. If you are traveling overland across the Silk Road or Western Africa or Patagonia, Dragoman offers a compelling value proposition. Their higher cost (versus solo travel) is recouped with not waiting for buses and hiring private drivers to take you to remote locations. They also have great itineraries. Even when I didn’t use Dragoman, I consulted their website for travel ideas and routes because they listed interesting places to stop to break up long drives. They selected spots that if you are traveling city to city you wouldn’t otherwise see.
My deciding factor on travel type came down to time and safety. If I thought I was saving time or if I thought I needed the security of a group and guides, I went with group travel.
Guided tours are typically cheaper to purchase on arrival. If you are purchasing in advance, you are typically booking through companies such as Intrepid or Gap, who are acting as an agent and arranging your trip with local guides. You could book directly with local guides on arrival and save 50-75%. Booking an Everest Base Camp trek through Intrepid will cost about $2,000, then you arrive in Kathmandu and see the same trek for $750. If you are short on time or adhering to a schedule, you’ll probably need to book in advance. If not, you could save money and book the trip when you arrive. Booking on arrival also helps more of the money stay with the locals.
In my past experiences, tourist agency led travel has always been a clear “No” for me. The one time I traveled through an agency during my travels was on a Three Gorges cruise along the Yangtze, where there was not an independent travel option. Other than a German couple and their daughter, it was me and 300 Chinese, so it still checked the box as a distinct cultural experience. I boarded the boat, entered my room (which as a solo traveler I shared with a Chinese traveler), and I heard a man playing an erhu as his wife sang Chinese opera on the balcony of the room next door. One night there was a talent show featuring the passengers. Another night was for games. Watching the Chinese tourist was as memorable as passing through the Three Gorges.
My views on agency travel have shifted over time and I think there's no bad way to travel. The people being herded through The Hermitage have no better or worse experience than the person running through it solo like a madman. I’m at a point where I’m even considering going on a Caribbean cruise.
The biggest drawback to agency travel is that the high costs may dissuade people from traveling. When people think it’s expensive to travel, it’s primarily because of the sticker shock associated with agency travel. Agency travel to Paris costs $4,000, yet if you plan and take the same trip yourself, it would cost $1,500. Much of the world is easier to navigate and move around than the U.S., thus having a trip planned for you doesn't remove the hassle of getting around because there's not much hassle.
I never felt lonely while traveling around the world solo. I’ve never felt lonely at any point while experiencing life solo. Ultimately your personality may determine whether you travel alone or find a companion or two to travel with around a country. If you are the sort of person who doesn’t want to find people to travel with, you won’t, and if you are the sort of person who wants to find people to travel with, you will.
Traveling solo requires more planning but provides the flexibility to shift and quickly move on to the next area. If you pop into a restaurant and don’t like the menu, move to the next place. Keep moving until you find a place you like. Certain countries are more difficult to travel through than others (I’m thinking of India when I write this—India always seems to be the exception) and in certain scenarios it’s nice having one other person with you when you travel. You can split taxi costs to/from the airport or when hiring a driver for the day.
I relied on group travel when nature activities were involved and/or there were difficulties in physically traveling from point A to point B. With group travel you meet other travelers from around the world—usually Canadians, English, and Australians. Group travel provides a safety aspect which is why the times I traveled with a group was when I was hiking in remote areas. Alternatively, you could begin the hike solo, find other solo travelers, and form a group as you go. In a certain respect group, hiking in mountainous areas defies the concept of hiking to get away from it all. I was hiking in the Himalayas and instead of breathing fresh air, was breathing the dust kicked up from the people walking in front of me. Then there’s the rain in Patagonia. There’s nothing worse than trudging through pouring rain in a pack of twenty people. In these situations, I learned to walk far behind (if it’s dusty) or far in the front (if it’s raining), which helped to create a feeling that I was alone on the path. There were also times when I skipped a group meal in favor of a more intimate dining experience to maintain a semblance of independent travel.
If you are a fan of group travel and have always joined tour groups during your previous travels, that type of travel is not compatible with around the world travel because of the high costs. Conservatively group travel doubles the cost of an activity even if you join a low-cost group through Intrepid, Gap, or similar service providers.
I'll do a group travel plug for Dragoman, a company I enjoyed using, which specializes in overland travel. Dragoman drives you from Point A to Point B in remote areas where it's not as simple as hopping on a bus to your next destination because…there are no buses. If you are traveling overland across the Silk Road or Western Africa or Patagonia, Dragoman offers a compelling value proposition. Their higher cost (versus solo travel) is recouped with not waiting for buses and hiring private drivers to take you to remote locations. They also have great itineraries. Even when I didn’t use Dragoman, I consulted their website for travel ideas and routes because they listed interesting places to stop to break up long drives. They selected spots that if you are traveling city to city you wouldn’t otherwise see.
My deciding factor on travel type came down to time and safety. If I thought I was saving time or if I thought I needed the security of a group and guides, I went with group travel.
Guided tours are typically cheaper to purchase on arrival. If you are purchasing in advance, you are typically booking through companies such as Intrepid or Gap, who are acting as an agent and arranging your trip with local guides. You could book directly with local guides on arrival and save 50-75%. Booking an Everest Base Camp trek through Intrepid will cost about $2,000, then you arrive in Kathmandu and see the same trek for $750. If you are short on time or adhering to a schedule, you’ll probably need to book in advance. If not, you could save money and book the trip when you arrive. Booking on arrival also helps more of the money stay with the locals.
In my past experiences, tourist agency led travel has always been a clear “No” for me. The one time I traveled through an agency during my travels was on a Three Gorges cruise along the Yangtze, where there was not an independent travel option. Other than a German couple and their daughter, it was me and 300 Chinese, so it still checked the box as a distinct cultural experience. I boarded the boat, entered my room (which as a solo traveler I shared with a Chinese traveler), and I heard a man playing an erhu as his wife sang Chinese opera on the balcony of the room next door. One night there was a talent show featuring the passengers. Another night was for games. Watching the Chinese tourist was as memorable as passing through the Three Gorges.
My views on agency travel have shifted over time and I think there's no bad way to travel. The people being herded through The Hermitage have no better or worse experience than the person running through it solo like a madman. I’m at a point where I’m even considering going on a Caribbean cruise.
The biggest drawback to agency travel is that the high costs may dissuade people from traveling. When people think it’s expensive to travel, it’s primarily because of the sticker shock associated with agency travel. Agency travel to Paris costs $4,000, yet if you plan and take the same trip yourself, it would cost $1,500. Much of the world is easier to navigate and move around than the U.S., thus having a trip planned for you doesn't remove the hassle of getting around because there's not much hassle.
I never felt lonely while traveling around the world solo. I’ve never felt lonely at any point while experiencing life solo. Ultimately your personality may determine whether you travel alone or find a companion or two to travel with around a country. If you are the sort of person who doesn’t want to find people to travel with, you won’t, and if you are the sort of person who wants to find people to travel with, you will.