When deciding to travel to a foreign location, you can choose to either do it solo or as a member of a travel group. Unlike a solo trip in which you will be all alone by yourself, you will get the chance of befriending some exciting new people when doing a group travel. And below, we look at seven important things you should keep in mind when you travel with a group.
- Experienced Tour Guide
You should ensure that you only join a travel group that is managed by a well-experienced tour guide. Traveling with a group is not easy. One has to look after many things like multiple visa requirements, hotel bookings, setting up transportation for several people, and so on. Only an experienced tour guide like Furthest Frontiers Expeditions which has managed several group travels in the past will be able to do all these in a smooth manner. Having an inexperienced tour guide can create a lot of issues which can eventually make the trip itself very stressful.
- Be Friendly with Everyone
Since you will be spending a few days or weeks with strangers, why not become friends with them? Meet them, introduce yourself and get to know about each and every member of the group. Never isolate yourself from the group. That is literally the worst thing you can do. Others might feel snubbed and may decide to ignore you. And this can make your entire trip a bitter, unpleasant experience. In contrast, if you mingle with everyone and get to know each other, then the journey is guaranteed to be fun and exciting.
- Decide As A Group
A travel group will inevitably face situations when an important decision has to be made. Maybe you will have to decide which places to visit and which to avoid, or maybe it can be related to which hotel to eat food from. Making such decisions can be difficult since everyone will have their own preferences and opinions. And this can even lead to a fallout between different group members. As such, make sure that you are only a part of a group where important decisions are taken using a majority vote. This should maintain the order in the group and prevent the members from fighting over individual preferences.
- Pack Lightly
As far as packing is concerned, it is better to pack light when traveling in a group. When you are travelling alone, you will have your own room in a hotel. But as a member of a group, you will likely be sharing rooms with two or more people. As such, there will be limitations to how much luggage you can keep in the room. If you bring too many bags, then the room can become congested. And this can be an inconvenience for others in the room. So, only pack minimally.
- Set the Roles Clearly
Be very clear about the role of each person in the group. Maybe someone is tasked with handling the finances while another person might be tasked with arranging transportation. A person who is good at photography can be tasked with taking pictures of the group. By letting everyone know their role, traveling in a group becomes easier. If you don’t decide the roles clearly, then there will be confusion among members of the group, and they might start blaming each other for any inconveniences.
- Open Yourself Up To New Experiences
Be sure to open yourself to new experience while traveling. Remember that you are going to a new place. Only by experiencing the local culture and understanding their customs can you fully appreciate the place you are visiting. So, if the group wants to head over to a local wedding, then don’t avoid it to laze around in your room. Instead, join the group and attend the marriage. You will surely come back with a great experience that you might cherish for long.
- Have Patience
Finally, be very patient with regard to the members of the group. You should not expect every single member of the group to be very sweet and charming. That is a very unrealistic look at life. Understand that some people might be very friendly with you while others might be standoffish. Have the patience to deal with everyone in a nice way without flaring up a confrontation. Just stick together with the people who are nicest to you and let others be themselves. This will help to avoid any possible conflict with the members and make sure that you have a great trip.
Love traveling.
