Solo Travel vs Group Travel: The Pros and Cons

Are you struggling with deciding whether to travel alone or on a group tour? Kickstart your adventure by learning more about the pros and cons of solo travel vs group travel.

Over the past 30 or so years I have travelled in many different ways.

I have worked abroad, travelled with a partner, with an elderly parent, with a friend or with a group of friends and travelled alone. In recent years, on over a dozen occasions, I have eschewed solo travel for group travel on an organised tour.

Each of these styles of travel has its pros and cons, and it is impossible to state definitively which is the best. As with most things in life, it’s all about what’s right for you, based on your experiences and your personal preferences and priorities.

But wouldn’t it be better if you could make that decision armed with more information?

Whether you are planning to travel alone for the first time, or are a veteran solo traveller, make the right choice for you. Here are the key advantages and disadvantages of group travel and solo travel.  

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Solo Travel vs Group Travel: What are the Differences?

Let’s start by taking a look at what I mean by solo travel and group travel.

Solo Travel vs Group Travel: My Experiences

My experience as a solo traveller

I first jumped on the solo travel stagecoach way back in 1989 with an extended trip to the Middle East. After a spell picking lots of apples on a kibbutz in Northern Israel, I tentatively spread my wings a little further and went over the border into Egypt.

A well-worn cliché, I know, but over 30 years and many more countries later, I have never looked back.  

My experience with group tours

I confess that I was more than a little bit wary about joining my first group tour.

The turning point came in 2004 when I was planning my first trip to India. Driven by a desire to see as much as possible in a short time frame, I started to look at group travel for the first time.

My first group tour was with the now-defunct Bales Worldwide to India’s Golden Triangle. This was affordable luxury travel with a comfortable air-conditioned coach to whisk us from one 5-star hotel to the next.

Subsequent group tours have been more modest, largely travelling with Explore and Exodus Travels and, for the most part, great experiences.

The Advantages of Group Tours

1. It takes the pain out of organising

I know that some people love planning a trip, and this first stage may be an important part of the overall experience. But for others, it can be an utter pain and a time suck.

Let someone else do the hard work for you and just show up at the airport for your flight.  

2. It can be time-efficient

When I was working in a 9 to 5 job, this was the greatest advantage of group travel for me.

As your transport and transfers are taken care of, you can hit the ground running.  You don’t need to spend time arranging transport from A to B. Also, group tour itineraries are smart about how they use transport from one hotel to the next by including sights en route.

In a nutshell, you get to cover larger distances and see more things, in a shorter space of time. This can be invaluable if you have limited time to explore an area.

Tour groups can also queue jump at attractions as they get their own entrances. Some even offer earlier entrances to beat the crowds.  

3. Your itinerary will be assembled by those in the know

Tour companies employ country or area experts to advise on itineraries and then usually source the tours from operators in that country. Therefore, you can be reasonably confident that the ‘must-see’ sights will be included.

If I am travelling independently, I cheekily often check our tour group itineraries to get a sense of what might work.

Of course, this means that you will be treading the same well-worn path as others and there may be little opportunity to veer off the tourist trail. But let’s face it: would you really visit Barcelona and not see La Sagrada Família, or leave Guatemala before exploring the delights of Antigua?  

4. You will get valuable information about the country, its people and its culture

Tour leaders can be a deep mine of information.

Increasingly, group tours are led by locals who will be able to provide the cultural insight that you won’t be able to get from a guidebook or the web.

Tour leaders vary in their quality.

Some are excellent and give you just enough information at just the right time. With others, there is the danger of information overload, but at least you will be well informed.  

5. The tour operator will sort things out if things go wrong

This is especially important when it comes to complex itineraries.

A solo trip to Argentina involved five domestic flights over 16 days. If one of these flights had been cancelled, my arrangements would have collapsed like a house of cards.

By way of a more recent example, the coronavirus pandemic forced me to curtail a train tour of Japan. With my home flight cancelled and precious few alternative options available, seeking a way out of the country resulted in a few more grey hairs, whilst also teaching me some valuable travel lessons!

Contrast this with a small tour group I chatted to at the airport. Whilst they also had to cut short their holiday, the tour operator took care of all of the arrangements for them.

I confess that I was more than a little bit envious.

Also if you are unlucky enough to fall ill whilst away, your tour leader should be able to provide assistance.  

>>> TAKE A LOOK AT GROUP TOURS FROM EXPLORE WORLDWIDE HERE

6. It may save you money

I say ‘may’ because this is pro of group travel is a little contentious.

Tour operators get exclusive group discounts on room rates that will not be available to you as an independent traveller. But perhaps more importantly, single occupancy of a room is often available for a reasonable supplement.

And to save more cash, many companies will pair you up with a suitable roommate if you don’t mind sharing. This can be a bit of a lottery though.

Group tour operators are waking up to the fact that solo travellers are a growing and potentially lucrative market. As a response, many are offering single supplements for a modest price or have abolished this on selected tours.

7. You will have ready-made travelling companions

Loneliness and not being able to share the moment are two of the biggest drawbacks to solo travel. But with group travel, you get instant companionship on the road.

It’s a peculiar thing. Bonds form quickly and often more intensively than in ‘real-life’, and those you have known for only a matter of a few weeks can feel like old friends.

Saying goodbye at the end of the group tour can be a real wrench, and a type of separation anxiety can contribute to post-travel depression. However, on the flip side, some of these relationships can persist once back on home soil.

Group dynamics are always interesting.

I have had fantastic groups where everyone bonded and there was no one you wouldn’t want to sit next to at dinner (always a good yardstick for me). Conversely, I have been on a few group tours where one or more individuals have made it difficult for others at times.

The makeup of your group is beyond anyone’s control. Just make sure that pain-in-the-neck isn’t you.

8. There’s safety in numbers

If you are anxious about your personal safety when travelling alone, the security of a group tour may be the answer for you. In addition to the support of the tour leader, the group members do tend to look out for each other.  

READ THIS NEXT: 17 Essential Safety Tips for Travelling Alone

9. Independent travel may not be a viable option

The visa conditions of a few countries stipulate that you must be escorted at all times. Therefore, unless a private guided tour is a viable option, a group tour may be the only way forward.

For example, I visited Libya and Iran on a group tour for this reason.

Another reason for considering a group tour is if the country’s tourism infrastructure is immature. This shouldn’t stop you from visiting the country independently, but this may be more challenging on the ground and incur more expense.  

10. You will not be as reliant on limited language skills

This isn’t a deal-breaker. I have travelled around South America with very little Spanish and through the Middle East with only five words of Arabic.

However, at times, this was challenging.

If you are anxious that your limited language skills will be a barrier to having a great trip then it is worth considering a group tour.   

So, those are ten good reasons for travelling as a group. But now let’s look at the disadvantages of group travel.  

The Disadvantages of Group Travel

1. You cannot choose when and where your travel

Although group tour operators offer time-efficient, tried & tested itineraries they may not necessarily tick all the boxes for you.

The travel dates and timespan may also not be a good fit. Or you might want to spend more time in one location and skip one stop completely.

The beauty of solo travel is that you are in complete control of when and where you travel.

2. You lose freedom and independence

Some people love a strict itinerary, and an exacting schedule does force you into an early start each day (sometimes a very early start). However, this isn’t for everyone.

Travelling independently, you can choose to have a lie-in or a lazy day if you wish. Or perhaps you fancy a few days without a fixed agenda?

No problem. You can just go where your mood takes you.

Or, if like me, maybe you want to spend longer capturing images of places you have visited? No need to rush those holiday photographs. You have the freedom to wait for exactly the right moment.

Maybe this is when the light is right or when that pesky tour group has moved out of shot.  

3. You cannot move at your own pace

Make no mistake; tour groups can move slowly.  Much like a convoy of trucks, they are only as fast as the slowest member. That can be frustrating when you just want to get a move on.

However, it can work the opposite way.

Maybe you want to slowly absorb what you are seeing and the group is racing ahead? It can be frustrating to arrive at a place that you have long wanted to visit, only to be told that you have half an hour to take a look at it

4. You cannot choose your own accommodation

With most tour groups you have no control over the choice of hotel.  Also, many don’t reveal where you will be staying until just prior to departure.

On escorted tour trips I have stayed in ‘city centre’ hotels that were miles from the main attractions, and in mosquito-ridden fleapits.

My days of staying in grungy hotels are behind me and, as a flashpacker, I now look for a decent bed to sleep in.  Although I have stayed in some fabulous hotels with tour groups – take a bow Sri Lanka  – this is not a guarantee.  

5. It may cost more

Hang about, you are thinking. Didn’t I just say that a tour group can save you money?

Well, it depends on the circumstances.

It would be naïve to think that the cost of a tour leader and local guides, as well as operational profit, isn’t built into the cost of a group tour. Therefore, group tours can work out to be more expensive.

My advice is to compare how much it would cost you to follow a similar itinerary independently.  

6. You sacrifice privacy and the opportunity to be alone

If you value your own space, you may struggle with group travel.

Examine the schedule. If it is a packed one, then opportunities for solitude and reflection will be limited.  

7. You may have to put up with difficult travelling companions

Group travel requires tolerance, and when you travel with a group there may be someone who you wouldn’t choose to spend time with under different circumstances. At best this can make things awkward, at worst it makes the experience an unenjoyable one.  

8. You may not be able to get under the skin of a country

There is nothing like navigating around a country to allow you to get to know it. Also solo travel forces you to talk to locals more than you would on a group tour.

Reflecting on places I have been to on a group tour, I feel that whilst the tour leader fed us lots of information, my understanding of the country and its people was relatively superficial.  

9. You lose the opportunity for self-determination

For me, self-determination is one of the most important reasons for solo travel.

Navigating unfamiliar cultures in unfamiliar territories is a real confidence booster. This sense of achievement can be a transformative process, not only at the time but spilling over into other areas of your life on your return home.

Stepping out of your comfort zone can force you to do things you might never have contemplated before.  

>>> Be inspired to book your first solo trip with these motivational quotes about solo travel or these fabulous books about travelling alone.

Choosing a Group Tour

Group travel is a thriving market.

Multiple operators offer an enormous and evolving range of tours that cater to a range of travel styles and budgets. Ultimately, which group tour operator you go with t will depend on your personal preferences and priorities.

But to help you decide what might be the right group tour for you, let’s take a look at the factors that you should consider, and I’ll also share my favourite small group travel companies.

What to look for in a group tour

Cost
Decide on a budget and stick to it. Check if everything is included in the baseline price and if the quality of accommodation and transport is in keeping with this force.

Group size
Do you really want to be part of a coach-load of 50 people?

I look for a group size of between eight and 16 people. Fewer than eight people and the impact of a difficult person in the group is magnified. More than 18 or so and it becomes unwieldy and more difficult to get to know people.

Group demographics
Is the group tour aimed at those in their 20s or towards older people or retirees? I am a single traveller in my 50s and whilst I like to meet people of all ages when I am away, I have to grudgingly accept that I am likely to find more common ground with those of a similar vintage.

Standard of accommodation
My days of staying in tents and hostels are behind me. Been there, got the t-shirt.
Nowadays, I am looking for more comfortable accommodation. This comes with a higher price tag attached but so be it.

Use of local guides
Trust me; your tour guide can make or break a trip. In my experience, local guides are the best. 

Availability of a single room
On a group tour, you can avoid paying a single supplement by sharing a room with a fellow traveller of the same sex. If this isn’t for you, choose a company that will offer single rooms for a small premium.

The best group travel companies

From personal experience, two of the best small group tour companies are Explore and Exodus Travels. I have travelled with them around a dozen times.

Both of these operators sell thoughtful and well-balanced itineraries across the globe. They cater to similar markets and some of their itineraries are also strikingly similar.

>>> FIND OUT WHAT OTHER TRAVELLERS ARE SAYING ABOUT EXPLORE HERE AND ABOUT EXODUS HERE

EXPLORE WORLDWIDE: KEY FACTS

• Established in 1981
• Group size: 6 – 20 people. The average group size is 12.
• Age demographics:  Explore’s group tours attract travellers of all ages. On those that I have joined, ages ranged from 30- somethings to those in their 60s. 
• Local guide on all tours
• Commitment to sustainable travel and having a positive impact on local communities. The company’s main focus is climate change.
• Trips are classified by pace: full-on, moderate, relaxed
• Accommodation graded as simple, comfortable or premium

EXODUS TRAVELS: KEY FACTS

• Established in 1974
• Group size:  6 – 20 people
• Age demographics: Exodus’s group tours attract travellers of all ages. Like Explore, the age range of fellow travellers was from 30 to 60+.
• Local guide on all tours
• Commitment to sustainable travel and having a positive impact on local communities
• Premium holidays allow you to discover the world from a more comfortable base each evening
• Online departure lounge forum to get to know fellow travellers before leaving home

READ THIS NEXT: The Best Group Travel Companies for Single Travellers