Single Travellers Benefit Greatly by Joining a Small Group
People balk at the idea of solo travel, and for good reason. Heading off on your own into the great unknown can be downright scary. We’re all familiar with stereotypical travel promotions: couples on the beach hand in hand, romantic dinners al fresco, groups of friends, family fun and the story continues, with rarely a thought given to the intrepid soloist. We think it’s time to make the case for the unsung, singular pleasures of solo travel.
For sure there can be unique challenges venturing solo; budgeting for additional costs, keeping yourself safe and secure and the challenge of meeting new people and making new friends, to name a few. But don’t despair there are many strategies to offset the downside and reap the life-changing benefits that come with solo travel.
Here are just a few underappreciated advantages with going solo. You’ll be able to create your very own personal trip- an itinerary tailored to you, without compromise. Being able to create a trip you’ve dreamed of without worrying whether it’s right for someone else is a huge, often overlooked plus. Venturing on your own, you’ll have more opportunity to meet other travelers and connect with local people and appreciate the culture and customs. Solo travel gives you an opportunity to reset, renew and recharge your life. You’ll return home with new experiences and perspectives to share with partners, family and friends and gain a new appreciation for the people who are most important in your life. A successful solo trip can be incredibly liberating. You’ll develop self-reliance, confidence in yourself and realize you can have an amazing time on solo adventures.
As travel professionals, we’re well experienced with tried and true strategies when traveling on your own. First and foremost, especially if you’re new at this, start slow! Great trips start with great planning, give yourself plenty time to research best times of year, where to stay and how to move around. Consider signing on with an experienced tour operator, especially if you’re thinking of remote or more adventurous destinations. They’ll have tons of resources and insights and will also help you plan your transfers and any independent travel you want to top up your trip. An advantage of this approach is you have the safety and camaraderie of a group with experienced leaders but also your own time to do what you want, as you please. We recommend group trips that are active, learning new skills and accomplishing goals. We see time and again how new friendships are forged when sharing these kinds of experiences. When choosing trips, we find the sweet spot for groups is in the 10-20 size range - enough people to have a variety to hang out with, yet not too many to overwhelm the experience. It will probably cost a little more, but do inquire into options for your own room and don’t be afraid to ask for details of the make-up of the group before signing up. Also work with your tour operator to help with setting up a portion of your trip outside of their group offering.
If you’re considering venturing out on your own for your next trip, check out these options with Island Expeditions, a top Belize adventure travel operator:
Glover's Reef & Maya Mountains
