Convinced that group travel isn’t for you? That’s why you’re wrong

If you’ve landed on this page, you’ve probably basically ruled out the idea of ​​a multi-day group tour.

You’re the kind of vacationer who likes to plan every detail of a trip yourself—from where to stay and what to do to how to get from one place to another. You only travel with friends and family. You usually avoid the idea of ​​having a tour guide accompany you all the way.

If so, I have a message for you: you have no idea what you’re missing.

Over the course of my decades-long travel writing career, I’ve learned that in almost every way of travel imaginable, group tours are often the best way to see a place.

Here are six major advantages to signing up for a group tour instead of booking (and traveling) on ​​your own.

It makes travel planning easy

You said you loved everything about planning your own vacation. You love finding the right hotel for your vacation and planning daily activities, whether it’s visiting historical monuments and museums or getting lost in the great outdoors. You don’t like to have your travels dictated by chance or other people’s tastes.

But think about how much time you spend planning your trip. Having to figure it all out yourself can be stressful, and perhaps more importantly, there’s the risk that you won’t be able to solve the problem. Are you sure you know enough about your destination (or can know enough in a short amount of time) to choose the perfect hotel location, the best attractions, and the best places to eat and drink? Can you find a way to travel without wasting your precious vacation time?

When you sign up for a multi-day guided tour of a destination, you’re letting someone else know it—someone who may know the place you want to visit better than you do. All the complex logistics, supplier research, and scheduling hassles of travel planning disappear.

it can save you money

You may think you can save money by booking your own travel. For example, you may decide that it’s more cost-effective to book a hotel yourself than to have a travel company book it for you. The same goes for transportation or entrance fees to major tourist attractions. But this is not always the case.

As major purchasers of hotel rooms, airplane seats, attraction tickets and other travel elements, travel companies selling group tours can often negotiate lower prices for each element of the trip than are available to the general public, and they can pass some of those savings on to you.

This may not be immediately obvious when you compare the cost of a group tour to the cost of booking a trip on your own. When you book your own holiday, you buy many different elements of your trip – accommodation, meals, transportation, attraction tickets – one by one at different times before and during your trip. The total cost of a trip is not always clear in advance.

In contrast, with a group tour, most of your trip costs are included in a single price you pay to the tour company in advance. In addition to a nightly hotel room, the price of a trip usually includes quite a few meals, transportation from one place to another (without having to pay for a rental car, Uber, taxi, or train), and perhaps most notably, extensive guided tours (more on that later) that include most or all of the cost of admission to attractions.

If you take a closer look at the true costs of each travel type, you may find that you pay more when traveling independently rather than booking a group tour. In fact, travel companies often say that booking a group tour saves about 30% on average compared to booking a tour on your own.

Additionally, there is a way to save money when booking a group tour, which is especially important during a period when inflation continues to be high. Tour operators typically set prices several years before a trip and then do not increase prices again even if prices for hotels, transportation and other elements increase. In other words, when travel prices to certain destinations increase, it is the travel company that will “bear” the cost of inflation, not you.

Related: Earn bonus points and miles by booking group travel

It will give you a deeper understanding of what you are seeing

As mentioned above, group tours often include extensive guided tours. Typically, a dedicated tour guide or tour leader will accompany you throughout the trip; they will be there to explain everything you see and experience from morning to night and put it into context.

This is no small thing.

Of course, you can read travel guides (such as those published by TPG) and listen to travel podcasts that will outline all the attractions and activities in the places you plan to visit. You can bring a travel guide, either in book form or electronically, for reference. TPG’s sister company, Lonely Planet, is known for guides like these that can be of great help to travelers. Even so, there’s nothing like having an expert by your side to help you get real insight into what you’re seeing and doing.

In my experience over the years, the tour guides who run tours in many destinations for the major tour companies are true experts. They often go to school for years to learn about the place they are coaching. In Egypt, for example, tour guides for group tours typically have a four-year university degree in tourism studies, which includes specialization in the country’s history, archaeology, language, and culture; they typically pass rigorous exams and are licensed by the country’s Ministry of Tourism.

Quite simply, having a professional guide take you on a trip like this has intangible value compared to traveling to the same place alone. On group tours, attractions often come to life through the guide’s stories. This can lead to a deeper immersion and connection than you would get on your own.

It will save you from missing out

One of the great things about having a tour guide around the clock is that they are always available to help guide you to local restaurants, bars and attractions at your own time. These are the places you usually won’t find in travel guides, and these are the places that will enhance your experience while traveling.

In many cases, the guides on these tours are locals who know the area you are visiting like a local. Even if they’re not, it’s their job to know everything there is to know about the place you’re visiting.

If you have something cool to do in your free time while traveling, chances are they can point you out and steer you in the right direction. They will also steer you away from things that may not be worth doing. Even if you’re with your group, they may be able to point out things you might have missed if you were alone.

may be safer

One thing I’ve learned from my years of traveling is that the world is not as dangerous as some people think. That said, there are always some risks associated with traveling, and getting into trouble while away from home can be stressful. Taking a guided tour rather than visiting a place alone can help mitigate some risks and provide a safety net if the worst happens.

Call it digital security. But whether it’s the risk of getting into a car accident while driving in an unfamiliar place with unfamiliar roads and driving habits, or the risk of becoming the victim of a robbery or other crime, you may find that your biggest concerns about travel safety disappear when you travel as a tour guide.

This is especially true when you’re traveling in the most remote, inaccessible places.

One area where you may feel safer, especially on a group tour, is in and around your accommodation. Tour companies usually pick hotels in very safe locations in any given city or town and guide you in and out of the hotel on a daily basis.

If the worst happens and you’re involved in something that could ruin your holiday – maybe someone swiped your passport and left you panicking about going home – you’ll have a dedicated guide to help you sort it all out.

These guides often also share cultural insights about the places you are visiting, such as cultural norms regarding dress code, which can help you stay safe.

Related: How to protect your travel documents

It will come with a built-in travel companion

If there’s one thing that’ll surprise you the most about group travel, it’s this: You’ll probably have a great time getting to know the other people on the trip. You might even meet some new lifelong friends.

Over the decades, whether traveling with a group (mainly cruises and land-cruise combination “cruises,” which have been the focus of my travel writing) or traveling the world alone, I’ve learned that traveling with a group of like-minded people really enhances the experience.

It’s great to share the experiences of what you see and do with people who love traveling as much as you do. One thing I’ve noticed time and time again on group tours is that what starts out as a group of strangers ends up feeling like almost a family traveling together. Spending a few days together visiting new sights and trying new things can bring people together.

If you’re a solo traveler, like I often am on tour groups, this can really enhance the experience.

bottom line

If you think group tours aren’t for you, you might want to reconsider and give it a try. From providing a more relaxed travel experience to providing a built-in group of travel companions, there are many advantages to traveling in a group.