Top 10 reasons to join a group tour in South America

Top 10 reasons to join a group tour in South America

Travelling solo doesn’t have to mean travelling alone and we are experts at dovetailing group tours with independent travel – the best of both worlds!

In this week’s blog Tom shares his top tips with us.

Socialising

Apart from during the tour, which you will most likely share incredible experiences and also many interests, most groups tend to socialize outside planned events.

Joining a group – the change of routine and new experiences – could mean new, lifelong friends from around the globe. Your own open-mindedness will no doubt be stimulated by encountering similarly disposed cerebral matter.

Bird watching at Karanambu Ranch, Guyana

Table for one

I’ve spent many an evening across the world dining for one, and the company of like-minded folk is always appreciated.

Getting off the beaten track

With fellow travellers and usually a guide, you’re more likely to visit places off the beaten track and enjoy unique experiences that might have seemed too out of reach to do alone.

Check the group profile

Generally, the more expensive a trip is, the older the travellers will be, and the later you book, the more you will know about the group make-up.

Of course, there is always a huge amount of luck involved in whether you / the group gels. I’ve trekked with 73-year-olds whose vim and open-mindedness put my own preconceptions of their ‘profile’ to shame.

Walkways at Perito Moreno, Argentina

Think about the accommodation on offer

Research had shown that the more upmarket the hotels on a tour, the less likely people are to talk to each other.

Camping strips back people’s conversational and city inhibitions (such as who is staying in the 5* hotel in a suite), too, so get under canvass.

Active, active, active!

Many of our group tours are active, and they are great for bonding as you all experience the same hardships/wow factors/surprise snowstorms in a desert.

I’m still in touch with many people I’ve met on tours around the world, simply because the folk back home don’t understand what it means to go two weeks without showering on Aconcagua!

Base Camp dinner, Aconcagua, Argentina

Single supplement can be worth it

No one really likes paying it, but if the supplement is not too expensive, then the downtime you buy yourself is vital.

While it is great to meet new people, unless you need 24-7 human contact and are used to that, then sharing a room with an unknown for two weeks can be hard.

Activities you like

If you like trekking, so will your group. Conversations start easily: where are you from, oh, nice boots, oh they’ve been to Africa etc, etc, the same for bikers, rafters, climbers.

And you’ll push yourself. Turn the ‘I’d-never-go-down-that’ into a ‘When’s-the-next-one-coming?’.

Volunteering

Joining with locals, imparting skills, cultural insights, achieve, help, give something back – there are many reasons to volunteer on holiday.

You are joining the local group, the people that live in the country that you visit, getting out of your comfort zone, gaining confidence and more.

Don’t hide

If you’ve booked the group tour or decided to go alone, don’t hide.

If you stare into a laptop all the time, chances are people won’t engage with you. Hunt out that lonely, dark corner, again, chances are it will be yours and yours alone for as long as you wish to remain undisturbed.

Talk to the locals, talk to the waiting staff, ask people questions about tips in the guidebook that you have and the next you thing you know you’re off and chatting away.

Contact us for more.