Listen to Story Solo travelling is one of the best ways to see a place. It allows for adequate freedom to explore a place at your own pace. More and more Indians are choosing solo trips over travelling with family or friends.
There is the headache of matching schedules with friends, as are budget constraints. Remember that Goa trip that never really materialised because of timing, life, and other woes? Solo travel is probably the answer to all these logistical mismatches. Such is the allure of solo travel among Indians that the American Express Travel 2024 Global Travel Trends Report in January-February this year revealed: "Indian travellers are embracing the spirit of adventure and exploration in 2024, driven by a desire for new experiences and cultural immersion.
From using travel hacks to embarking on solo journeys, Indians are redefining the travel landscape with their changing preferences and behaviours," said Sanjay Khanna, CEO and Country Manager, American Express Banking Corp, India, in a press statement earlier this year. Solo trips can be liberating, but they come with their own share of worries. Photo: Getty Images Now, while solo trips are generally liberating, it also has its own share of headaches.
If you are a solo female traveller, the worries are sometimes more. So, what if the independence of solo tripping came wrapped in the comfort of a group, where all your travel anxiety is taken care of? Tour groups are many. They come with diverse offerings.
Some are interest-based, while others are for people of a certain age group. Then there is the cost factor. Do you want your trip to be budget, bougie, or luxury? Or absolute high-end? In a market that is saturated with travel operators and groups, how do you decide which is the best for you? The first step when looking for a tour group to travel with is considering the group size.
Groups can make or break a trip, significantly impacting the overall experience. None of us would like to compromise on that. While choosing a tour group, keep the group size in mind.
Photo: Getty Images Rohit Khattar, founder of the Delhi-headquartered company Ikigai Travels, tells India Today that his trips are generally in the 16-20 people range with some exceptions. "Sometimes we have offbeat trips. There, we need to operate on a first-come-first-serve basis.
We don't have the advantage that the large travel operators have, wherein they can tie up with hotels. For example, on one of our trips, we stay in a tiny village that has only one guest house. You cannot bargain with their costs.
So, we generally don't have a lot of conditions in terms of who is travelling with us. But yes, sometimes we are unable to accept all requests since these out-of-the-way places cannot accommodate larger groups," says Khattar. If you prefer branching out on your own, try larger groups that offer the flexibility to do so.
Choose a group that allows for free time or free days when you can explore a city or take up an activity on your own. If you are part of a larger, flexible group, you can branch out on your own. Photo: Getty Images In smaller groups, the itineraries are usually tighter.
They also tend to be more expensive, given that the experience is considered curated and more personal. You also need to check the inclusions offered and read the fine print. For example, on a massive website like MakeMyTrip, you can filter your trip by the days of travel, whether you want flights included, and various activities.
The base price often covers accommodation, airport transfers, and breakfast. As you add flights, cabs, internal transfers, hotel options, and activities, you can see the price increase with each step. Therefore, it's imperative to read the fine print before finalising a trip.
Many of the trips offered by MakeMyTrip tend to be 40-person groups with activities and free days for you to choose. If you are interested in the cultural aspects of a place, choose accordingly. In a larger group with flexible days, you have the freedom to explore a city or country at your own pace.
There are also day trips from cities where you can explore on your own, with an app and a map for assistance. Some tour providers also have a gamification twist added to their apps (look at Secret City Trails). You can filter the group by interest too.
Photo: Getty Images On end-to-end tours, where your group follows a strict itinerary, you are required to stick to it. However, many travellers want the option of navigating a place on their own while not worrying about luggage transfers or internal conveyance. We're not talking backpacking; that's different.
This is for the rest of us who cannot do without our checked-in luggage. Not all of us like having our holiday-days stretched out beyond the usual 24 hours, where we don't realise when the night ends and dawn breaks. If you like having your time off from work seem like what it's actually supposed to be (time off, that is), choose a group that offers a moderate level of activity.
If you are keen on more adventure-filled holidays, look for one that offers a high level of activity. Look at the activity level. Photo: Getty Images You should also look at the itinerary: whether you are on a bus for more than 10 hours a day, or jumping across two cities (or countries sometimes) in a day, or have a day when there's no time for a coffee break.
While all of us are occasionally bothered by FOMO, the trick is to have a moderately paced holiday. Or, look at a group that has alternate days of moderate and high activity. If the tour group operates on age, that will give you an idea of what level of activity to expect from it.
For example, the New Zealand-based 'travel community' Contiki Tours, who have been operating group trips for over 75 years, are for travellers between 18 and 35 years of age. Their itineraries are crafted accordingly, gauging that people in this age group might have broadly similar interests. They also have 'Reunion' trips for people who have travelled with them in the past.
These are for people in the 35 to 45-year age bracket. Many smaller tour groups operate with an age bracket in place. Photo: Getty Images For Ikigai, Khattar says they generally look at a 25-42 age bracket, "But this isn't a strict age bracket.
Sometimes, someone wants to travel with a friend who is a little younger or older than this group; we don't refuse. But 80% of our seats are reserved for women. The trips have to be women-friendly.
The men who join us are usually by invite." Solo travel has also seen a considerable growth among Indian women; so the seat reservations are understandable. "Since the pandemic, there has been a significant increase in interest from women eager to embark on solo adventures.
We have observed a 23% year-on-year growth in the solo travel segment," Jatinder Paul Singh, CEO and co-founder of Viacation Tourism, told India Today earlier. Most budget group trips are large. Think 40-100 people per group; so, while you have the luxury of breaking off into smaller groups from within the main group, you need to keep in mind that a larger group might mean more chaos.
If you are travelling with a large Indian group, for example, keep in mind the average delays. With Western travel companies, punctuality is usually a no-compromise factor. Cost is a big factor when you decide which tour group to travel with.
Photo: Getty Images Travelling with a budget group will also mean most meals are on your own, except for breakfast. The quality of accommodation will also not be luxurious. Getting enticed by a cheap package might mean hidden costs, and it is better to enter the fray prepared.
If you are willing to shell out a little more than the average budget traveller, try moderately sized groups. Look at the accommodation category, the meals on offer, the activities that you are going to be taking part in, and take your pick. In the case of a luxury trip, expect to spend a lot more.
If you are travelling on an Indian passport to a destination that requires a visa, check if your tour provider is willing to provide you with visa assistance and support. For most trips to Europe, a top pick for Indian travellers, you need to get a Schengen visa on your own before embarking on the journey. Like we usually do with hotels on a personal trip or before ordering food on Zomato or Swiggy, look at the reviews of the travel operators.
If you have stumbled upon a tour group on Instagram, it is a good idea to look at their reviews online. For smaller companies, word of mouth is extremely important. While you can ask a smaller travel operator for past references to get a no-holds-barred opinion on their trips; for larger companies, look for reviews online, or on platforms like Twitter or Facebook.
"For a solo traveller travelling with us for the first time, they would probably check our reviews on Facebook or Google; or they will check if any common friend is following our page on Instagram; then they will look at our feedback. Most - 90% - of our business is through word of mouth," says Khattar. Reviews from past travellers play a big role in choosing a tour group.
Photo: Getty Images In the case of larger companies, also look at what their support systems are like. You would not want to be stranded in a foreign country with no luggage and no one taking phone calls. Before you book a trip, it is also important to comb through the terms and conditions that the operators have.
Having a holiday is necessary for all of us, but no one wants to be left with a bitter taste in the mouth. Travelling with a group ensures some peace of mind - you don't need to decide everything on your own - but it comes with its own set of pros and cons. Go prepared.
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