You have a yen for travel. You love to travel overseas, love to explore new places, love to experience new cultures, meet the people and eat great food. The problem is, your friends are not quite as adventurous and as a woman you are just not sure if you want to go it alone.
So why should you consider travelling in a group? We asked some of our loyal female clients why they travel with us on small group adventure tours
Some women find it comforting to be part of a small group and have everything arranged for them. Says Brenda: "When I am on vacation I do not want to be stressed out about hotel reservations, hours of operation and transportation timetables. The tour leader takes care of the logistics. Life is pretty easy travelling in a group."
Other women love the safety that comes in numbers (even in our groups which typically max out at 12-16 people). "I can explore tiny alleyways and markets at my pace but at the end of the day I have people to share my experiences with and to learn from. And as a female traveller, travelling with a group adds a much appreciated level of safety lacking in solo travel. It gives me peace of mind that someone will know my general whereabouts and know if I run in to trouble", says Dalia.
Rae meanwhile loves how adventure operators can get you off the beaten track: "I've always loved travel, and travelling to destinations that are not on most people's lists of places to visit. I consider myself an adventurer who likes to explore somewhat remote parts of countries and understand the culture. Because I like to travel outside of cities, travel by myself and have limited amounts of time to devote to travel, I very often take advantage of group travel. While some may find it limiting, I've found that most group trips I've been on allow a decent amount of individual time, and they have taken me to parts of countries and provided me with experiences that I wouldn't have on my own."
Brenda concurs: "My favourite destination is the middle of no where. I loved canoeing on the Zambezi River close to elephants, hippos and crocodiles. The coastal day hike in Oman that finished with a BBQ and wild camp on the beach was awesome. These are trips that need a group and good organization."
Of course there is always the worry that you are stuck with a group for your entire holiday. Nothing can be further from the truth. "My favourite type of travel is with small groups, where you spend just as much time with the group as apart from it. That way you get the best of both," says Dalia.
And the people you meet in our groups are always interesting, people you want to hang out with. Says Brenda: "Usually, there are others travelling solo, or, others travelling with a friend or relative because a spouse does not have the same time off work or the same interests in travel."
Rae agrees: "I find that for the most part groups are comprised of people who love to travel, are looking for unique experiences and have lots of stories to share". To which Dalia adds: "I have had the good fortune to travel to close to 100 countries. I’ve travelled in groups as small as 4 people and as large as 15. And along the way I’ve met some fascinating people. People I would have never crossed paths with had I not done group travel. I think 2 of my favourites are Madagascar and Papau New Guinea. Both are fascinating countries , for very different reasons. And the groups for both those trips were very cohesive. I actually kept in touch with members of both groups."
So what are you waiting for? As Brenda told us: "If I waited to find a friend with these same interests, I would rarely travel. And I do not want to be travelling alone, talking to myself."
To which Dalia adds: "Every trip is an adventure - partly because of the chance to explore a new country but also because it’s an opportunity to meet like-minded people from all corners of the world. I can’t wait to see what my next adventure has in stock for me!”
At the time of writing, Dalia will soon be off to Portugal, Brenda will be hiking in Borneo in the fall, while Rae was last on a safari in Botswana.