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In today's world, many people decide to travel solo. There are many reasons for this: traveling, difficulty gathering people for freedom, and sometimes it just requires experiencing travel alone. There are many travelers who think that traveling with friends or family mainly means controversy and lack of independence.
During the past several years, I tried different types of travel: trips with family, solo trips, traveling with some friends, and traveling in a group. Now I know that someone is having fun with you during your journey and gives a lot of satisfaction and there are some disadvantages of solo travel as well.
Now I know that even though there are no party animals or an introvert, there are still many benefits of group travel, and traveling with friends or family we have the best adventure ever. Along with fellow well-traveled bloggers, we have come up with a couple of reasons why traveling with friends or family seems like a better option than solo traveling.
1. Traveling in a group gives you security in numbers
One of the most important benefits of traveling with friends is the number you get. I noticed that when I travel in really large groups, fewer people play with us.
Scammers don't target us, annoying promoters leave quickly, and we feel more comfortable enjoying our trip. Everyone in the group just looks out for each other and it is more intimidating for scammers and thieves to infiltrate a larger group. For me, this is one of the most important benefits of group travel.
2. Group travel can be more economical
No matter what your budget is, you cannot ignore the economic side of travel, and there is no doubt that the biggest benefit of group travel is that it can be a big money saver.
Finding budget-friendly accommodation is not always as simple as a solo traveler. If you're not in a hostel dorm, which makes sense, and you don't fully rely on solutions like couch-surfing or AirBnB, then a proper hotel room can be quite expensive for just one person. It is always helpful to divide this expense between people or a couple when you are traveling on a budget.
Another important expense is transportation. Sometimes taking a taxi or hiring a car is unavoidable, so you will be happy to pay a part of the share rather than paying it as a full.
Food sharing can also be an advantage of group travel. It is not customary in every country or every type of restaurant, but in many cases, it is acceptable and can save you a lot of money.
3. You reconnect with friends.
One of the most important benefits of traveling in groups is that it is a great way for me to reunite with friends that I no longer live close to.
As an adult, I try to visit Tea Gardens in Assam, India. There, I reunited with a group of friends who lived in the northeastern part of Assam. We shared a house every weekend and traveled from there to many neighboring places. For six summers, we spent weekends together at the penthouse and even planned off-season trips to each other's cities and elsewhere. These trips included white-water rafting and camping or just nights out and staying in someone's apartment for the weekend. Best of all, it helped us maintain a close friendship despite the distance. Group travel has also enabled us to travel to other places.
4. If you are shy then it is hard to meet new people
Solo travel can sometimes be very lonely, especially if you are timid or introverted. Although taking solo trips from time to time can be very beneficial for some people, it can be a nightmare for others.
One of the losses I suffered was when I first started a solo journey; Too shy to connect with others. In my mind, I felt that it would be easier to connect with locals and other backpackers, but in reality, it was a lot more challenging than I expected. Often times you have to be able to initiate contact with others.
If you are a shy person, like I used to be, then there is a chance that engaging in travel alone will not really help you break your normal habits. If you are considering taking a solo trip anytime soon, I suggest that you work comfortably before interacting with more people in your home city before venturing out into the world by yourself.
5. Traveling with friends is fun!
I always try to gather more and more friends for my trips. It does not matter whether it is only weekends or 2 week holidays - the more people the better. And it's always so fun! For me, this is one of the most important benefits of traveling with friends.
I am lucky to have a group of friends who are open to travel, try new things, practice sports, play sports, and get as much good stuff out of life as possible. Simply put, travel is the best.
Apart from this, many times friends gather me to make stuff that I do not do on my own. I am very thankful to my friends that they gave me such wonderful things to do, which I am sure I will never do.
6. Loneliness is unhealthy
Solo travel can be lonely at times - this is the biggest disadvantage of solo travel.
Solo travelers are usually experts at making friends while traveling but most of the time, they are on their own. And loneliness is not natural for people. I think we can say that the benefits of group travel also include reducing the feeling of loneliness.
In 2015, investigators at Brigham Young University conducted several studies on loneliness carried out on several millions of people. Results showed that social isolation led to a 50% increase in premature death.
Loneliness is also associated with increased cholesterol levels, hypertension, depression, and decreased cognitive abilities.
Man evolved to live with others. Long ago, we hunted in small groups, where social interaction helped protect against predators. Living alone without support was dangerous and stressful. You must be constantly alert, ready to turn on your fight or flight mode. It is still part of our natural tendency.
Of course, sometimes it is necessary to get away from the hustle and bustle, problems, other people of the city, and just be with yourself. But some days are enough. Not yet healthy People are social animals who need to interact with others.
Also, group travel does not stop you from making friends during the journey. In some situations, this can make it even easier!
7. Traveling with others strengthens relationships
It seems that the exciting things that we did together made us very close - this is one of my favorite benefits of group travel.
I have seen, even though I have not been able to see my traveling friends for a long time, I think we met yesterday. And we have so many things to talk about getting together - the fun things we had memories of together are just a small part of our conversation - we're always busy creating new, exciting ones.
Interestingly, I have noticed that travel friendships with friends last a long time. I have the closest contact and longest relationship with the people I traveled with.
Friendships with people, with whom I simply worked or studied, or occasionally met for a beer, usually did not meet the test of time. Also, meeting in pubs or shopping together in a bar is not enough for me. This may be enough to maintain a superficial acquaintance but it does not bring friendship closer.