For some people, Organized Tours like this are their favorite way to travel. For others, traveling through a tour company would be the last thing in the world that they would want to do. Everyone has different values and priorities. To each their own.
However, today I want to give you a generalized view of the PROS and CONS while traveling through an Organized Tour Group. This list is intentionally generic because, remember, each ”PRO and CON” are interpreted slightly differently by each person.
It is also important to note that there are three separate types of Organized Tours. They are categorized by the amount of people that you are traveling with. You are either traveling completely solo, with one extra person, or with 3+ more people. Be sure to read Types Of Solo Travelers to get a better idea about the definitions.
Basic Definitions of Guided/Organized Tours
Guided Tours – Generally, when someone pays a travel company to organize their tour.
Guided Group Tours – When someone is traveling with 2+ additional people (total of 3+ people who all know each other). They will all be part of a larger organized tour group.
Guided Couple Tours – When someone is traveling with 1 additional person (2 total travelers who both know each other). They will all be part of a larger organized tour group.
Guided Solo Tours – When someone travels to a destination, completely alone, to join a tour group full of people that they don’t already know. They will all be part of a tour group. People will get to know each other during the tour.
Guided Group Travel PROS
- Hotels, Food, & Transportation Costs Can Be Split
- Share Your Experiences with Someone
- Efficient Travel
- More Safe
- Someone Will Help if You Become Sick
- Travel Plans Are Pre Organized and Solidified
- Not Lonely
Guided Group Travel CONS
- Doesn’t Build Much Self Confidence
- Small Disagreement / Argument = Awkward Trip
- Not Easy To Meet Local People
- Worry About Wants/Needs of Others
- Little Privacy
- With the Same People Every Day
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Guided Couple Travel PROS
- Share Your Experiences with Someone
- Efficient Travel
- Hotels, Food, & Transportation Costs Can Be Split
- Someone Will Help if You Become Sick
- Not Lonely
- Travel Plans Are Pre Organized and Solidified
- More Safe
Guided Couple Travel CONS
- Not Easy To Meet Local People
- With the Same Person Every Day
- Doesn’t Build Much Self Confidence
- Worry About Wants/Needs of Others
- Small Disagreement / Argument = Awkward Trip
- Little Privacy
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Guided Solo Travel PROS
- Not With the Same Person Every Day
- Lots of Privacy
- More Safe
- Small Disagreement / Argument, Never See Them Again
- Travel Plans Are Pre Organized and Solidified
- Efficient Travel
- Only Worry About Yourself
Guided Solo Travel CONS
- Doesn’t Build Much Self Confidence
- Lonely
- Don’t Share Your Experiences with Someone
- Hotels, Food, & Transportation Costs Can’t Be Split
- No one Will Help if You Become Sick (depends on type of tour)
- Not Easy To Meet Local People
PROS vs CONS of Organized Tours Explanation
This should provide a little bit deeper explanation of each PRO and CON.
Hotels, Food, & Transportation Split
One of the nice things about traveling with two or more people is that you can almost always split the bill multiple ways. If you take a taxi to a local park, you can split the bill with your friend. If you eat at a restaurant, you can split the bill if you share one large meal. If you stay in one room in a hotel, you can split the bill. This is impossible if you travel completely alone. You will be responsible for 100% of all bills.
Share Your Experiences with Someone
Humans are genetically wired as social creatures. Most people would rather do a fun activity with another person rather than all by themselves. This is why most people enjoy traveling with another person. Smiling, laughing, joking, taking photos of each other; these are all examples of what makes traveling with a friend so amazing.
Lonely/Not Lonely
Some people enjoy the feeling of being alone, and some people hate it. But generally, when you are traveling in a big group, you are almost never lonely. You are constantly surrounded by your friends and family.
It is possible, however, to be a Solo Traveler on a guided tour and still feel a bit lonely. Imagine going on a tour all by yourself. You don’t know anyone. And throughout the entire day of touring, you did not speak to any of your fellow tour mates. At night, you go back to your hotel room and do not interact with any of the other group members.
This could feel lonely. I must say, however, this is pretty rare. Most people enjoy starting conversations with other travelers. If you are traveling on an organized group tour, and you feel this lonely, the chances are that it is intentional. Chances are that your personality is introvert. Be sure to read Does Solo Travel Get lonely?
With the Same Person Every Day
Too much of a good thing isn’t always a good thing. When you are going on a trip with your best friend or a group of friends, this sounds wonderful before you leave. However, sometimes staying with your best friends in close quarters for too long can cause slight problems. These problems may be something like simple disagreements on which restaurant do you want to visit, or which activity you want to do.
Safety
The bigger the group, The safer you will be. It is very rare that a thief or a cheater will try to take something from a large group of people or try to scam an individual from that large group. When you are traveling alone, you are considerably more vulnerable. People who have bad intentions almost always choose a solo traveler. Be sure to learn about the ways to stay safe while solo traveling.
Meet Local People
To be honest, when you are traveling in a large group, it becomes incredibly difficult to meet and interact with local people. Generally, when you are with one or more people, locals tend to avoid approaching you for simple interaction. When we travel completely alone, for some reason locals feel that we are more approachable and communicate to us more frequently.
Privacy
When you are traveling alone, you usually have a lot of privacy. But if you are traveling with another person or even with a large group of people, privacy can sometimes become an issue. It is very common to share one hotel room, which results in a lack of privacy.
Worry About Others
When you are traveling completely solo, you do not need to worry about anybody else other than yourself. This is the best way to travel if you have an introvert personality. Even if you are an extrovert and enjoy being around people, sometimes too much of a good thing is not always a good thing. When you are around your friends and family for a couple of weeks, tensions can eventually become high. Usually, this is because people within the group want to do different things. And then you or a couple group members must compromise and do what the other group members want to do. If you don’t compromise, it can lead to mini-arguments which could ultimately ruin the mood of the tour.
Travel Plans & Organization
Generally, when using an Organized Tour Group Company, all of your travel details are pre-planned and organized. You do not have to stress about organizing your trip. Which locations do you want to visit? How will you arrange transportation to and from? What restaurants will you eat at? The list goes on. When you try to plan everything yourself without using an Organized Tour company, things can become extraordinarily stressful rather quickly.
As a side note, generally, your visa must be prepared outside of the Organized Tour Company. Learn more about how to get a Tourist Visa the easy way.
Small Disagreement / Argument
Traveling with friends or family is all fun and games until you have a slight disagreement. The trip can turn sour in a heartbeat. When traveling with another person, it is always important to be considerate of what the other person wants. I know, it can be frustrating. But sometimes sacrificing a little bit will create an overall experience that is better than if you were not to sacrifice. Not sacrificing may cause a small argument because the other person wants to do something that you did not want to do.
Efficient Travel
Honestly, Organized Tours are the most efficient type of tours. As mentioned before, everything is already pre-planned and organized. Everything is so easy. You simply show up at the predetermined location and let the tour guide handle everything for you.
If you were to travel completely alone, and not through a guided tour, things can become a bit difficult. Every hotel, visa, destination, activity, etc must be planned in advance. You will be solely responsible for every single piece of your trip. An Organized Tour is definitely an efficient tour. More fun activities can take place in a shorter period of time because everything has been meticulously pre-planned.
Sickness
Have you ever been traveling alone and fallen ill? It’s not fun. It can be rather concerning because you are in a foreign country and do not speak the local language and things can turn sour really quick. But when you are traveling through an Organized Tour, you don’t need to worry. There are plenty of people around you who can help you, including your tour guide. Safety is usually incredibly important to the tour organization. Remember, it is always important to have Travel Insurance.
Self Confidence
When you travel to a different country, even if you are on a Guided Organized Tour, you will build your confidence level. But I can promise you it is nowhere near to the amount of confidence-building that takes place when you travel completely alone without the assistance of an Organized Tour. When traveling completely alone and not going through an Organized Tour, a lot of confidence will be built primarily because there is so much effort and energy that goes into planning by yourself.
Some PROS Are CONS & Some CONS Are PROS
Each PRO and CON may be seen differently to each person. For example, you may have noticed that Guided Solo Traveling has a CON of ‘loneliness’. However, to some people, being alone is not a negative thing. Some people have introvert personalities. They would much rather be alone than travel with another person or within a large group of people.
Also, when you are traveling with additional people, the bill can be split multiple ways. To some people, this is a pro. But, if money is of little concern to you, this is not much of a big deal at all.
These Organized Tour PROS & CONS Should Be Weighed
Keep in mind that these PROS and CONS should not be added up based on quantity. Rather, they should be individually weighed based on your own personal preference. As mentioned above, each PRO and CON is viewed slightly differently by each person. Some of these PROS and CONS are a big deal to people, and some of them are not important at all.
Hopefully this helps you get a proper sense of what type of Organized Tour you should go on. If you are looking for a guide that compares the PROS & CONS of Solo Travel vs Group Travel vs Couple Travel, be sure to read this article.
Remember, there is no right or wrong form of travel. Everything boils down to personal choice. I hope this guide helped you in some way.