Which do you prefer – traveling and exploring new places on your own or traveling with a group of friends with whom you can create lifelong memories, have a ton of fun, and maybe even get into a little bit of trouble?
Both have their advantages and disadvantages, of course. Traveling with a friend who’s been to your destination before comes in handy for getting tips on restaurants and insights on where to go other than the tourist traps. It also helps if they were born in the foreign country you’re visiting and speak the language! (Parlez-vous Francais?) Of course, if you’ve been to Paris and come back from your trip not having visited the Eiffel Tower you might as well have a giant “L” on your forehead.
Awhile back I was living a lifelong dream of working in the travel industry. Of course, everyone knows that you don’t work in the travel business for the pay. Once a year we would get an airline-sponsored Fam trip (short for familiarization in the industry), along with ridiculously low hotel rates, vouchers, welcome receptions, and dinner at a local hotel. The only problem with these trips is that they were usually short in length, so we had to cram as much activity as possible into that time. (Imagine a 5-day trip to Europe where two of the days are spent mostly in airports, on planes, and in taxis. Not a lot of sleep in those 5 days…)
Some of the disadvantages are that if you have a large group of people, there can be differences of opinion on where to go and what to do. When you’re traveling alone your time is your own, but your memories are also your own; there is no one who shares your experiences, unless you meet some locals and are willing to engage with them. There is also the danger of traveling alone, particularly as a woman. There are so many stories you hear of things that have happened that make traveling alone less desirable, at least for me. Are there still places I want to see? Absolutely! But I think I’ll stick with the safety in numbers thing. After all, it is all about relationships.
How about you? Which do you prefer and what are some of your favorite travel stories? Stay tuned for further travel adventures in future posts.*
*I realize that there are restrictions on travel at the present time and that we have no idea when things right return to “normal.” Right now, the only traveling we may get to do is to relive our past travel experiences, look at our photos and videos, and go on virtual experiences being offered by different travel companies and apps. If you’ve met someone during your travels, reach out to them to see how they’re doing. Reminisce about the fun you experienced together. Relive those special connections. Until you meet again…
