Solo vs group adventure travel: how to decide on the best option for you

Going on an adventure trip will be one of the most breathtaking and memorable holidays you will ever experience, whether you go on an African safari or get under the skin of India. 

Whichever countries you decide to visit on an adventure travel trip, you will make great friends and build lasting memories. However, it can be a little bit daunting leaving your home comforts behind and going somewhere new.

Is it better to travel solo or explore as part of a group? There are loads of pros and cons to each one, so take a look at the roundup below and see which kind of holiday is right for you.

The pros of solo travel

If you go travelling by yourselves, you have to organise everything, but you might see this as a positive.

For a start, you can go wherever you want, when you want, within the confines of the round-the-world flight ticket you probably bought back home. This means as long as you catch the pre-designated flights between countries, the rest is up to you.

The freedom you will enjoy is unbelievable - when travelling around south-east Asia, for example, you can hop on trains across India, take internal flights within Thailand and decide to go on a two-night adventure in Vietnam's Halong Bay.

It also means you can see the attractions you want to, including those off the beaten track. You'll more than likely meet other travellers along the way and even teamed up with some to explore. While you might begin your getaway alone, you'll soon form a group of people you get on with and share similar tastes to.

The cons of solo travel

On the other hand, you can say there are some downsides to solo travel. It can certainly get a bit stressful at times. The trains in India, for example, do not announce stops and when you're travelling at night and can't read the signs outside, you will probably wish you had someone there who knows what they're doing!

You also worry you're missing out on attractions, especially as it's not realistic to cart around a guide book for every place you visit - well, not if you crammed your backpack as much as possible! There is also the fact that if something goes wrong, it's up to you to sort it out.

The pros of group travel

Reading the cons of solo travel should give you an idea of the pros of heading off on an adventure as a group. The first and foremost positive is if you're travelling alone, especially as a female, you'll have the safety and security of a group of people. This means there will always be someone to share spectacular moments with, as well as simply chat to as you make your way to the next destination.

As everything will be professionally organised, all you have to worry about is taking amazing photos and enjoying yourself. Should something go wrong, the group tour company will sort everything out.

The cons of group travel

The flipside is that your itinerary will be pre-planned, reducing the opportunity for spontaneous excursions. If you're really enjoying yourself in one place, you won't be able to stay there longer if you wish, as you can't hold the rest of the group up.

While this is very unlikely to happen, you might find you don't click with anyone in your adventure travel group. The chances of you not getting on with people who obviously have similar interests are slim, but it's worth pointing out!

By now, you should have a good idea of what type of trip is best for you - so what have you decided upon, and why?