Organised vs. Independent Trips

There are many ways to travel. And, as long as you travel responsibly, without negative impact on your destination, there is no right or wrong way to travel. Some like to freewheel, without a plan or route, and go it alone. Others like to take part in an organised trip with a jam-packed itinerary full of fun and adventure. And others again like to mix things up and aim for somewhere in between. There are pros and cons for all of these options, but whatever your style, you’re sure to find one that suits you perfectly. Here are some pros and cons for independent globetrotting and organised travel.

Organised Travel

PROS

• People – You’ll have no trouble at all meeting people and making friends when you go on an organised trip, especially if it’s a giant 2-week affair where you venture together for long periods of time. Jumping on an organised tour is one of the easiest ways to meet people when travelling.

• Let someone else organise – If you’re not one of us travel nerds that drool over maps, travel planning can be one giant headache. A major plus for organised travel is that you can let someone else go through all that research to find you the best of the best, and all you have to do is to click a few buttons and pack a bag to enjoy the rewards. If you’re on an especially great tour, with local experts, you might even find things you wouldn’t have found otherwise.

• Safety – While you will ultimately always be responsible for your own personal safety, a little of it is shunted over to your tour guide or leader when you’re on an organised trip. It’s especially true when you’re travelling through more dangerous countries, where it might even be necessary by law to take a tour (Iran, Bhutan, etc.). It’s nice to know you have a tour expert to look out for you, who knows how to keep you safe.

Organised travel taking you to adventurous places. Photo by momentcaptured1 via Creative Commons

CONS

• Less flexibility – When you sign up for a trip, your itinerary is laid out for you in advance, and for some that’s a downfall of organised travel. It all depends on the kind of person you are, and if you’ll be up and raring to go with specific activities each day. If you enjoy your privacy or like your nap time, specific trips might not be the best for you. An effective solution could be to opt for a shorter trip with independent travel before or after.

• Expensive – Those of you who have searched for organised trips around the world will know that some of them can creep up in the thousands in terms of price. One way to work around this is to search online for travel deals, of which there are many on organised tours all the time, you might just have to be flexible with your dates and destination.

• On the beaten path – If you’re looking for a truly unique experience, sometimes organised travel will not offer it. This isn’t always the case,, but when you’re with a group of people and are aware of how often these tours run, you might feel like the experience is less authentic. If you have a specific destination in mind, always do your research with different tour companies, to see which might offer more unorthodox routes that could satisfy your need for off-the-trail adventure.

Independent Travel

PROS

• Freedom – One of the main advantages of travelling to the beat of your own drum is that you have the freedom to do what you want, when you want. You’re not obliged to join in a specific activity or visit a certain sight, you can get up when you want and go to be when you want, and if you feel like sitting in your hotel room in your pants eating ice cream right from the tub all afternoon – you can do it.

• Cost-effective – Sometimes organised trips can be very pricey, but if you travel as and how you please, your money can go a lot further. Independent travel allows you to bend your budget whenever you need to, and as you go along you’ll get a good sense of how to manage it.

• Choose who you want to be with – On an organised trip, you might meet people you don’t get along with, and you’re stuck with them. When you travel independently you can happily avoid the people you want to – it’s a truly wonderful gift to be able to walk away from someone you don’t like and know you’ll never have to see them again.

CONS

• Safety – Sometimes independent travel can be rough. You’re the only one truly responsible for yourself, when on an organised trip people are there, to an extent, to help keep you safe. While this can be scary, for me it’s part of the challenge.

• Getting lonely – I find it quite easy to meet people on the road, but it’s not that simple for everyone. When travelling your own way, you have to push yourself to talk to people and make new buddies, which can be a struggle, especially when you’re simply not in the mood.

• Organisation – Not necessarily a con for some, but for others being organised is a little cumbersome. When you’re travelling without a plan, sometimes you just wish you could take a break and have someone else take the wheel for a bit. If you’re not naturally organised, independent travel can be a bit of a bother.

Ultimately, both of these options and all of these points come down to personal choice and what you specifically want out of your travel experience. Like I said, there’s no right or wrong way to travel, it’s more a case of recognising what you personally want, and finding it.

What do you think? Which would you choose, and why?