When choosing a tour operator for your group trip, the size of the travel group is an important factor that you should take a closer look at when making your decision. Because you probably don’t want to move through Jthe country and from sight to sight in a group, do you? Most tour operators state that they offer group travel in “small groups”. But how big is small really?
Group tours: Small groups, big experiences
The rule of thumb is: the smaller the group, the more intense the experience and the more relaxed the atmosphere. For me, a group size of no more than 10-15 people is ideal.
- In this way, the group remains flexible and you can still react spontaneously to situations and requests or improvise if unforeseen changes occur despite the planning. Or if you – together as a group – simply want to stay a little longer in one place or make an additional detour.
- In small groups, encounters with the locals are much easier and more direct, for example at a football game with the kids on the beach or when haggling at the market.
- One can be more adventurous when it comes to food and instead of eating in a restaurant, enjoy street food at the night market or sidewalk bars.
- The choice of means of transport is also much more diverse and exciting with a small group – away from the perfectly normal coach to local means of transport, from night trains to jeeps to tuk-tuks & Co.
- The contact with your fellow travelers is much more intensive. And after just a few days you no longer have the feeling of being with strangers, but with your new friends.
Number of participants in group trips
To give just a few examples: At Mendese Escapes the maximum size is 15 At Explore, Intrepid and G Adventures the maximum group size is around 22-25 people, and at World Insight and Marco Polo it is usually a maximum of 22 participants – however the average number of participants is often lower. In my experience, the larger the group, the more strenuous a group trip becomes. You hardly get to know some fellow travelers due to the size of the group, groups tend to form and the sense of community can fall by the wayside. And if everyone has to pee at once during a stop, it can take a little longer.
