While travelling with your partner, family or friends may be the ideal option, sometimes there are circumstances, and life itself, that gets in the way. There are obligations and responsibilities, work and kids, and though these may seem like excuses to some who crave travelling and exploring the world, driven by wanderlust, to others – these are real deal breakers. Another big issue may be available finances, but then again, with so many possibilities and travel options – there are numerous ways of travelling on a budget that can suit any pocket and aspirations – from couchsurfing to hunting down that discounted plane ticket- the key is to want to travel. So when you are faced with the decision of whether you should travel solo or join a group or a special tour – there are a few issues to consider.

The truth is, you don’t have to choose between traveling solo and in a group. If you wish, you can be a solo traveller who takes part of their trip, or the entirety of their trip in a tour. You’ll have the independence of traveling solo, mixed in with the comfortable and social side of traveling with others. This can be a particularly great way to break up a longer solo trip. City Wonders offer a range of tours that are unique way to see cities in Europe without breaking the bank.

When travelling solo – the main advantage you have is that you can choose your itinerary based solely on your own wants, needs, aspirations and budget- from taking a train through the remotest parts of Thailand to climbing the mountains in Nepal – these are your dreams that you can fulfill. You can stay wherever you want, eat whatever you wish and talk to whoever appeals to you the most. Being social is completely up to you and depends largely on your mood at that point in time. Travelling by yourself to a foreign country is highly liberating, once you get lost in a new city, without understanding the language or any means of communicating where you would like to go, especially if you don’t have an idea of where you are going, all the doors will be open to you – push your boundaries, get out of that comfort zone and try everything new! This way you will learn about the local culture and way of life, understand your own self and explore the places that you might have never found otherwise.

Yet, while travelling alone may be setting yourself free and teaching you a lesson in being independent, there are certain issues to consider – like getting lonely, and wanting to share those wonderful adventures and experiences with someone else, apart from your followers on Social media. Moreover, in times of need and trouble, and none of us is insured against those, it is important to have someone there, to comfort, help and at least contact your relatives, to tell them how you are. At the end of the day, travelling alone may be good and wonderful for a while, but after a certain point, you will try to seek a partner to tag along to your next destination.

One of the major advantages of travelling in a group, apart from being with a whole bunch of travellers, is the cost! All the expenses are split between the group members and things like transportation, accommodation and food come at a much lower cost. There are wonderful group adventures to choose from, like the Free & Easy Traveler that specialises in Southeast Asia. Here you have the option of a couple of itineraries and though you will not be staying at 5* resorts and relaxing on the beach all the time, you will surely see the most interesting parts of each country, participate in thrilling and exciting sports and adventures, meet a lot of like-minded travellers, have fun and share your stories and experiences with them. While here you don’t have much freedom to choose where the whole group goes, before making your final choice, you can research and study the program outline, to see whether it suits your plans and desires.

A wonderful thing that our generation now has available are the endless choices! The freedom of choosing whether to travel alone, whether you should go to Laos, or Nicaragua for a couple of weeks, the freedom of meeting interesting people along the way and staying either at a hotel or sharing a room with backpackers in a hostel, the freedom to try real street food in each country and even take cooking classes! We are at the age when everything and anything is possible and limiting yourself to one place seems to be unreasonable. Whether it is solo travels or in a group, keep your eyes and heart opened to all the fascinating things that are about to happen!