Food markets in Sicily
Most of us do not have friends who travel. If you are lucky to have friends who like to travel, you are also unlucky since you are pressured to compromise. Travel is expensive and your hard earned money should be about your goals, not about what your friends want to do. Joining a small group women’s tour without friends can be the answer for you.
There are many reasons to leave your friends behind. All of these will make for a better travel experience.
TIME USAGE If you like a group itinerary and decide to go solo, you have a framework to start your trip. The group itinerary is your organized safety net. Most tours including those of The Women’s Travel Group offer a little free time. Everyone needs a break. During free time, you can do what YOU want not what friends want. There is nothing worse than hanging around while your friend shops but you want to go to The Vatican. Similarly annoying is waiting for a friend who is always late? Or tries to take the best ever photo of a street market? Or who needs to wash her long hair every morning? Or has to call the office daily? Going solo in a group gives you the opportunity NOT to compromise during free time you paid for.
PACE A tour such as the ones we offer has a set pace for each day. We believe tours should start at a decent hour, so you can enjoy them rather than yawn all day. When you travel with a friend, your pace is often their pace. You might lose out by walking too slowly past shops or miss wonderful sites by rushing past interesting buildings. Professional tours are organized for optimum viewing and seeing. Yet if you wish to stay behind to rest or do something else, you have that choice also.
NEW FRIENDS Making new travel friends and learning from them is a benefit if you are solo. When you go with a pal, you stay with that person at meals and on the bus. In a group of new people, you move around and in doing so, make new friends. Travel friends are different from home-town pals. They serve a specific purpose: company on a trip. There is no obligation beyond the trip. No return dinners. No birthday cards. No photo viewing at home. When the trip is over, the friendship will continue long distance, but with no burdens.
PERSONAL PRIVACYIf you have been through a lifestyle change and wish to stay private, you should definitely go solo. No one will pry. No one will give you those: Poor Suzie looks. No one will force feed you advice. You can share or not share; be chatty or quiet. Again, freedom to converse as you wish comes with traveling solo in a group.
BUDGETS Finally the money thing. Some friends have more money and some less. Teaming up with a friend pushes you into her budget, the same extravagances and the same extras. In a tour, most is prepaid, and you can move around to eat with the pizza ladies, or the fine diners as you wish. There is no money pressure. No taxis you did not want to take. No wine you did not drink.
So yes, The Women’s Travel Group believes you benefit from going solo but in a group. Don’t wait on friends. Don’t even try to convince them to join you. Take advantage of your freedom and travel solo but in a group.
For information on our tours: http://www.thewomenstravelgroup.com/tours especially for limited space on Ireland July 14-24 or Scandinavia August 14-26, call us.
To speak with us 646 309 5607
To email and we do response promptly: Phyllis@thewomenstravelgroup.com
To be on our mailing list for Specials and Discounts http://www.thewomenstravelgroup.com/contact/
