Group Travel vs. Solo Travel

A few days ago, I came back from a trip to beautiful Berlin. I’ve never seen that city in it’s beauty for many years now. With some very good friends of mine, we had an awesome time together we will never forget. Being there made me think and recall some of the memories I’ve made in Seattle, a city with a completely different vibe and magic. It’s beautiful, just in it’s own kind. I’ve been there over New Year’s Eve. On my own. And it’s a trip I will never forget either.
Here’s what I’ve experienced – as a short comparison.
Group Travel in Berlin
This is one of the most obvious things I guess almost everyone will experience at least once in a lifetime. Group Travel is way more FUN!
You experience good things like sitting together in the television tower and having dinner while the sun’s having it’s golden hour. You experience bad things on a trip, just like that time someone tried to steal my wallet. Or experiencing a crazy thunderstorm with no possible way to escape from (you decide, if this is a good or bad thing 😉). Or just the small things sitting on a boat cruising through the city and telling people you love what you’re seeing and what’s special about it to you.
There are way more possibilities to share without having to use social media and feeling connected to the people you love. Spending time with them is priceless.
But there’s downsides as well. You will have to compromise on things. There will be stuff you don’t agree on. There are many things that people just don’t care about as much as you do. Or actually don’t care about at all.
Which brings me to…
Solo Travel to Seattle
The trip to Seattle was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. It was the first Solo Travel I’ve done yet and it was practically magical. There are many people who are scared off traveling solo. And I actually wouldn’t recommend it doing solo travel in countries where you are not a free person or where it’s more dangerous to be alone than being alone in a city like London or Zürich (both of them are very beautiful by the way!).
BUT Solo Travel is kind of like hardcore vacation for your soul. Sounds weird, I know, cause it actually is weird. You’re not able to talk to people you know and share directly what you’re thinking – before you start talking with strangers. And THAT is amazing. Just like Jack Coyne said here. I would never have thought about talking to strangers I’ve never met before and I probably won’t see ever again could be so delighting. And sometimes – they are people that stick around many years – or even a lifetime. …
Another thing is this. You experience some typical tourist-stuff WAY MORE intense. Believe it or not. Just give it a try. For example: I will never forget my time experiencing the view from the Space-Needle or the fireworks on New Years Eve at the Space Needle party. These memories would never be the same if you share them. Not better, not worse, just so different. It’s fun with other people, but you actually embrace the connection to these people (if you’re really close) more than your surroundings and what’s actually happening. Around you.
So what’s better? Solo or Group Travel?
… you might ask.
There’s no right answer. I personally enjoy – and need both. I do enjoy my time on my own here in the coffeeshop – but I really enjoy a birthday party with my closest friends. Looking at the photos afterwards – both events have their own magic.
Here are two final examples:
New York with my best friend
I really love the memories of watching a sunset in New York with my best friend – a trip we went on to finalize our youth. A month later he moved to the other side of the planet, got married to an awesome girl and we FaceTime every few days or weeks. Being on the 102nd floor of the Empire State Building together was one of these memories I will never forget.
Reliving a moment of Seattle
In Berlin, of course my friends and I were in a souvenir shop. There were pictures of all the towers you can visit all over the world. I’ve seen the Empire State Building there and it was kind of cool to tell I’ve been there, on both decks. ;-) But seeing the Space Needle of Seattle, it was like meeting an old love again – and showing it of to my friends. You know that feeling? Touch your heart (I literally mean that) and tell me. 😊
To sum it up…
… I would suggest to do both. And I hope you will feel the same great things I was able to feel these days. Both are experiences, you cannot clearly compare with each other. It’s like traveling by plane or by a cruise ship. They are meant do completely different things for you.
It’s about creating memories. Even if we love our life’s, and I really do that, sometimes the days just blur and we can’t tell what we actually did in weeks or even months – because we’re kind of doing the same things over and over again. As great as they might be. Doing work we love, working out (what we should love 😊), sharing time with great people and being alone with our favorite book or Netflix series.
Just like Todd Brison said in one of his great articles „Travel Therapy“:
Travel is medication. […] I travel to create a memory.
And this is exactly what we all need so much more than we might think or know. Even if we’re stressed out and think we hae no energy to travel. BS. It’s what makes us more to what we are – memories are mental notes of things that happened – and how we felt about them. And it’s been researched that memories linked with emotions are the memories that last sooo much longer than just simple facts we remember.
Have a wonderful Sunday – or any day you might read this post. I hope you start trying more things you didn’t think of doing in your life – these are the things that make life a little more special – doing things that scare us and overcoming these walls of being scared. Memories that last a lifetime – or way longer…
Wanna say hi? Do it on Twitter: @SamsAperture
Sam out 🎤 🤚
