10 Things to Keep in Mind when You Go on a Group Tour, So You Can Have The Best Vacation Experience
Thanks to modernism and hustle culture, too many people today don’t seem to be able to find time for even themselves, let alone a group of friends or all of a family being able to successfully plan and go out on a vacation. Who doesn’t want a peaceful, enjoyable vacation in beautiful places? But planning one on your own and executing it perfectly at every point can be tedious and tiring when you choose to travel alone because those you wish to travel with are busy. And that’s where solo group adventures come into the picture. Solo travelers get to travel with a group when strangers sign up for a group trip organized by a travel agency or a few individual organizers, and this takes the weight off our shoulders, so we can just relax and enjoy while we go on our dream vacation. All we have to do is pay for the package after checking and making sure we understand the itinerary, the plan, and the rules, and someone else would take care of the organizing everything for us.
Well, someone else can do the organizing for us, but don’t we also play important roles in shaping our own experiences as independent adults? How can we get the best out of a group tour, especially when we travel with strangers from different backgrounds and travel to places that we have never been to before? Here are some pointers that can help -
1. Stop Being Judgmental. One of the beautiful things about travelling is that it gets you out of the little bubble you have been living in all your life and it helps you expand your vision, change your perspectives, and open up yourself to newer things. If you can’t appreciate the differences, at least accept that there will be differences. “The greatest moral failing is to condemn something as a moral failing: no vice is worse than being judgmental.”, said Julian Baggini.
2. Do Your Basic Research and Come Prepared. As adults, as educated people from the most-intelligent species on the planet, this part should go without saying, right? Which time of the year will you be travelling to that place, and what would the weather conditions be like then? What kind of clothes and accessories must you carry with you? What kind of foods are staples there, and would you be okay to consume that food during your stay there? Can you get alternatives there? Nobody else is going to get an extra jacket for you. You can’t complain about getting tanned if you don’t use a sunscreen that you are comfortable with. It is easy for privileged, pampered people to expect to have everything served on a platter, and that is not going to happen when we travel far away from home, but it is experiences like these that would help us learn and grow.
3. Stop Acting Entitled and Self-Centered. Understand that nobody owes us anything. Accept that all of us are just members of a group and in no way are we special. Wanting to always be the center of everyone’s attention, acting demanding all the time, expecting others in the group to change their ways or plans to accommodate to your asks, complaining all the time, and such acts can and will irritate others.
People choose to go on a tour or vacation with hopes and plans of enjoying and being happy, so nobody in there wants listen to endless complaints, unrealistic demands, loud attention-seeking, and criticisms from a nobody.
4. Respect The Locals and Natives. Understand and remember that we are the way we are because we were raised, conditioned, and shaped to be the way we are; how different would you have turned out to be if you were exposed to the things the people you judge have experienced growing up? Leave your sense of self-superiority at home before you leave for a trip. Going out wouldn’t be half as interesting if the places we visit would resemble our hometown in all ways. If you would be openly curious, respectful, and humble, you would come back with a lot of satisfaction and long-lasting, beautiful memories.
On the other hand, if you have wired your brain to only criticize and make faces at things and habits, like the local cuisine or others’ accents or their ways of living, are you sure you are as smart as you think? What kind of a person would pay for brooding, complaining, and negativity? When you sincerely try to blend in, it would be a different experience altogether.
5. Respect Your Tour Guide. In tours organized by agencies and/or in trips where it is mandatory for a tourist to be accompanied by a guide, there will be a tour guide in the picture. An experienced tour guide would have seen lots of things, would know the place and facts and stories about the place well, and would have met different kinds of people. Still, they are not your personal assistants or personal caregivers or friends. They are professionals who are there to inform you and support you, as you enjoy the journey. Expecting a tour guide to treat you like a VIP because you have paid them is like expecting a teacher to tolerate all the unacceptable behaviours of a kid whose parents do very bad parenting jobs.
6. Respect Others’ Boundaries. Not everyone likes taking photographs; not everyone likes to be photographed; not everyone likes vegetarian foods; not everyone likes non-vegetarian foods; not everyone enjoys loud music; not everyone enjoys being hugged; not everyone enjoys what you might find “funny” … the list goes on. You can be both friendly and respectful by offering to share or inviting others to join you and accepting it if one says they are not comfortable. It is a group trip and you are going to a different land, so people are certainly going to have different beliefs and values and preferences. Remember, no means no.
7. Don’t Be The One that Is Always Late. We all have different sleep routines and daily routines, but when we travel as a group, it is mandatory to be respectful of others’ time and act in accordance with the set expectations. At home, you might want to take a 40-minute-long hot water bath, but that could be a big inconvenience to your roommate. Your family and friends might be okay with you wanting to stop at every turn to have photos of yourself clicked, but that could be a waste of time for those in the group waiting for you. You might want to stop and bargain at every shop, but that could result in fellow travelers getting bored and annoyed, so try to get along well with others, and that way, you will also make good friends.
8. Assess Your Health Conditions Before You Sign Up for Something. Emergencies are out of our control, so we can’t all be prepared for such occasions, but as adults, we all know (at least, we are supposed to know) our bodies and our personal health conditions well enough to decide if we can commit to something. Might a highly strenuous physical activity clash with your period? Could the consumption of some food and beverages trigger severe health problems? Are you prone to breathing problems? Have you been diagnosed with complicated illnesses? Has your body been showing signs of vitamin deficiencies? Assess your body conditions, go for a health check-up if needed, carry masks, sanitizers, supplements, and medicines that you might need, anything that would make the experience easy for you.
9. Know Where to Draw the Line Between Being Adventurous and Taking Huge Risks. We are living in the age of social media, where it might seem like everyone is enjoying everything, and not enjoying all those trending cool things might make one feel like a loser. In fact, consuming too much social media can even make one feel seriously lonely, sad, and even desperate. That is why it is important to not believe everything we see, not live for the attention of our contacts, to not try and please others, and be guided by the “fear of missing out”. When you feel that you can’t participate in some activity, it is okay to excuse yourself. You can be the best judge when it comes to what risks you can take and what you can’t handle. Not all risks are worth it; don’t be tempted to do something dangerous just for the thrill of it. Not only could this endanger you, but such acts can cause serious troubles for all those around you and your loved ones.
10. Go with An Open Mind and You Will Not Regret It. In every country, in every state, we are made to believe that our history is the truth. In almost every religion and every home, we are made to believe that our practices are the best way to live. Leave these ideas behind, so that you can learn more, and when you learn more and display curiousity, you will find yourself being fascinated by all the little things and people around you will be more welcoming. No matter how patriotic you are and how much you want to believe that your culture is the best, like the old saying goes, beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder. There is beauty everywhere, and you will be surprised by the details when you remove the blocks in your mind and learn from others about their history, culture, literature, celebrations, food, and arts.
“Wherever you go becomes a part of you somehow.”, said Anita Desai. When we let that happen, we will be thankful.
