Maybe you've always planned your own vacations and always traveled with people you know. But have you ever considered the benefits of joining a group tour? This post will explore 10 benefits of a small group tour. While some perks may be obvious, some are likely to be things you've never thought of before!

1. Relax because everything is planned!
When you go on a small group tour, you get to sit back and relax because every detail has been planned for you. From the moment you arrive to the moment you depart, your transportation, hotels, activities, and meals are well-organized. That means you have more time to take in the sights, engage in the activities, enjoy the people you're with, and be fully present.

2. Make new friends!
When you go on a small group tour, you get to meet people who you would probably never have the opportunity to meet otherwise. Getting connected with like-minded travelers is an added benefit of group tours. These people share your interests. Conversations over meals and activities are a delightful bonus to your travel experience.

3. Shared photography!
When you travel solo or just with your spouse or family, capturing your vacation with photos is mainly up to you. However, on a group tour, it's common to share pictures, which means you'll have more to savor and you'll even have the bonus of capturing different perspectives of the same event or point of interest. Something you may have missed, another person in your group will have caught. It's always great fun sharing photos after the completion of a trip.

4. Safety!
Set your concerns aside and immerse yourself in the local culture with peace of mind. On group tours, the planned itinerary is tried and true, which means that safety is inherently embedded. As a result, you can feel confident wherever you go, knowing your local guide always has your best interest in mind.

5. Enjoy hidden gems with local guides!
Small group tours have the unique benefit of embracing local tour operators and enjoying locally owned boutique hotels and restaurants. These trips are full of unforgettable experiences that make you feel as if you're the only person in the world who has been able to experience them! In addition, you'll get to travel with local guides who live in the community and experience their homeland from their perspective. Whether it's a coffee roaster in Guatemala, the owner of a boutique hotel in Costa Rica, or a local driver in Uganda, you can enjoy hidden gems and benefit from their expertise.

6. Create lasting memories!
When you spend a week with a small group, you have a shared experience that can't ever be replicated. Even if you go on the same tour a year later, it will never be quite the same. You and your travel companions are knit together because of all you've experienced. You'll likely go home with inside jokes and entertaining stories to hold dear for a lifetime!

7. Deepen Your Relationships!
Many people sign up for a small group tour with a friend. This trip allows you and your companion to deepen your relationship. Although you'll have plenty of time with the rest of the group, you and your companion will also have time to reflect and share meaningful moments throughout the trip.

8. Try new things!
When an itinerary is planned for you, you're likely to try things you might not have otherwise. With someone else in the driver's seat, you benefit from local highlights that may be things you wouldn't have typically chosen. We've heard repeatedly how people are surprised by how much they enjoy something they would have never included if they had done the planning themselves.

9. The research is done!
When you join a small group tour, you benefit from learning about the history and culture with ease. Information about the geographical area and people you meet is easily shared, meaning that you benefit from enjoying it all without the work of having to research on your own. And that's also true with monitoring the latest information on border openings and restrictions. When you book your tour with a reputable guide, all these details are provided for you.

10. Savings and ease of payment!
When you book a group tour, you know exactly what costs are covered and what aren't. Instead of figuring out all the finances with lodging, meals, and activities, one price covers it all! You know how much the trip will cost with no hidden surprises. In addition, you can usually pay with installments ahead of time so that by the time your trip comes around, the only money you'll be out is shopping or other incidentals.

So is a small group tour right for you?
Check out these fabulous trips that Travel on Purpose has coming up next! We'd love to have YOU join us!