The 6 ultimate benefits of social travel

You’re never alone

Generally, you’ll get a diverse mix of ages, nationalities and characters in one vicinity, so you’ll always find your own little wolf-pack within the group. If you’re an inexperienced traveller, it’s comforting to know that you’re going to be looked after and make friends from all over the world, giving you that much-needed confidence boost so that the next time you travel you’ll be all over it like a rash.

Insider’s knowledge and a local guide

Imagine someone with you at all times who eliminates all your niggles and worries so you can just enjoy exploring new lands. On a group tour, you are with the industry’s best trip managers and local expert guides – people who go through rigorous training (and we mean rigorous – think army boot camp style) to ensure that you are in the best possible hands at any time of the day (or night). Want to know where the best gelato in Italy is? Ask your guide. Want to go off-the-beaten path and see something cool? Ask your guide. They will help you unlock the history and insider knowledge of the world’s greatest destinations, so you can get the absolute most out of your experience, without spending your whole time searching the internet or trawling guide books. Think of them as an encyclopaedia, but for travel.

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More time to yourself than you would think…

Perhaps one of the greatest myths circulating group travel is that you don’t get a lot of “free time.” We know the contrary. Social travel has evolved over the years as people’s habits and requirements have changed. It’s no longer a case of following a guide through a packed city centre as they hold an umbrella in the air that you have to follow religiously. Instead, it’s about giving you options. Obviously you’re going to want to do the ‘must-do’s’ which a group travel trip will sort for you, but equally you’ve got total freedom to spend your ‘me time‘ how you please. So basically, best of  both worlds – the itinerary of dreams, and the choice to go off course. #Winning.

Value that packs a punch

At the end of the day, social travel is there to make your holiday seamless and effortless. Add to that a truly valuable experience with a heap of inclusions that means more money in your pocket for food, shopping, or cool experiences. Most often, accommodation, breakfast, transportation, a trip manager and exclusive access to sights is also included. Value central.

Hassle-free

Sit back, relax and enjoy the adventure because with social travel, it’s hassle free. Navigating through a new country can sometimes be difficult. New languages, customs, and ways to get around. On social travel trips, you generally don’t have to worry about organising or planning as much – you can just go with the flow, cocktail in hand, and let someone else deal with the stress.

Find your future soulmate

Because let’s face it – who really needs Tinder to find love when it’s as simple as travelling the world and embracing single life. You’re amidst a bunch of like-minded individuals, experiencing new cultures with a positive attitude – be open to whatever lies ahead. We’ve heard of enough Contiki romances, marriages and babies to know that group tours, and constant human interaction can certainly help you find your future soulmate – or at least – start the conversation and form new friendships!

In need of a vacay? Same. We can all use more days off but so often the when, where, and how get in the way of packing your bags and seeing the world. Enter group travel. It’s all about bringing travelers together from all corners of the globe to discover new cultures, while taking the hassle out of travel. The ingredients are simple: you + other international travelers + cool experiences + a new part of the world = group travel. Read on to discover a different way to travel, here are the 6 ultimate benefits of group travel that you need to know…

6. You can make instant travel bffs

One of the best things about group travel is getting to make friends from around the world. So come solo, with a friend or bae it doesn’t matter bc you’ll soon feel like lifelong friends and have the best international travel squad. Let’s be honest making new friends is hard, group travel makes it easy.

5. It’s easy on your bank account

Yup, you can afford to travel. One of the best perks of group travel is having flexibility when it comes to handing over your cash. That’s right, you don’t need to put it on credit or dip into your savings because so often group travel offers payment plans like book now and pay over time. Totally. Interest. Free.

4. There’s someone to show you the way

Want to know where the best gelato in Italy is? Your guide has all the best spots. Want to go off-the-beaten-path and see something cool? Ask away. Expert local guides will be with you every step of the way to give you the breakdown on the history and insider knowledge of the world’s greatest destinations. Group travel lets you explore without spending your whole time searching the internet. Personal travel guru? Yes, please.

3. You get to do the coolest experiences

Of course, you’ll visit incredible places and see all of the icons in each destination but it’s the unexpected experiences that take group travel to the next level. Have breakfast with Koalas on Magnetic Island in Australia? Yep. Want to take surf lessons in Santa Cruz, Portugal? You got it. Foodies, ready to learn how to make your own pesto in Cinque Terre? No problem. Whether you’re looking for something active, culturally enriching or local, group travel trips are full of cool and unique experiences.

2. You’ll see the best of the best

When traveling with a group, you’ll see the best of the best destinations in the world. We’re talking Eiffel Tower, the Colosseum, Machu Picchu, Angkor Wat and even more. But when you are done visiting the main tourist attractions, you’ll get a behind the scenes experience and see the true local spots. Group travel lets you find the heartbeat of each place.

1. It’s all hassle-free

And the best part of traveling with a group is sitting back, relaxing, and just getting to enjoy the adventure. See more of the world without the hassle. Awesome accommodation, local guides, transportation, and amazing experiences are all included, scheduled, and handled for you. Because navigating a new country can sometimes be difficult, but group travel means your trip can be effortless so you get to go with the flow and spend more time vacationing and less time planning.

There you have it, all the benefits of group travel. So are you ready to discover a different way to travel? Explore trips and new parts of the world with Contiki.