I have always heard from people about how enlightening solo-traveling is and I personally love to travel with friends but few recent group trips with WanderOn such as Kasol & Leh-Ladakh trips left me wondering and when talking about Leh Ladakh, one just cannot miss the world-renowned Ladakh tour packages. Might travel experiences be better shared among a small group of like-minded individuals or strangers as compared to traveling with friends or solo? 

I have noticed that when people travel with a group of friends, pertinent time goes into coming to a conclusion about itinerary or the budget or experiences. While some of you would want to relax and enjoy vacation, others might just spoil the peace by adding some adventure activities into the plan. Some of you might prefer enjoying the mornings with breakfast in bed while others would prefer waking up early to reach a sunrise point. Even I have had endless discussions with my friends arguing if the trip should be on shoe-string budget or should we go all-out on luxury! These situations are automatically eliminated while travelling in a group. The sole purpose of each and every person in the group is to explore, be a traveler and not just a tourist. This automatically aligns all the interest into one straight path without any difference of opinion. 

So I am very particular when it comes to planning my trip, forming an itinerary, selecting hotels etc. I hardly let my friends contribute when we organise a trip together. But to my surprise I was highly impressed with the entire organisation by this group called WanderOn. On both my trips to kasol and Leh-Ladakh, they included all the sightseeing efficiently, the drivers were highly experienced, the hotels were one of the most exotic ones and all I had to do was sit back and relax. Sometime it’s a bliss when there are last minute hotel cancellations and you can still enjoy the trip. This can be easily achieved through travelling in a group. 

You get a lot of time while travelling to do meaningful talks with fellow travelers in the group. Since everyone come from a different set of background, each person can offer a unique insight or perspective to some of the many famous (or not-so-famous) sights you’ll see during your trip and that brings different learning experiences to the table. I met this very interesting guy through WanderOn who changed my perception about travelling. He was travelling in the north of India since past 1 month and he had no clue about how long the trip will go on. He shared some insightful stories about how to manage your travel with a budget as minimum as possible. I also met this solo traveler girl whose story was quite similar to Deepika Padukone’s one in Yeh Jawani hai Deewani. It’s not a joke, the trip was actually life changing for her and I got the opportunity to witness it. 

Solo traveling definitely leaves you a good amount of time with yourself but it’s not always the same case when you are traveling with friends. You get so engaged in the highly compelling fun activities that you forget to spend some time with yourself. While traveling in Leh-Ladakh I realized that it is amusing to spend time with friends, it is also important to spend some quality time with yourself as the environment around leaves you with immense positivity and self-awareness. 

Traveling solo might not be always economical as you are not sharing your expenses with others. This problem can be easily overcome while travelling with a group. The guides will know the best and most appropriate accommodations for your budget and bulk booking is always cheaper. This can leave you with a hefty amount in your hand to spend on other activities. 

Travel guides leading the group are very knowledgeable people and subject matter experts. WanderOn’s team captain Mansi for Ladakh-trip had experience of more than 4 years in taking groups to Himachal & Jammu. She had some very interesting facts to share and salient advice which eventually came quite handy. She even suggested a few untouched scenic places in Himachal to travel which I couldn’t have known about otherwise.

When we meet new people we tend to form opinions about them. Travelling with a group has taught me that there is a lot more to people than what we gather from a mere first interaction. We played this interesting game during my last group travel where each person had to describe their first impression and current opinion about the fellow travellers. The game turned out to be really amusing and entertaining. However it was interesting to observe how closely you can connect with a stranger you meet on a trip within a few days. 

Those who prefer travelling solo would definitely know how effortless it is to follow your own schedule as oppose to the troublesome and tricky experience of travelling in a group. It highly requires patience and things are not always smooth. Some of us are always on time and particular about following the itineraries while others like to take their own time in getting ready early morning or even while having their meals. So certainly you learn how to cooperate and also how to work in a team. 

So this is something which I personally haven’t experienced but I know many stories of my fellow travellers. Imagine if you meet someone amidst the starry nights, lush green valley, cosy snow, it’s as if the universe is conspiring to bring you 2 together. Falling in love while traveling, the seemingly ultimate dream for us nomads and dreamers. After all, who do we have most in common with but other travellers as well? 

There’s something about the aspect of travel that creates an immediate bond, especially when you’re traveling together as a group. After sharing all those memories and moments you could only experience during that exact trip, you’ll return home with a new network of friends from all over the country. I have made multiple travel plans with people who were strangers to me initially at some or the other trip but became ultimate travel buddies.