In Good Company: The Pros and Cons of Small Group Tours
Let’s talk about small group tours.
As someone who has taken multiple small group tours across various countries, I get a lot of questions about them.
Why do I choose to do small group tours? What are they like? Would I recommend them?
I thought it’d be easiest to give you a rundown of the pros and cons of small group tours to help you figure out if they’re right for you.
First, let me explain what I mean by small group tours: these are multi-day tours of international destinations with ~16 people or fewer.
These tours are generally fixed in terms of length, itinerary, and dates and have at least one dedicated professional tour guide. Often accommodation, transportation, and some activities and meals are included in the tour cost.
There are lots of companies out there that offer small group tours all over the world, ranging from large global operators like G Adventures and Intrepid Travel to many smaller, boutique travel companies.
My small group tour experiences have largely been in Africa and Central America. I’ve taken tours through G Adventures and Intrepid Travel and have had good experiences with both companies. I’ve found them to be very similar in terms of how they’re structured and run.
Without further ado, let’s break down the pros and cons when it comes to small group tours.
Pros of Small Group Tours
1. Ideal for places that don’t work well for solo travel: There are certain places that are more hostile or challenging for solo travelers, particularly women traveling on their own. I take small group tours of places where I don’t feel comfortable traveling alone or that don’t have great infrastructure for backpackers or solo travelers.
2. There is very limited travel planning involved: One of the best things about small group tours is that most of the trip is planned for you. You can show up and almost everything is taken care of from lodging to a number of meals to most daily activities. This can save you hours of time that would otherwise have been spent researching, booking, and building a travel itinerary.
3. It’s a great way to try out solo traveling: Small group tours are an excellent way to test out solo travel. They make it incredibly easy to meet new people since you’ll have a set group and a predetermined schedule of activities. For this reason, these tours tend to be popular with solo travelers.
4. Makes certain places more affordable to visit: In places where tours may be necessary for getting around like multi-day African safari tours, doing a small group tour can make the experience much more affordable. Private tours can get pricey.
5. Local knowledge and perspectives from tour guides: My small group tour guides have all been local to the region or country where the tour is taking place. They’ve offered a valuable perspective not only on travel recommendations, but a unique vantage point on the culture, history, and daily living.
Cons of Small Group Tours
1. Small group tours can be expensive: Small group tours tend to be cheaper than doing a private tour since you’ll be going with a group and sharing some of the costs, but are generally more expensive than simply solo traveling on your own. The overall cost depends on the location of the tour – for example, safari tours in Africa can be pricey, but my trip to Morocco was really reasonably priced. G Adventures and Intrepid Travel both occasionally have seasonal sales and offer discounts on various tours throughout the year.
2. Less flexibility and freedom in your itinerary and plans: The structure of a small group tour means that you don’t have to worry about planning a trip, but you do have to follow the group’s set itinerary. If you’re a very independent traveler that doesn’t like structure and schedules, most small group tours likely won’t be a good fit for you.
3. Group dynamics can be a gamble: I’ve been lucky in that I’ve mostly gotten great groups and tour guides when I’ve done small group tours. I’ve found these tours tend to attract interesting, diverse, and well-traveled people from all over the world. However, even if you end up with a less-than-stellar crew on your tour, you can still have a great time (and it’s unlikely that you won’t like anyone in your small group).
4. Group composition is an unknown: Along with the personalities of those who join you, you also don’t have much control over the number of people in your group (except whatever limit is set by your tour company, generally around 16 people or fewer for the large global operators). Some websites will show you how many spots are left for a specific tour on specific dates. In terms of group composition, it can vary pretty widely – you won’t know if you’ll mostly be with solo travelers, people traveling in pairs, or families (or a combo of all of these). I encountered more families on my Africa safari tours (as these were pricier) and more solo travelers and pairs in my whirlwind country tours of places like Morocco and Belize.
Overall, I’m a big fan of small group tours, especially for places where I’m not comfortable solo traveling on my own. It’s also a great way to meet interesting people who love to travel from all over the world.
By laying out the pros and cons, I hope this post helps you decide whether you want to give small group tours a go.
