Solo Travel Doesn’t Have to Be Solo

I spend a lot of time in my head. I like making plans for myself, going places without anyone’s permission, toughing it out alone, but that much alone time can really get to a person. You start to feel like you’re in your own world – a personal bubble. When I’m by myself, it’s hard for me to connect with the world. That’s fine when you’re just going to the mall, but when you’re traveling, you want to fully experience the world around you. I thought solo travel would be kind of a bummer for me, but I was wrong. You don’t have to be alone to travel “solo” – you can travel with a tour group!

Friends you haven’t met

Guided travel is a great way to see the world – whether you’re going with your own travel companions or flying solo. Guided travel is social by nature. You’ll not only meet the locals, you’ll meet fellow travelers, local guides, tour managers and drivers. Many travelers on group tours form lasting friendships beyond their vacation. I still keep up with people I’ve met through guided travel, including people from the countries that I’ve visited.

Travel has a way of accelerating relationships – after a few days, you’ll be talking about things that you’ve never even discussed with most people in your life. Going through an adventure is a great way to bond with friends and strangers alike. Your fellow travelers or tour guide will be happy to take pictures of you in all of the most photogenic destinations you visit. Goodbye, selfies! Your whole body is making it into this next shot!

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Making plans (or not)

Some people like researching and planning a trip months before they take off. It’s just part of the fun for them. Others just want to get up and go, but that’s not so smart when you’re going somewhere on your own. You could get lost (or worse, you could miss the best attraction in town).

When you travel with a guided tour like the ones offered by AAA Member Choice Vacations, you don’t have to worry about a thing. Your tour manager, with a rich travel background, knows about languages, currency and all things local. They can set you up with unique experiences, with special insight to the local culture. You could learn to make pizza dough in Italy, explore the Great Barrier Reef up close or spend the night in a medieval Irish castle. When I went on a guided tour of the Balkans, I did things I never would have even thought of – I went to the tops of mountains, crawled through historic tunnels and plunged into the Adriatic Sea at sunset. Even if I’d wanted to make plans, I never would have made those. With bespoke itineraries and unique adventures, guided travel will help you see the best of your chosen destination.

You don’t have to worry about how you’ll get from one place to another, or where to change your money, or even where you’re going to stay at night. All you have to do is enjoy your vacation.

Security and peace of mind

As long as you make the right plans and exercise the right precautions, solo travel can be pretty safe. You just have to stay alert. But vacations aren’t always that fun when you constantly have your guard up.

When you travel with a group, you should still be cautious. But you also have a group of people to fall back and rely on. Your guide or tour manager can help you with any obstacles or difficulties you run into, and they can also tell you what precautions to take in the certain places you’re traveling. Tour guides can tell you everything from whether you can drink the water to the tricks that the local pickpockets are using.

If you do lose any important items or documents, your tour manager can help you through the process of reporting them and getting replacements. It’s much less stressful when you have someone experienced holding your hand through the whole process.

AAA Member Choice Vacations also offers a travel protection plan, which basically means that if you need to cancel your trip, you’ll get a full refund. You can cancel for any reason right up to the day before you depart. And when you’re on the trip, you’re still covered. If you have to stop your trip, go home early, need medical assistance or evacuation, lose your bags or are delayed for more than 12 hours, AAA Member Choice Vacations has your back. No matter what happens, you’ll have the peace of mind necessary for a carefree vacation.

Coming back for seconds

When you find a guided travel provider that you like, you’ll want to go back for second, third and fourth trips. AAA Member Choice Vacations, for example, provides tour options around the globe. You could go on a tour of Ireland’s Aran Islands, explore the rainforests of Costa Rica, connect with local culture in Kenya, witness the majesty of Imperial Russia, see the Northern Lights from glass igloos and more. Finding a guided travel company that you trust is like getting a ticket to the whole world.

If you plan on going on more than one trip with AAA Member Choice Vacations, you should look into their Passport Club, which celebrates valued guests with travel benefits, gifts and special recognition. New guests will be automatically enrolled in the program, and a full $150 credit is applied to your next AAA Member Choice Vacations tour within 12 months of the original trip.

The next time you decide to go on a trip of your own, consider guided travel. It has almost all of the benefits of solo travel, with none of the drawbacks.

Explore the world on a guided travel tour with AAA Member Choice Vacations.

Have you ever traveled solo, or joined a guided tour? Let us know in the comments below!