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One of the biggest advantages with smaller groups is that your guide can really get to know you and you can really get to know your guide. That might not seem important as generally, when we book a holiday, the purpose is to see a specific location. However, when the guide learns what you like, and where you have been before, they are able to build your interests into your tour, something that is impossible in a larger group.
From our experience, larger group tours tend to be more regimented, this is a necessity as more people take more time to get things done and, in order to stay on schedule, the guides have to guide and organise the itinerary very differently. Smaller groups will also have a schedule but offer more flexibility when it comes to the options that make your holiday unique and special. With smaller groups, they can be far more relaxed and personable. The guide is able to learn everyones name, know where they are from, how long they are holidaying, and where they have already been. This information allows the guide to change the emphasis of the tour to what their clients are really interested in. The longer you are with the same guide, they more they can learn about you and do their best to make your holiday that much more special.
Other advantages that can be seen from guiding small group tours include the camaraderie between the clients. A barrier to many people choosing to take a group tour is the fear that they may be stuck with people they dont like. In reality, this rarely happens as every holiday maker is actually on the tour with the same goal in mind; to enjoy themselves. As a result, organised small group tours regularly allow clients to make lifelong friends.
Another positive aspect of a small group tour is that everyone sees things differently. Even when groups visit the same place time after time, each person sees the environment through their eyes and brings a different perspective based on their own unique experiences in life. Traveling with other people consequently gives you added experiences you wouldnt have had while traveling by yourself or with your usual companion(s).
Lastly, one of the often overlooked aspect of a small group tour is the side effect from the trust and rapport generated within a small group thats got to know each other well. This side effect is that members of the group often take part in activities that they would otherwise not have considered, purely because the rest of their group was taking part. Call it peer pressure call it encouragement to step outside your comfort zone, either way, in a group environment, you will almost certainly do and experience more than you would on your own.
So, if an organised tour within a small group has so many advantages, how do you ensure that you pick the right tour company to go with? The best way to choose the small organised group tour for you is to carefully look around for a tour company that has good referrals from its customers and/or good ratings on websites like TripAdvisor. Then, ask the tour company lots of questions to make sure you are going to get the experience you are looking for. After all, its your holiday.
