Solo, as a couple, or in a group?

I’ll admit, the hook is intentionally ambiguous 😉 but I really do want to talk about travel, inspired by a side discussion and a recent experience.

The topic is obviously about independent travel, in a closed group—not those hordes of tourists who step off a plane just to flop onto a beach (no judgment, I do it too… rarely).

Have you tried traveling with others? How did it feel? Never again? Always? Do you travel solo by choice (not due to constraints)? Why?

Your turn! !

And since I should always set the example, I’ll share my thoughts with you.

A friend from Normandy 😉 would say: it depends. And she’d be right, but I’d add it depends on who you’re with!

I love going on vacation with a group of friends—around ten of us, usually for a week. It’s a great excuse for "prep meetings" over a good meal. But we don’t do multi-stop trips; we pick one spot and explore around it, so activities and visits are always optional.

For long-term travel with multiple stops, it took my wife and me about ten years to sync our pace—balancing "intense" moments with quieter ones, since I tend to come back from trips more exhausted than when I left. So this year, when a couple of friends asked to join us in Asia, it wasn’t an easy decision.

But it worked out because:

- We spent 15 days just the two of us before they joined. - We had a plan set together before leaving, with each step clearly defined. - We listened to each other to adjust things, and decisions were made as a group. - My friends were new to long-term travel without an agency and had limited English, so they were happy to follow our lead. - The budget worked for both couples.

So, I’d say yes to doing it again—but not every time, and with a small group.

Solo: never tried it.

As a couple: The easiest option since you know each other well. Especially if you share the same views on travel!

With family: (as a kid, not a parent...) You know each other inside out too, so no difficulties. Well, the same ones as at home...

With two very close friends: harder to sustain over time. 15 days is perfect—1 month, and disagreements start to creep in... The pitfall: differing financial means, tastes, desires, or ways of doing things that become too pronounced once you're living together 24/7.

With a group of friends: a weekend is fine. Several days, same issues as above, plus the lack of privacy. I think you really need to plan every aspect of the trip carefully! And set clear financial boundaries.

Sure, there’s no accounting for taste... I’d say it really depends on the type of trip. For example, during a solo crossing of the Kalahari Desert—if I’m alone, that is—the nights won’t be as great as the days. You get me, Bruno? Or, during a trip with a "closed group," there can be some perks.

I wouldn’t like it alone. Though I hear that when you travel solo, you meet loads of people...

As a couple, it’s great because you’re usually on the same wavelength.

With a friend, it can turn into a nightmare. I’ve had some wild experiences with someone who was always too hot, too cold, thirsty, hungry, not thirsty, not hungry, sleepy, not sleepy, had a stomachache, needed to pee... 🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️

With four people, like two couples for example, it can be amazing under certain conditions: plan the trip together, make sure you all want the same things before leaving, be in roughly the same income bracket, and have a similar pace (those who are up at 6 AM won’t be my travel buddies). When the chemistry’s there, you can really have a blast.

Group travel isn’t for me. Or maybe just for 2-3 days max.

@Voyou, spill the beans!

Alone, I wouldn’t like it. Well, they say when you travel solo you meet loads of people...

I tried it once—never again. My stepdaughter travels alone (she’s single). She meets lots of people, but not many real friends. Mostly just chance encounters (excursions, hikes…)

As a couple, it’s great because you’re usually on the same wavelength.

Better that way

With a friend, it can turn into a nightmare. I’ve had some wild moments with someone who was always hot, cold, thirsty, hungry, not thirsty, not hungry, sleepy, not sleepy, had a stomachache, needed to pee... 🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️

Did you stay friends?

With 4 people, like two couples, it can be amazing under certain conditions: plan the trip together, make sure you want the same things before leaving, be in roughly the same income bracket, and have a similar pace (those who are up at 6 AM won’t be my travel buddies). When the chemistry’s there, you can really have a blast.

That’s me. Up at 6 AM. But I’ll go for a walk while waiting for the group breakfast at 8. Respecting each other’s rhythm. And we had a blast!

Group travel isn’t for me. Or maybe just for 2–3 days max.

Knowing how to suggest without imposing, how to split the group sometimes, and how to compromise. But a week max—I agree. With a few one-on-one moments.

@Voyou, spill the details!

I didn’t dare

Did you two stay friends?

From afar

She stayed a friend... from afar.

And with Partirdeloin, you two didn’t become friends either...!

Doesn’t that sound like a Devos joke? 😎

Have you experienced traveling with others? How did it feel? Never again? Always? Do you travel solo by choice (not due to constraints)? Why?

I have fond memories of my solo trips, but I was (much) younger back then...😉 Last year, I wanted to experience Nepal’s trails solo, even though it’s a destination I usually visit as a couple. Overall, it was positive (you’re more open to meeting people), but after 3 weeks, I got a bit tired. For me, the ideal is to travel with a family member I know well and share daily life with, especially for trips lasting several weeks. Traveling with another couple while on the move? Haven’t tried it. As for traveling with THE best friend—never again! Or at most, just a week...

I recently tried solo travel out of necessity, and there will surely be more trips like that.

It wasn’t exactly a choice, but when it’s that or nothing, I’d always rather travel.

There are upsides and downsides! I’m a bit of a loner—I love going at my own pace and getting lost in my daydreams. I don’t mind eating alone at restaurants (no desire to cook while traveling), especially now that smartphones mean you’re never *really* alone... Yeah, I’m definitely part of my generation—phone glued to my hand . Plus, I’ve got my thoughts anyway.

The downside? The lack of sharing, though even that’s easier now with smartphones—you can still share moments with a few close friends or on social media/forums.

Then there’s the annoying part: safety when you’re a woman still in her prime. I’m not 100% at ease, and it limits my destinations.

I can’t see myself traveling alone for long in certain places yet.

Last year, I also tried traveling with a friend in Warsaw, a city she knew well. We’ve known each other for years and had talked it through. She’s used to solo travel and likes having her own time. So in the mornings, she’d do her own thing, come back for lunch with me, and we’d explore together in the afternoons.

Sometimes I wanted to go to a restaurant and she didn’t—so I went without her. No way was I skipping pierogi just because she didn’t want to spend her money!

It was a nice mix of "we share some things, but we also do our own thing."

She’s up for another trip together. It almost happened this time, but the season didn’t work for me (Budapest in late February), and honestly, I didn’t want to see the same things again. Plus, I was in Nice anyway.

I took my mom to Vienna for the Christmas market. She doesn’t have anyone else to travel with and relies on me a lot. The problem? It kinda put me off. We also went to Paris together, and I was *done* after that. Two days is fine, but I don’t travel just for a short trip... So now I get emotional blackmail, but honestly, I’d rather travel solo than with her. She has zero independence—even in France (no language barrier excuse)—and is all about shopping, which I *hate*.

That’s why "when you’re alone, you do what you want at your own pace."

Traveling with multiple friends? Not tested, and I’m NOT interested.

Same with strangers. There are ads to find travel companions, but honestly, no thanks—I’d rather be alone.

The best, for me, is traveling with a happy partner or a friend I get along with (which doesn’t mean being glued together 24/7).

Hi Miranda! Thanks for stopping by to say hello—it’s great to see you!

As you mentioned, Miranda never travels alone anyway—she’s got her mouse with her! 🐭

I really enjoyed the part about “with mom.”

Don’t hesitate to drop by from time to time—we love Miranda’s “touch”! Hugs

Yes, great to see you back here! Don’t hesitate to change your mind and come back a little more often!! Good luck with everything in any case.

Good evening,

I’ve had the chance to experience all kinds of travel situations. My first trip, driven by circumstances I’d rather not discuss, was a solo adventure. It was July 1972, and I had just failed my *math sup* prep course miserably. I wasn’t even of legal age yet. So, alone and with a budget equivalent to three months of minimum wage, I left my hometown in the 93 to follow the "Hippie Trail"... with a little detour through the Middle East. My journey, which took me all the way to Nepal, lasted seven and a half months. The beginning was tough—I’d never traveled before, not even in France, except for summer stays at a camp in Cantal, funded by the communist municipality of my hometown.

When you travel solo, you inevitably meet people. You bond, share part of the road with those who are like-minded, then go your separate ways. Along the way, at the almost mandatory stops on this legendary route, you meet others...

Back then, unemployment was practically nonexistent—anyone who wanted to work could find a job easily.

When I returned home, I had to find a job related to my studies. I wasn’t bad at math/physics and spoke almost fluent English and German. A stroke of luck led me to try an entrance exam (at the *bac scientifique* level) for ENAC, and, thanks in part to "my lucky star," I passed!

I enrolled in the *École Nationale de l'Aviation Civile*, where students earn a salary. That same year, I made a friend with whom I’d go on several adventurous trips, including three crossings of the Sahara by car and a trek across Luzon Island (Philippines) in Ifugao and Kalinga territory.

Our first trip together took place during our school year. It was to Guadeloupe, in the Saintes archipelago. We were the only campers on a deserted beach (Pompière) during the week, where we lived for about ten days spearfishing.

For a good ten years, I traveled alternately solo or with my friend. We were pretty lucky with vacation time. By limiting our summer holidays, we could afford three trips a year, each lasting about three weeks.

At that time, discounted airfares (GP tickets) weren’t officially available, but by checking with different airlines, some would give them to us for free. We took what we were offered and usually found out our destination only about two weeks before departure. With some airlines like Avianca, we even traveled for free or at 10% of the lowest fare with others (Syrian Airlines, Turkish Airlines, etc.).

We didn’t have the right to reserve seats and only boarded (at the last minute) if there was space left on the plane—but until the early 2000s, there was always room!

Later, when I was married, I traveled with my wife, but since I had more vacation time than her, I treated myself to a solo trip every year.

As soon as our kids were over two years old, we started traveling as a family.

I’ve also traveled by posting ads on the *Routard* forum and 3 or 4 times on VF, mainly to do treks in the Himalayas that required special permits. Forming a team helped reduce guide costs. It always went well, though once, in our fifties, my wife and I teamed up with women in their twenties... The vibe wasn’t great between us, but it didn’t bother us too much...

I think I’ll stay, yeah! But I won’t necessarily write any travel journals.