Until recently, there were two easiest ways to go on a trip: buy a ready-made small group tour from an agency or plan everything yourself. Package tours are good when you don’t want to decide anything and want Yin, but it’s better to dive into an independent trip with a thick supply of Yang.

Independent Travel

We found harmony: the richness, depth of immersion and unconventionality of independent travel plus a ready-made program on a unique itinerary with a guide. We tell you how and why you need such trips.

My first ever package tour was “burning” Mexico. It was there that I found some crazy friends who, like me, were bored all the time sitting on the beach and we had as much fun as we could:

• bungee jumping;
• river rafting with waterfalls;
• ancient fortresses;
• loud shouting at the World Cup in a bar among the locals.

Then we went to Lima for a day, and six months later we were already traveling around Peru by ourselves, rejecting ready-made tours as a class.

Now everyone has different ways: weekends in Europe, winter in Morocco, business trips in Russia and dacha or package tours to the sea (had to return – there were children). Some choose luxury, some want more life, and go for hostels and couchsurfing, and some are drawn to the exotic. Not everyone has the strength and time to plan a voyage, and to go alone to some places at random is scary. But everyone wants to fill a vacation with unusual experiences to the brim. One of us went on an independent tour this summer, and I think we found a way.

How did independent trips come about ?

The Internet made traveling easier and longer. Buying a ticket and making a hotel reservation is a couple of clicks, and the work can fit into one laptop. There are noticeably more people going away for long months. Once in a new region for a long time, returning again and again or even moving permanently, these travelers gain experience, learn about places not in the guidebooks, make friends among the locals, learn languages, and get involved in the culture. The new nomads have chosen adventure among all the possibilities of the world, and some of them have realized that they can make travel qualitatively different for everyone. Especially for those who, after seeing pictures of the planet’s unique places, can no longer sleep well.

What is an independent trip?

It is a trip that was organized without the involvement of a major tour operator by a more experienced traveler. Drawing on his own worldview and experience, the author offers to join his itinerary; such a tour is more than just a road from one attraction to another, it is a real reality hunt.

Small groups and a carefully designed itinerary allow the participant to feel like the protagonist of the trip. The guide can give everyone maximum attention, and you will definitely be able to participate in all the activities, see and try all the most interesting things. The charisma of the author, the depth of his knowledge and his ability to captivate depends on whether the trip will be a discovery or a disappointment. Not the least of these is the technical organization of the trip. Lack of overlap, ability to react quickly to the situation, to change the route depending on the weather or the desire of participants add points in the karma.

How do independent tours differ from package tours ?

Package tours in the agency include:

• flight;
• transfer to the place of rest;
• paid room at the hotel;
• Medical insurance and selected meals;
• The agency will also help with visa formalization.

Ready-made tours often offer a resort holiday with a standard set of entertainment: hotel – beach – restaurant – disco or hotel – ski – restaurant – disco. You can not buy a trip to non-touristy places with unusual activity.

On the spot you will be offered to choose excursions, or you will go sightseeing on your own, constantly returning to the same hotel.

Usually the most favorable conditions for double occupancy, so you may need a companion.

The main technical difference of the author’s tour is that you often get to the starting point on your own, although there are some exceptions. But you can choose yourself the most budget way or a specific airline.

More often it is necessary to make medical insurance and visa by yourself.

Airport transfers and meals vary depending on the conditions of the tour.

Hotels are usually paid for the entire planned route. There are also accommodation in a tent. Then you have to bring equipment; however, the guides will help with its selection.

The main emotional difference – all these amazing places you travel in a small group of three people or more. On the one hand, you don’t have to beg your friends, who often find reasons to merge, and you can safely go alone; on the other hand, it may take some time to adapt to new people. But we know a lot of stories about how new acquaintances turned into true friends, and we’ve heard about weddings – where without them. And to share the cost of a small company is always more profitable than to pay the entire amount on an independent trip.