What is a small group vacation?

Small group travel is like having a friend in every city, village or farm you choose to visit. Someone who knows all the best cafés and restaurants – where the menus don’t have photos of the food, and all the seats are filled with locals.

It’s like having a companion who can translate for you, who can ensure you’re getting on the right train, who can take you out to meet their friends – and maybe even invite you round to meet their family. Taking a small group vacation is like having a local “fixer” – someone who can ensure a blocked-off highway, or a delayed flight, or a workers’ strike doesn’t disrupt your trip.

Our small group cultural vacations reveal authentic local culture – not a version of it put on for tourists. Small group activity vacations are graded by ability and interest – and your fellow travelers will form a motivational team. Small group family trips mean your children aren’t stuck with boring grown-ups – and tour leaders will know how to inspire and excite young minds.

In fact, the tour leader is key to the success of any small group vacation. They aren’t there to herd you around, but to plan, advise, assist and make sure that everything runs smoothly – meaning that you’ll be able to relax and let your experience unfold.

Read on to see why we think small group vacations mean big adventures – and why our travelers agree.

Small group trips offer big, life-enriching experiences that would be difficult, if not impossible, to organise without lots of time and insider knowledge – from trekking the Great Wall of China to taking an overland tour of Africa.

Make the most of your time away by letting someone else take care of the hard work and boring logistics, from booking hotel rooms to queuing for train tickets, while you get on with enjoying yourself.

Small group tours mean that all the security aspects are taken care of on your behalf – and provide a safety net should anything unexpected happen.

You can’t possibly learn all the languages of Southeast Asia or read every menu in Mongolia. But your group leader and local guides are there to break down the language barrier, and ensure you travel like a local, not an outsider.

“One thing that’s underrated is the rapport that you get from a small group,” says Andrew Appleyard from our partner Exodus Travels. “Traveling by small group can be very rewarding – it’s really wonderful meeting people with a similar mindset and just enjoying these spectacular surroundings.”

If you don’t have three months to spend exploring, small group trips let you cover more ground in less time. You’ll follow a carefully designed itinerary (with plenty of free time for solo exploration too) so you can squeeze more into your vacation.

Small group vacations mean travel companions from a wide variety of backgrounds, but with a shared interest, plus peace of mind for those traveling alone. Single supplements are usually available – providing privacy if you want it.

Enjoy the freedom to stray from the tourist trail without worrying about getting lost and meet local people without having to deal with the language barrier.

Couples and friends have private rooms and you can choose to eat alone or not. Single supplements are usually available, giving solo travelers their own room – and space.

Small group vacations follow pre-arranged itineraries at a relaxed pace, however they will often include the occasional free mornings or afternoon, letting you explore on your own or just relax. Your tour leader can recommend the best places to eat, drink, shop – or simply admire the view.

Trips can be as high or low end as you like and the accommodation will match – we have a huge range of small group vacations to choose from. The most off-the-beaten-track destinations may not have luxury hotels, but that’s all part of the adventure.

Getting to know your fellow travelers is a big part of the fun. Our partners aim to create groups with a similar demographic – age, families, activity levels... Chances are, you’ll make new friends before dinner on the first day.