Let someone else plan it - I'm tired!
Relinquishing control and letting someone else do the leg work.
Another year has ticked over, I already feel another year older (even though my birthday is not until August), and all I wanted for Christmas was for someone else to schedule and plan my adventures. While that WOULD mean relinquishing control, it would also mean a more laid-back, go-with-the-flow type approach that many people take for granted.
“You booked and paid for the flights two weeks ago! That’s great. What about accommodation?”
“All sorted.”
“Super, is there anything I can do?” (fingers crossed they say “nothing, just relax”).
“Oh you want me to be packed and ready to leave by 10am? Copy that”.
All the things I love doing and still want to do, but none of the nitty gritty details to worry about. That’s a luxury I can only dream about most of the time.
While I do love researching places to go and things to do, the actual grind of booking accommodation, transport, transfers, sightseeing, and then making sure you get to where you need to be at the right time I could easily leave up to someone else. But could I even put my trust in someone to do that? I may never know, but what I do know is that I can get an element of that reduced pressure by booking a group tour with a pre-planned itinerary. There are many companies that do this for all sorts of adventures and cater to solos, couples, females only, specific age groups, or fitness levels.
I do love exploring places solo, but there’s a lot to be said for choosing to go on an adventure with a travel company. It just may be your best option to explore a specific region that might otherwise feel a little daunting as a solo female traveller. You may get to stay at a certain place, visit a unique village or participate in a cultural experience that just would not be possible to do without a group or local knowledge. You could, scratch that, you WILL meet new friends. Your trip is planned from start to finish with no need for you to worry about accommodation or transfers, although you might have to pay for some meals. All in all, it’s worth considering if you just want to relax with the itinerary planning for a bit.
Some of the best trips I’ve been on were organised group tours where the majority of participants were solo travellers. I’ve made friends for life on these trips. I’ve travelled to far-off places and also explored closer to home. While most of these trips were well-organised and extremely fun with great people, what I have learned from experience is to select a group tour that allows for “free time” so that I can get some solo breathing space in my adventure.
As much as I like meeting new friends and having a group to hang out with, I still crave solo time. As an introvert, when I can’t get that free time I will start withdrawing into myself and become incommunicado with other members of the group. So free days/time are a must in any itinerary, otherwise you start declining to go on some side trips or day adventures because you just want to get some alone time, and that defeats the purpose of the whole tour if you have already paid for those side trips as part of the tour package.
In 2025 I am planning to go on an Intrepid tour. I have not been with an Intrepid group before, but apparently I booked one pre-pandemic (through my car insurance group’s side hustle - RACV Travel) and my deposit is still available to use as that trip did not go ahead. From memory it was a bike tour in New Zealand, but I had no idea I could still use the pre-paid deposit for another trip until they got in touch just prior to Christmas. So why the hell not? I’ve been looking for an adventure to go on, so why not one that someone else can not only book but plan for me too? I wonder if they will book my airfares as well - wouldn’t that be a nice change?
So I’ve done some research on Intrepid tours and saved a wish list (I freakin’ love the wish list) to come back to in the future should this year’s trip proves to be a great experience. I’ve heard they are a good company from other recent travellers on their tours, but everyone’s experience is unique. I’ve currently narrowed down my wish list to four possible adventures for late 2025. The decision is not easy, but free time/days and perhaps developing a list of pros and cons for each trip will help with the choice. I have to confess that I already have a favourite in mind, but the long haul airfare cost might be a deciding factor. Where would you go if you had the opportunity? What’s your favourite style of travel?
In case you were wondering, below is a list of the organised group tours I’ve completed as a solo traveller:
2023 - 9 days in Cuba with SoFe Travel
2023 - 10 days in Philippines (Palawan) with One Life Adventures (Manila > El Nido / Puerto Princesa)
2022 - 5 day Broome to the Bungle Bungles 4WD adventure with Kimberley Wild Expeditions
2015 - 5 day Alice Springs to Uluru 4WD Safari (similar to this tour, but not the same)
2009 - Sydney to Byron Bay Surf Adventure (similar to this tour)
While I have not been on a stack of organised tours really (as I do thrive on my solo adventures), I absolutely loved the 2015 outback tour, sleeping in a swag under the stars each night and cooking all our food on the campfire. Our driver/cook/all-round good guy Joe was one of the best tour guides I’ve ever had.
In Cuba I made a life-long friend and the SoFe room matching service was absolutely spot-on! Although my new bestie and I live on opposite sides of the world, we caught up in 2024 and went travelling in a van together around the Pacific North West in America. And I daresay there will be many more adventures to come.
So while I sit here and ponder the pros and cons of four very different Intrepid trips to choose from, I feel very lucky that I’ve been able to do so much already, although it’s only a fraction of what I want to do. Some decisions are hard to make, but I can guarantee that whatever I choose, I will still do the others, just not in 2025.
Happy travels my friends! May 2025 be full of great adventures!
What I’m reading: The Bone People by Keri Hulme. First published in 1984 and won The Booker Prize in 1985. The first time a New Zealand author had won and the first time a debut novel had won.
What I’m watching: Yesterday I watched How to Make Gravy, a movie created from a song that has become an Australian Christmas classic by one of our most iconic singer/songwriters, Paul Kelly. December 21st is sometimes called Gravy Day because of this song.
