Taking the Leap: Choosing to Go With a Group After Years of Independent Travel

For people like me, travel changes through the years. I no longer look forward to arriving in Delhi after an overnight flight and making my way through the crowds to a hotel. And I no longer feel the need to do my own research and make my own reservations on every trip I take. 

I wondered how other folks decided to make the leap to traveling with a group, so I recently posted a query on the Women of Road Scholar group on Facebook. It read: 

“Was wondering if any of you recently did your first group program with Road Scholar after traveling independently before. What surprised you about traveling with a group?” 

Almost immediately, more than 100 group members responded with their own personal stories about changing the ways in which they had always traveled. While I found that there were a variety of reasons to join a group rather than to go solo, a number of responses fell into specific categories.  

1. Meeting New People 

“I LOVED traveling with Road Scholar for several reasons. Besides liking the fact that lodging and transportation were prearranged (and that the arrangements were efficient and safe), I enjoyed meeting interesting people and chatting at meals and on the bus.” 

—Mary 

2. Enjoying Both the Differences and Similarities of the KINDS of People Who Travel with Road Scholar 

“I didn’t think that I’d have anything in common with people so geographically diverse, but there were two major things we shared — we love to travel and we love to learn about other cultures.” 

—Ann Marie 

3. Making Travel Easier 

“I very much enjoy and appreciate having the details worked out in advance — just meet in the lobby and transportation is there — or meet in the lobby and here is your train ticket. I also enjoy meeting people from other parts of the country and learning alongside them and from them.” 

—Kelly 

4. Knowing That an Inclusive Price Ultimately Saves Money 

“I’ve worked out the numbers and it’s almost even, so please don’t think you will save money by going it alone. The value, convenience and fun are all worth it — plus you see and do more.” 

—Claire 

5. Leaving the Planning and Booking to Someone Else 

“My husband and I took two back-to-back adventures with Road Scholar in September and October after traveling independently for 50 years. Planning was becoming exhausting for me!”  

—Jill 

6. Having Local Experts Select What to See and Do  

“It occurred to me that it made sense for local experts to select the venues and activities. I really got to experience a place rather than trying to read and design my own itinerary.” 

—Mary 

7. Being Able to Travel With Mobility Challenges 

“Every program lists an activity level. That way you can choose what works for your level of mobility. And on my program, everyone kindly waited for folks to catch up and were patient with any issues they had.” 

—Barbara 

“There are always options. Look for the easy programs. If you can get on and off a bus with help, there are plenty you can attend. If something is too hard, you can opt out of that activity.” 

—Karen 

“I am now somewhat mobility compromised and took Costa Rica at a slow pace.” 

—Vicki 

8. Having Road Scholar Fix Problems When Things Go Wrong 

“Things go awry while traveling, whether solo or with a group like Road Scholar. With Road Scholar the Group Leader knows the resources available to fix it. Traveling solo and trying to resolve them is exhausting and worrying.” 

—Jody 

“I lost my phone, and our Group Leader tracked it down and managed to get it returned. She did the same thing when someone left a backpack (with their passport in it) in a church.” 

—Barbara 

9. Losing a Friend or Partner 

“I did my first group program shortly after my husband died. Travel helped me cope with my grief. And I love just to be able to leave all the details to someone else!!!” 

—Joe 

“I had traveled with my husband for 45 years and really did not want to travel on my own. My first group program had many solo women, and I felt that I had people with whom to share the joys of discovery once again.” 

—Janice 

10. Having Knowledgeable Experts and Guest Speakers  

“What is amazing is how knowledgeable the Group Leader and local experts are and how excited they are to share their country with you, a visitor, on a daily basis. I rarely experience that when I travel outside of a group.” 

—Susan 

“I was surprised by how much I learned from the speakers and itinerary. I had assumed group travel was inherently limiting and that my independent forays were culturally richer. Road Scholar taught me that’s not always true.” 

—Jan 

11. Spending the Holidays With Others 

“What motivated me was a decision I made early in 2022 that, after having spent the past several Christmases alone, I did not want to do that again. A friend who had done a couple of Road Scholar programs previously suggested them, and I was happy to see the holiday programs. I greatly enjoyed it. It was nice to spend Christmas with others in such a great location and I was able to have Christmas dinner with 25 other people.” 

—Thaddeus 

12. Destinations That Are Difficult 

“I have chosen a couple of Road Scholar programs in areas where I either wouldn’t feel comfortable traveling alone or looked into doing solo and found the transportation too difficult to plan.”  

—Daphne 

Welcoming Change as We Age 

I believe that, for many, travel changes as we age, and group travel is certainly different than winging it on one’s own. But with the right group and the right attitude, it can introduce those of us who have always loved setting off on adventures to an entirely different way of discovering the world.  

It's never too late to find an untried way to learn about other countries or cultures, or even try new experiences closer to home. 

My next adventure is with Road Scholar to Newfoundland and Labrador, places completely different from the ones that have been my destinations over the past 50 years. I couldn’t imagine going alone there because of the distances between sites and isolated destinations. But I trust Road Scholar to help me find what is magical and historically significant there. 

And these days, many older travelers have the time, energy and ability to travel and to learn as much as we can about the world. As one Road Scholar participant, Betty, put it, “Travel with context rather than just tourism is everything.”