I’m a Solo Traveller: Here’s Why I Like Small Group Travel

‘I never would have come up here by myself’ – me to me, constantly.  
 
On day one, I sat on a balcony two storeys up with seven people that I’d known for barely an hour. We ate dinner overlooking a street party turned free-for-all karaoke in Ho Chi Minh City. It was an experience only a local, like my leader Thao, would have known to seek out and one I wouldn’t have found on my own.  And that was just the start.  
 
From crossing motorcycle-heavy streets with confidence to finding the best egg coffee in Hanoi or listening to one of Thao’s many stories as we kayaked across the waters of Ha Long Bay, I constantly found myself echoing the sentiments of that first night.

Not by myself. Not without Thao.  
 
Fun stuff aside – navigating local customs, knowing how much to tip or which winding alleys were safe to wander through were all travel gaps Thao’s local knowledge filled. 

Finding quality experiences when travelling can be a challenge; ensuring those experiences are also responsible choices is a whole other layer of hard. Instead of my usual late-night scrolling to find fun and ethical activities, on tour I was able to head into any experience knowing the checking had been done for me.  
 
Whether it was cruising down the Mekong River, zipping down the backstreets of Hue on a motorbike and pit stopping to roll incense, or buying a tote bag made of recycled plastic from the Green Life Centre in Hanoi – I got to immerse myself in culture, have fun and give back.  
 

Have you ever taken the risk on a street-side bánh mì, only to later realise that you probably shouldn’t have? 
 
No? Yeah… sure. Me neither.  
 
With food vendors lining the streets and seasonal spices coating the air, it’s hard to resist tucking into the first street eat you find. But without help, finding safe and tasty food can be tiring.
 
After making some poor food choices earlier in my travels, I was relieved to eat every meal in Vietnam with a feeling of security. From crispy rice paper rolls and stuffed tomatoes in a local family’s living room to bánh rán (mung bean doughnuts) hot off the street cart. And the free days? Just as easy – thanks to Thao’s never-ending list of local food recs. 

I like to plan… I do. But after a month of travelling independently I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t tired of being in charge of my own itinerary. From transportation to accommodation, activities to meals. Every moment of every day was up to me and my gosh, did my brain need a break.  
 
It was the simple things, like being picked up from the hotel and dropped off at the entrance to Hanoi’s Temple of Literature or being guided through the maze of the Imperial Citadel in Hue – all I had to was show up. With optional activities, even free days took minimal brain power. I could choose to join a cooking class or I could do my own thing and nap by the hotel pool. The perfect balance of structure and freedom. 

On the final night, as I drank ginger tea and listened to the soft melody of a guitar played by one of my group members – I realised I’d just spent 10-days travelling with a group of people I was unlikely to forget. 
 
If they listened to a story – they always wanted to know more. If they were eating dinner at a non-profit like KOTO (Know One Teach One) – they asked how else they could show their support. If they were told to follow a local custom, like covering their knees – they did it. They weren’t just there for the hot spots, they were there to experience Vietnam. 

But they were also there to have fun. From evenings spent playing cards as we floated across the waters of Ha Long Bay to cabin talks on the sleeper train or laughing at each other’s cooking abilities (my lack of cooking abilities). Although they were all different people of different ages with different backgrounds – they were people like me and it made the trip that much more special.