What is it like for an impartial solo traveler on a bunch tour?
It’s a query that’s usually requested in our Facebook group, the Solo Travel Society.
Strong opinions are typically expressed. There are those that imagine that solely those that journey independently are solo vacationers. There are those that imagine that so long as you set out alone to hitch a tour, you’re touring solo. Some choose the corporate of others on a tour. Some choose solitude.
At Solo Traveler, we take the extra expansive view that you may resolve for your self what constitutes solo journey. So whether or not you propose each little element your self or choose to have another person deal with it, whether or not you wander a few vacation spot alone or within the firm of individuals you meet alongside the way in which, whether or not you set out alone and be a part of day excursions on occasion or e-book your self on a bunch tour in a personal room and even share with a stranger, you’re training your personal fashion of solo journey.
Almost all of my journey has been of the impartial selection, so when Globus invited me to expertise their new journey fashion known as Choice Touring, I jumped on the likelihood. I took their Green with Envy: Ireland by Design tour so I might provide you with a perspective as an impartial solo traveler on a bunch tour.
Solo Traveler on a Group Tour: 8 Days in Ireland
Day 1: Arrive in Dublin
Depending on arrival time, some vacationers had time to discover a little bit of Dublin on the primary day. The first scheduled occasion within the itinerary is dinner at your lodge to fulfill your tour director and the remainder of the group. We stayed at The Gibson, a contemporary, 4-star lodge within the Dublin Docklands space.
A very nice buffet breakfast is included every single day, with numerous selection. If you’re a espresso lover, I’ll enterprise to say that you’ll not be impressed with any common espresso served to you in a lodge restaurant in Ireland. The key’s to search for a espresso machine that makes cappuccinos and lattes. That’s one of the best you are going to do, nevertheless it additionally presents the added bonus of takeout cups so you’ll be able to seize and go.
If, like me, you are not a morning particular person, you’ll recognize that takeout espresso. You could not recognize the 7:00 am breakfast time in case you are accustomed to waking by yourself schedule whenever you journey. As the journey progressed, although, I found that as a solo traveler on a bunch tour, I acquired extra out of my day by having an outlined wakeup time. With a deadline to be packed and have my baggage able to be picked up and loaded on the bus, my day was prolonged and I truly ate breakfast, which I ceaselessly do not do.
Day 2: Dublin-Kilbeggan-Athlone-Westport
On Day 2, we hit the street and began the journey off with a bang with a guided tour of a distillery and a morning whiskey tasting at Kilbeggan Distilling Co. Established in 1757, there’s numerous historical past inside these partitions. The tour was actually fascinating, however I’m afraid I wasn’t sturdy sufficient to style the three whiskeys that had been provided. My fellow vacationers made up for it, although.
Next up: extra whiskey! We traveled to Athlone and visited the oldest pub in Ireland, Sean’s Bar. As our Tour Director identified, many locations declare to be “the oldest in Ireland” however this one has some credentials; Sean’s Bar has been formally acknowledged by the Guinness Book of Records as Ireland’s Oldest Pub. They make a imply Irish Coffee. It was nonetheless earlier than lunchtime after I visited, nevertheless it struck me as a pub I might like to return to within the night.
I wandered round Athlone, marveling on the stained glass home windows in St. Peter and Paul’s Church, created by the Harry Clarke Studios. I joined a few of my group members for lunch in one other pub, after which it was off to Westport.
I discovered the pacing of the tour to be wonderful. There was loads of time to wander and do your personal factor, however not a lot that you just had been ready round for the bus to take you to the subsequent vacation spot. It was additionally a deal with to not need to be always determining how one can get from place to position. Having that half taken care of by another person meant that I might cowl extra floor extra simply than if I had been touring independently.
If you are contemplating a bunch tour however are deterred by excessive single dietary supplements, try our constantly up to date listing of excursions which, like this one by Globus, characteristic supplements of 20% or much less.
In Westport, we stayed on the 4-star Westport Plaza Hotel. The rooms had been spacious, some with jacuzzi tubs, and mine had a small balcony. A gastrobar was positioned on the bottom ground, the place I joined the tour group for dinner. This was additionally the place breakfast was served. The lodge has a spa, which I used to be not in a position to make time to go to. All in all, a really snug place to relaxation your head on the finish of a day of exploring.
Day 3: Westport
In Westport, we had our first alternative to choose from a roster of actions. This is among the benefits of the Choice Touring by Globus choices–you do not have to do the identical issues as your journey mates, you’ll be able to select based on your pursuits.
In my case, I used to be actually excited to be taught to make Irish soda bread and scones. Childhood associates, Mary (beforehand a medical scientist) and Carmel (beforehand a house economics trainer), personal and function The Irish Soda Bread Way in Westport. Since just one different traveler within the group joined me, Mary drove us to Carmel’s residence for our baking class as an alternative of the business kitchen the place they’d usually host bigger teams. What a beautiful alternative to not solely be taught to make conventional baked items, however to sit down round a desk and chat about life with locals over tea and Irish espresso!
For those that weren’t taken with baking, there have been extra outdoorsy choices to select from. Some of the group selected a guided e-bike tour of Westport and others explored the seashores and cliffs of Achill Island, Ireland’s largest island.
Dinner was on our personal on Day 3, so my classmate and I loved a beautiful, leisurely meal of native, seasonal substances at The Curious Fish then wandered again by way of the beautiful city of Westport to our lodge.
Day 4: Westport-Kylemore-Maam Cross-Galway
Having visited Kylemore Abbey on a earlier journey to Ireland, this time I bypassed the Abbey and took the shuttle bus out to the gardens. In spite of the truth that it rained continuous, it was a colourful, solitary stroll and a breath of recent air.
From the formal flower backyard, planted within the late Victorian fashion and containing solely plant varieties that had been launched previous to 1901 to the glasshouses the place fruit and tropical crops had been grown to the much less formal wooded trails, the great thing about all of it transcended the gray and wet climate. As somebody who wants numerous alone time, it was good. I notably loved the Fern Walk, the place a large number of ferns develop alongside a burbling stream within the shade of tall timber.
I like the panorama of Connemara and the drive from Kylemore to Galway is considered one of my favorites. Being in a position to sit again and take within the view is such a pleasure. Our Tour Director organized for us to cease alongside the way in which to take pictures.
One of the issues I had puzzled about group excursions was whether or not I might discover it exhausting speaking to folks on a regular basis. Our group, a minimum of, fell into a really snug sample of chatting after we felt prefer it, staring out the window (and even snoozing) after we felt like that. There was no strain to be “on” and we had been all respectful of each other’s area.
Our Tour Director, Helen Lee was astounding. Her data of Irish historical past and tradition is encyclopedic. She regaled us with tales of myths and legends, private anecdotes from her circle of relatives, historic occasions, and extra. She was humorous and enjoyable but in addition saved us all in line so we had been at all times on time and by no means missed a factor. I sat near the entrance of the bus, so I might see how laborious she labored. I realized a lot greater than I might have whereas touring independently, and the knowledge was all delivered in such a private manner that it felt like a dialog with an outdated good friend.
The subsequent cease was Galway and time for an additional Choice Touring possibility. We might select from a strolling tour of the town adopted by dinner and drinks in an area pub or a meals tour of Galway’s specialties with tastings at each cease.
I heard nice issues in regards to the strolling tour, and I can vouch for the meals tour. We tasted all the pieces from espresso to ice cream, pastries to cured meats, oysters to cheese, and extra, washed down with beer, brandy, whiskey, and gin. My favorites had been the gin and pink peppercorn ice cream at Murphy’s and the gin and tonic (is there a theme right here?) on the Galway City Distillery Co. If I had been to go once more, I might plan forward to take their gin-making class.
Another good night time’s sleep was had, this time on the Maldron Hotel Galway. This one was a bit of out of the way in which, which was high quality for me, as I used to be able to put my toes up. But even for individuals who had been able to maintain going late into the night, it was only a cab journey away from the pubs.
Day 5: Galway-Inis Mór
On Day 5 we had essentially the most lovely climate of the whole journey–and it could not have occurred on a greater day, as we had been taking a ferry to Inis Mór, one of many Aran Islands. The skies had been so brilliantly blue and the solar so brilliant on the intensely inexperienced grass, it appeared unreal.
After lunch at Ti Joe Watty’s pub, together with a musical efficiency by an area musician, we set out on a minibus tour of the island. It was a good way to cowl numerous floor, with enormous home windows and a working commentary from the driving force.
We made a number of stops to wander about and take pictures, then headed for the prehistoric clifftop fort of Dun Aengus. Most of the group made the trek as much as the fort, however I selected to not climb up. Instead, I wandered across the retailers, watched a thatched roof being put in (one thing I had by no means seen earlier than), admired the surroundings, met a lady who shared with me a recipe for Sea Spaghetti Salad (so after all, I had to purchase sea spaghetti!), and bought a number of the beautiful Aran Island wool merchandise (which, a lot to my shock, they shipped residence to Canada for me for free of charge).
Following the go to to Dun Aengus, the driving force took us again to the place we had began. Along the way in which, we noticed extra Island sights, together with the realm the place the movie The Banshees of Inisherin was filmed. Some went procuring, a few of us gathered at a pub for refreshment, then we headed again to the ferry.
Day 6: Galway-Cliffs of Moher-Rathbaun Farm-Dublin
The Cliffs of Moher are a kind of iconic Irish landmarks that I’d seen in pictures, movies, and journey books, however by no means in particular person. They don’t disappoint! Our tour took us there on Day 6 to view the cliffs, take pictures, and wander by way of the customer heart. This was actually the one level the place I felt like I used to be on my thought of a stereotypical group tour, the place buses pull up, folks empty out right into a crowded customer heart, there are large lineups for washrooms, and so on. But, if you wish to see a well-liked web site like that, there’s actually no getting round it.
The Cliffs of Moher had been adopted by an expertise that was fully totally different and wouldn’t have been out there to me as an impartial traveler. We visited Rathbaun Farm, a working sheep farm, for a scrumptious lunch, together with recent baked scones, a tour, and an illustration of sheep herding by a canine in coaching. It was a wee glimpse right into a life I knew little about.
Evening introduced us to a different Choice Touring choice: a night at Taylor’s Irish Cabaret, together with a 3-course dinner with wine and a present or a literary pub crawl round Dublin together with dinner and drinks. I selected the cabaret as a result of I had by no means seen Irish dancers carry out reside, and I’m glad I did. These weren’t simply any dancers, however world champions who traveled the world representing their nation. The dinner, despite the truth that they had been serving an enormous crowd, was scrumptious and it was enjoyable to fulfill different vacationers seated close by.
Back in Dublin once more, we stayed at The Samuel Hotel, only a stone’s throw from the place we had stayed on the primary night time, within the Docklands.
Day 7: Dublin
On our ultimate tour day, we began with an orientation tour of Dublin. It was an important overview of a number of the highlights, and gave folks concepts of issues they wished to discover extra on their very own. We then toured the Guinness Storehouse, which was fairly spectacular. I’m probably not a beer drinker, and even I discovered it fascinating. Floor after ground of reveals in regards to the historical past and manufacturing of Guinness can actually make you’re employed up a thirst. Which is why, after I reached the seventh ground, I took a seat within the Gravity Bar and loved a beer. It’s true that it tastes totally different in Ireland!
The remainder of the day was free time till all of us gathered for a ultimate farewell dinner at a close-by restaurant. It was a enjoyable wind all the way down to an important week, and an opportunity to thank our wonderful information and Tour Director–and decide her mind for extra issues to do in Dublin, for these of us who had been staying on.
Day 8: Depart or Continue Exploring on Your Own
The ultimate day ended with breakfast and folks departed for the airport at numerous occasions or, if that they had time, caught round to take pleasure in Dublin for a day or two.
You can learn extra about how I spent my free time in Dublin on this publish: Solo in Dublin: A Fantastic Destination to Explore.
Did I Enjoy Being a Solo Traveler On a Group Tour?
So there you’ve got it: a blow-by-blow of my expertise as a solo traveler on my first group tour. Would I do it once more? A tour like this one, with a lot free time and selection of non-obligatory excursions, sure. Many of the tiresome facets of impartial journey had been eradicated, and lots of issues had been made simpler: no worrying about how one can get from A to B or calculating the timing, no lugging baggage on and off buses and trains, no stress over lodge reservations or day excursions that will not take single bookings. Would I hand over impartial journey? Not an opportunity. But there’s a completely happy spot in between group and impartial journey the place this tour sits, and I loved all the pieces it needed to supply.
Thank you to Globus for sponsoring my journey on their Green with Envy: Ireland by Design tour. All experiences and impressions are my very own, and Solo Traveler maintains full editorial management over all content material.
Last up to date: seventh January, 2023