Apart from benefitting the environment and economy, smaller group travel stands to benefit local culture and society a great deal too.
Local culture and society is promoted because there are a larger number of guides that get the opportunity to be employed and earn an income for their families. Most of the places we travel to are isolated, unheard of areas, where life is very relaxed and laidback. As a result, the opportunities to earn an income are stifled for the locals. By way of smaller group travel, a larger number of locals are employed and this in turn, helps us gain a lot of knowledge because they give us a lot of insight into the culture and the society they come from. So, there’s a great deal of promotion of their inherent culture and by way of this, awareness spreads, knowledge is shared and developmental plans for these isolated local societies are put into action.
Also, cultural sensitivity is greatly enhanced because unlike in bigger groups where you’re too caught up in the listening to whispers of sweet nothings of the gossipmongers in each other’s ears, here, you’re made to open your ears and actually listen because there isn’t much to distract you. It’s easier to understand the subtleties of a particular culture when you travel in a smaller group because that personal relationship develops and you realize that even though you might not belong to that particular place, it doesn’t mean you cannot respect it for what it is. Simple things like taking off your shoes and not making gestures, which may seem normal to you, but are really offensive to the locals, go a long way. You learn to respect them and in turn, gain a huge amount of respect for yourself too. Like they say, sharing is caring.
Environmental benefits are plenty to boast of as well. The lesser people you travel with, you can consider yourself doing a big favour to mother nature.
1. When you travel with fewer people, you’re prone to be more sensitive to your surroundings and not have that “Who gives a tiny rat’s ass” attitude. Thing is, is when you travel with a lot of people, herd mentality sets in. You ape what the others are doing. If they pee near a tree, you pee too, if they spit, you think it’s okay to do so and this isn’t hard to monitor because there are tons of people to control so no one’s going to be individually patrolling you and your doings. By way of this, you’re dirtying the environment, which means, you obviously didn’t pay attention in Geography class!
2. Also, with larger groups, the possibility of degrading the environment is very high. I mean, just imagine 30 odd feet, small, large, medium sized, all just bulldozing their way down a narrow little trail. The possibility of landslides are just staring you in the face! You just have to pity the earth for having to put up with that! It’s like Gulliver and the Lilliputs, for chrissake! In contrast, smaller groups give you the leeway to travel at intervals without need for hurrying up because, it isn’t a marathon!
3. With tinier numbers, you can pay what is called “attention to detail,” which is extremely important when you venture out exploring the wild because the whole point of going on these excursions is so that you can see mother nature in all her glory and truly appreciate it for what it is. With larger groups, there’s so much banter and other stuff going on like a record in the background that you tend to lose yourself in your own make-believe world and lose out on the essence of your trip. You fail to recall the reason you’re traveling and that’s a little risky because you can’s go back and say, “Yeah, it was a mind-numbingly eye-opening experience” because frankly, you don’t remember half of what you did or saw.
Venturing out in smaller numbers is ideal because it stands to benefit you as an individual in a host of ways:
1. There is individual attention that doesn’t cause you to feel left out or neglected. Often, when you travel in herds, half of the people are bound to be shadowed because there just isn’t enough time to spend on every person there. And that results in bitterness and crankiness, which is really avoidable. Hence, traveling in small groups makes you feel wanted and like you’re an important asset to make the trip a success.
2. Safety measures are greater enhanced because the guides are able to focus their attention on you and don’t try to hurry matters up, therefore doing a half-hearted job with everyone. Through this, they make you realize how valuable your life is and aren’t of the mindset, “Oh! Let’s get this over and done with already!” Boy! Could that be a bummer!
3. You are able to better understand and experience the place you head out to because you’re spoken to informally, like a gang of chuddie-buddies, no strings attached. This carefree, relaxed attitude makes you want to learn more and understand people and their cultures better. As a result, reservoirs of knowledge can be shared and multiple friendships can be developed, some that will hopefully last you a lifetime.
They say, “The bigger the better,” but that isn’t necessarily always true. Sometimes, compact is the way to go! Remember, good things come in small packages. We list out a coupl’of reasons for the same:
1. Relationships and friendships are easier to establish because you’re constantly interacting with the few you’re out exploring with and that makes the world a smaller place. It gives you that personal, homely feel that to an extent does away with homesickness.
2. Traveling in small numbers helps you appreciate the environment a whole lot more and sensitizes you to the people and culture of that place, no matter how blaringly different it is from yours.
3. It enables you to get the undivided attention that each one of you deserves as an individual traveling with us.
4. Safety doesn’t pose a threat because you have a smaller bunch of newbies to look after and there’s just enough of them to keep a keen eye on.
5. Smaller groups facilitate more interaction and communication, which has a multiplier effect in terms of maintaining contacts, and keeping in touch with each other even once the trip is over and done with. This creates memories that can be valued till a ripe old age.
6. With smaller groups, you’re able to work your way around your preplanned schedule and incorporate activities that are suggested by you. With larger groups, this can become a problem. It can never be flexible enough because there are bound to be personality clashes and majority always wins. So that can turn out to be a real bummer. Smaller groups, however, allow you that flexibility to go out and let your creative juices flow by providing ideas and thoughts.
7. And of course, they’re the most fun!
With small group tours of a maximum of around 8 people, you’re able to build a relationship with every person you travel with because it’s just the 4-8 of you’ll and eventually, you’re sure to establish some kind of rapport with the rest. Also, you’re guaranteed the kind of attention you deserve as an individual on these trips. Traveling with small groups helps you to pay closer attention to detail and it helps you understand the culture of the place you’re traveling to a whole lot better. Also, when there’s a smaller bunch of you’ll tagging along, you’re able to appreciate the environment in its entirety and cause a lot less havoc to it!
Ultimately, it’s up to you and all said and done, it is relative and differs from individual to individual. However, ever heard of the saying, “Too many cooks spoil the broth?” Well, these old adages never lie, if that counts for anything!
Page 1 of 2
