How to Pick a Small-Group Tour When You're Traveling Solo

The setup

Some trips are better with company: a desert crossing, a week of trains through India, a dinner you don't want to eat alone for the fourteenth night in a row. A small-group tour gives you ready-made companions and someone else handling the logistics, without having to find a friend whose calendar and budget match yours.

Why it's hard alone

The wrong tour is worse than no tour: a coach of 50, a schedule that leaves no time to yourself, or a group where everyone else is a couple. Solo travelers need to check things couples never think about: who you'll room with, how many others are solo, and whether you'll get any time on your own.

The solo method

1. Check how many travelers book solo. The best operators for solo travelers say so openly. G Adventures has said more than half its travelers book solo, and Intrepid says over 50% of its travelers go solo. Much Better Adventures says about two-thirds of its travelers join solo.
2. Keep the group small. Look for a maximum of 16 or fewer. Intrepid says its groups usually average around 10 people.
3. Read the room policy before you book. Will you be paired with a same-gender roommate at no extra cost? Can you pay for your own room, and how much? See How to Avoid the Single Supplement.
4. Match the pace. Operators rate trips by physical demand and comfort level. A "basic" trip can mean shared bathrooms and overnight buses; read the trip notes, not just the highlights.
5. Check the age range. Some brands target specific ages (Contiki, for example, is for 18–35s). Others have no upper limit. Pick a group you'll want to have dinner with.
6. Look for free time. The best solo trips leave whole afternoons or days unscheduled, so you get company and independence.
7. Consider a solo-only departure. Some operators run trips only for solo travelers, which takes the couples question off the table.

What nobody tells you

Try a day tour before a two-week one. A single walking tour or day trip in your next destination tells you whether you enjoy traveling with strangers, for the price of a dinner.