5 Things I Didn't Realise I'd Love So Much About Group Travel

From exploring new cities without having to figure everything out myself to making friends I never would have met otherwise, travelling Europe with a group of girls made me appreciate a few things I hadn't really thought about before.

There's so much to love about travelling Europe. The beautiful beaches, little streets you could wander down for hours, trying new food and finally getting to visit places you've had saved on Pinterest for years.

But after experiencing both solo travel and group travel, I've realised that who you're travelling with can make just as much of a difference as where you're going.

Don't get me wrong, I love solo travel. There's something really rewarding about being able to navigate a new country on your own and have the freedom to do exactly what you want.

But I also think there's something so special about travelling with a group of girls, especially when you're somewhere completely unfamiliar.

Looking back on my travels, these are five things that made me appreciate group travel more than I expected.

1. Being able to explore a new city without stressing about how to get everywhere

One of my favourite things about travelling is arriving somewhere new and having the whole day ahead of you to explore.

Finding a cute little cafe, wandering through the streets, stopping in shops and discovering places you didn't even know existed.

But when you're travelling alone, there's also a lot of figuring things out that comes with it.

You're checking Google Maps every five minutes, trying to work out which train to catch, making sure you're heading in the right direction and hoping you haven't accidentally booked your accommodation on the other side of the city.

And when you're in a country where you don't speak the language, even the simplest things can suddenly feel a lot more complicated.

Something I really appreciated about group travel was having other people there to figure things out with.

Even something as simple as having someone double-check directions or help work out the public transport makes such a difference.

And when you're travelling on an organised tour, having a guide who knows the destination is another bonus.

It meant I could spend more time actually exploring the places I'd been so excited to visit, rather than worrying about whether I was going to end up completely lost.

2. Not having to spend half my holiday organising the other half

I'm definitely someone who loves planning a trip.

I'll happily spend hours researching restaurants, saving TikToks, looking at activities and working out everything I want to do.

But I've also realised how much time you can end up spending organising things while you're actually on holiday.

You're trying to work out what time you need to leave, how to get to the next place, whether you have enough time to stop for lunch and what you're doing the following day.

Before you know it, you're spending half your afternoon on your phone trying to organise everything.

One thing I loved about group travel was being able to wake up knowing that most of the important things had already been sorted.

The accommodation was booked, the transport was organised and there was already a plan for the day.

You could just get ready, head down to breakfast with the girls and look forward to whatever you had planned.

Of course, there are still early mornings and busy travel days, but there's something so nice about not having to be the person responsible for organising absolutely everything.

Especially when you've spent so much time and money getting to Europe in the first place.

3. Actually saying yes to experiences I probably would've talked myself out of

This was probably one of the biggest things I noticed between travelling solo and travelling with a group.

There are so many amazing experiences you can have while travelling Europe, whether that's a boat trip, cooking class, day excursion or something completely random you discover along the way.

But sometimes, when you're travelling alone, it's easy to convince yourself not to do something.

Not because you don't want to, but because the thought of turning up by yourself can be a little intimidating.

I experienced this when I was in Corfu.

I really wanted to do a day trip to Paxos and Antipaxos. The beaches looked beautiful, and it was exactly the kind of thing I'd wanted to do while travelling Greece.

But because I was on my own, I kept going back and forth about whether I should book it.

I was thinking about whether everyone else would be there with their friends, who I'd talk to and whether I'd actually enjoy spending the whole day on a boat by myself.

Then, when I was in Paros with the girls, we went on a pirate ship to a blue lagoon, and I didn't think twice about it.

We were all excited, we already knew each other and it was just another fun thing we were doing together.

I think that's one of the best parts of travelling with a group of girls.

You might all arrive not knowing each other, but once you've got those first introductions out of the way, things start to feel so much more natural.

You're spending your days exploring together, going out for dinner, sharing rooms and getting to know each other.

And before you know it, you're making plans with girls you only met a few days ago.

I loved being able to say yes to things without overthinking whether I'd feel awkward or have anyone to do them with.

And looking back, some of those experiences ended up being my favourite memories from the trip.

4. Having people around when things don't go to plan

Obviously, when you think about travelling Europe, you're imagining all the exciting parts.

The beaches, the sunsets, the food and all the places you've been wanting to visit.

You're probably not thinking about getting stuck in an airport for hours with absolutely no idea what's going on.

But that's exactly what happened to me in Croatia.

Our airport unexpectedly shut down, and we were told our flight had been diverted.

We had no idea when we'd be leaving, whether the flight was going to be cancelled or if we'd need to find somewhere to stay for the night.

And after a long day of travelling, the last thing you want to be doing is trying to work out what to do when you barely have any information.

But having the girls there made the whole situation so much easier.

We were all trying to figure out what was happening, sharing updates, talking through our options and keeping each other company while we waited.

It was still stressful, but at least we were all in it together.

And I think that's something you don't always consider when you're planning a trip.

It's easy to get excited about all the amazing experiences you're going to have, but things don't always go to plan when you're travelling.

Flights get delayed, bookings get mixed up and sometimes things happen that are completely out of your control.

Having people around you doesn't mean those things won't happen, but it does make them a lot easier to deal with.

And sometimes, the situations that seem like a complete nightmare at the time end up being the stories you laugh about together afterwards.

5. Coming home with memories I wouldn't have made on my own

When I'm planning a holiday, I'm always thinking about the places I want to visit and the things I want to do.

And don't get me wrong, those experiences are a huge part of why I love travelling.

But something I've realised is that a lot of my favourite memories from Europe aren't necessarily the big activities we had planned.

They're the random conversations over dinner, getting ready with the girls before going out, laughing about something that happened earlier in the day or spending an afternoon at the beach together.

It's all those little moments in between the actual itinerary.

And I think that's what makes group travel so special.

You could be sitting at home right now looking at photos of Greece, dreaming about swimming in the blue water, spending your afternoons on a boat and exploring the islands.

But what you might not have thought about is how much more fun those experiences can be when you've got a group of girls to share them with.

Girls who are just as excited to be there as you are, who want to try new things and who are probably also hoping to make some new friends along the way.

One of my favourite things about group travel was how quickly you could go from being complete strangers to feeling like you'd known each other for ages.

And by the end of the trip, you're not just coming home with photos of all the beautiful places you've visited.

You've got all these shared memories, inside jokes and new friendships with girls you probably never would have crossed paths with otherwise.

Would I recommend group travel?

Absolutely. But I also think solo travel is something everyone should experience if they get the opportunity.

There's so much you can learn about yourself from travelling alone, and I wouldn't change those experiences for anything.

But after travelling Europe with a group of girls, I can definitely see why people love group travel so much.

For me, it meant spending less time stressing about logistics, feeling more confident trying new things and having people around when things didn't go to plan.

But more than anything, it was the friendships and shared experiences that made it so memorable.

And I think that's something worth considering if you've been wanting to travel but keep putting it off because your friends aren't available or you're not quite ready to do it completely alone.

You don't necessarily have to choose between the two.

You can book that trip you've been dreaming about, arrive without knowing anyone and spend the next week or two exploring some incredible places with girls who are in exactly the same position as you.

And who knows, you might come home with a whole new group of friends who are already talking about where you're all going next.

Because sometimes the best thing you bring home from a trip isn't something you bought or a photo you took. It's the people you met along the way.