Solo Travel vs. Group Travel: You Can Have Both

Solo travel and group travel are not, in fact, opposites. It’s not even really a competition. The idea that you have to choose one or the other—that you’re either a lone wolf with a backpack and a journal, or someone who needs a full itinerary and a matching luggage set—is a false binary that stops a lot of people from going anywhere at all.

But the best version of solo travel often looks a lot like group travel. And the best group trips still leave plenty of room for you to do your own thing.

EF Ultimate Break is built exactly for this in-between space. More than 60% of travelers who book with us sign up completely solo. By the time the trip ends, most of them have a group chat they’ll be texting for years. So if 2026 is the year you finally stop waiting for your friends to get their schedules together and just go, here’s what you need to know.

Solo travel gets a reputation for being isolating, but that’s mostly a myth perpetuated by people who’ve never done it. When you travel solo, you’re not sentenced to eating dinner alone every night or wandering museums in silence. You’re just free. Free to choose your destination, your pace, your priorities. Free to say yes to the thing that sounds interesting and skip the thing that doesn’t.

The challenge—and this is a real one—is that solo travel can feel logistically overwhelming, especially for first-timers. Where do you stay? How do you get from the airport to the hotel? What do you do if something goes wrong at 2am in a city where you don’t speak the language? What happens if you’re a type B person without a type A friend to navigate every city?

That’s where a group tour changes the equation entirely. With EF Ultimate Break, the flights, hotels, guided experiences, and 24/7 support are all handled. You show up curious. We handle the rest.

If you’ve never traveled internationally on your own, jumping straight into full independent solo travel can feel like a lot. Booking a group trip is one of the best ways to ease into it; you get the freedom and the adventure of going somewhere new, without the stress of figuring out every single detail yourself. Even you have done some traveling, a group trip gives you the freedom to do your own thing, but also the comfort of having other people around if that’s something you find yourself looking for.

Here’s what that looks like in practice:

• You don’t have to plan everything. Itineraries, transportation, and key experiences are all taken care of. You focus on showing up and enjoying it.
• You meet people immediately. There’s no awkward “how do I make friends in a foreign country” phase. You’re dropped into a group of like-minded travelers from day one.
• You still get solo time. Optional activities, free afternoons, and flexible itineraries mean you’re never locked into doing everything with the group. You can wander off, find a cafe, explore a neighborhood, and then meet back up for dinner.
• You have backup. 24/7 support and an experienced Tour Director mean that if something goes sideways, you’re not handling it alone.

For first-time solo travelers especially, this setup is the sweet spot: independent exploration with a safety net.

Group travel has a bit of an image problem. People picture rigid schedules, matching T-shirts, and being herded through tourist sites at a pace that doesn’t let you actually experience anything. That’s not what this is.

The real benefits of group travel are quieter and more meaningful than the stereotype suggests:

• You’re never starting from zero. Walking into a new city alone can feel disorienting. Walking in with a group of people who are all equally excited and equally new to the place? That’s energizing.
• Shared experiences hit differently. Standing at Machu Picchu alone is incredible. Standing there with a group of people you’ve spent the last few days getting to know, all of you equally speechless...that’s a memory that sticks.
• The logistics disappear. This is underrated. Not having to think about how to get from point A to point B, where you’re sleeping, or what the plan is for tomorrow frees up a surprising amount of mental energy. You can just be present.
• You push yourself further. Solo travelers sometimes play it safe because there’s no one to encourage them to try the thing that seems a little scary. A group gives you that push (and someone to laugh about it with afterward).

If you’re ready to go, here are five destinations that are genuinely great for solo travelers and that EF Ultimate Break does super well.

Japan consistently tops the list for a reason. It’s one of the safest countries in the world, the public transportation is exceptional, and the country rewards curiosity in a way that makes solo exploration feel like a constant discovery. Wander down a side street in Kyoto and find a centuries-old shrine. Take the wrong train in Tokyo and end up in a neighborhood dedicated to cats. The EF Ultimate Break Highlights of Japan and Japan: Tokyo & Beyond trips cover the major cities and cultural highlights, with guided experiences and plenty of free time built in.

Thailand is one of the most affordable solo travel destinations in the world, and the variety it offers is hard to beat — ancient temples in Chiang Mai, electric street markets in Bangkok, pristine island beaches in the south, and the legendary Full Moon Party on Koh Phangan. Thailand Getaway and Full Moon Party in Thailand are built for exactly this kind of experience: iconic stops, cultural context, and a group of people to explore with.

Greece has a warmth to it—in the people, the food, the light at golden hour—that makes solo travelers feel welcome rather than out of place. Each island has its own personality, and Athens is one of the most historically rich cities in the world. EF Ultimate Break’s The Greek Islands trip turns strangers into friends fast, over shared meals, boat rides, and late nights in port towns.

Peru is one of those destinations that changes the way you see the world. The experience of reaching Machu Picchu, standing at the Sun Gate, looking out over the cloud forest and the ruins below, creates an instant bond with whoever you’re traveling with. Peru & Machu Picchu Adventure handles the logistics that can feel complicated from the outside, so you can focus on the experience.

Italy is endlessly social. Meals are long, piazzas are made for lingering, and the culture rewards slowing down. Whether you’re in Rome, Florence, or along the Amalfi Coast, you’ll connect with your travel group over shared meals and late nights, and leave with a list of places you need to come back to. Venice, Florence & Rome and Rome, Amalfi Coast & Sicily: Boat & Ruins Tour both give you the country’s greatest hits with real free time built in.

The solo vs. group travel debate is really just a question of what kind of experience you want, and with EF Ultimate Break, the answer is: both!

You go alone. You travel with people. You have the freedom of solo travel and the connection of a group. You come home with stories you couldn’t have planned and friendships you didn’t expect.