Even though it’s easy to research and book an entire trip on your own, group travel provides several benefits. Traveling through foreign countries and navigating airports, taxis, and hotels when you don’t know the language is tricky. Planning group travel through a local dive shop can help prevent people from taking advantage of you, because the dive shop has likely researched the vendors they use and may already have experience with them.
When traveling in a group, you are much less likely to be singled out than when on your own. That safety extends to being in the water, where you will usually have additional dive professionals from your local dive shop with you during the dives. They will be an additional set of eyes to keep you safe and help in an emergency.
With multiple dives over multiple days, someone might want to skip a day of diving but may feel pressure to dive anyway to not limit their buddy. You should feel comfortable when choosing not to dive, and the additional buddies on a group trip eliminates the pressure.
Travelers will occasionally encounter situations — such as flights, weather, illness, or an incident — where things don’t go according to plan. Having a trip leader who will help with arrangements removes a lot of stress. Hotels and airlines often feel more pressure to solve problems for a group rather than an individual.
Group travel is also fun! There is always someone you can to talk to about the dive, learn from, and share ideas about other travel. Whether you are a social butterfly or want quiet interactions with just a few people, you will find people on the trip who want the same thing. You may even find other divers who become travel partners year after year.
© Alert Diver — Q2 2024