We get it, the old-fashioned concept of group travel conjures up a certain image. Here’s why our signature style of small group travel is anything but what you’d imagine.

Written by Emily Plug, Head of Content & Sales at El Camino Travel. Originally published January 12, 2023

Myth 1: I won’t make friends in the group

The Journal of Science and Personal Relationships reports that it takes 50 hours of hanging out to become friends, 90 hours to go from friends to good friends, and 200 hours to become someone’s best friend. We’ll do the math for you. When you’re spending so much of your time around each other like you are on one of our group trips, that’s two days to become friends, two more days for good friends, and just over 8 days for that to be a full-fledged best friendship. That means joining any El Camino small group trip puts you squarely in the friends-to-best-friends zone. Skeptical? Just ask any of our travelers about the lifelong friends they’ve made on our trips. Check out these amazing friendships that were formed on past El Camino trips…

Not to brag but… our travelers are pretty great. We attract bold and curious travelers who travel with intention. Our travelers seek personal growth through travel, and go into every adventure with an open heart and mind, ready to learn, explore, and connect.

Myth 2: Group travel is lame, crowded, and touristy

Close your eyes and picture group travel. If visions of a big bus tour with a disengaged tour guide leading you to overrun tourist traps with a throng of tired travelers is the first thing that pops to mind, we don't blame you. This is what many of us have come to believe about group travel. Allow us to show you how the El Camino style of group travel is anything but that.

Our trips are immersive, not lame

Our trips are designed to empower you to realize the full potential of our world through culturally immersive experiences. Our traveler understands that a country cannot be seen from one lens alone and that there are many different ways to experience a destination through the local culinary scene, art, design, or the beautiful endemic nature. Along the way, you’ll meet local creatives, leaders, and tastemakers who we admire. We proudly work with locals because no one is better equipped to provide layer upon layer of context than someone who is actually from there. Our itineraries match the feeling and energy of the destination—therefore some trips are more fast-paced and others focus on R&R. Even in countries that are more well-known, our trips visit less-touristed areas. We specialize in bringing you to places that would be difficult to discover on your own.

Our groups are small, not crowded

On an El Camino trip, you’ll travel with an intimate group of 12-16 travelers. We’ve found this to be the ideal size. This means your group will be small enough to get to know everyone on your trip but just big enough to benefit from the economies of scale. We’ll bring you to exclusive activities that would be unattainable on your own while keeping costs reasonable. With our signature off-the-beaten-path style, we curate experiences that will enable you to dive deep into the local culture, regularly visiting places with no other tourists in sight.

Our itineraries focus on hidden gems, not tourist traps

By now you’ve probably understood that we love going off the beaten path, even in destinations that are more well-known. Our Greece trip is a great example. The majority of tourists are going to Santorini and Mykonos, but we take our groups to the equally beautiful but far-less-frequented islands of Tinos and Paros. By doing so, we are true to our ethos—planning sustainable, responsible travel that drives a more meaningful economic impact. We also visit countries that are not quite as popular but have so much to offer. Countries like Nicaragua, Bolivia, and Trinidad & Tobago, and—believe it or not—when we started doing trips to Colombia in 2014, we broke a lot of molds. Today, Colombia has become much more popular, but we stay true to our ethos with our uniquely immersive experiences. When you visit Comuna 13 in Medellín with us, a community with powerful murals depicting its violent history, we provide a deeper perspective by amplifying community leaders’ voices and taking our travelers to a part of the neighborhood where hardly any other tourists go. We make sure your tourist dollars are spent locally to make a positive impact. On our Morocco trip, you’ll spend two nights at a centuries-old kasbah. This once-in-a-lifetime experience is so coveted, that we can’t even publish its location on our website 🤫 When you travel with us, you’ll feel like you’ve been let in on some of the country’s best-kept secrets.

Myth 3: I could plan this trip on my own

Many of our activities are exclusive experiences that are not offered anywhere else. We’ve spent years nurturing relationships with our amazing partners on the ground in each of the destinations we visit. On our Egypt trip, we've planned a rooftop dinner organized by a food archeologist who doesn't offer this delicious yet educational experience to anyone else. Another great example is our Japan trip. You’ll get to visit two different artist studios that do not open their doors to the public. Our trips are based on personal relationships with local people who will give you insider access to their world.

When we say our trips are unique, meaningful, and life-changing, we mean it. Leave your preconceived notions at home and join us for a small group experience that will completely transform the way you think about travel.

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Debunking Three Common Myths About Group Travel