Options
Small group tours
Our upcoming Morocco tour is quite small - 12 guests. We've always been on the larger, 'classic' tours. What are the pros and cons of such a small group?
0
Our upcoming Morocco tour is quite small - 12 guests. We've always been on the larger, 'classic' tours. What are the pros and cons of such a small group?
Comments
When we went to Morocco, there were 14 people on the tour. I can't directly compare to a larger group, but there were no issues having a smaller tour group. Having 12 should make things easier - less crowding on the bus and at places you go to.
You can see our tour at https://www.mikeandjudytravel.com/2022-1Morocco-01.htm It has some background information about Morocco on the first page which you might find interesting.
You can search the forums, e.g. "small groups vs classic" or words to that effect. A few of the common but divergent opinions are- large groups are less affected by rotten apples, easier to make friends, especially for singles, and some classics end with a small group number of travelers, while small groups can be cliquey especially if there is one or two subgroups/families (or it can be just the opposite), and movement, meals, sight visits are much better on small group tours. Except for one US land cruise (which turned us off to large groups early on) and two river cruises, we prefer and have always take small group tours when offered.
**MRamshaw ** In my opinion...smaller is better--especially if you didn't pay the premium for the small group tours. I've never paid the premium for small groups although I have benefited from small groups at classic tour prices on all but one tour--Grand Australia & New Zealand. It was 30+ people. It was a great tour but there was always someone that kept the group waiting. I think there is more personal accountability with the smaller groups.
I've enjoyed both. It's been easy for me (usually a solo traveler) to make friends with whom I've stayed in touch on both. When I've taken classic tours, the group has been divided into smaller groups to tour with local guides. Perhaps the one benefit to the smaller tour is shorter lines at restroom stops. I'm fortunate that in my many tours, I haven't run into any fellow travelers who have been chronically late. I choose tours based on how they fit into my schedule, not the size of the group, and have never been disappointed.
I prefer small group tours primarily because of logistics. We, in my opinion, spend less time waiting in restaurants, waiting to get on and off buses and more time sightseeing. In some cases small groups stay in smaller, more intimate hotels. There is no right or wrong; it merely depends on personal preferences.
Just finished a small group tour where there were only 8 of us. While there are many pros in terms of ease of moving about, the one con I found was less people to interact with.
We leave today for the Morocco trip and I haven't checked on numbers. I hope there are more than you had. Right after covid, we had 6 cancel on Egypt and Jordon, leaving 5, so I know what you mean. You need other people or you take a private tour.
Nothing wrong with a small group, when I took the Kenya and Tanzania tour in 2021 there was only 4 of us and it was wonderful.
I just found out there will be 12 of us on the December India/Nepal tour. This isn't surprising. There were only 19 of us on the Portrait of India tour 5 years ago--before COVID and other crazy world events--and 5 were singles.
Our Portrait of India tour in 2018 had 18 guests. There were 16 in our recently completed Essence of South America tour.
I found both group sizes to be quite nice.
Our Morocco trip in Nov. 2021 had 11 guests - it was great! Since Covid was just ebbing (before the next strain a month later), we were glad to distance from each other. We stretched out in the bus during long rides, and had lots of room at group meals. I can't think of any downside to this size - no waiting for camel rides or henna tattoos!
I imagine if you are a solo traveler or want to interact with many people, it could be a disadvantage. We were so silly happy to be traveling after the pandemic pause that we just didn't care. I travel with Tauck so that I don't have to stress about arrangements and ultimately see more - not specifically to meet new friends. If that happens, all the better!
We travel to immerse ourselves in the culture and history of the country and to share experiences with like-minded people. We always add pre-and-post tour days to enhance what we wish to experience. Of course we will mingle with other travelers, but we prefer to enjoy each others company as memories are made. We, too, have enjoyed the larger group tours but much prefer the smaller ones.