Amsterdam, The Netherlands, from my first trip to Europe in 2010
Don't get me wrong, I think large group travel is great. It's how I came to fall in love with travel itself; without it I would not have fallen in love with travel like I have. Though I feel as if I have worn out my experience with large group travel, and am seeking something more.
Most of my travels up to now have been in large groups through college or university. For my first trip or two this option was great for me because you always had 25 or so other people with you experiencing the same thing you were. Over time, however I started seeing the cons of this type of travel. One being you were always on a schedule and a time limit. You have ten minutes here, take an hour to explore, be back on the bus by this time. I always felt like I never had nearly enough time anywhere and always felt like my time was cut too short. Another con was I felt like I was being interrupted. If you are trying to completely take in a city, or view, or landmark there are 25 other people with you. I've had many moments where I just connect with a place, whatever or whoever it may be, and you just want to stand there for however long you want and take it all in. You want to soak it in as much as you can and appreciate it as much as possible. Yet, you get interrupted by the constant noise of a group beside you. You are never alone in a city, you always have several people by your side and in some cases this isn't always a good thing.
With the move to London, I'll get to wake up there everyday. I won't have to wake up and say 'I'll be going home in 7 days.' Instead London will be home for me. I won't have a ticking clock or a time limit there and will have the entire city at my feet to explore for as long as I would like.
When I do leave London it will be to travel to other countries. I can take a train or a plane and arrive in a new place and have no itinerary or agenda. I can truly be alone if I so choose, and completely soak in a destination with no interruptions from other people. If I do travel with someone, it will be with one person or a few people and not an entire class worth. Instead of trying to pack my schedule with 10 different things I have to make sure to see because I have a short time there, I can leave my schedule completely open and allow myself to explore.
Travel changes you, and continuously changes you in a variety of ways. I'm eager for travel to keep changing me over the next year and beyond, and for me to change the way in which I travel.
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