Feeling anxious about group solo travel? Short stays could be the answer

If you’re unsure about the idea of group travel, rest assured – you’re not alone. In recent feedback from our global community, we found fear around the issue to be the one of the most common issues for would-be Flashpackers yet to take the plunge. 

It’s an anxiety that makes total sense. The whole point of traveling in a small group of strangers is that – like a box of chocolates – you never know what you’re going to get. And that unknown that can be unnerving. But it’s also entirely unfounded when it comes to Flash Pack, and here’s why: 

Lots of people are socially anxious

If you’re one of the many hundreds of folks who feel anxious about connecting with new people – join the club! So many of us break out into a cold sweat at the idea of small talk. We dread feeling awkward or having nothing to say. And guess what? That worry is 100% normal. 

Stefan Hofmann, clinical psychologist at the University of Marburg in Germany, describes social anxiety as “a very healthy fear”. “In evolutionary terms, the most feared thing is to be excluded from others,” he tells Flash Pack. “In hunter-gatherer times, humans on their own got nowhere; excluded from peer groups, they were less likely to survive. And so we have this constant desire to be appreciated by others.”

 

Social anxiety is a very healthy fear

Because socially anxious people “tend to over-dramatise the consequences of interacting with others”, he says, the solution lies in “overstretching yourself a bit and trying situations that would clearly be uncomfortable for anyone.” This might look like those first ice-breaker moments of a group solo trip together – when everyone is a bit constrained, and getting the lay of the land.

Our vibe is friendly and open

Flash Pack aren’t group travel experts for nothing – we pride ourselves on curating a very unique, and inclusive, dynamic. The people who join our trips are generally 30- and 40-something professionals, so they have common ground already. But more than that, they share a willingness to connect and make friends.

Everyone was super-nice, relaxed and friendly

“I never tried a group experience before and I was a bit worried that it would be clique-y,” says US-based solo traveler Kelli Kimbell, who joined Flash Pack on a trip to Jordan. “But from the moment I went down to breakfast together with five other Flashpackers at the start of the trip, my nerves vanished. I realized everything was going to be fine. Everyone was super-nice, relaxed and friendly; there was zero awkwardness. I just felt at home.” 

So the Flash Pack formula rolls: you get to hang out with people who share your passion for adventure, and who are interested and curious about you as a person. There’s no pressure to “be” a certain way, or conform to a cringey, summer camp-style ethos.

You can be yourself, through and through

Because of this, our group format lends itself to a certain freedom to be who you are, without filter. Upbeat, shy, a bit heartbroken, messy or fearful – however you turn up, all shades of human experience are welcome and counted into the mix. And this realisation can be soup for the soul.

“Being with a new group of people gives the opportunity to practice new ways of being,” says psychotherapist Karin Peeters, founder of Vitalis Coaching. “I don’t mean being fake. I mean being more yourself than you’d ever dare being with those who know you, and have already formed their opinion of you. Feel the new-ness of the situation, and the fresh energy it brings.”

 

We were able to connect and open up without any masks

Flashpacker Olga Petrova experienced this effect early on during her group getaway to Bali. “We went swimming in Banyu Wana waterfall and one person chose to climb up the rock face and jump in from a high spot,” she recalls. “You could tell everyone wanted to do the same thing, and experience that fun, be-a-kid moment. Eventually, we all ended up trying it; shaking off any sense of self-consciousness along the way. It’s moments of carefree freedom like that helped us connect and open up without any masks. 

“On top of that, our group shared quite a few spiritual experiences together, like private meditation and temple bathing,” Olga goes on. “That was great, because it allowed us to feel more comfortable sharing our vulnerable stories with one another. It’s so healing to be able to open up about your struggles and have your worries validated by other people. You feel understood.”

Flash Pack now has short-stay trips

Perhaps the best reassurance of all for anyone nervous about group travel is that… drumroll please… Flash Pack has just launched its new collection of Short Stay Adventures. Designed for those who want to dip their toe into the waters of group solo travel minus a long-haul commitment, these bite-sized escapes fit neatly into four or five days away. 

They offer the very best of the Flash Pack rubric – including standout experiences, Pack Leaders and a baked-in friendship dynamic – in micro format. It means that, if you’re not yet sold on the whole group travel concept, you can grab a more affordable mini taster of what it’s all about. 

Short stays are ideal for anyone nervous about group travel

And if you’re feeling anxious, we believe that – like the vast majority of people who travel with us – you’ll quickly feel at home exploring Istanbul, Oaxaca, Morocco or more of our mini-expeditions. So much so, you may well join the 80% of Flashpackers who stay in touch with one another after a trip has ended. 

But even if that doesn’t happen, you get to test your fears a little somewhere new and fabulous, with an experienced local guide and a group of people who are as excited about the world as you are. And all in the space of a long weekend. Anxiety, be gone – what’s not to love? 

Flash Pack’s new Short Stay Adventures are live now, offering whistlestop escapes to Istanbul, Albania, Morocco, Puerto Rico, Oaxaca and Georgia. Find out more about Flash Pack’s approach to friendship – including our mission to form a network of one million new friends around the world – or chat to our friendly panel of travel experts to book your trip.