Traveling in Groups: Show Consideration to Fellow Travelers

Traveling on group tours is actually the safest and most satisfying form of travel especially to a first time destination. Your companions and guide become like your family, but, you should not treat them as if they were your family. In reality your companions and guide should be treated as if they were first time guests staying with you and shown equal observation of etiquette and behavior.

It is easy for me to be writing this article, now, many, many years from the time when my only travel was with groups. At the time, I was very young, arrogant, and I tossed off people as if they were bonbons whose centers I was sure would not be palatable to my taste buds. I know it sounds cruel, but, that's the way I was. Are you like me, then?
What if a Prince Charming happens to be traveling with you? He is very tall and thin, and he catches you walking in some exotic gardens. He runs up to you and asks you to have dinner with him tonight. You look at him and casually without giving it a thought tell him that you have to wash your hair tonight. He walks with you out of the gardens, and he disappears. You, meanwhile, plan on how to return back to your hostel.

The situation never even crosses your mind that he may have had amorous feelings towards you. You have no such feelings towards him or any other companion on your group. Hindsight is really getting the best of me, for right now, I am beginning to sweat.

From the magic gardens to your air-conditioned all amenities tour bus, you and your group are perfectly delighted with your day and looking forward to your next viewing experience. Actually, for you, all of your traveling has been to look and to see places, people and companions and building friendships and making experiences are not part of your mental itinerary and you haven't planned it, one way or the other.

On the tour bus, you are sitting in the back seat, eyes closed and half asleep when suddenly a blast of warm, aromatic air swipes your face off of you, you're sure, and sends your head to be permanently plastered on the seat cushion behind you. You open your eyes and with dazed look face the face of your next mortal foe, the tall, young man who asked you out to dinner. He growls at you and after he sees that you know who opened the window behind you, goes to sit down. Many, many years later, I am beginning to think that my initial reaction to sorry, I am washing my hair tonight was really very, very sensible. However, as sensible as it proved to be a better excuse that could have, perhaps, not ruffled the feathers of that cock might have saved you from feeling his wrath on the bus.
Another gentleman in the group sees the whole situation; he gets up, says nothing to the younger man, must have had his own experience with him, reaches behind me and shuts the window.

We say nothing to each other then and that is what I am regretting today. I should have sat with the kind gentleman who interceded on my behalf and explained the situation of what might have caused that behavior. I did't because I didn't plan on meeting any of my companion travelers again after the trip. That is a mistake you should not make. The world is smaller than you think.

Traveling to fairy palaces or to offshore Turkish heights are admirable viewing experiences, but don't forget that your traveling companions are people too, just like you.