About this guide
Group Travel Explained is a plain guide to joining a group trip: the types, the costs and how to choose a company.
Who makes it
The guide is published by SYB Active & Social Group Travel, a group travel company based in New York that has run trips since 2014. People keep asking us a version of the same question: what is the difference between all these companies? This site is our answer, written down once.
Why a company that sells trips is writing a guide
Because we know the subject, and because it helps us when people understand it. Someone who wants a slow coach tour or a quiet retreat should not book with us, and it is better for everyone if they find that out here.
It also means we have an interest, so here is how we handle it.
How companies are listed
- Our own company is marked. Wherever SYB appears it carries an "our company" tag.
- Facts come from the source. Ages, group sizes and locations are what each company publishes about itself. We do not guess.
- Everything is dated. Each page says when its facts were last checked.
- The comparison table is alphabetical. Nobody is ranked.
- Nobody pays. No company pays to be listed and we take no commission for the links to other companies.
How a fact gets on the page
- Read the sourceWe open the company's own website.
- Write down what it saysIf a fact is not there, we write "not published".
- Date itEvery page shows when its facts were last checked.
What the meters and bars mean
Each type of trip has three meters: physical activity, group size and how much is planned for you, each from one to five. They are our read of the type and they are not a score. Individual trips vary.
In the comparison table, the bars are drawn from the ages and group sizes each company publishes. A solid bar is a published range, a pale bar is "up to" a maximum, and a dot is a published average.
What we do not cover
Prices for individual trips, because they change too fast, and reviews of trips we have not been on. For reviews, read Google and Trustpilot.
Corrections
If something here is wrong or out of date, email [email protected] with "Group Travel Explained" in the subject line. If you work for one of the companies listed and your details have changed, the same address works. We fix errors and update the date on the page.