Travel: Alone, or in a group?

When you are going somewhere on a holiday, what is better- going alone (or a couple), or with a bunch of family/friends, or take a group package from a tour agency?
 
For Saad and I, the last one has never been an option. We started out with our honeymoon- of course just the two of us! Our successive trips have been obviously, either just us (and more recently, with Umar!), or with a group of family and/or friends.
 
Our trips to Malaysia, Jordan and Turkey were just us. Well, Malaysia was the afore-mentioned honeymoon trip, and when we went to Turkey, our little Umar was just under 10 months old.We went to Egypt, London, Italy & Morocco in groups, and we had our share of fun in that, too. Why is it better to travel in a group?
 
First of all, fun, fun, and fun! Entertainment! Company! When you have a group of people clubbed together in a holiday mood, they're all more relaxed, they let go of their airs and issues, and are just out to have fun! Travelling alone for a longer period of time can get dull, boring and well- just plain uninteresting. You need to share your experiences with others, too! Long train and bus rides are so much more interesting with singing, playing games (like charades or song competitions), a little bit of playful leg-pulling etc. After all, for how long can you look out the window, no matter how stunning the scenery may be. At the end of a long day of touring, it's nice to hang out at night, reliving the day's events, exchanging photographs, playing a game of cards, all over a cup of coffee or a few rounds of shisha.

Shopping is all the more enjoyable, too, as you can ask for opinions, get a great bargainer to help you out of the tourist-heckling shopkeepers, or sometimes just find a great hidden buy that you might have missed out on, if it weren't for your co-traveller's keen eye!

Group pictures are so much fun! With so many people struggling to get into the frame, different styles and expressions of their own. Also, if anyone in your group is a photographer, or has a knack of taking good pictures, or simply has a really good camera, then you can take full advantage of that and not have to beg other random tourists to take a picture of the two of you, or your family as a whole!
 
Food! You might be a safe-player, in the sense that you are not one to experiment, especially when it comes to trying out different cuisines. If you are averse to something due to a particular reason (for instance, vegetarianism, or fear due to allergies) then that's a different story. However, you may be missing out on some beautiful cuisines just because you lack the initiative to try out something unfamiliar. If you're travelling with someone who loves trying out different foods, or is familiar with the other cuisine, and isn't afraid to experiment, you may end up falling in love with something new as well!
 
Nightlife... well we're not one for it, but if you are, then of course it's always so much more fun with a bunch of people you can enjoy it with! I wouldn't know, though... but it's not hard to figure that one out!
 
Financially... all costs- food, travels, divided amongst all of you. Always remember to split all costs per head, and not per family, as different families may have different number of people.
 
Logistics... sometimes it's easier to get travel and accommodation arrangements in a group as opposed to a smaller number of people.
 
Finally, when you spend so many days with someone, you end up making friends for life and you return home with a whole bunch of memories. Acquaintances come and go, but once you've gone on a trip with someone, they will always hold a special place in your memory!
 
On the flip side, if you're travelling on your own (in my context, this means as a couple), what advantages would that have over travelling in a group?
 
First of all, there's the privacy part. Especially if you're a private person! If you're a social person or around people a lot of the time, it's nice to get away sometimes and just be on your own. You don't need to worry about being presentable all the time (well, except for those much-planned photographs!) and you can just be yourself, let your guard down!
 
If you have a busy life... for instance, both Saad and I work (especially Saad, who works very long hours) and we keep a pretty busy social calender on weekends, and we hardly ever get any time to unwind. Getting away on your own is the best, perfect, most foolproof way to catch up and spend some quality time with each other. If you're working parents, and feel the guilt of not being able to enjoy your children, and give them your undivided attention, then what better way than to cut yourself off from everyone and everything else and just be the 2/3/4 of you?! You're no longer at the beck and call of phone calls, emails, deadlines etc... it may be just for a few days, but it's good while it lasts! If your life is just too involved in the children and you just need a break from them, it's good to get away and catch up with your partner, and relive memories of how things were before parenthood came along!
 
Personal preferences and no compromises. When you're on a holiday, you may want to do things your way. And what's wrong with that? After all, on a daily basis, you are restricted by forces and people around you. Moreover, different people have different criterion for enjoyment and/or relaxation. Some people may want to make the most of every minute of being in a new place and explore all of it. Some people may want to just relax... after all, it's your getaway, right? Some people really want to explore the shopping areas more than the others. On your own, you can do things just the way you want. One day could be intense, heavy-duty sight-seeing. The other day could be shopping away at the bazaars. The third day you could just relax by the seaside or at the spa!
 
Even when it comes to following a schedule- you can be as rigid, or as laid-back, as you want. You may want to head out really early to catch the first hop-on-hop-off bus and make the most of the day, while another person, who works early hours, wants to sleep in late on their holiday. You have children and can't meet the 7 am tour bus. You were sick all night long (an unfortunate event very likely in a new place!) and just want a few hours extra to snooze away your exhaustion. No worries! You're on your own, you can head out whenever, wherever, and however you want!
 
Another advantage may be the financial factor. When you're travelling in a group, you have to take into consideration the budgets and restraints of everyone in the group. Some people may want to be careful or frugal in their spending (it's not easy dishing out for tickets, accommodation etc.). Others feel that they deserve a vacation all-out, and this is one time they should not have to hold back their purse strings. Want to eat at a high-end restaurant? Don't hesitate to ask the concierge to make your reservations! Want to eat some rolls off a street cart and not have to hear a lecture about how bad street food is? Go right ahead!
 
However you travel, always remember that this is a little break that you may not get over and over again. A little negativity can ruin your entire trip and leave you with bad memories, and a little positivity can leave cherishable, irreplaceable ones in your mind! So make the most of the time on your hands!