I’m a long-time lover of small group adventures. I could yap all day about the perks of stress-free travel and meeting people from all over the world while learning from passionate leaders. But my partner, Cam? The idea of being told where to go, what to do and when to do it was his idea of a nightmare.
Our travel styles are the total opposite. I love lining up well-planned adventures with precise itineraries to make the most of my annual leave and have been on small group trips to Morocco, Nepal and Borneo to name a few. Cam’s idea of the perfect adventure is driving around our home country of Australia on a whim or exploring Vietnam on a motorbike with friends, booking accommodation for each night on the fly.
So, when I asked Cam if he wanted to go on Intrepid’s Tasmania Adventure with me, I assumed he might take some convincing. But it seems I caught him at the right time, with the right trip, because to my complete shock, he said yes immediately. Tasmania had always been on our shared travel wish list and with no need for extensive planning, he figured it was worth a try.
We were both excited, but I was nervous, too. This wasn’t Cam’s usual travel style and he did have some concerns about not having enough free time. Will he have fun? I wondered. How will he find travelling with strangers? Is he going to regret saying yes?
Just a few weeks later (we love a last-minute trip), we hit the road and, to my surprise, no complaints from Cam! Afterwards, I asked Cam for an honest review. What was his first ever small group adventure really like, and how did his expectations compare to the reality?
5 reasons Cam loved his first group trip
1. He got to experience the joy of being a passenger
Usually, I’m the passenger princess when we travel. But I’m terrible at giving directions and often miss highway exits on road trips with Cam, resulting in many wrong turns and a fair bit of frustration. On this trip, we could both relax, take a back seat and leave the driving and logistical details to our awesome leader, Steve.
2. He travelled with a professional storyteller
Steve is a Tassie local and shared a constant stream of stories with our group, about his hometown of Launceston, the platypus, Plato, that lives in the river next to his house and his experiences of working in Antarctica. Cam was hanging off every word.
During longer drives Steve kept us entertained, explaining why the air in Tassie really is so clean, telling us about the takayna/Tarkine region’s links to the Gondwanaland supercontinent (that it once shared with Patagonia and New Zealand), his favourite walking routes and where we’d have the best chance to spot wombats around Cradle Mountain. This added a unique spin to our Tassie adventure – and an insider perspective that Cam doesn’t often get when he’s exploring on his own.
3. He bonded with people from all over the world
Our group was a mix of people of all ages from the UK, New Zealand, the USA and Australia and included both solo travellers and couples. Cam said that one of the biggest highlights was the chance to meet people we might not have crossed paths with otherwise. Watching Cam – a self-proclaimed introvert – open up and chat with a retired couple from New Zealand about their past travels in Morocco with Intrepid, the two American solo travellers about why they’d always wanted to visit Australia and hearing him talk about local surf spots with Steve made me smile.
Read more: 8 types of traveller you’ll meet on a group trip
4. He saw the best of Tasmania
In just a short time, we were able to see so much of Tasmania. With a bit of research and planning, sure, Cam could have made it to some of the places on the itinerary, but he had to admit we would have struggled to squeeze it all in.
Then there were the spots we may never have known about. Takayna/Tarkine wasn’t on our radar at all, but a guided walk there ended up being one of Cam’s favourite parts of the trip. The same goes for stopping by Cape Tourville Lighthouse for a panoramic view of Freycinet National Park’s iconic landscape.
5. He got more free time than expected
One of Cam’s biggest preconceptions about group travel was that there wouldn’t be any free time, which he soon realised wasn’t the case at all. The itinerary was perfectly designed to capture all the best bits of Tassie but with enough flexibility and freedom for us to enjoy the beaches, restaurants and hikes independently.
Like in Bicheno, the first town we stayed in – where we checked out the seafood restaurants and distilleries, including Waubs Harbour Distillery and the Beer Co., on our own before meeting back up with the group to recap the highlights of the day over dinner.
Visiting Wineglass Bay with the group was a standout moment for both of us, but as soon as we arrived, I knew Cam would never want to leave. We had almost three hours to hike, swim, admire the views and relax on the sand, but it was still tough to drag ourselves back to the minivan to move on to the next spot. I guess when it comes to one of the most beautiful beaches in the world, no amount of time would have been enough.
If wanting to spend more time at Wineglass Bay was Cam’s only gripe, I’d say it was a successful trip. Would Cam ever book a small group adventure by himself? Probably not. Will he join me on another group trip? Absolutely. Next on our list: Intrepid’s Vanuatu Expedition!
See what Tasmania’s all about and take your pick from one of Intrepid’s small group trips to the Apple Isle.
