No Wrong Turns: Why Group Bus Tours Are Perfect for Solo Female Adventurers

Say goodbye to GPS mishaps and hello to effortless exploration! In this illuminating episode, we dive into why organized bus tours are becoming the go-to choice for adventurous women traveling solo after 45. From an African safari to the cloud forest in Costa Rica, discover how these structured journeys offer the perfect blend of independence and community.

Our seasoned travelers share their firsthand experiences of forming lasting friendships over shared meals in the Okavanga Delta and finding their travel tribe while winding through Ireland. Learn practical tips for selecting the right tour company, maximizing your free time, and creating the perfect balance between guided experiences and personal adventures.

We'll tackle common concerns like dealing with roommate assignments, managing mobility issues, and finding tours that match your energy level. Plus, hear surprising insights about how these tours can actually save you money while delivering authentic local experiences you might miss when traveling alone.

Whether you're considering your first group tour or you're a seasoned bus traveler, this episode is packed with insider knowledge to help you embrace the joy of guided travel without sacrificing your independent spirit. Join us as we explore why sometimes the best adventures happen when you let someone else handle the wrong turns.

Transcript

No Wrong Turns: Why Group Bus Tours Are Perfect for Solo Female Adventurers

[00:00:00] Welcome to Untethered and Wanderwise the podcast that helps women navigate the world with confidence, wisdom, and a dash of adventure. I'm Heide Brandes. And I'm Nicky Omohundro.

We're here to share the real travel experiences, no nonsense advice, and the kind of tips you won't find in your standard guidebook. 

Today we're diving into a topic that's been frankly flooding our inbox lately, group bus tours. Now before you picture yourself stuck on a hot bus with 50 strangers taking pictures through dirty windows, we're going to break down why these tours might be exactly what you're looking for, especially if you're a woman over 45. 

That's right. Heide, I used to think a bus tour was, yeah. Yeah. Until I had an amazing experience in Ireland. Not too long ago. So you remember when I texted you about kayaking past the castle in Ireland? That was absolutely amazing. And I wouldn't have known about that place had it not been for that tour.

And now look at you. You're practically a bus tour evangelist because that's not the only bus tour you've been on. And. I've now been on three. So today we're going to give you, our listeners, the full picture, the good, the challenging and everything in between. We'll be exploring four incredible tours from the historic sites of Turkiÿe to the savannas of Africa, to adventures in Ireland and family focused trips in Costa Rica.

And we've got some great stories to share for our listeners to wait until you hear about Lyle in you in Turkiye. Oh, my gosh. Anytime I travel with Lyle is an adventure. I'm convinced that there was not a bad minute on that bus trip for y'all. And it ended up actually inspiring me to book my next trip to Peru for my 50th birthday and you're coming with me.

Yes, another bus tour. Yes, so we'll be answering your burning questions today about single supplements, bathroom breaks. Yes, we're going there because that's important. And how to choose a tour that's right for you. 

So whether you're a solo traveler looking for companionship, A grandmother planning an adventure with your grandchildren or just someone who wants to explore the world without the hassle of planning every minute detail.

Stick around. 

Welcome to Untethered and WanderWise, where adventure has no age limit. We're your co host Heide Brandes and Nikki Imondro, and we're here to inspire and celebrate women over 45 who are embracing their independence and want to explore the world on their own terms. 

Okay, before we jump in, a quick reminder that you can find all the resources we mentioned today, including our recommended tour operators at Untethered and Wanderwise on Facebook, and on Instagram at Untethered Wanderwise, that's no and just untethered Wanderwise on Instagram.

Correct. Now let's talk about why bus tours might be the perfect choice for your next great adventure.

My first bus tour was, oh my god, it was about seven years ago and I was going through a particularly rough time and it had always been my dream to go to Africa. So I was gonna go and I wanted to go for quite a while. I was going solo. Now, I may be pretty adventurous, but I knew myself well enough to know that I shouldn't try to navigate Africa on my own for the first time going there.

So I found this great bus tour through a company called drifters. It's 21 days and it was through all of South Africa. I was so very excited because it was small group bus tour. 15 of us, I had dreams, I was flying over there. I was like, I'm going to meet so many people. There are gonna be people from all over the world, and they're gonna make friends. I get there late at night and I walk in and it's me and 14 Germans. I was like, Oh my, how's this going to go? Spoiler alert, it went great. It went fine and ended up having a fantastic time and made some great friends, but that was my first introduction to group bus tours. 

Nikki, what about you? What was your first bus tour? 

My first bus tour was actually through a work trip. We were in a group of us were invited down to Costa Rica to work with Costa Rica Family Holidays, a tour company that specialized in accessibility. Ooh and that was something new for me. It wasn't something I had considered before. It was a fantastic trip. We started off in San Jose and then we went, did some day trips around San Jose and then made it to the cloud forest. Then finally to Arenal, and La Fortuna, and did some Thermal hot spring, some outdoor [00:05:00] adventure, tons of great food. It was a fantastic trip. 

I've done now three best tours, two of them in Africa. Two of them this year I did Botswana, which was a small group bus tour through Intrepid Travel and recently just got back from a 12 day Treasures of Anatolia tour through Exoticca in Turkiÿe. And that was a larger one. It was about 50 people on the bus. 

Let's break down why you should consider a bus tour. 

 Safety in numbers is a big thing. You're traveling with a built in community. I know for when I look at traveling solo, sometimes I don't want to just be by myself, especially in certain parts of the world and I just feel better about being in a group of people. 

Yeah. You make friends really quickly because let's face it, you're stuck on a bus with each other for 12 days and it's the same group. You can make some really good friends on these bus tours. 

The downside being there might be, somebody that you don't get along with or who's very annoying to you, or doesn't smell good, and you always get stuck next to them.

So there, there are some downsides because you can't really choose your group unless you book a private group tour. 

But I think too, if you choose a certain itinerary, that's going to gravitate and attract a certain type of person. True. If you're going to be visiting libraries, obviously you're going to be, Around people that enjoy books.

If you're doing an active adventure, let's say it's all about kayaking and hiking and doing a lot of walking, there's certain tour companies out there that are very much like that. That's what you're going to find. And those are the type of people you're going to be around. Then there's also companies that cater solely to solo travelers. 

Yeah. My first bus trip to South Africa, there were several of us that were single supplements. However, it wasn't really a single supplement. I didn't have to pay extra because I was willing to share a room with another single person.

 Luckily my roommate was delightful, young 19 year old named Rachel. And we sat with each other on the bus and we've shared, the lodging rooms that we had. She was a great roommate. So there's that option. But if you're not willing to share a room with a stranger, there are solo supplements. You just pay a little extra and you'll get your own private room. 

 For those that aren't familiar with what a single supplement is, usually on things like bus tours, group tours, cruises, the price is based on double occupancy. If you're just a single person traveling and don't have that second person, you're looking at paying a higher price.

Because they're losing money with you just having a whole room to yourself. Correct. 

So my favorite thing about bus tours and why I recommend them for people is The logistical ease of them. There's no need to arrange transportation Or to navigate an unfamiliar route or country for instance the Exoticca tour.

Not only did they pick us up at the airport and of course take us to All the different locations in Turkiÿe with an english speaking guide and set up the hotels, but they arranged the air flights, too. I literally just booked this thing and showed up at the airport when they told me to. And that was it. 

It was all planned out for me. And that is a real advantage. If you're not good at the logistical details or you get overwhelmed with planning. 

And every tour that I've done with the group tour has been that way where I literally pay my money. I make my reservation. They plan everything, which is really nice because two of the things that I really hate about traveling are, coordinating how to get from point A to point B because there's just so many logistics. It's just if you're in New York city, you look on your map app and the directions you have at this moment is the best route, but in five minutes, that's going to change. 

And so if you're not used to flying by the seat of your pants, so to speak, it's really nice to Almost be told be here at this time. We're leaving. We're gonna drop you off. We're gonna go in arrange parking. You're not gonna have to walk an exorbitant amount of time to get from point A to point B and waste your time. 

But let's talk about the downside .Of that one. There were several days on this Turkiÿe trip where we had to be up at 4: 30 in the morning because we had to eat Early, early departure. Like we had to be on the bus by 6 AM a lot of times.

Our plane flights, we had three very long layovers getting there. So even though they set up the flights, perhaps it wasn't a flight I would have booked just because of those long layovers. 

Another thing is say you go to a specific site like Ephesus or [00:10:00] Cappadocia and you want to spend a little more time exploring one certain area. You don't have that option. You have to go where the group goes and you have to stick with a timeline and that's very important. So yeah, maybe limited freedom. But just the logistical ease of it, I think far outweighs those minor inconveniences. Yes, I agree. That's, it is a downside is if you want a trip where you can literally just sit on a beach, drinking my ties, just enjoying the waves, a group trip is not the way to go now.

But if you want to see the sites, understand the sites, because you have a personal tour guide with you, it's a great way to do it and get the most. Bang for your buck. So to speak, our tour guide with intrepid travel poppy was his name. When we were in Botswana, the Botswana group tour was something very different. It was camping tour. 

 We camped in tents. Every night but poppy and his crew were incredibly detailed. They had it down pat. We knew exactly where we were going, when we were going, he, let's be frank. There are going to be times you're on the bus for six hours straight. There are some long stretches where you're stuck on that bus, but he was really good.

And so was Mahmet in Turkiÿe about, getting on the bus. telling us cultural things and teaching us words and talking about Botswana or talking about Cappadocia or the history of Turkiÿe. So you get that kind of cultural immersion with these guides as well that you wouldn't get if you were just in a car by yourself.

There is the whole audio tour you can download to your phone and you can do the GPS thing, but it's really nice to have that personal touch from a tour guide because they know the area, they know some of the backstory and it's factual and they just make it fun.

I don't know about Costa Rica and Ireland, but I imagine it's the same, but in Turkiÿe. The guides on these tours, they have to go through six years of university training and cultural and history and customer service, stuff like that. It takes a lot and same way in Botswana, we learned it takes a lot to become a certified guide. Everything from the history of their country to basic first aid and emergency response. So you're in good hands with many of these guides. 

Oh, that's fantastic. See, I never actually thought to ask. So that is something that I will have to ask moving forward. I just assumed that was just something that they were passionate about because in the States I've done group tours and food tours, things like that. And it was usually just someone who was extremely passionate about it and decided to make their hobby and their passion a business. 

I know in Botswana it is, From talking to the guides and the crew on our bus tour, it's a coveted job because you are trained, it pays very well and of course it helps their economy and their country.

And another thing to consider with a bus tour, and I mentioned this briefly, it was cost effectiveness compared to independent travel in a lot of regions. Oh my gosh. Like this Peru trip I just booked. I was during Black Friday. So it was a group 60 percent off with flights, hotels, meals. We're going to Machu Picchu, the train, all of it, 1, 800 for a nine day trip. 

Yeah. And same way with our Exoticca trip to Turkiÿe, it's 12 days in Turkiÿe included the flights, the hotels, most meals, all the transportation, all the sites, all the entry fees for $1399 a person. Yeah, you cannot beat that. So as far as cost goes, yeah.

Now, that being said, you're also on a bus, you're not on a limo or a cruise. No, but two, I don't like to drive. So for me, I am perfectly happy being on a bus. I can take a nap. I can charge my phone. And when I wake up, it's just like a flight, the door closes. I'm going to take a nap, put my earphones in.

When I wake up, I'm in a new place. Can you imagine you trying to drive in Ireland on the opposite side? On the opposite side of the car, driving a stick. 

No. It's just like in Costa Rica, a lot of places don't have street signs, much less numbers. Oh yeah. And so unless you know where you're going or have a GPS that always works, you don't know where you're going to end up.

Yeah. So the cost effectiveness, in Turkiÿe, every hotel we stayed in had a buffet. For breakfast and dinner. So that's a huge cost when you're talking about traveling is just eating. Our hotels were always very clean. It ranged every from a La Quinta, which was pretty funny to say at a La Quinta [00:15:00] in Istanbul, to smaller boutique hotels.

All of them are very nice. We only had problem with one hotel. And it was a sewage problem. But they quickly came and fixed it. So you don't have to try to hunt down hotel rooms and rates and things like that. A lot of places like the trip that we're gonna I'm gonna do in Peru and you've had the same experience you can choose a different quality hotel.

Yeah. So you can go. I think they call it quaint or charm. Charm is what Exotica calls it. Charm is your budget and then you can go all the way to luxury depending on what you want to spend. Yeah. And charm is just fine with me. Of course you're talking to a girl spent 12 days in Botswana sleeping in a literally like a Walmart camping tent.

If it's got a bed and nice hot shower and it's clean. I'm pretty happy. I'm a little more bougie thing. Yeah, I won't lie. I like a nice thermal suite. I like a comfortable pillow top bed. I like creature comforts. 

So let's talk about the social opportunities. We touched on this, but you're going to make a lot of friends. In Botswana our tour was smaller. It was about 18 people and you tend to bond with people very quickly. There were several solo female travelers on that trip, but also a family that had two sons that were teenagers. And you end up getting your little group around you.

But one of the most important things I think is say when we were at Istanbul, when we were at the spice market, the Egyptian spice market. Our guide also allowed us to interact with the locals and the merchants, but in such a way where you didn't feel overwhelmed. If he saw that you started getting hassled or, people were hustling you, he quickly stepped in.

So there was that aspect of it. Yeah. And that's really nice. Then again, if you do have that one annoying person on the bus, there's always that danger. You know what they say, though, too, if there's not that person on the bus, it's usually you, but oh, God help us. That would never happen in our situation.

And it's nice too, because you don't always know the cultural norms. When I did an excursion in Cairo, when I did a celestial cruise trip, we had a tour guide with us. As well as a security person, and there was a lot that before we can even get off the bus, the pyramids were like, okay, I need you to understand these rules.

Please follow them. And it was just like, oh, very different. And I was actually very thankful because just like with what you mentioned, she did step in a few times with some of our passengers and go, no, we're good to the vendors, because they were very pushy. I remember that about Cairo was the vendors are, they will get in your face and we'll not leave you alone.

And there was instances of that in Zimbabwe too, where, you're walking and they are right there against your face, trying to sell you something. And you're like no, thank you. No, thank you. No, thank you. And it was almost like the more you said no, the harder they tried. Yeah. Yeah. And that was one of the few times we didn't have our guide with us.

So it was really intimidating and a little, very much off putting. Yeah, I believe it. Cause now that was one of the reasons that I was very turned off from Cairo. Yeah. You don't know what you don't know. And having that guide with you is very helpful. 

Let's talk about the bus tours you and I have been on, which is the only ones we can recommend because we have firsthand experience with it.

I will have to say the Exotica tour to Turkiÿe, it was a 12 day treasures of Anatolia tour. And no, we're not being hosted or we're not being sponsored for this. This is just my own personal experience. It was so well done. There were very few things that I wished were different or, were uncomfortable.

So this journey, we spent the first two full days in Istanbul. And then we went to Ankara, CAPA, Ephesus, Troy something like 12 different cities and we went, stopped at the caravans rise along the way and the Great Salt Lake that's out there and. It was one of the most well done tours I have ever been on, whether it was a bus tour or just group tour in general.

So our accommodations again, ranged from your typical La Quinta or Ramada to smaller boutique hotels. Every single one of them were safe. They were clean. The food was well done.

But there were, some cultural considerations as a female traveler in Turkiÿe. What were some of those things? Was it like the headscarf? 

Yes. Okay. The headscarf was a thing, but not as big as you would think. I was, as females, we were only required cover our hair if we visited the [00:20:00] mosques, which is a religious, so that's understandable. Yeah, it's understandable. You also have to take your shoes off when you enter a mosque, whether you're a man or a woman.

I did learn this the first time I was in Turkiÿe several years ago, that if you look directly at a man and smile. It is considered a, come on as basically you telling him I want to sleep with you. Oh, I thought I was the most popular girl in Turkiÿe. The first time I went, because I'm from Oklahoma, we smile at everything. Do be aware that if you do make eye contact with men and are very friendly as We are as travelers, they could take it wrong.

And even traveling with my buddy Lyle, who's man, obviously when I was buying the Turkish carpet in Turkiÿe and they were feeding me Rocky, which is type of like Turkish moonshine, it's really good in strong alcoholic drink. The guy, the salesman selling me my. After I bought it ended up taking me into this other room and I was like, Hey, you got all my money. I can't buy anything more. He's no, I wanted to get you alone. I want to see you again. Will you marry me? Come see me at Christmas. And I was like, Oh my goodness. So yeah, there, 

There are things like that in Africa. It's again, depending on where you go in Africa, it can be very challenging to be a female, which is why a group bus tour in Africa was my best choice.

Okay. Yeah. When I I've done two group tours and they were actually more of a group private tour where they were arranged through a tour company for a specific group of people and their Costa Rica, there was 10 of us and in Ireland. There was also 10 of us. And so we actually had a tour guide and we had somebody with us cause it was a work trip for me. But I didn't know a single soul from the group. So that was actually nice. 

Accommodations for Costa Rica. We started in San Jose, which is the capital, which is a very easy in and out from the States. And then we did some day trips around there and then went to La Fortuna, like I said. And we were in country seven days. And then six nights. Our accommodations ranged. Some were more Boutique hotels. We did stay at a hot springs resort in La Fortuna. That was a Tabacon. No, it was a different one. It's been a few years, so I don't remember which one it is. But it wasn't the great big one.

It was something a little bit smaller and I like smaller little private cabanas. And I do too. So much easier than a big hotel and then some of the other hotels were, we did condos where we shared, everyone had their own bedroom and then we had three different condos. 

And then in Ireland, we did a little bit more luxury. 1 night, we stayed in a castle hotel, which was super nice. Isn't that outstanding? That was fantastic. Oh my goodness. And the food, oh yeah, absolutely loved it. Highly recommend it. But that thermal suite after a full day of outdoor rec was, oh, it was so good. Delightful. One of the best memories I have from that Ireland trip is there's a mountain called Sleave Gullion.

And at the top of this mountain, there is a burial site, very similar to another very popular site in Ireland, where you have to take reservations and you may or may not get in, but at the top of Sleave Gullion, there's nobody. And so you walk all the way to this, and then you walk into this Rock burial site in our tour guide was fantastic.

I would have had no idea that it was at the top of this mountain, had it not been for him. And then get the whole backstory and just the spiritual aspect of it was absolutely phenomenal.

So let's talk about the Botswana trip I took with Intrepid Travel. Again, as a journalist, we sometimes get hosted. This was one that I arranged myself and my buddy Lyle came on that one. But this was a 10 day adventure through the major national parks and cultural sites in Botswana. Again, we camped, which was a whole different kind of bus tour. On the bus was our guide Poppy and then we had this camp cook who was absolutely amazing.

And you have to think about that. You have to have a bus big enough to have all the camping gear, all your luggage, plus the camp kitchen, plus the food, and then, of course, the unsung hero of any bus tour are the drivers. Yes. You cannot even fathom how difficult it is and how valuable they are.

We had a female driver. We had to set up our own tents after the first night, but they would set up the camp kitchen. They would make these gourmet meals out in the middle of the Okavango Delta where we had to dig our own toilets. But somehow he's creating not only gourmet meals, but separate meals for the vegetarians or the gluten [00:25:00] free folks.

It was absolutely astounding how Well organized and logistically smooth that trip was, and we had some adventures on it . It was a rustic, more adventure based bus tour than say Turkiÿe and my first Africa trip was, but oh my God, what an adventure. I loved every second of it. 

Oh, good. So now tell me a little bit about the group composition. What was like the demographic on that trip for you? The solo travelers, there were three females. Older than I am or about my age. So I would say fifties, a little older who were traveling on their own. There was one fellow from Australia. He was traveling on his own and then several paired couples. Then the family, the Kinnear family, and they were great. They were from England and they were our best buds along with the Australian fellow. And it was mom, dad, and their two older sons. And it was just a great group there. After 10 days, you might rub somebody wrong who's on the trip, but it's very rare that happens. 

Yeah. Yeah. I think the thing that I'm most concerned about on an adventure trip, especially being out and in the rural areas is access to medical. Yeah. And you definitely have to have travel insurance. Yes. So I get my travel insurance through Alliance travel, which I think you do too. We both do. And I get the year. Long policy. So it's got me covered, but yeah, if I were to break my leg in the Okavango Delta, it would have taken hours to get to the nearest hospital. But the guides, that's part of their job too, is to keep you very safe. So when we were doing these walking safaris, there was one time elephants got a little uncomfortably close and our guide was like, we have to move slowly but quickly out of their way. And of course we're dumb tourists and we're like taking pictures because Holy cow, elephant. And he was like, no, we have to go now. This is for your safety. And they wouldn't get onto you like you were an errant child if you did not follow directions.

So you have to understand they're doing that for your safety. Because if, Anything had happened out there in the Delta. It's at least a two hour Makoro ride just to get to the road. Another three hours just to get to Moan, which was near city. And that's six hours of having a broken leg. So listen to your guides.

Definitely. And then tune on just a word about travel insurance. We both pay for insurance. This isn't hosted in any way. But definitely read your policy. Cause some, especially if you're doing like extreme adventure travel, that's not covered. So if you're into skydiving and rock climbing, it may not be covered.

So you may need a separate rider. And there are outdoor adventure insurance companies that will cover a lot of those things. 

I mean we've been on some pretty great bus tours, but let's talk about your Costa Rica family discovery tour. I imagine there were children on the bus.

I've never been on a bus tour with kids. Okay. Actually, because it was a work trip. None of us brought our children with us. So it was a bunch of adults looking at a trip based as if we had kids. Yeah. Most of the bus tours I've been on, I've been geared towards adults. They have a age limit of 17 and older or what have you, but I know there are bus tours and they're great for like grandmas who want to travel with their granddaughter or something like that.

But I. I couldn't imagine like a family focused with small children bus tour. Yeah. I've done media trips where people have brought their children. I have chosen not to bring my children because it's a lot, people think that a media press trip, Oh, you get to relax and have fun, but it's a job you're up sometimes.

Five, six in the morning and you're not back in your hotel till 10 p. m. And so that's a lot to ask for children. But the company that I went with in Costa Rica was Costa Rica family holidays and owner Stephanie, she specializes in family travel. And so everything from extended family trips where you would have several families, grandparents, children, parents and she set up the entire thing for us as a group of 10.

Yeah. And do you think, being a mother, I don't have children, but you do. And your whole career has been based around family travel. What do you think would be the youngest you would suggest bringing a child on a bus tour or a group tour? I think it honestly, it depends. My youngest son was six months old when we went to Disney world as a family of five and he did great.

But I also knew that if I kept him on his schedule, [00:30:00] he would be great. He did road trips just fine. He was in his car seat. He would sleep the entire time. He would still sleep through the night and so it worked. If you've got a child that doesn't do well with a change in circumstance or situation or even change in location, that might be something that you want to work on, leading up to a trip, get them used to being in the car for more than an hour at a time, especially younger children, get the books out for, this is what you can expect going through the airport and make it fun and make it familiar.

So it's not a complete shock, but it does help when they're sentient. When they can actually remember the trip. There's trips my children have traveled with me since they were little. And a lot of the early trips, they don't remember it all. Yeah. , I think the best time with me and my children was when they were teenagers.

Because they had their own opinions. They actually got to help plan part of the trip or at least have an express an interest in certain things. And that was fantastic. And I would imagine having younger children, like five to 10, you have to deal with restlessness because again, some of these bus tours, we had days that it was six to eight hours on the bus you have to deal with grumpiness or a whiny child. I think that's easily handled better when they're teenagers, as opposed to five or six years old, where they could just get grumpy and restless and you want to smack them. I'm sorry. I shouldn't say that. Teenagers can be restless and irritable to true, when they're young, what will appease them, whether it's a snack, I hate to say an iPad or electronic game, a book, a coloring book. It's easier. In the teenagers, they have their own ideas and opinions. But in my experience, if they were informed and I was prepared for things along the way, it worked out great. 

So let's talk about what you should consider, especially for women over 45, if you're considering a bus tour. 

1. Physical comfort considerations.

Like we said, you could be on a bus for six to seven hours. Is that something that You know, you've actually physically can do. Can you walk up the steps to get onto the bus? Yeah. And then sit that long and, the bus, especially with group bus tours, they tend to be a lot more comfortable than one airplane seats and two, you're, Greyhound bus, the seats lounge back, but nevertheless, you're still going to be on a bus.

So make yourself comfortable, bring pillows, bring blankets, bring a good book or your iPad. If you want you're going to have a long time music always bring a charger because even though we had plugins on the bus, they didn't particularly work on my phone. So I had to have my chargers with me and snacks.

Yes. Always bring snacks. And two, we've talked about this before, a water bottle, because traveling that long, you want to have your own water with you to stay hydrated. Yes. And I'm a big fan of drinking lots of water all the time, but on a bus that presents its own challenge because we had, we took bathroom breaks every two to three hours.

Now, if you woke up and you guzzled a bunch of coffee and guzzled a bunch of water, two hours is a long time to wait between toilets. It can be, yeah. So be aware of that. I know some bus tours do have toilets on the bus. Ours didn't in Turkiÿe, but every two hours we stopped and you should always have change with you because I don't know about other places, but in Turkiÿe, a lot of toilets would charge you 10 lira, which was like a quarter to use the bathroom. Be aware of that as well. 

 This is funny that I'm saying this, but recently I learned that there is a disposable adult diaper specifically for people that go to concerts and festivals. And so that way, when they're like down in the pit and just don't want to take time to go to the bathroom, there you go.

So you know what, that I've never considered that, but that's a really good option, maybe those like poise pads or adult diapers. Why not? If it's a concern and you think you're going to have a particularly grueling day, it never hurts to pack. I'm always air on the side of having too much rather than not enough and then be without we did have an episode on the best trip to Turkiÿe where when a ladies ate something that did not agree with her and she had diarrhea and Oh, she was miserable because they can't really stop for her, but she was always the first one off the bus and we were like, felt so bad for her.

There are things like that. I remember when I was in Ireland, it wasn't, it was a bus tour, I would guess, but it was more of a press trip. All of us, Picked up a virus [00:35:00] and yeah, every single person on the bus got it at some point, like in six to eight hour increments. And that virus included vomiting.

Oh, that sounds like a horror virus. So yeah, there was, the bus was pulling over a lot just so people could just get off the bus and throw up on the side of the road. Yeah, that is a, let's hope that's not a, that's not something that happens often with any group trip. Even a cruise norovirus is a common thing and that's where it's coming out both sides.

Yeah. So wash your hands. You filthy animal. Bring a little sanitizer and don't be afraid to use it. And share it around to here. You need, yeah here's some sanitizer. Here's some for you and some for you. Some for you. 

Which leads us to our next tip, which is, packing tips, one, bring your medication with you on the bus.

A lot of times your suitcase. Will go under the bus and you will not have access to it until you get to the hotel that night So whatever you need throughout the day you keep in your backpack that you bring on the bus with you that being said There's still not a whole lot of room on a bus. So pack light. Anytime you're on a bus tour You know try to pack as light as possible because the under carriage only has so much room And you don't want to have three or four suitcases

But, a small backpack to bring on the bus that has your medication, has your charger, has your snacks, has Extra coat if you need it, you know that yeah, I always tend to pack like a day pack I got back and then I don't carry a purse when I travel I have a sling bag and so I have both of those. Yeah, and then because I'm just air on the side of Caution, they are travel safe, so I can lock them with the lock, attach them to whatever I need to do, attach them to. So they don't go wandering off, but I've never heard of it happening with a lot of the larger groups. Or even some of the smaller tour groups, I haven't, it's usually when you're out in public. Yeah, I've never had a problem with anything being stolen or harassed with on bus tours. That's another thing. Your stuff is safe too. There's always somebody with the bus. And then too, because you're traveling with the exact same people, you have to look them in the eye and vice versa.

Yeah. And let's talk a little bit about room sharing options and that single supplement. Okay. When I went to Costa Rica, one of the properties I had, I did have to share a room on a few occasions and that was perfectly fine. Single supplement, I tend to stay away from. I'd rather share and use that money for something.

But then again, okay. So my first Africa tour with drifters again, I had a wonderful roommate, little 19 year old girl. She and I got along great. She didn't snore. I didn't snore. One of the other single ladies on that same trip, her roommate was horrible snore. I don't think she got a full night of sleep the entire 21 days because of this woman.

So, it's a roll of the dice, but we've talked about this in previous podcasts. Always bring a sleep mask. Always bring earplugs. They will help you out. And yes, but if you, if it's very uncomfortable, you can always pay for that single supplement. Yeah. And too, if you decide to share a room, look at it as an experience. And if it turns out not so great, it's a great story for when you get back. 

So let's talk about mobility issues, especially for, Listeners over 45, if you've got any kind of difficulty getting around, getting on and off the bus might pose a challenge, because you do have to walk up and down the stairs and take a big step to get off and on the bus.

Correct. You're gonna be sitting for long periods of time, which can cause discomfort. So be aware of that. Yeah. And then the activities for each tour is going to be a little bit different and all the major tour companies, in the description before you even make a reservation, they say exactly what level of activity is needed.

Yes. And, be honest with yourself. If the bus tour is geared towards moderate to high level of activity, you might be faced with long hikes, uphill strolls bikes, what have you. Be honest with yourself about what you're capable of and it'll make your best tour so much better.

Yes. And if you are capable, I will say before I went to Ireland because I knew I was going to be hiking sleep gullion, which was definitely a hike. I was in the gym several times a week on the Stairmaster just so I could build up the stamina to be where I wasn't huffing and puffing. 

Some common concerns that have been brought up about One, will I be the only solo traveler?

Likely not. No. You're going to have other people who are solo. And, That's a great way to make friends, but say [00:40:00] for some reason, you are the only solo traveler, but you booked, you did not book your solo supplement.

Guess what? You get a solo cabin to yourself anyway, right? Without the extra costs because you're the only one there, but no, most of the time there are other solo travelers and you can form like a little group and make new friends. Yeah. And there's nothing to say that you can't make friends with couples or families. Absolutely. 

Is it worth it to pay the single supplement? Honestly, this depends on what your pocketbook looks like. There's definitely a cost benefit to it. Do you prefer your privacy versus saving money? Do you prefer saving money over your privacy? I'm, we're not going to dictate and advise you on what's best for your pocketbook. It's just, it's really just a personal preference. 

 That leads us to a next question. Will I have enough private time? I think that's a tricky one. A lot of times on the bus, everybody's talking. But let's be honest, if you're on a bus for 6 hours, there's a lot of sleeping going on.

There is, and you can put your earbuds in, you can listen to music, you can read, you can write at night, usually get back to your hotel and you can choose to join the group activities, or you can choose to just hole up in your room. So if you're a person who needs your private time, there will be plenty of opportunities to indulge that.

And too, and I haven't had a problem with the trips that I've been on, but even like day trip excursions. Usually if you tell someone, Hey, I just, I would love to continue this conversation, I just need some quiet time. Most people will respect that. But if you have an eye mask, have your earbuds in, most people know that you don't want to be bothered unless they're just being extremely pushy and being that person.

But yeah, you can definitely find time, even if it's at the back of the group, taking photos. 

 Are the bathrooms clean? Honestly, it depends on the region. It depends on where you're at and depends on your definition of clean, but to just like in the States, you've got some truck stops that you would be on a road trip on that you're like, I just want to hover. I don't want to touch a single thing. Yeah. Yeah. Bathrooms are bathrooms. If your bus doesn't have a bathroom in it and they keep the bus bathrooms pretty clean, Cause they know you're going to be getting them ratings afterwards. But wherever you stop, be aware that some bathrooms are better than others.

And in Turkiÿe, we had a lot of squatty potty. And in Africa, the camping trip, when we were in the Delta, it was very primitive. So our guides had to dig a hole in the ground and put like this little portable toilet seat over it. So you're doing your business out in the wilds. And, but that's what you sign up for on an adventure trip like that.

You have to be very adaptable. Again, wash your filthy hands, the animal, and you use baby wipes and the antibacterial lotions and stuff like that. Yeah, and I think too, the cleanliness of the bathroom is a concern. Do some research or even ask the company that you're going to be on the tour with, what can I expect?

What do I need to bring? Because even places in Europe, you may not have toilet paper. I know in places in Asia. where bidets are common. Yeah. If that's something that you feel that you absolutely need to have, you may want to bring your own. 

What if I can't keep up with the group or what if there are things I don't want to do with the group?

That's something you can negotiate with your guide. When we were in Botswana and we were camped in the Okavango, we had one lady, she did not want to go on some of the walking safaris. So she stayed in camp and relaxed and read her book. And that was just fine. Now say if you're on a bus and you're stopping three different places that day and you don't want to go hike up the Ephesus, That's a little trickier.

That means you're staying on the bus. You can't just go wander off on your own. Correct. So yeah. And if you can't keep up with the group, if you're feeling sick or tired that day or hung over or whatever the reason, there's always option that you're just going to stay on the bus and relax.

They're not going to force you to do anything if you absolutely don't want to do it, unless it's absolutely necessary. 

 That brings us to reading between the lines of tour descriptions. If you were saying, if someone just really doesn't want to do a particular activity, yeah, it's really important to find the tour that meets your expectations and what you want to do.

Yeah. Because you are investing in this vacation. So read what the descriptions say. make careful note of the activity level. Yeah. And then if you still have questions, contact the tour company. Yeah. Intrepid and Exotica both very clearly had their customer service line on their websites.

And I [00:45:00] had some questions before both tours and I called them and they were extremely helpful. So don't be afraid to ask questions, call the customer service, ask them about whatever it is you need to ask them about, and they'll be honest with you because they want you to have as good a time and leave them a really good review.

So they're not going to pull the wool over your eyes and say, bait and switch yet. At least if they're legitimate tour companies. Exactly. 

You should too, you should manage your expectations, know what you're getting into. If you are not a person that deals with surprise very well, you'd like more, a little bit more controlled environment, ask lots of questions.

Yeah. And some of the questions you can ask before booking is, what is the physical level expectations of this trip? What are the hotels like, how many bathroom breaks or how long, and usually, especially Exotica, they'll break down the itinerary day by day and they'll say out there six hours on the bus.

So you know what you're getting into. Also, how large is the tour group? If you prefer smaller tour groups as opposed to big ones. 

Another tip we had is building relationships with fellow travelers. Travel really bonds people together, everyone that, I won't say everyone, most people who travel have a sense of adventure and are very open to engaging with new people.

A lot of times with these tour groups, you're going to have people from around the world. And so it's always interesting to strike up a conversation, get to know one another. And you never know, you may end up traveling with them again, because you end up being friends and staying connected. 

Oh, sure. I, on WhatsApp, I have conversations with people I've been on these bus tours with. They're my Facebook friends. They're my WhatsApp friends. And my biggest tip is have a sense of curiosity about your fellow traveler. If you're not that outgoing, I'm outgoing as hell. I'll talk to anybody. I'll talk to a lamppost, turn to the person next to you and say, hi, where are you from? Why did you decide to come on this bus tour? What are you liking? Be curious about your fellow traveler and make friends. Exactly. 

So final tips for making the most of a bus tour experience again, find reputable tour operators. You can Google, tour operators, which is how I found drifters the first time and how I found Intrepid for my second Africa tour, look at the reviews, go to different sites, Yelp, TripAdvisor, what have you, and look at those reviews because that will help you determine if this is legit.

I was familiar with Intrepid before, so I knew they were really well admired for their tours, their group tours, Exotica Turkiÿe was the first time traveling with them, but they had high reviews and I was not disappointed. Exotica is who I'm going with. The tour operators that I used for the two that I mentioned today, they were smaller, independent tour operators.

Yes. And the one in Costa Rica was Costa Rica family holidays. And then for Ireland, it was Away We Walk, Away We Walk. Yes. 

Another good thing is go to Facebook groups or social groups like solo female travelers or something like that. Or she travels, ask people like, Hey, I would like to do a tour in Thailand. I'm considering a bus tour. Have any, has anybody done this?

And what would you recommend? So turn to your online community or other people, who have done bus tours and ask them for advice as well. And you can always go to our Facebook page too, at Untethered and Wanderwise and ask us questions as well. Absolutely. 

So we want to hear your bus tour experience if you've taken one.

So please go to our Facebook page at Untethered and Wanderwise and share your bus tour experience, what you liked, what you didn't like, who you would recommend can always tag us on Instagram as well at Untethered Wanderwise. Because we want to hear your stories.

So that's all for us today here at Untethered and WanderWise. We hope that you got some great tips and inspiration for taking your own group tour. It's a great way to get started if you're just dipping your toe into the idea of solo travel. Because like we said, it helps with the logistics of planning a trip, the transportation. It can be extremely cost effective. Effective and you'll meet some, hopefully some amazing people along the way. I am a fan and Nikki is a fan. I am. And I can't wait for my 50th birthday trip to Peru. 

So with that, we're going to thank you for listening. Please subscribe wherever you find your podcasts.

And until next [00:50:00] time, I'm Nikki Omohundro and I'm Heide Brandes encouraging to get out there and find your next adventure.