There’s something magical about planning a trip with a best friend in your twenties. Back then, travel felt like freedom wrapped in a sarong and drenched in coconut-scented sunscreen. When my bestie and I booked flights to Bali in the early 1990’s, it felt like we were about to step into our very own Eat, Pray, Party montage. It was all cocktails, beach clubs, and best-friend bracelets—until it wasn’t.
On night one, she met a guy. Great for her. But suddenly, I wasn’t her ride-or-die anymore—I was the third wheel. And not in the cute, Bridget Jones sort of way. I found myself solo at dinners, awkwardly tagging along to beach hangs where I felt like the awkward cousin no one invited, or worse, stuck in the hostel while they disappeared for hours… and then days. What started as an idyllic island escape quickly turned into a lesson in travel compatibility. Add in a case of Bali belly (mine), her lost luggage, rising tension because I wanted to explore markets while she wanted to party until sunrise— we were doomed. We left the island not speaking and, to this day, we never reconnected.
As I sit here writing this blog and watching my 20-year-old daughter prepare for her first overseas trip without the family, I wonder how her first trip will unfold. Like me she researches, she’s looking for value for money, food options, good bars, maybe a festival close by and of course a beach. Her opportunity to find this all online is so different from the brochures I looked at in travel agents when I was her age. I am excited for her I am not interfering, but I am also interested in how a group of 4 girls and 1 boy travel together, will everyone’s expectations be met?
So, is solo travel better? Or does group travel still hold its charm?
Travelling with others, even your closest friends, is like a pressure cooker for your relationship. Suddenly, you’re making a hundred micro-decisions a day: where to eat, how to spend the day, how much to spend, whether to nap or go hiking, what time to wake up, how to handle the missed ferry or the hotel that double-booked your room.
Good travel companions aren’t just people you like—they’re people who:
- Go with the flow, even when things go sideways.
- Share similar energy levels and travel priorities.
- Communicate clearly, especially when stress creeps in.
- Respect your alone time, and don’t take things personally when you need it.
- Can laugh when you both get stuck in the rain with no taxi in sight.
And sometimes, that kind of compatibility is rarer than you think.
In my 40’s after a few decades of holidaying with my family it was my time to jump back into solo travelling. My first trip on my own I was so nervous, booking very little, letting the trip unfold and changing destinations along the way. It was 6 weeks in India no compromising, no awkward waiting around, just me and the rhythm of a new place. I could wake when I wanted, eat where I wanted, and stay in a café with my kindle for hours if I felt like it (and I often did).
However it is not all fun and games it has its challenges—no one to split the taxi fare, no one to support you when your money is stolen and no one to laugh with over that odd dinner menu item, —but there’s a clarity that comes from being in a place with only your own thoughts and choices to guide you. It is a kind of self-trust that deepens over time and it allows you to start enjoying your own company.
These days, I crave something entirely different. I want to understand the places I visit—not just tick boxes off a list. I want to walk the side streets early in the morning before the day’s heat sets in. I want to shop in the local market, learn how people live, what they cook, how they raise their kids, what music they play. I want to know the rhythm of the place, not just the top 10 highlights from a Tik Tok reel.
And above all? I don’t want to fall into the trap of being just another tourist. No crowds, no gimmicks, no forced Instagram moments. Just slow, soulful exploration with intention. I also love sharing the good, bad and the ugly with my travel partner or friend. A shared experience that is just ours; rickshaw riding with a crazy driver, rescuing a drowning Frenchman in Sri Lanka, holding hands while we think the boat is sinking in Gilli Islands or together watching the sunrise with the Taj Mahal as the backdrop, all memories that we have together and can laugh about back home.
At Samsara Lifestyle, that’s exactly what we hope we create. Our travel experiences are designed for those who seek authentic connection—with the place, with the people, and with themselves. We focus on immersive travel: curated visits to local artisans, time with community-led organisations like the Chahat Foundation, hands-on cultural experiences, and meaningful moments shared with a small group of like-minded souls. You’ll eat well, you’ll laugh often, and you’ll leave not just having seen a place—but having truly felt it.
And the best part? You’ll never be a third wheel.