Fodor's Travel Talk Forums

Judy:

There is no 250-words-or-less answer to your various open-ended question(s).

I'll try to give a few example-type answers of why I think small group travel is great, and why it could pose a problem, in some situations.

I tend to see the glass as (perhaps way more than) half full, with regard to potential benefits versus risks.

1) Staying with friends. Some folks choose lodging strictly on location and price... they maintain "we just sleep there" - - and maybe they really do spend less than 2 hours a day of their waking hours in the place they have chosen to stay. I think it's a self-fulfilling prophesy. Choosing a place where you can enjoy the beginning of the day, or some portion of the mid-day, or the supper hour and after... with people you know and can relate to - - provides the opportunity to enjoy the "activities of daily living" (which DO have to occur, no matter what your style of traveling is) - - and you can make them as much, or as little "European style" as you wish.

So, for several (but not all) of my small group trips, it is been the fulfillment of a dream to be able to stay in some self-catering accommodations that would not have been within our reach if we were not a group. In Tuscany (Ambra, bear Bucine), in Garda (on Lake Garda) and in Montauroux (near Grasse, in the Var province of France), I have stayed in some LARGE villas with wonderful big kitchens, living rooms, a giant fireplace (one of them), swimming pools (two of them) and patios, gardens or other wonderful outdoor spaces to share privately amongst ourselves. These were with groups of 14, 7, and 16, respectively - - and I have always chosen places with abundant bedrooms and (mostly non-shared) bathrooms. The cost of these places were always shared equally (per person, not per bedroom), so that couples paid exactly double what singles paid, and the payment was always 100% upfront to me. This helps to form a cornerstone of the trip's expenses. if your travelers do not trust you on this, it signals that there will be other money problems galore.

One footnote: self-catering isn't always a requirement, even in a B&B, or other "managed" lodging, you can enjoy many of the same advantages (and a shorter stay) by simply taking the whole place up. Our (family) group of eight enjoyed three terrific nights in a 4-bedroom apartment in Palermo this year with a live-in owner (she had separate living quarters) and her staff of one who fixed us breakfast, provided some simple cleaning, and even did laundry on request (for a separate fee).

2) Transportation without a rigid schedule - - whether for day trips or moving from point A to B - - has almnost always been by car, though I have also used public transportations for some longer hauls without difficulty, even with the larger groups - - flight from Stansted to Milan Linate, train from San Remo to Nice, flight from montpellier to Paris, flight from Orly to Heathrow, flight from Strasbourg to Nice, train from Nice to Milan, and then onward to Venice, train from Verona to Rome).

I have been the "central banker" for the travel WITHIN Europe even on trains or planes - - but essentially never much more than advisor/facilitator on the trans-atlantic travel. With all the different originations you face, I don't see any reason for you to get in the middle of purchasing the travel to/from your initial/terminal destination(s).

With my wife and I as drivers, traveling by car (van) has meant 16 is the upper limit (two nine-passenger vans), though I have also had one or more travelers as drivers (or at least relief drivers - - these were family members).

The flexible schedule is the leading benefit here. Accommodating luggage is a modest benefit (there has to be some care taken that luggage quantity/size does not go overboard - - likewise purchases along the way); generally bags are carried in the front door from the curb and back out vice versa. (Recommend the over-the-head, up a flight of steps test to all of your travelers with their main bag). Some stuff can stay in the car overnight (maps, minor items). Bathroom stops, photo-op stops, snacktimes are a mixed blessing and curse. I see the glass as half-full. And these automobile costs are 100% shared, and mostly upfront (though it requires some estimation on fuel and tools, and final accounting).

As segue from the best part to the problems - - I'll address...

3) Mealtimes. Breakfast times can be great - - in your pajamas if you want, fruits that are as fresh as the moment you cut them for yourself, other items can be as artisan or as "back-home-familiar" as you choose to buy. Lunches are often a bargain (in house or "picnic"), but other times quite ad hoc, and frequently not eaten as a group. Dinner times are long sometimes, and sometimes burdensome - - are you the only person who really deciphers the menu well? You'll be reciting some things over and over - - and half the time (if you're like me), you have a general understanding, but not necessarily perfect (in fact, sometimes darn near flat-out wrong).

The single greatest risk/potential downside is...

4) the unexpected - - and illness (which will usually be mild) is at the top of the list of the kind of thing that can affect everyone. If I (on the Fodorite trip without my wife - - with six other people) or my wife had become too ill to lead, it would have been a huge problem. I have encountered assorted problems, always overcome, and this keeps me optimistic. On a recent trip (Burgundy/Piedmont) with just one other couple (wife's brother and SIL), I did become rather unpleasantly ill for 24 hours, and my wife took over seamlessly. I rode in the back, a little bit green around the gills. Other short-term illnesses resulted in someone missing a great dinner (pre-paid in at least one case), and you just move on. The greatest calamity I have faced so far was a death back home; the group of 16 included 4 siblings with spouses - - and a brother back home died. Five of the eight affected travelers decided to cut the trip short (day 9 of 15), and it required some fast thinking to get them to (a train connecting to) an airport - - (200 miles away, just to get the train). None of them had to pay extra to get standby flights back home (this was pre Sep 11 '01). There was no monetary adjustment for the balance of the trip; in retrospect there probably should have been to the couple who went home together - - but almost immediately after, that particular couple asked me to put together a different eight-some group trip for them, and I went on that with them. For what it's worth, no one had any travel insurance on that trip, and I don't think it would have really paid anyone anything anyhow - - as I am not a "trip operator" in any commercial sense.

The final caveat is...

5) compatibility - - which is the one that most people worry about the most. All I can say is that is has never been a giant problem. Has anyone ever thought that I was a pain in the ass? Probably. Did I ever snap at anybody? ummm... maybe once. Did the group ever castigate one individual as immature or high-maintenance - - maybe for a brief portion of the trip. If you tend to see life as a glass half-empty, then this could be a problem for your or your fellow travelers.

Bottom line - - I think that a barge trip could be a great small-group trip, as long as everyone understand what barge accommodations really mean. A glass half-full, in my opinion, but picky people could find the bed too small, or the loo unsatisfactory, or something else not to like.

I trust that you will make some effort for most of the travelers to have some awareness/familiarity with (most) everyone else going by e-mail, phone calls or even personal visits. Have them all read this posting!

I'd love to come along on your trip, but I don't think you need me, and the rationale for inviting me would be quite a stretch (if not downright weird).

Hope this helps - - Feel free to write or call, off-forum, or continue the Q&A here (we are supposed to be about sharing of info and opinions with the rest of the community, right?)