How to Survive a Group Holiday When You're An Independent Traveler

About to board the plane to Boracay, that's me holding the red bag with Travel + Leisure mag in it.

When my best friend Julie first invited me on a group holiday to the Philippines I was rather apprehensive. I'm an independent traveler. If I'm not traveling alone I'm usually only with one other person.

Group travel requires patience. The problem is that I'm incredibly impatient. I'm not used to waiting for people to get ready in the morning and trying to make democratic decisions on where to go/what to eat with others. My daily travel philosophy is - you're here, make the most of it and get up and go!

So before my flight to Manila I adopted the three word mantra: Let it go!

Years of working in PR and event management has turned me into a bit of a control freak. I enjoy pre-trip planning and organising. I like having a list of places to visit and an itinerary which is flexible.

So agreeing to go on a group trip where everything was organised was both a relief and a shock to the system for me. There were 10 of us traveling to Boracay via Manila and it started to feel like school camp, Filipino style.

Positives:

• Less worrying and organising, more time to have fun
• Language barrier - not speaking Tagalog - wasn't a big deal
• Constant companionship -  always someone to chat to, borrow clothes off and party with
• Flexible itinerary meant that each day was an unknown adventure
• More likely to try new things and eat local food
• Filo friends were street smart and always looking out for us

Negatives:

• My non-Filo friends and I were a bit complacent - in other words we didn't really do much organising/bartering/researching 
• Waiting, waiting, waiting for others
• I was less likely to make an effort to speak Tagalog - I usually adopt at least a few local phrases
• Fitting into the group schedule - you can't always just do whatever you want
• Peer pressure - yes this still exists outside of school and you can always be coerced by the group to go on a dune buggy/drink out of a bucket/eat raw egg
• My friends learnt the hard way that I may be "slightly irritable" if I don't start the day with a cup of tea or breakfast. Sorry guys!

In the end through I survived an action-packed one week in the Philippines with the best memories of spending one week with friends that knew the ins and outs of Manila, the best traditional foods to eat (chicken adobo...) and drinks to try (green mango shakes and four seasons juice) and local customs. Their generous hospitality and go-with-the-flow attitude was greatly appreciated - thanks a million Julie and Will!

How to survive a group holiday?

• Expand your patience as much as possible 
• Relax into the flow of the group dynamic
• Have time for yourself - even if it's just a quick morning walk
• Do you own research before you go - if you have mandatory places you'd like to visit make them a priority
• Enjoy living in the moment with your friends - it's always short-lived
• Accept that it's all part of the adventure - not knowing what the day will bring is exciting!

Cheers at Chill Out Bar in Boracay