Here's why you should try our Tripmates small group adventures

The local approach

If you’re seeking something authentic and real, then going local is what you’re looking for! However, those true local experiences can be difficult to find if you’re not an experienced traveller – and some people might even associate it with greater risks of having a really bad experience compared with something more established and ‘mainstream’.  

With Tripmates, we’ve carefully chosen local partners that have a passion for their destination and culture. Most of the time, they’re born and raised in the area you’re visiting and can tell you local stories and anecdotes.  

Travel slower, experience more

By slowing down, you get to take more in and connect with the local community and surroundings in a completely different way than when you race through a destination. Fast tourism is frowned upon in many travel communities because there’s a preconception that you don’t really get under the skin of a place if you don’t have time to appreciate it. Some even argue that you haven’t really been to a place unless you slow down and actually connect with the place and the people calling it home.  

On each Tripmates trip, you have intentional time set aside to do you. With tripmates 18 to 23, this is usually more towards the end of the trip, so you and your new friends can make plans together that suit you. With Tripmates 23 to 31, it could be at any point in the journey, whenever a location calls for it. Free time can be spent however you want to. It could be exploring the area on your own, hanging out with your travel crew on your own time, recharging your batteries, doodling, journaling, walking, resting, etc. Some might even catch up on emails or social media, but we don’t recommend it!

There are many benefits of slow travel including the impact on the destination, the immersion level of your experience, and it’s more budget-friendly, to mention a few. If you’re interested, we’ll do another post diving a bit deeper into the topic.  

Go beyond the beaten track 

Most people with a minimum of travel experience can find their way to the most popular destinations. Unfortunately, popularity can also lead to over-tourism, which is not only bad for the local community, but it’s also bad for your experience if you’re seeking something more genuine. Sure, sometimes you just want to see where Game of Thrones was shot, or resemble the picture taken by your favourite Tiktok'er– we all have bucket lists. We’re confident you can do that on your own as those places often have solid tourist infrastructures.  

What you get with us are places that are either slightly or completely out of the epicenter of mass tourism. Often you can reach some of those places before, during, or after your Tripmates journey, but it won’t be where you have your base.  

Small groups are the best possible experience

Also important: you limit the negative impact of your stay if you go in small groups. That’s why there’s a maximum number of participants on each of the Tripmates trips. This way, a place is not overwhelmed by too many people at one time, and you can enjoy real encounters with the place and the people calling it home. This gives nature a chance to rebuild and the local community a chance to stay local while benefitting from your visit.  

Be part of a community of likeminded travellers

Small groups also affect the atmosphere and community feeling of the group you’re travelling with. Because you will share an interest with your co-travellers, we believe you will have at least that in common – most likely a lot more!

These trips have been designed to fit people in their late 20s to early 30s (either in body or mind). We’ve found that it’s in the moments you might feel a bit disconnected from your old friends if they’re starting to have other priorities than before. Maybe they’re focusing on their careers more than you, maybe they’re starting families or want to settle down in other ways, while you’re still hungry to explore and learn more about yourself and about life!

This is your opportunity to meet other people with a curiosity about a certain topic such as surfing, nature, hiking, free-diving, and so on. It is also your chance to grow your network of other nationalities and make friends that you can explore your new skills with even further – maybe in a new place?

Challenge yourself and learn new skills in epic places

For Tripmates 23 to 31, each trip is built around new skills and new experiences that stay with you for life. The skills are just part of the theme. Take for example our Tripmates 23 to 31 - Hiking and Exploration in the Balkans, where the skills are all about surviving in nature, learning how to climb rocks in a range of different ways and how to hike like a pro. These are skills that you might not need in your 9-5 when you first think of it but consider the overarching theme of connecting with nature, and the simple skills you learn on this journey start to become usable for real.

You can learn a lot from nature. Not only about the natural world, but about most of what we do on an everyday basis – whether that is taking care of people, working with computer systems, or in construction and everything in between. When you think about it, everything has been inspired by nature in one way or another. By reconnecting with nature, you’ll discover new ways of solving problems, you might even surprise yourself with your abilities and see yourself in a whole new light.

Check out our Tripmates trips

Or reach out if you have any questions for us. We are more than ready to help you find your next adventure, whether that's as part of a group, completely solo, or with friends. Our Tripmates adventures are awesome, but if you prefer a different travel style we have plenty of great experiences waiting for you. Reach out through the button below and start travel planning!

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