Social Dynamics on the Road

Ever felt your heart racing at the thought of traveling with a group of complete strangers? You're not alone, and this episode is here to equip you with the confidence to make your next group adventure both enjoyable and memorable. We explore how to tackle the nerves of meeting new people by focusing on your own journey rather than comparing yourself to others. This episode promises revelations on how to prioritize your comfort, especially when faced with activities that might push your boundaries—because it's perfectly okay to say, "No, thank you."

Dive into the practical side of group travel, where we share smart packing tips to balance preparedness and minimalism. With limited space often available in shared transport, we emphasize the art of packing light and sticking to essential gear. And just as crucial is finding the right balance between group camaraderie and personal downtime, ensuring every moment of your adventure is enriching. Tune in to discover strategies for navigating the social dynamics of travel, so you can return with new friendships and unforgettable experiences.


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Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:13

I get it. When you book a group trip with a bunch of women who you don't even know, sometimes your stomach will be full of knots and you'll have all this nervous energy as you're getting ready to meet everyone and you might be thinking, holy cow, like what did I just do? Should I really be traveling with a group of strangers? Especially if you're on one of our big expeditions to Patagonia or Kilimanjaro or Iceland or Costa Rica? And so today I'm going to share with you just a few things to think about when you book a trip with us. Last week we talked about what some of the do's are, and this week I'm going to share some of the don'ts. So, number one don't compare yourself to others. This is huge, especially when we're talking about some of our bigger expeditions, and especially when we're talking about doing things like hiking. Right, we talk about this phrase hike, your own hike all the time in the outdoor community, and that basically means it's your own hike, you do it. You have your own hike all the time in the outdoor community, and that basically means it's your own hike, you do it, you have your own adventure. You don't have anything to prove to anyone, and that's really important when it comes to group trips. It's all about your journey, it's all about your experience. There's no need for comparison. It's all about your journey within this larger group context, and that is so cool. But if we're constantly comparing ourselves to others and thinking, oh, I'm hiking too slow or what does that person think about me, then you're not going to have a lot of fun. So just stop the comparison. We don't need to have it on hike like a a Woman group trips.

Speaker 1: 1:57

Second is to not be afraid to say no. So if there's an activity on our trip that doesn't feel right for you, if it doesn't feel like something you're comfortable doing while I'm a huge advocate of trying new things and stepping outside of your comfort zone if you don't want to do an activity, then it's okay to say no, thank you, because you should always prioritize your comfort and your well-being. For example, last October we were in Peru and as we got closer to the Salcante Pass, there was this big, gigantic rock and a bunch of us scrambled up on this rock to take some pictures, and the rock was probably 10, 15, 20 feet off the ground. It was not a small rock, it was a huge, gigantic rock. And while I personally wanted the whole group to climb on this rock so we could get a really good picture, there were women who were not comfortable scaling up this rock to take a picture, and I really respect them for saying no, I'm not really so stoked about climbing up that rock for a picture, so I'm not going to do it, I'm just going to opt out of that activity. And I was really proud of them for having the courage to say no, that's not something that I'm okay with doing, that's not something that I'm comfortable doing, and for them having the courage to just make sure that they were prioritizing what felt good to them at that moment.

Speaker 1: 3:26

So next is knowing what to pack and what to leave at home and when we're on these group trips, a lot of times space in the van, space on the bus is quite limited, and so it's important to make sure that we're not really overpacking but we're still prepared by sticking to the packing list and if you join us for a group trip, in our Slack page we always share our packing list and knowing that sometimes, if we pack too much, it can complicate travel logistics. I don't like to pack very much for one simple reason, and that's because I don't want to do a bunch of laundry when I get home. So if I can just wear the same clothes over and over and over again on a trip, I'm totally going to, because I want to avoid having to wash too much when I get home and also I don't like having a bunch of stuff going all over the airport with me. I just like to keep it as light as possible.

Speaker 1: 4:26

Next is to not isolate yourself, and this is really tricky because it's important that we all take time for ourselves when we're on a group trip, that we all have some time away from the group. But if we isolate ourselves from the group too much, we'll miss out on those valuable connections and experiences that are gained when you're with a group and when you're with a positive and supportive and encouraging group of travelers, like we have here in the Hike, like a Woman community. So there is a time to recharge your battery, to step away from the group, to have some time to yourself. But it's also fun to just take advantage of that group opportunity that many of us don't have in our daily lives, that most of us can only get when we're actually out on a group trip with other women. Another thing that's important is to be aware of how other people are feeling about certain activities or certain situations. This just goes back to empathy, right, and being a good human, and it goes. A lot of that actually falls on the guides and the trip leaders and knowing how to foster and build a supportive environment with a group of strangers. That's a tricky task and I actually think that it's something we do really well here at Hike.

Speaker 1: 5:57

Like a Woman, for the most part, we don't have a lot of drama on our trips. Most people are respectful and they're adults and they're kind and they are empathetic, and I think that's what sets our group apart from a lot of other women's outdoor organizations out there is like we kind of just don't tolerate drama. We don't participate in drama. We don't tolerate in drama why? Because we recognize that everyone has different feelings and different emotions and we do our best to try to acknowledge and respect those.

Speaker 1: 6:35

Next is group dynamics. Sometimes on our trips things don't go as planned and this means that sometimes we're camping for a whole week and we don't see the sunshine it only rains. Sometimes this means that someone gets carsick in the van. Sometimes we have to change plans and being flexible is really, really important, and that just comes with the territory and that comes with traveling with a group and, to be quite honest, like that stuff is fun because that stuff is the stuff that stories are made out of. So group dynamics are important. Being flexible, having the ability to change that's also crucial. Next is making sure that we are taking care of our bodies. When we're traveling, especially these big overseas trips, it's easy to not get enough sleep, it's easy to not eat well, it's easy to not drink enough water, it's easy to kind neglect our health and our health, both physical health and mental health when we're on these group trips. So hydrating, eating well, especially in some of these high altitude locations, and listening to our body throughout the trip will help us all maintain our energy levels, because we need a lot of energy on hike, like woman trips, because they are certainly quite active.

Speaker 1: 8:11

Next is don't forget about travel insurance. Travel insurance is really important and I'll do a YouTube video soon about an experience that I had with World Nomads travel insurance. But travel insurance is important because if you get sick, if you get hurt, if your trip gets canceled, if anything unexpected happens, if your flights get delayed or canceled, your luggage gets lost or heaven forbid you need an emergency evacuation off of Mount Kilimanjaro, travel insurance, especially rescue insurance, is going to be super crucial. I felt really bad when we had a woman sign up for one of our trips and then she got COVID and she couldn't go on the trip at the very last minute. She was super sick, but she hadn't purchased travel insurance and, because of the booking policies, all the guides had already been paid, everything had been reserved already. We weren't able to offer her a refund because she didn't have travel insurance, and so I recommend getting travel insurance as soon as you book that trip, because if you have to cancel for any reason, that travel insurance depending on what company you use is going to cancel it and reimburse you. So travel insurance is really important. Book the trip and then purchase your travel insurance.

Speaker 1: 9:37

Next, it's important to not rush through the experience. Experience when you're traveling with a group, it can be super easy to just go, go, go, go, go and to not take time to enjoy where you are and what activity you're doing, and to spend as much time enjoying the journey as well as the destination or the journey to the destination. I'm going to be completely honest with you that when we were in Machu Picchu I knew that we only had three hours in Machu Picchu and there were big lines everywhere and I felt incredibly rushed going through Machu Picchu and I wish that I would have had an extra three hours to enjoy Machu Picchu and to really immerse myself in that experience. But because I was with a group and that was the timeline that we had, I wasn't able to spend that time experiencing Machu Picchu. So I actually came home from Peru and I spent some time talking with my husband about how I really think it's important to take our family to Peru to visit Machu Picchu again. But the changes that I want to make next time. So sometimes when you go on a group trip and you don't get enough of that experience in one specific location, you can kind of use that Like I use that as a recon for future family trips to that area. So sometimes if we feel rushed through an experience on a group trip, then it just gives us an opportunity to kind of step back and revisit how we would do that differently in the future and then plan a future trip to that destination. So I'm excited to see Machu Picchu again, but I'm going to do it completely different next time.

Speaker 1: 11:31

And finally, don't hesitate to seek help. I have been guiding trips, leading trips in the backcountry, for well over a decade. Before that, I was an army officer and my job in the army was as a public affairs officer. So I worked with embedded reporters who would come to my unit all over Iraq and I would tell them and my job would be to make sure that those reporters were taken care of, that they were safe, that they were healthy, that they were comfortable and that they had what they needed to get their jobs done. Sometimes it's challenging when I'm leading a group in the back country or in a different country, and I know that people are struggling with something, but I'm not sure what. But they don't ask for help and I'm always here to help, support anyone who I'm on a group trip with, whether it means just being there when they need someone to talk to, whether it means letting them use the internet on my phone to call somebody back home, whether it means sharing my snacks or, you know, patching up a blister and taking care of them. But it's important to always ask for help and that's why I'm here. So, anyway, by following these don'ts.

Speaker 1: 12:55

I believe that you can have an incredible group travel experience. I believe that you can feel connected to everybody on the trip. I believe that you can feel empowered and I believe that you can make just incredible memories from the experience. So if you want to learn more about how you can join me for a group adventure in 2025, we're headed to Iceland, costa Rica we're doing a breast cancer survivor retreat here in Wyoming. We're headed to Utah maybe Stay tuned about Utah, kilimanjaro and Patagonia. So head to our website, heylikeawomancom, and you can learn all about those upcoming group trips and how you can book them. Thanks so much. I'll see you next week.