Steven Novotny
Steve not traveling alone in Egypt
Photo: Biomes Participant
For the first time in my life when I tried traveling in a group, it was an undertaking that scared me more than the third world countries we were going to or the thought of being robbed which everyone warned me about every time I told them where I was going. It’s the one fear I had when I decided to go on a twelve week trip around the world with seventeen other people to study the world’s Biomes.
On past adventures I had always gone alone: the solo backpacking trip through Europe and the lone bike trip into Mexico. I was comfortable traveling alone. My backpack was an old friend I knew I could always count on. It had never let me down and I knew it wouldn’t really cause me any trouble. But 17 other people all with their own problems and fears was a different story.
I soon learned that noone could do anything without someone knowing about it. For example they knew when you went to the bathroom and how it went, if you stayed up too late reading or if you brushed your teeth in circles or up and down. Everything was taken note of by at least one person of the group, if not by the whole group. All those idiosyncrasies you didn’t know you had were observed and remembered as though you were a lab rat being studied.
I soon found that traveling in a group isn’t all that bad though. You never have to worry about falling asleep on a train and missing your stop. Someone always wakes you up. There’s always someone there to take your picture; you don’t have to ask a stranger. There’s always someone to eat dinner with and most importantly to keep you company and to share experiences with.
So next time you plan to go on that dream trip of yours, call a friend or talk your lover into going along. It’s well worth the added hassle. Just make sure you get along with them really well because they'll walk away knowing more about you than you probably want them to.