Are you a fan of group trips? Or are you, like me, more generally a keenly independent traveller who needs a very good reason to decide to take a group tour of  any kind? 

When it comes to group travel, I've learned over the years that there really is a group trip to suit everyone, even people like me who are highly reluctant group travellers - and often what turns us is the idea of some highly specialised group travel. In this episode of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast, I speak with three people who've had experiences in specialised group travel and they make a great case for why we all should try it sometimes.

First up, I chat with Evan Petrelis from Renaissance Tours, who specialise in tours connected to special interests like ballet, archaeology and gardens. He runs through some of the advantages and disadvantages of group travel and highlights how travelling with likeminded people with the same passion can be particularly rewarding.

Next, I speak to Debbie Clarke, who has run tours for the LGBTQ community for many years. She has a pretty touching story to tell of the outcome of these tours for some of the participants.

Finally, Vicky Sahami joins me to explain her highly specialised group trips which focus on visiting the best places in the world to observe total solar eclipses. It's a fascinating special interest which has seen Vicky experience some really far-flung parts of the globe, and in really unique ways.

Links:

• Evan Petrelis from Renaissance Tours - https://renaissancetours.com.au/ 
• Debbie Clarke from the Good Awaits podcast - https://goodawaits.podbean.com/ 
• Vicky Sahami’s solar eclipse tours at Sirius Travel - https://siriustravel.com/ 
• Join our Facebook group for Thoughtful Travellers - https://www.facebook.com/groups/thoughtfultravellers
• Join our LinkedIn group for Thoughtful Travellers - https://notaballerina.com/linkedin
• Show notes: https://notaballerina.com/267

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