The Travel Industry's Dilemma

Bridging the gap between independent and organized group travel

An age-old conflict exists between travelers who prefer to strike out on their own - independents - and those who prefer to join organized tours - groupies.

Independents refuse to part with their sense of self-driven freedom and adventure. The spontaneity of flying solo with a backpack and guidebook defines their experience. Groupies, on the other hand, value the convenience, comfort, structure and personalized expertise offered by guided itineraries.

With the rise of do-it-yourself online travel resources and social networks (think Couchsurfer), there has been a decline in traditional mom-and-pop, brick and mortar travel agencies with their lavish cruises and 5-star tours. The local travel movement, with its focus on sustainability, responsibility, and supporting local economies, has become a dominant trend in the past decade and has cast a shadow on the tourism industry fat cats.

This trend gives rise to some important questions: will independent, locally-focused travel eventually push traditional agencies and tour operators out of the industry? Will organized group travel become a thing of the past? Probably not, but the question still has implications for the future of the industry.

As the director of research and development for a US-based travel company called SnoworSand, the task of harmonizing these seemingly irreconcilable ideologies – independent versus group travel - has become the focus of my career.

I’ve seen firsthand the merits and setbacks of each, and I’m certain that combining their best elements would provide every type of traveler with a better, more fulfilling experience that is also beneficial to local economies and environments.

Consider a trip that combines the spontaneity, adventure, individualism and economy of independent travel with the convenience, comfort and expertise of an organized, guided itinerary. The group is small so it can visit mom-and-pop restaurants, hotels and shops without disrupting the local scene. Guests are introduced to local people and culture in as many ways as possible in a manner that feels off-the-cuff but also structured.

Although many of these characteristics seem inherently at odds - spontaneity versus itinerary, group versus independence, off-the-cuff versus organized - SnoworSand has made positive steps toward melding them into what I believe is the closest thing the travel industry has yet to offer to the budget-conscious traveler.

By hiring “local experts” (much like the “spotters” of Spotted by Locals) who develop itineraries showcasing an intimate knowledge of each destination, SnoworSand provides guests a truly local experience. Trips feature off-the-beaten path restaurants, parks, hangouts, nightlife, markets, monuments, shops, cafes and music venues that make the city special and unique to the local. The guiding process focuses less on stale historical facts and figures and more on exposing a lifetime of stories and memories that guests relate to on a personal level. Local experts represent living pieces of culture with whom guests can touch, talk, learn, laugh, love, befriend and engage. Groups are small (no larger than 12) and guests are encouraged to deviate from the itinerary so they feel in control of their experience.

In this way, SnoworSand has created a travel experience that has what seem to be the best elements of independent and organized group travel.

I would like to open up this topic for discussion amongst the readers, beginning with three questions:

(1) Is it possible to bridge the gap between independent and organized group travel or are these ideologies inherently and essentially at odds?

(2) Where should travel companies focus in order to create packaged travel experiences from which every kind of traveler (independent, groupie or somewhere in between) can derive benefit?

(3) What’s your opinion about the progress SnoworSand has made in “bridging the gap?”