Many times you want to go backpacking and have some fun but what holds you back is that you don’t want to go alone. Sometimes you want to backpack alone only but you are not sure if that’s a good idea. And then at times you have no such preferences and all you want is a nice backpacking trip but can’t decide as to what would be better, going alone or in a group.

Confusion, confusion and more confusion.

We obviously don’t want to judge your preferences or lack of them but what we can sure do is try to objectify the scenario of going all alone and going in groups. For your part, for the time being, keep your likes and dislikes aside and just read along. You can keep the decision making for the end.

When you are going alone the most significant aspect is the independence and that starts from the very beginning. You get to decide where you want to go, when you want to go and how you plan to go. You can pick and choose, all by yourself. But what you must also realise is that you need to be extra cautious.

Once you are out alone you won’t have any one to fall back upon. Whether it’s the travel essentials that you need to carry along, like passports, money or the work you may need to do there, it’s all going to be you alone. Make a list before hand, avoid last minutes and if someone you know who has been there, then it won’t be a bad idea to ask him to cross check everything.

Going out in a group has its own set of advantages and disadvantages. All your responsibilities are shared. That’s always a relief. There are certain things everyone must have with oneself individually, for the rest you can decide who gets to bring what. For example,  only one person needs to carry a large tent, like the Coleman Canyon 8 person tent, which saves everyone else the burden of carrying their own tent. Moreover, if your destination involves using a car, that’s better as you can carpool and save on money as well. Not to forget, if anything goes wrong you’ll have good support system around.

On the flip side, you may not get to go to the place of your choice. And if you are going with people you already know, some of them may carry old issues along. If people are new, you may be up for surprises.

If you are a loner, go alone. If you are gregarious, go in a group. For the undecided rest, you have read the pros and cons of both, and now would be the time to take the call.