For all the corporate types, this situation may seem familiar. Offsites, annual conferences, strategy meets, whatever HR calls them, are essentially carrots that all employees swear by. And when such offsites happen at international destinations, a frenzy of plans (especially shopping ones) begin. But, like me, if you're an explorer at heart, these massive group tours may seem, somewhat painful. Especially if the destination is as exotic as Europe. Having been a part of group tours, my planning exercise involves what, how and when to tick off the “to-dos” and “to-visits” from the bucket list.
I have been fortunate to experience many “firsts” thanks to these official trips. My first Europe trip, and likewise my first Africa trip, happened thanks to my employers. But when you’re a 100 member contingent, your personal travel preference will definitely take a beating. So, what do you do? I have been fortunate to be able to travel to Vienna, Budapest, Prague, Bratislava, Italy and Kenya on my official website. How did I manage to visit the Ruins Bars at Budapest or the nightlife of Nairobi, though they were never in the itinerary? Read on.
Extend your trip
Negotiate till your last breath, and try to get this flexibility in your travel plan. This flexibility may or may not be possible, depending on the company, tour operator, group sizes etc. Have to admit that I have been lucky just once. And I have willingly paid the differential airfare to accommodate for the date change. My three day Prague trip was an outcome of one such “extension”. Since the official itinerary was ex-Vienna, and I wanted to visit Prague, which was a 4 hour train journey away. So pleading with the boss and a couple of coffees to the travel coordinator later, I finally managed to bag the extension. If however your charm and pleads don't work, fret not. There are other options.
Make best use of gaps in the itinerary
Time to use your Sherlock Holmes skill to figure out the gaps in the itinerary. Most itineraries are made to include the "touristy" things to do in the destination city. While those are fine to get the popular photos of the destination, for the more real experiences, figure out the windows available in the itinerary. For eg, time between the day session and the evening gala night, or skip that lunch and explore the nearby quarters of the town.
During our trip to Eastern Europe, we had a half day trip from Vienna to Budapest and back, followed by a day trip to Bratislava the next day. Clearly a waste of precious "travel" time. So I packed a small backpack, went with the group from Vienna to Budapest. After lunch when the bus load of colleagues returned to base, I chose to stay back in Budapest for the night and explore the rest of the town. The plan was to head directly to Bratislava the next day. So, rather than wasting 20 hours of my time, I got to spend a sizable amount of that time in Budapest, followed by a lovely train ride from Budapest to Bratislava the next day. The following day, again I chose to explore Bratislava for an extra 6 hours, and take the last bus to Vienna, instead to heading back with the herd.
Sleep less!
Yes, as silly as it may sound, late nights and early mornings are some of the best times to self explore when you are on group tours. Feeling stuck in the gala dinner? Politely excuse yourself from the conversation and sneak out. No one will notice. And while we are at the topic of sneaking out at night, Europe’s cities come alive at night - the pubs and discs, the strip clubs and street cafes, there is no better time to explore the city than after sundown. And if you are among the early risers, watching the sun rise while on a run by the Danube, or feeling the crisp spring air and the chirping of the birds while jogging past an olive grove in Italy, sounds idyllic. Isn't it?
Ditch the tour bus, for walking the streets.
While walking may be not the best option in most Indian cities, European cities (especially) are built to walk. And this solves many purposes - while you get that much needed exercise for your feet, you can simultaneously soak in all the local experiences - sounds, aromas, sights and vibes of the town when you are walking around. Turning into a quaint bookshop, or picking up an espresso from a small cafe, or having a chat with the souvenir shop lady are experiences that commuting around in a bus won't provide. So if your idea of exploring Europe is in your best evening dress and a pair of heels, I'd recommend swapping that for a good pair of walking shoes.
Trade off shopping time
Unless you have a shopping list, given specifically by your partner (and hence has to be complied to), use the time wisely for more experiences. Most Indians travelling abroad (especially Europe), end up spending invaluable time shopping for fashion. One can easily check several bucket list items in the time that others would spend browsing the malls and high street fashion aisles. I found having a quattro formaggi pizza accompanied with a spritzer in a roadside cafe of Florence, way more fulfilling than checking out the bespoke Italian tailor shops (which anyways was unaffordable for me).
Travel light
Travelling light has an additional advantage, as I figured. Wanting to squeeze in as much as possible of to-dos, you can easily walk around the last market or past that cathedral, and then take the public transport to the airport. This allows you for that last “exploration” even after checking out of the accommodation, and with time in hand to catch your flight. My 3 hour tour of the Vatican, was an outcome of a delayed flight, and because I was travelling light, I could take an impromptu decision of visiting the Vatican museums, which otherwise was not "included in the itinerary".
These are just some of the first hand tips to wriggle in your “to-do” despite being on a group tour with several scores of people. Let me know in the comments if you have any such experiences, and/or any more ideas for fellow travelers. Give these a try when travel resumes and you are out there with your suitcases and backpacks.
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