IELTS: Compare and contrast:taking a trip by oneself and taking a group tour with guidance

In the modern world, relaxation becomes an increasing demand after a hard-working day. Traveling seems to be the best alternative. There are a variety of perspectives on the question of whether traveling taking a trip by oneself or taking a group tour with guidance is more comfortable. Traveling alone and traveling in group is quite different in terms of the expense, safety and experience.

Firstly, one of the major distinctions between traveling alone and traveling in group is the expense. It is an indisputable fact that expense is a weighty matter in the era of economic crisis. The money when traveling in group is spread evenly to each member. Thus, the cost covered when traveling with others may be the solution to the problem since it is based on shared values. Conversely, traveling by oneself sounds convenient for those who enjoy the feeling of loneliness. Yet, the journey might cost an arm and a leg, in other word, it would be costly. For example, the cost of a trip to Nepal for a person cover is $2,325 - $6,175; airfare from $1500 to $5000 depending on class and routing and excess baggage; transportation from Kathmandu to Lukla is $250 round-trip per person; cost of hotel and food in Kathmandu from $300 to $700 depending on delays (Personal travel, para. 4). A glance at these prices indicates that only an extremely affluent person is able to afford this way of traveling. Evidently, before intending to travel, people should consider which way of traveling is the most suitable for their present financial condition.

Even more importantly, though, safety seems to be at the heart of the matter when determining to travel with others or travel by oneself. Traveling to a new place will inevitably result in a great deal of unexpected trouble. For instance, misunderstanding language, culture, behavior or traffic system gives rise to certain issues. Indeed, language differences may create an invisible barrier between travelers and the citizens; culture differences may trigger social problems; traffic system differences may result in horrific accidents. Therefore, in these situations, the assistance of a guidance who fully understands the place by all means useful for those who travel in group. On the other hand, getting lost or taking a wrong bus in a big city will become a challenge for solo traveler. Even more, as a new comer, being stolen is the one of the worst disasters. Imagine how terrible when someone enter to a new place without money, passport as well as visa. Accordingly, if problem comes up, perhaps, a group is capable of handling more efficiently than an individual. Nevertheless, there are different kinds of people in different places. Some are good but some are not. Living with a stranger is not simply normal. Carelessly, traveler might be a victim of street crime or petty theft. According to a report by Today published last month, tour guides in Rome have considered going on strike in response to a 24-percent increase in muggings throughout the city(Brad Nehring, 2013). In this case, traveling alone sounds safer than traveling in group. Thus, the matter of safety seems equally in both approaches to traveling.

"Travelers who return from a vacation often answer the question "How was your trip?" (Pamela & Elaine, 2007). Admittedly, experience - the primary purpose of travelers gained from the trip is obviously the answer to the question. In fact, living in a group helps you not only learn how to get on well with others in order that new relationships will be established but also improve your team-work skill how to cooperate efficiently with partners. For independent travelers, the trip tends to become an exciting adventure as they will have the opportunity to visit wherever and whenever they wish, not to mention the wonderful feeling of being alone. Furthermore, experience when traveling alone will gradually mature a person flexibly in the way they coped with sticky situations such as misunderstanding language or being theft. Thus, it is undeniable that experiences gained from traveling brings about loads of extraordinary things relating to life skills that we could hardly be able to learned from anything else.

By the way of conclusion, I would contend that traveling by oneself or traveling in group has its own expense, safety and experience. It is totally based on

the particular interests of each traveler to take into account what kinds of traveling are entirely appropriate for them.

This essay is too lengthy to me (more than 700 words). As you have to complete two tasks in one hour, this task 2 essay should contain around 300 words only.


You could merge these two sentences into one (Traveling has become an increasing demand ...)


Does the prompt ask you which one of them is more comfortable? If not, I feel that this sentence is a bit off-topic and you should focus on comparing and contrasting these kinds of traveling.


divided/split equally


Actually, I don't think that anybody "enjoys" that kind of feeling :)


I think you should choose one example and make it clear rather than listing every possible ideas. Otherwise, they make your paragraphs complicated and even hard to follow.

I hope this helps!

Yes it is.... There is no upper limitation for the word count, but you need to manage your writing within the allowed time. So, keep your word count around 300 and make sure you include all essential features in your essay that help you earn a good score.


Why do you construct very complicated sentences when you can express ideas in a more simpler manner?

I'm also with others and feel your essay is pretty bulky. :D ... It's ok if you could handle the time :)


...clever point .... yes, this is biggest issue with traveling :D



.... shared / distributed - better words


.... you are talking about the expenses and suddenly come up with a different reason. Then again give an example to back the cost matter. I feel this reason should go to a new para as it's disturbing your flow of ideas.