World travel is mind-expanding and inspiring. It can also be a logistical nightmare when it takes you from one country to another with multiple stops along the way. How many times have you made your own plans only to discover that other travelers had better experiences with fewer hassles and got better deals?

Group travel might be the answer, says Michael Graham, president of Cruise Planners in Myrtle Beach. It offers so many benefits, and the perceived downsides are remnants of bygone days. Perhaps that explains why a recent survey found 80 percent of travelers prefer to travel with others. Here are some of the benefits of group travel according to Graham:

1. Leave the planning to someone else

Have you ever attempted to surf the web for vacation ideas and collapsed under a load of contradictory information? If you’ve never been somewhere it’s difficult to determine the best bargains, find the most convenient hotels, and get the inside scoop on unknown sites worth seeing.

With a group tour, not only does someone else take responsibility for making all the arrangements, their experience can help you avoid many of the pitfalls facing travelers. And if something goes wrong – say, the hotel mistakenly double-booked rooms – it’s not your problem. Someone else has to fix it.

2. Strength in numbers

If you’re squeamish about visiting places where you don’t know the language and customs, and you’re worried about locals who might prey on unsuspecting tourists, traveling with a group is a great option. There’s safety in a crowd that doesn’t exist with a couple or a family.

3. Share your experience

Acquiring amazing new experiences and seeing breathtaking new scenes are what make travel so exciting. It’s twice as exciting when you have others to share the experience with. It’s why we all love posting our photos to social media – except with a group you can share the actual experience, and do it in real time.

4. New friends with common interests

Group travel pairs you with others who are interested in the same specific kind of travel you are. Often people from around the country – or even the globe – come together in a group, giving you that enriching experience even before the sightseeing begins. After a week or two with your travel group, you’ll return home with the afterglow of your journey and a host of new friends.

5. Perks!

Don’t want to stand on that hour-long ticket line at the Vatican? When you travel with a group, you already have tickets. Booking in large numbers can also open up hard-to-get reservations, access to special tours and other considerations that aren’t available to individual travelers.

6. The old complaints don’t apply

Most group tours now work in plenty of flexibility, splitting up to pursue different interests. Choose the right group tour and do the amount of adventure travel that’s right for you. If you want to see the world from a bus window, there are tours for that. Prefer to walk everywhere and mix with the natives? There are groups for that – and everything in between.

Cruise Planners is an award-winning travel innovator that has helped thousands of people take the trip of a lifetime – and then return for another. Their travel experts can help you arrange a thrilling excursion anywhere in the world, from Antarctica to the Panama Canal. Focusing on stress-free leisure group travel, Cruise Planners can help you organize a group or join an existing one for the travel adventure of your dreams.

Contact Michael Graham and Associates at 843-732-2582 or email office@takethetrip.com to arrange your next trip.