{"id":10903,"date":"2019-04-16T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2019-04-15T23:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/flashpack.preview.uk.com\/2017\/03\/10\/are-you-a-single-man-in-your-30s-or-40s-you-need-to-join-a-flash-pack-adventure\/"},"modified":"2023-06-30T11:23:17","modified_gmt":"2023-06-30T10:23:17","slug":"men-should-travel-solo-on-a-small-group-holiday","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sandbox.flashpack.com\/us\/solo\/travel\/men-should-travel-solo-on-a-small-group-holiday\/","title":{"rendered":"Single men, this is why you should join a group adventure"},"content":{"rendered":"

Research shows that women are more proactive<\/a> when it comes to travelling the world. Here, Flash Pack co-founder Lee Thompson makes the case for men to play catch-up in the adventure stakes<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

My feelings about the idea of group travel as a man used to be pretty straight forward.<\/p>\n

I didn\u2019t want to spend two weeks making awkward conversation with people I had nothing in common with, following itineraries that just seem really bland.<\/p>\n

So what is the single male traveller in their 30\u2019s and 40\u2019s to do? This is the era where the \u2018lads\u2019 holiday\u2019<\/a> to the Med or Prague starts to feel a little undignified. And yet there\u2019s still (hopefully) many years to go before a barge on the Norfolk Broads or a B&B in the Cotswolds begins to appeal.<\/p>\n

Read more: “How I learnt to embrace solo travel as a man”<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

So I had an idea. I\u2019m a former photojournalist,<\/a> and my CV includes some extensive time spent at the sharp end of reportage. I covered the Egyptian Arab Spring, and was one of the first journalists to find the body of deposed Libyan dictator Colonel Gaddafi.<\/p>\n

After visiting over 100 countries for work, I think it\u2019s fair to say that I had doubts that my thirst for adventure would be quenched by the choice of group tour holidays that I started browsing through.<\/p>\n

\"Lee
Flash Pack co-founder Lee Thompson in Sierra Leone<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

Obviously, I didn\u2019t want to put myself in insane danger. But I did want a group holiday that would be distinctive, and have an intrepid element to it.<\/p>\n

The image of these trips that other tour operators were selling all seemed so outdated and boring. Nothing seemed to speak to me as a single guy in my 30s at all.<\/p>\n

It was obvious there was a big gap and the needs of solo travellers in their 30s and 40s were being ignored<\/a> by the travel industry. The group tour industry was either catering to budget backpackers or luxury holidays for people aged sixty and over.<\/p>\n

Read more:\u00a0Why every man should take a sabbatical<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Fast forward two years and I finally embarked on my first ever group escape \u2013 an epic adventure through the wilds of Myanmar<\/a>. So had I finally managed to find my own ideal tour operator? Of course not. I just set up my own company instead (helped along the way by a viral adventure stunt<\/a>).<\/p>\n

Here at Flash Pack<\/a>, we want to redefine group travel as an aspirational lifestyle choice for busy professionals.<\/p>\n

Covering group trips to over 60 global destinations as diverse as Colombia<\/a>, Zimbabwe<\/a> and the Philippines<\/a>, I found myself with a genuine business success on my hands.<\/p>\n

There was, however, one element that I wasn\u2019t expecting. I didn\u2019t realise just how much more popular Flash Pack trips would be with women.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Lee and other Flashpackers, hiking Rainbow Mountain in Peru<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

If you\u2019re a single man and you want to meet new people and share adventures, then this really is great. I still go on a lot of the Flash Pack trips myself, and I have to say that I\u2019ve never craved male company or banter.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s starting to make me wonder what single men are actually doing on their annual leave. I worry that they\u2019re wasting it faffing around at home or going to too many weddings!<\/p>\n

Read more: 5 great reasons to travel with strangers<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Flash Pack has grown by 400% each year since it began, and I think a lot of this demand is down to the fact that my partner Radha Vyas and I have first-hand experience of being on disappointing group trips as guests. So we know exactly what solo adventurers in their 30s and 40s can\u2019t stand, and what really works.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Lee Thompson on top of Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio, Brazil<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

When I first met Radha, she asked me if I would ever go on a group tour and I scoffed at the idea immediately. It was only by us asking ourselves what other single people are doing about this issue, and investigating the market, that we managed to find an answer.<\/span><\/p>\n

Read more: 18 moments of adventure travel you don’t want to miss<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

For the man with the restless spirit in his soul who has grown out of backpacker hostels but isn\u2019t quite ready for an all-inclusive family resort, Flash Pack’s vision for how travel should be for 30 and 40-somethings has truly resonated.<\/p>\n

I suppose it all comes down to asking yourself one question \u2013 Do you want to stay at home? Or do you want to experience the world in the company of like-minded adventurous folk, all searching for the next unique experience?<\/p>\n

Suitcase packed\u2026 case closed.<\/p>\n

\n

Jump aboard a thrilling group escape<\/h3>\n

Join a crew of like-minded solo travellers from all over the world<\/a> for the trip of a lifetime<\/p>\n

Conquer the peaks of Peru<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Cycle through ancient Inca ruins in the Sacred Valley highlands, then don your hiking boots for a challenging ascent up Rainbow Mountain. We’ll camp overnight at altitude (at around 4,000 metres) with a private chef, before a dawn push to the dazzling multi-coloured summit. Also on this trip, a twilight sail through the Amazon and a trek around Machu Picchu.<\/p>\n

Buckle up for Peru<\/a><\/p>\n

Explore wild frontiers in Oman<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Put your navigation skills to the test with a self-guided hike through Wahiba Sands desert and tiptoe, if you dare, around the rim of Oman’s world-famous Balcony Walk that lines a towering crater. Wild swim in wadis framed by pink cliffs and emerald-clear water, and succumb to this ancient land of peach trees and hidden souks.<\/p>\n

Oman, here we come<\/a><\/p>\n

Savour the delights of Malaysia<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Blue<\/p>\n

Discover the foodie secrets of Malaysia’s most captivating cities, from night market hawker in Penang to a local cooking class in Malacca. Experience Belum rainforest in darkness, your senses attuned to the teeming nocturnal wildlife, and sail through the jungle in search of one of the world’s rarest flowers. Round off this spectacular escape with a few days unwinding on the dreamy beaches of Langkawi \u2013 coconut mojito at the ready.<\/p>\n

Malaysia, get set<\/a><\/p>\n

Images: Flash Pack, James Hall, Lee Thompson<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Research shows that women are more proactive when it comes to travelling the world. Here,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9033,9029],"tags":[644,464,433,768,443,362,363,465,1069,4785,485,346,339,4621,770,438],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sandbox.flashpack.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10903"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sandbox.flashpack.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sandbox.flashpack.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sandbox.flashpack.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sandbox.flashpack.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10903"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sandbox.flashpack.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10903\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sandbox.flashpack.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10903"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sandbox.flashpack.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10903"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sandbox.flashpack.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10903"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}