Tips for Hiking Solo on a Guided Hike

Leaving home as a solo traveler on a guided hike can be intimidating at first. You leave a lot to chance, like, what if the group is too old/too young for me? What if they’re much fitter, faster or slower than I am? What if it’s all canoodling, anniversary-couples? I might have nothing in common with anyone! Well, let us put your mind to rest with our tips for hiking solo.

You, as a solo traveler on a guided hike, are in the thick of a new travel movement. The ‘bucket list’ age. The power of the personal ‘bucket list’ has injected a new passion into a wave of solo retirees or soon-to-be retirees. There’s a clear sentiment too – that is, if you wait for someone else, you might never go. It’s this sentiment that is seeing solo-travelers in greater numbers join those trips and take those excursions. Best to do it while you’re fit, healthy and able.

Solo Travellers Are Welcome on our New Zealand Guided Hikes!

We put together excellent holiday packages for small groups of keen hikers in the North Island of New Zealand. We’re often asked by solo travelers if they’ll be welcome on our guided hikes. The answer is a resoundingly festive ‘yes’! Our small-group hiking tours attract all kinds of fun, outdoorsy people from many different walks of life. A “typical” group is usually made up of a handful of solo travelers, a few couples and a maybe a pair of friends. No matter what your travelling format may be, we all share one important thing in common. We love a great walk!

There can be a knack to traveling solo. The more you do it, the more you learn the ins and outs of a successful solo hiking holiday. We’ve hosted many solo travelers on a guided hike over the past 20 years. Along the way we’ve picked up a traveling trick or two to share with you. So you can mix, mingle and make the most of your next North Island guided walking holiday. If you’re ready to embark on more solo-travelling, here’s what we’ve learnt from our past guests. Here are our tips for a solo traveler on a guided hike.

Our Top 5 Tips When Hiking Solo

1. Share Yourself Around

Make a special effort to talk to every other person in your hiking holiday group. Just 5 minutes a day spent chatting to your trail companions will not only put them at ease but give you a more well-rounded social experience. Habit is your enemy, so maybe try sitting in a different spot in the van or bus on the way to the next trail. That’ll help keep things flexible for maximum mingling.

TOP TIP: stay away from topics like religion and politics to start with, these are best broached on Days 3 & 4 after we’ve had time to settle in.

2. Show Your Talents

It’s amazing what kind of talents our trail-community has hidden away! All it takes is a well-placed question to bring some amazing skills out into the light. If you’re useful in a game of darts or you speak 4 languages, share it with the group and let them into your world. Likewise, you can ask questions about what other skills your trail companions may have beyond what they do in their day-to-day lives. Include your guides too, and before long we guarantee you’ll be amazed at the talented folks you’re sharing the track with.

3. Document Your Experience

Keep a daily vlog, post about your trip to Facebook and share your awesome adventures with the world. Maybe a hiking blog would be a fantastic way to inspire other people to undertake a similar experience as you are. Offer to be the group photographer and take pictures and/or video of your group (with consent of course) and offer to share it with everyone after the trip.

TOP TIP: Gaining consent is essential, respect people’s wishes and be clear about what you plan to do with the photos or videos afterwards.

4. Stay Connected

Once you’ve spent 4 days (or more) on the trail together, you’ll know who you’d like to travel with again, so keep in touch! If the group is being dropped back to the same location at the end of the trip, suggest a post-trip meet up at a local café or restaurant to re-live the highs and lows. Wrap things up with a celebratory toast.

TOP TIP: Keep an email list and check in with everyone 12 months later to see what everyone has been up to since. Or share a few of the trip photos to revive the memories.

5. Show Gratitude

Say your goodbyes with style and make sure you thank and farewell each person. Perhaps organise a special thank you for your guides on behalf of the group. There’s nothing like a bit of ceremony to send everyone on their way with a smile on their face. It can help to solidify their great memories of you as a trail company and a solo hiking holiday warrior.

TOP TIP: If you’d like to spice up your ‘thank-yous’ with an Irish toast, a Māori karakia or a song in your indigenous language, it is most welcome and heartily celebrated!

So, the message is thus – don’t let your lack of a hiking posse hold you back, join one of our fun, friendly small groups today. Meet your new hiking holiday tribe! You know what they say, if you wait for someone else, you’ll never go.

Get in touch with our friendly reservations team to discover which of our walks is best for you. We hike in 5 areas of the North Island; Great Barrier Island, Coromandel, Lake Waikaremoana, Taranaki & the Tongariro National Park. Call us on NZ Freephone 0800 925 569 (WALK NZ) or AUS Freephone 1 800 646 584. Alternatively send an email to [email protected] to enquire about joining one our guided walking holidays in New Zealand, and don’t let hiking solo stop you from going. Mauri ora!