Trekking in groups does not work.

When I first started trekking, like most people I went with organised groups mainly run by small cooperatives and at first this seemed a great idea as you meet lots of people, plus there was always a big lunch afterwards. But as I became more and more interested in trekking, also I am a great lover of nature I found that this no longer worked for me for several reasons. The main one being “money” why pay someone who normally was only interested in getting from A to B as fast as they could so they could get paid, so missing many important small things along the way like maybe exploring a small cove, taking photo’s of flowers or birds, then stopping at a panoramic point for a long time, instead of someone saying come on come on or will miss lunch, which also seemed pointless as the food was normally cooked by amateurs using not very hygienic cooking methods or utensils. But if you like this type of organised chaos then that’s fine, but for me it wasn’t enough.

So I started going on my own or with one friend, then it becomes a whole new ballgame. Now when I go trekking I can change my routes and not stick to the set paths, exploring many things, taking many photos of whatever I like, stopping for long periods in beautiful places or even swimming in Rocky coves to go snorkeling or fishing, not in a hurry to reach point B and even sometimes not even reaching it because I stopped so much to explore, but who cares this is what I enjoy. The best part of not going in groups is to stop and eat on route when you like in a place that you like, sometimes a sandwich with a beer or even a small stove or fire to cook something hot with a glass of wine. I can’t tell you in words the feeling I feel when I do this.

Now when guests come and stay in my apartment I offer to accompany them and show them places that they would have never found on their own in the short time they are staying, for which I get great pleasure in doing and enjoy the company of people who like the same things as I do. This I do for free and do not ask for a penny as its something I enjoy doing.

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