By Shannon Gomes
An unforgettable ten days with your closest girlfriends in Tuscany…swimming with sperm whales in Dominica…a safari in Tanzania…a writer’s workshop in Nepal…a photo tour in Cuba…these are just a few examples of group trips that provide a chance to dive deep into your interests, learn from experts, and connect with like-minded travelers. Interest-focused group trips are not only enriching but also a perfect way to enhance your skills, deepen your knowledge, and create lasting memories with a community of fellow enthusiasts.
Another plus is a group trip can simplify the entire travel planning process. Forget about the endless hours spent researching destinations, crafting itineraries, or coordinating logistics—most of that work is already done for you. Typically, all you need to do is book your own flights, and the rest falls into place. From accommodations and meals to guided activities and local experiences, everything is arranged by experts who know the area and your interests inside out. This not only saves time and stress but also ensures you won’t miss out on the must-see spots and hidden gems. With the planning taken care of, you’re free to focus on enjoying the journey, learning new things, and connecting with fellow travelers who share your passion.
While top-rated travel companies like Backroads, immediately comes to mind when I think about Group Trips, below are my personal recommendations for the best interest-focused Group Trips.
Note: I personally know several of the below group trip leaders and can’t say enough wonderful things about each and every one of them. If you book one of these tours, be sure to tell them Shannon from The Gomes Guide sent you!
Women-Only Trips 🙋♀️
Golden Weeks in Italy with Susan Van Allen 🇮🇹
My friend, Susan Van Allen, author of several books on Italy including 100 Places in Italy Every Woman Should Go, offers the most spectacular trips to all throughout Italy for women-only. Susan, an Italian-American who grew up on the Jersey Shore is passionate, and very knowledgable, about Italy. Her “Golden Weeks in Italy” trips combine a blend of cooking classes, cultural and art excursions, “spa days” and much more. It’s basically the dream group trip to take with your closest girlfriends, mom, sister or daughter. And you will absolutely love Susan, she is pure joy!
Wanderful Group Trips to Jordan, India, Antartica and more 👩🦰
I was recently introduced to Wanderful, a women’s travel network, by a colleague. Offering women-only global meetups, events and workshops, Wanderful also offers an international trip each year. This year, the group is off to Jordan, and in 2025 there is a group trip to India. And in January 2026, there is an epic trip to Antartica that I’m adding to my own travel “vision board!”
Damesly Trips for Women led by Timathea 🐋
I recently met Timathea at the Travel Writers & Photographers conference at Book Passage in Corte Madera. A complete delight, Timathea is an award-winning writer, photographer, international speaker, and beloved writing coach who splits her time between leading writing retreats and group tours. She recently returned from leading a women-only tour in South Africa and Zambia and will be leading another tour to Jordon and Egypt this Fall. Next August, she’ll be leading a women-only group trip to Tahiti. How dreamy!
Culinary Tours 👩🍳
International Culinary Tours and Cooking Classes with Chef Joanne Weir 🍷
If you love food, wine and immersing yourself in the local culture, you will love attending one of Chef Joanne Weir’s International Culinary Tours and Cooking Classes. My friend Joanne is a natural teacher and a total “people person” who is so much fun to learn from and be around! A James Beard Award-winning cookbook author, renowned chef and restaurant owner, you likely recognize Joanne from her many year on public television (her most recent show was “Joanne Weir’s Plates & Places.”) Joanne is an expert in Mediterranean cuisine and offers the best culinary and cooking trips to locations like Portugal, Morocco, Spain, Greece, France and Italy. A group trip with Joanne will be one you will never forget…and will leaving you wanting to return to another Mediterranean location with her again soon!
Cooking with Viola Buitoni in Italy 🇮🇹
I met Viola Buitoni last Fall when she led a cooking class at The Civic Kitchen in San Francisco focused on her latest cookbook, Italy by Ingredient. Viola love and passion from her home country of Italy, shines through in recipe … and she is a such natural and patient teacher in the kitchen. I learned during our cooking class that Viola offers Group Trips to Italy every Spring and Fall, and I immediately started to dream of attending one of her trips someday soon. It looks like there is still space in her November ‘24 trip to Le Marche, one of Italy’s most diverse, beautiful and least-explored regions (below the riviera of Romagna and to the East of Tuscany and Umbria). Talk about a dream Fall trip!
Adventures on Land & Sea 🦒🐋
Firelight Safari Tanzania with Tom Lithgow 🦁
While there are many safari tour operators to choose from, it’s Firelight Safaris in Tanzania that really stands out amongst the options. Firelight Safari’s owner, Tom Lithgow, has a vast and intimate knowledge of the terrain and wildlife of Tanzania (you may recognize Tom from his Q&A Guest Post on visiting Tanzania earlier this year). Firelight Safaris accommodations are the best in bush luxury and ensures every guest’s needs are enthusiastically met. You can choose from all-inclusive safari itineraries or allow Firelight to create a custom safari tour. Either way, Tom will ensure that your safari in Tanzania is the absolute best!
ImmersivExpeditions to swim with large animals with Pier Nirandara 🐠
My new friend, Pier Nirandara, takes the cake for offering one of the most unique Group Trips out there. An award-winning author, travel writer, film producer and underwater photographer, Pier is one of the founders and group leaders of ImmersivExpeditions – an adventure company specializes in intimate, small-group trips both on land and under the sea with a focus on wild animal encounters and off-the-beaten path locations. With ImmersiveExpeditions, you can snorkel and free-dive with the animals of the sea on trips such as the Herring Run in Norway, swimming with Sperm Whales in Dominica, the Sardine Run in South Africa, and swimming with Humpback Whales in Polynesia. Pier is talented, passionate, full of positive energy and a great sense of adventure… she’s exactly the type of tour leader you want to go on an epic trip with!
Vitality Active Travel for hiking and cycling trips 🥾🚲
My friend Erin recently told me that her friend, Laura Sandler of Vitality Active Travel, leads awesome hiking and biking trips to Nepal, Slovenia and the Dolomites in Italy. Laura, who also can help plan customized dream vacations, has ten years of experience designing and guiding trips and traveled to 50 countries. With extensive guiding and trip planning experience throughout most of Europe, Tanzania, South Africa, Costa Rica, parts of Asia, Peru, and Cuba, as well as various states in the U.S., Laura is your ideal guide and planner for your next active Group Trip.
Photography 📸
Lumaria Photo Tours with Professional Photographers Robert Holmes and Andrea Johnson 👌
Are you a fellow photography lover? If so, I highly recommend you look into to doing a Lumaria Photo Tour with professional photographers, Robert Holmes and Andrea Johnson. Robert Holmes, one of the most renowned travel and food & wine photographers in the world, and Andrea Johnson, one of the top wine, aerial and lifestyle photographers, offer immersive culture excursions to locations such as Cuba, Oaxaca, Columbia, Bhutan, Burma and India. Since photography takes priority on the trips, you are typically up before dawn and then stop shooting when there is no more light. Robert and Andrea welcome anyone with a love of photography (and adventure!) – and attendees can use whatever equipment they are comfortable (whether it’s a Digital SLR or your iPhone). I recently attended a one-day photography tour with Robert and Andrea in San Francisco and can’t recommend both of them enough…both so easy-going, fun, and super talented. And if you love travel photography, you must buy Robert’s new memoir book, Passages, that just launched.
Writing 📝
Wild Writing Nepal with Laurie Wagner & Jeff Greenwald ✍️
Calling all writers! Here’s a trip you won’t want to miss – a writer’s retreat in Nepal with Laurie Wagner and Jeff Greenwald who head up Wild Writing Nepal, in partnership with EthicalTraveler.org. The next trip happens November 11-21, 2004 – a 10-day exploration of Kathmandu and environs during which the focus will be to write intimate, 200-600 word sketches which encapsulate the experience amid the beauty and energy of the Himalayas. A typical day includes a morning mediation, followed by two hours of “wild writing,” and afternoons spent exploring the temples and alleyways of the Kathmandu Valley, meeting with artists and spiritual leaders, and shopping for beads and buddhas in the amazing bazaars of the old city. If you love to write and travel, add this group trip to you “must-do” list!
Castle Writer’s Retreat with Timathea 🏰
Remember Timathea who I mentioned above who leads Damesly Tours for Women? Well, she also leads Writer Retreats in a castle in Somerset, England every year! This small group retreat is for writers (fiction, non-fiction, travel writing, poetry, are welcome) who are either working on a project and could use the time without distractions to make significant progress on their piece, or for those who are just beginning and want some guidance through the process. Stay in a beautifully restored 240-year-old Gothic castle on the Somerset coast, the perfect setting to transport writers into their imagination. Timathea’s retreats are very popular, so be sure to sign up for her mailing list if you interested in attending this magical retreat!
Tell me in the comments – what are some of your favorite interest-focused Group Trips that The Gomes Guide readers should also know about?