Group Travel is not for everyone. Sometimes there are schedules and early wake-up calls and tours that might not be of interest. Sometimes you have the loss of spontaneity that you get when you travel alone. But if you travel with a group like we just did, you will find yourself having adventures that you never thought you would experience and go to places that you have never heard of. When we signed on for this trip, we were excited about visiting Buenos Aires and Santiago; we had read about these two cities and had seen many photographs. As everyone knows, we love our wine so we knew that Mendoza would be a favorite for the both of us. Drinking Malbec at the base of the Andes Mountains? A no-brainer.
But we had never even heard of the Atacama Desert. We had no idea what to expect; the itinerary suggested some hiking in the mountains and we thought that would be fun because we like to hike. Little did we know that we would get to see landscapes so unreal that we thought we were in a movie set of Star Wars or Indiana Jones; or that we would experience bubbling, sizzling geysers as we watched the sunrise in the Andes; or view the clearest night skies we have ever seen. And, of course, we never dreamed we would run down a steep sand dune giggling and whooping it up like a bunch of children!
Another thing that happens on a group trip is that you form some wonderful friendships and bonds over the course of ten days. We didn’t know any of the 22 people on our trip before we arrived but now we have lasting memories with each of them. We all shared a love of travel and adventure but beyond that we all lived very different lives all throughout various parts of the country. Because of this trip, we can now say we have tangoed together in Buenos Aires, discovered a secret speak-easy disguised as a floral shop, discussed art with an influential Buenos Aires Painter, played a Blind Wine-Tasting Game at the foot of the Andes, biked and hiked in Mendoza, were detained in a Chilean airport (ok…just Adele and Brad can say that), experienced the sunrise with bubbling geysers, went star-gazing in the Southern Hemisphere, and ran down the steepest sand dune in the Atacama Desert. Our last lunch was evidence of the bond we all formed as we made toast after toast to all of the fun things we did and our fantastic guides. Ten days ago we were strangers. We now have a bond that will last a lifetime.
A group trip is only as good as its leaders and we had the good fortune of having a team that cared for our well-being every turn of the way. Stephanie and Hallie from Blue Parallel worked tirelessly behind the scenes so we didn’t have to worry about anything. Each of them could have been the same age as some of our children; yet they were the ones working hard to make sure that lost luggage was found and all of our dietary issues (and there were a lot) were cared for at each restaurant and dinner. The moms of the group were all worried that Stephanie could never finish her meal for having to deal with various issues in the group and kept urging her to eat and rest more! Stephanie had the patience of a saint and was always smiling and polite (there’s that word again) as the daily itineraries were changed or flights were missed because someone had an apple in his pack!
And then there was Dugald, our leader from Exclusive Resorts. He was there with a devilish grin urging people to dive in to the freezing cold salt lagoon, run up a cactus-filled hill, or sprint down a steep sand dune– always in good spirit and filled with zest and enthusiasm. He was a friend to us all, always asking for feedback and checking in with how the trip was going.
Needless to say, because of all these bonds there were a few tears and lots of hugs when we had to say good-bye to everyone at the Santiago Airport. We feel very fortunate to have been able to go on this trip with these people. Memories like these can’t be made in a Frommers Guidebook, National Geographic, or an Internet Travel Site. They must be savored and enjoyed with a Pisco Sour and a run down a sand dune!
Stephanie, Hallie, and Dugald: Our Fearless Leaders
The Group
Lisa and Brad's Travels 
Great summary to a great trip! Congrats!
What an amazing adventure. Thanks for bringing us all with you. Look forward to future excursions by blog! 🙂
I absolutely loved reading the posts and seeing the pictures! What a grand adventure you two had!! And, as Jill said, “thanks for bringing us all with you.”