The best group trip destinations outside Europe

Morocco, the shortest jump

Marrakesh is three to four hours from most of Western Europe and is a completely different world on arrival, which is the entire point of leaving the continent.

For a group, the format that works is a riad, a traditional courtyard house, booked entirely for the group. A whole riad for eight often costs less per head than a mid-range hotel room each, and it gives you a private courtyard, a rooftop, and usually breakfast and a cook.

Beyond Marrakesh: the Atlas mountains for a day or an overnight, Essaouira on the coast for wind and seafood, and the desert for a two-night trip if the group has time.

• Four nights excluding flights: EUR 300 to EUR 600 per person
• Book a whole riad, not separate rooms
• Best for: a short-haul trip that does not feel short-haul

Georgia, the value pick

Tbilisi is four to five hours from most of Europe, has one of the oldest wine cultures in the world at 8,000 years, food that nobody expects to be that good, sulphur baths in the old town, and prices that are among the lowest anywhere reachable in a short flight.

The country is small enough that a group can base in Tbilisi and reach Kakheti wine country, the Caucasus mountains at Kazbegi, or the cave city of Uplistsikhe in a day trip.

Qvevri wine, fermented in buried clay vessels, is the thing to seek out and is unlike anything in Western Europe.

• Five nights excluding flights: EUR 250 to EUR 500 per person
• Base in Tbilisi old town or Vera
• Best for: food, wine, mountains, and the lowest cost per day of anywhere within five hours

Mexico City and Oaxaca

The best long-haul food destination for a group, and the two cities pair naturally: a week split between Mexico City and Oaxaca gives you a world capital and a small colonial city with the most distinctive regional cuisine in the country.

Mexico City is enormous but the good neighbourhoods, Roma, Condesa, Juarez, and Coyoacan, are walkable individually. Oaxaca is small, walkable end to end, and is the centre of mezcal production.

Prices are moderate: excellent food is cheap, good cocktails are half European prices, and apartments in Roma or Condesa for a group are reasonable.

• Eight nights excluding flights: EUR 700 to EUR 1,300 per person
• Split five nights Mexico City, three Oaxaca
• Best for: food, drink, and a group that wants a real trip rather than a weekend

Vietnam and Thailand

The lowest daily cost of anywhere on this list. Once the long-haul flight is paid for, a group can eat superbly, stay well, and travel between cities for a fraction of European prices.

Vietnam works north to south or south to north: Hanoi, Ha Long or Cat Ba, Hoi An, Ho Chi Minh City. Two weeks is right, ten days is tight but possible. Thailand splits into Bangkok plus islands, and the island choice matters enormously for a group.

The constraint is internal travel time. A group that plans six stops in ten days will spend the trip in transit. Three stops in ten days is the correct density.

• Ten nights excluding flights: EUR 500 to EUR 1,000 per person
• Three stops maximum in ten days
• Best for: the lowest daily cost, and food that justifies the flight

Japan

The best organised country in the world to travel in, which matters more for a group than for a solo traveller. Trains run to the second, everything is clean, and nothing goes wrong logistically.

The classic first trip is Tokyo, Kyoto, and one more, usually Osaka or Kanazawa. Ten to fourteen days. The rail pass maths changed in 2023 and it is no longer automatically worth buying, so check the specific route cost before purchasing.

For a group, note that Japanese restaurants are often tiny and many cannot seat more than four. A group of eight should plan to split for most meals, which is fine and normal.

• Twelve nights excluding flights: EUR 1,400 to EUR 2,500 per person
• Expect to split into twos and fours for most meals
• Best for: a group that wants everything to work perfectly

Colombia and the Andes

Medellin, Cartagena, and the coffee region make a strong three-stop trip. Medellin has the best climate of any city on this list and a transformed reputation, Cartagena has the Caribbean colonial old town, and the coffee triangle has the landscape.

It is cheap, the food is improving fast, and the internal flights are short and inexpensive. The practical caution is that petty crime is real in the cities and the standard advice, no visible phone in the street, ride apps rather than street taxis, applies.

• Ten nights excluding flights: EUR 700 to EUR 1,300 per person
• Best for: climate, value, and variety in one country

The rule for long-haul group trips

Seven nights is the minimum that justifies a long-haul flight and ten is better. A group that flies eleven hours for five nights spends a third of the trip adjusting to the time zone.

Plan fewer stops than feels right. The single most common long-haul group trip mistake is fitting six destinations into ten days, which produces a holiday spent packing.

And decide the money mechanics before departure, because long trips generate far more shared transactions than a weekend does. One ledger, one settlement, agreed in advance.