Honest Ready For Road Review: 13 Day Pakistan Group Tour

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I took my first group trip this year!!! I know I know, I’m a little late to the game considering a group trip is most people’s first foray into travel. I wouldn’t even consider myself an expert traveler or anything, but after a few years of consistent frequent travel…most of my friends and other travel bloggers I know have taken at least one group trip. So what finally made me choose to join a group trip with Ready For Road?

Honestly, the destination.

I’m one of those ~unique~ travelers who absolutely LOVESS planning the itinerary. I would say my itineraries are actually probably overplanned, and I love putting it together and finding all the weird unusual things to do in a destination that don’t even appeal to most people. Like, how many hot dog stands does one person need to visit in three days??

The limit does not exist for me.

Anyways, I’m traveled to “challenging” countries before with Cuba and China without the help of a travel agent, travel guide, or group tour. Even though it was more work to plan those trips, I ended up having a great time and China especially surpassed my expectations and I can’t wait to return.

But for a destination like Pakistan….I decided I might need a little extra help.

Why Pakistan?

I didn’t even want to think about the logistics of planning everything on my own. Even after my 2 weeks in Pakistan…I don’t want to think about the logistics of planning a return trip on my own.

So why go to Pakistan at all? Wouldn’t it be easier and cheaper to go literally anywhere else than join a group trip?

If I’m being honest, I missed the challenge. The last time I visited a more logistically difficult country was in 2019 when I went to China, navigating the process of getting one of the most annoying visas Americans need to apply for and spending two weeks in a country where I didn’t know any of the language, couldn’t use my foreign credit cards (back then), and the country didn’t care lol.

It had been a while since a destination really flipped my perception of something upside down, when I had to unlearn and relearn what I thought I knew about xyz. One of the first travel influencers I ever followed, Eli of The Partying Traveler (more on him later), had been traveling to Pakistan for a few years and the photos and videos all looked stunning. When he started hosting group tours in Pakistan, I was tempted…

…but they were all backpacking-esque trips. And ya girl needs running water.

So a few years went by of me watching someone else explore this country that I seldom saw and even seldomer heard about in the tourism space. I was…intrigued. Plus, Pakistan also has pink chai????? The answer was a clear yes on Pakistan.

Why Ready For Road?

So why didn’t I just book my own flight? Well…because it was a lot. Again, I didn’t hear much of Pakistan in terms of tourism, so trying to find information on where to go, what to eat, how to get around, etc etc was few and far between. Even less so in English. It seemed like every time I thought I had a good grasp on something, the next thing I read would say the opposite.

Or that the information was outdated.

Or that business no longer existed.

That road no longer existed.

That town no longer existed.

Honestly, the gravity of trying to plan a trip to Pakistan where I didn’t fall off a cliff (figurately and literally) was tew much. True, I could just show up and figure it out, let the cards fall where they may, but I’m too much of a Type A traveler. Not knowing exactly what I would be doing (or even intended on doing) during a trip was inconceivable.

There are a few countries where sometimes the effort and stress of trying to plan everything outweighs the joy I would get from it. Pakistan had proven to finally be that country for me.

Big props to Pakistan.

So I waited for Eli to launch a group tour where I wouldn’t be living out of a rucksack, and finally in 2024, it finally happened.

But I was out of PTO for the year hahah.

THEN he dropped his tour dates for 2025 and I decided it was finally time to go to Pakistan. Since Eli was hosting with Ready For Road, I actually didn’t have much of an input on which tour company I would go with, but I’d been watching Eli’s tours for years and they all looked great.

What was the worst that could happen?

Costs

If we’re being honest, aside from me actually liking the planning and plotting process of a trip, the other big reason I’ve never taken a group trip is because…they’re expensive. Like, point blank. A group trip is 9 times out of 10 going to be more expensive than booking and planning everything on your own.

Unless something like catastrophic happens.

So let’s get into the price of my group trip with Ready For Road.

The first thing you’ll notice if you go to the website is…there’s no prices. In fact, there’s no trips either. That is because they operate via content creators, and their trips and prices are all determined by the creator they partner with. So depending on who you go with will determine the price, dates, and rough trip itinerary (though that part at least seems to have a lot of overlap).

Since I was already following The Partying Traveler, he published his trip itinerary along with the price and payment process on his blog for his Pakistan group trip. If you don’t follow a content creator who partners with Ready For Road…how would you know what trips they’ll be involved with?

No, actually, I’m asking. Because I don’t know.

But with Eli, it was all very clear and transparent with his thorough trip itinerary.

The total cost for the group trip I went on was $2750 USD.

• $750 non-refundable deposit to secure your spot on the trip
• $1000 second installment six months before the expedition
• $1000 remaining balance paid at least three months before the expedition

Very clear and Eli was flexible if you needed a more personalized plan. Since I’m not rich, I really appreciated it being broken up into payments. Now this price did not include flights, but it did include practically everything else – lodging, transportation, activities, food, and site guides. Tips for guides and souvenir shopping was not included, but everything else you’d need to worry about?

COVERED.

I was also able to cover my entire flight (which included a 5-day stopover in Oman on the way back) with Alaska Airline miles, so with a bit of shopping and tips, I probably spent ~$2850 USD for this trip.

Was it worth it?

Pre-Trip Communication

Like I said before, I am a very Type A traveler. I liked to have everything organized and planned well in advance for a trip, especially if I’m not traveling solo and there are other people involved in the trip.

OTHERWISE I WILL BE STRESSEDDDD!!!!!

Thankfully, our host Eli already had his thorough itinerary posted for easy access and I could refer back to it every 12 seconds for my own sanity. In addition to the posted itinerary, Eli was also excellent at sending out periodic emails reminding us of upcoming payment dates, visa applications, and even news updates concerning Pakistan.

Eli also created a WhatsApp group for everyone on the trip along with our local guides so we can do virtual introductions and break the ice before we all met up for the trip of a lifetime. We were also able to ask questions directly to the guides if needed.

Overall, the pre-trip communication was pretty great. I imagine it might vary slightly depending on the host but I’d imagine everyone working with Ready For Road roughly follows the same tactics for pre-trip planning and communication.

The Team

Speaking of….who should you expect to interact with from Ready For Road on your trip? Honestly not too many folks. Your main point of contact with be the host partnered with Ready For Road. After the host, your group trip will have one or two local guides as well. On our trip, our guides were Ashar for the majority of the time and then once we moved up north, our guide Ali joined the crew! They were so experienced and friendly, and they kept us safe and on target for our itinerary.

Since we spent so much time with Ashar in the beginning, and we trekked up Nanga Parbat, the 9th-Tallest Mountain in the World together, we really bonded and I enjoyed his fun facts and informational tidbits about the places we passed on our journey. I’m a sucker for lesser known histories, and Ashar was a well of answers for me. He was also very thorough on our end-of-day summaries and overview for the following day’s activities. Of course I loved that!!

Once we got to the north, Ali took over the guide experience. By then, we were all a lot more comfortable with each other and more familiar with Pakistan. We had eased into going with the flow, which really played into Ali’s relaxed personality. We stayed two nights at his family’s homestay and they are they loveliest family. Apologies if we kept everyone up with our laughing as we stargazed on the roof haha. I didn’t know that places in northern Pakistan spoke different languages, so it was great we had Ali to help translate haha, and we learned a lot about the differences between the regions.

And of course, I can’t forget Eli! I had followed Eli for years and we’ve actually bumped into each other twice while traveling, totally by coincidence hahah, so I already knew he was a really cool dude, but those times have always been in passing. Turns out, he’s even better in person!

I truly can’t say enough great things about Eli. He knows Pakistan as much as any non-resident can, which is one of the reasons I felt confident in joining the tour. He was extremely flexible with how we were feeling, adjusting the itinerary on the fly to accommodate what the group wanted in the moment. Eli was also extremely emotionally intelligent, managing the group dynamics and helping us all acclimate to our new environment.

And altitude.

One surprising thing about traveling with Ready For Road is that I actually really appreciate that they partner with content creators because it helps bridge the gap between visitor and local. Eli knew the kinds of sites we wanted to see as tourists because that was his experience all those years ago on his first visits. He knew the things that would be intimidating, or exciting, or boring, or compelling, or lifechanging….because those were his experiences too.

So we really got the both of best worlds between our host Eli and our local guides.

We also had the opportunity to meet up with the owner of Ready For Road, Imran. We happened to be in the same city so he joined us for a few dinners and activities. He was really chill and friendly. I didn’t talk to him too much since I am slightly strange and awkward, but he was exciting to talk to us and hear about our experiences so far. Imran’s a great conversationalist and I enjoyed his musings.

On that same note, we briefly crossed paths with another Ready For Road host, Kate, who founded her own group travel company Stay Wild Travel for women and specializes in destinations that can be intimidating for women to visit on their own. Similarly, while I didn’t get to interact with her too much, she was very nice and charismatic. Between her and Eli, Ready For Road knows how to pick great hosts to partner with!

Okay one last note before we get into the pros and cons of it all, Ready For Road works with locally owned spots and guides so your tourism money has the most positive impact and remains circulating in the local economy. Ready For Road is environmentally and sustainability focused, which is more important than ever with Pakistan being at the front lines of the ongoing and worsening climate crisis.

What Worked Well

But it all boils down to the bottom line, right? So what worked really well with the Ready For Road Pakistan group trip?

Unique Itinerary:

This partially boils down to how many times our host Eli had visited Pakistan (over a dozen times!!) so he knew all must-see wow attractions as well as the lesser known gems of the country. Looking at the various Pakistan group trips out there, Ready For Road has the itinerary that is the most unique and offers experiences the others don’t.

Group Dynamics:

Again, I’m giving this credit to Eli. He does slightly curate the attendees to ensure that we’ll all gel and enjoy the itinerary at hand. Pakistan isn’t an “easy” country and our group trip was more on the adventurous and active side, and he made that very clear upfront. Eli was also great at managing people and being attentive to our needs.

That made for a productive group dynamic and we really became friends on that trip. I’m already planning on meeting up with at least one (and maybe a second!) in a few months!

Safety:

This is probably the biggest worry for most people. The team with Ready For Road really created a safe and comfortable environment, especially for women. In higher traffic areas, our guides played crowd control so we were never squished or put into uncomfortable positions, and they kept a close eye on us while we hiked and frolicked in the outdoors.

Going back to the pre-planning portion, as we were preparing for our trip, they kept us updated on current events and reassured us (and our family members if needed) of our safety. The day by day itinerary helped ease nerves as well.

Pacing:

I will say the pacing of our particular group trip was fast, but that made it fun for me. Especially since I didn’t have to organize or coordinate anything. I like seeing as much as possible when I visit a place, largely because my PTO is limited and I don’t know when I’ll have the opportunity to visit again, so this pace was perfect for me.

We didn’t stay more than 2 nights at any one lodging and every day was a new fun activity. I LOVED IT. But for those who like to relax more, I believe Ready For Road has another host they work with and they have a slower and chiller itinerary – one with a full spa day! I didn’t catch that host’s name, but if I do I’ll update the info here!

Variety of Activities:

Another positive of going on a Ready For Road group trip was the variety of activities they put in their itineraries. Even though I did a more adventurous itinerary, our hikes ranged from mountains to meadows to lakes to glaciers to valley overlooks. We did a little bit of shopping and a lot of dancing. We saw the wildest border ceremony but also checked out beautiful mosques.

If felt like we saw and did so much – because we did. And it never got stale.

Food:

YOOOOOOO the food in Pakistan was incredible. It’s REALLY good and the team does all the ordering for us so we didn’t have to gape blankly at a menu we couldn’t even read. We hit up the gewddd spots on our trip and I can vouch that the Ready For Road team has incredible taste buds.

More importantly, the Ready For Road team are able to accommodate various dietary plans and it was one of the first things they asked when my reservation for the trip was confirmed. Although no one on our trip had specific restrictions (and there’s no pork sold in Pakistan), the team also accommodated meals for when people had sensitive stomachs or had specific requests like less oily options or something lighter.

Transportation:

Our mode of transportation for the most part was a bus/van. I don’t know cars so it’s hard to explain, but look at the picture haha. Since our group was on the smaller side, we each got our own row and were able to spread out which was a nice surprise. The seats were plush and the temperature was always comfortable.

We had the same driver for 99% of the trip, and we got to know him so well over the course of the two weeks. As we went out on our excursions, he would either stay in the bus/van to watch our things or come with us as the vehicle was locked and parked somewhere safe.

We also took one domestic flight -which was incredible and also included in the price- that was a fun experience and we took a boat ride. The most daring form of transportation were the Jeeps that took us up and down to Fairy Meadows which looks treacherous but those guys drive the route multiple times a day.

The transportation with Ready For Road made everything super convenient and easy!

Lodging:

This was my biggest hesitation before joining the trip, but I am pleased to say the lodgings were actually on the side of luxurious for Pakistan!

Now, before your imagination runs away with you, let me keep your expectations aligned. In general, WiFi at hotels, even the really nice ones, is not that reliable. Neither is HOT water. But, it’s Pakistan, you get used to it. I was waist deep in my Masters of Chemistry program and had to submit to journals during my trip (in hindsight…maybe not the best choice academically), but with careful planning I was able to submit all of my assignments and projects on time and only used one streak freeze for Duolingo.

All the hotels were clean and the hosts friendly and welcoming. I definitely wouldn’t have known which hotels to book on my own to get the same quality and service. Compared to camping or staying at…less “luxe” hotels for Pakistan, the lodging on this trip was great.

Passenger Princess:

And lastly, it was SOOO nice not having to do anything on this trip. Everything was taken care of by Eli and our guides. No wonder people love sitting shotgun, THIS WAS NIIICE!!!!

Areas of Improvement

But, perhaps because I am a Virgo, I do have some notes. They are soo small and I really had to reach deep to get them, so they are by no means a dealbreaker. Still, I thought I’d share the anyway because…

Well. I’m a Virgo.

Anyways, the first is probably just because I’m a Type A traveler and slightly neurotic person, but looking back I would have loved to have the packing list early. Like, as soon as my reservation was confirmed. While I personally had most of the items on the list from previous backpacking treks (literally one lol) and I like to be prepared for anything just in case you never know, I imagine if someone had to buy multiple items, it would be helpful to know in advance so they space out their shopping. Outdoor gear is expensive!

On our first day in Lahore, we visited Old Anarkali Bazaar which was fun and chaotic and the perfect introduction to Pakistan…but our group didn’t really stop to shop. I think we were all too conscious of holding up everyone else that we didn’t speak up when we wanted to stop. It might’ve been a combination of us being jetlagged and still a bit shy with each other, so a potential suggestion would be for the guides to maybe take us into one of the shops and initiate the window shopping process.

And maybe a crash course on haggling at lunch before the bazaar? Maybe it’s just me, but I’ve never been good at it 😭

The only other thing I can think of is for the Ready For Road team to add a list of upcoming trips on their website if that’s possible. If you couldn’t tell, my experience with Ready For Road was incredible and I wish everyone could take a trip with them, but I simply don’t know everyone they work with (new or returning). Just some food for thought!

Conclusion

Clearly, the positives GREATLY outweigh my fine detail tweak suggestions. I had an incredible time with Eli and everyone on the Ready For Road team. I wasn’t sure what to expect for my first group trip, but Ready For Road took care of EVERYTHING.

I felt absolutely spoiled from arrival to departure. I’m a little scared they set the bar TOO high for any future group trips I might go on. This Pakistan trip was worth every penny, and that’s coming from someone who loves planning my own trips. I felt grounded, safe, and informed throughout my 2 weeks in Pakistan. I highly recommend booking with them when you’re ready to visit Pakistan!

Oh and if it wasn’t apparent, this post was not sponsored and I was not gifted anything in exchange for this post. I paid for my trip and would again!

Is Pakistan on your travel bucket list? I obviously recommend a group trip with Ready For Road, but let me know your thoughts in the comments below! Have you ever taken a group trip? How was your experience?

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