We sort of knew the other people, as the bike shop that hosted the trip had a couple "get to know you" pre-trip get-togethers. We were also unsure about traveling with a large group, but by the end we really looked forward to hear about were everyone else had explored, having dinner with everyone, and just having a great time with a super group of people. The guides were also wonderful. Our last couple days in Italy on our own, we sort of missed the group and often wondered what everyone else was doing, etc... We flew back with one of the couples and had fun talking about the trip and our grand adventure.