LivingTravelTour Group Pros y Contras

Tour Group Pros y Contras

Once you’ve chosen your travel destination, you’ll need to decide whether you want to explore independently or travel with some kind of tour group. Here are some things to consider when deciding if a tour group is right for you.

Pros

  • Convenience – When you take a tour, someone else handles all the details. You choose an itinerary, pay the tour operator, and let the professionals deal with airlines, drivers, guides, and hotels. All you need to do is get to your starting point on time.
  • Cost: Tour operators take advantage of economies of scale. Some of those savings are passed on to you. When you combine these savings with senior discounts or travel memberships (such as AAA, Costco, or Sam’s Club), you may find that you will pay the same for independently purchased airfare as you will pay for a tour, which can include not only airfare, but also hotels, meals, ground transportation, and guides.
  • Access to unusual or overcrowded destinations: If you want to visit Antarctica, you will have to go with a group of tourists. Fortunately, you can find tours that go to Antarctica, Vietnam, and many other exotic places. Tour operators can organize trips almost anywhere, even places that most people cannot reach on their own. Popular sights, like the Vatican Museums in Rome, are so crowded during peak months that many potential visitors are turned away after hours in line. Tour groups have their own access times and tickets. If queuing is difficult for you, or if you have limited time available to visit your “must do” attractions, you can maximize your tourism value by traveling with a tour group.
  • Carefree travel – Some travelers like the challenge of solving problems themselves. If you prefer to worry about what to wear for dinner rather than where to eat, a group tour can provide you with a stress-free travel experience.
  • Learning Experiences – Tour groups offer many ways to discover cultures, learn new skills, and study the topics you’ve always wanted to know. You can practice your French in Québec, weave baskets in the Appalachian Mountains, and watch migratory birds off the east coast of Virginia, all with tour groups. Tour operators understand traveler preferences and continue to refine their itineraries and programs.
  • Tour guides: If you are visiting a place for the first time, you will enjoy a group tour with an expert guide. Knowledgeable guides add value to your tourist experience. Today’s technology allows you to get away from the group to examine something and still listen to what your guide is saying. When you have free time, your guide will meet some good restaurants and can tell you how to find the places you want to visit.
  • Social opportunities: In a tour group, meeting new people is part of the fun. Some tours are created with social interaction in mind. If you want to travel with single seniors or have tea with other Red Hat Society members, you can find a tour that meets your needs.

Cons

  • Pre-planned itineraries – Some travelers prefer to see things at their own pace and like the flexibility that independent travel offers. If you are the type of traveler who reads all the museum signs, a tour group itinerary may not work for you. Spontaneous tourism is also not part of a group tour experience. If you feel like spending the whole day at the British Museum, skip the tour group and see London on your own.
  • Lack of free time: Many tourist itineraries include free time, but it is often limited to a few hours here and there. There are few opportunities to savor street food or see the night passeggiata in Rome. If you value flexibility, a tour group may not be your best option.
  • Health Issues – Many tour operators offer detailed ratings or explanations of the activity levels of their tours. They work hard to make sure travelers know how much walking and climbing is expected of them. Still, you may find that your bus tour of Sicily is not the relaxing experience you had envisioned. If you are part of a tour group, you may not be able to see everything on the itinerary if your tour is more difficult than you anticipated.
  • Scheduling Issues: Tour group itineraries range from relaxed to ridiculous. You are expected to meet the group on time, ready to go, regardless of the weather. If your ideal vacation includes sleeping until 10:00 am, skip the tour group.
  • Accommodation and Dining Options: You do not control hotel and restaurant options when traveling with a group of tourists. Although tour operators do their best to find quality accommodation and accommodate dietary preferences, you will not be able to change your hotel if it does not meet your expectations. You will need to eat at least some meals with your tour group or pay more to eat elsewhere.
  • Visibility: tour groups don’t mix. If that “touristy feeling” is going to ruin your trip, avoid the big tour groups. You may be able to find a tour operator that specializes in small group travel, but in some cases you may feel more comfortable traveling independently.
  • Personality conflicts: “There’s one on every bus,” say seasoned tour group travelers. If you are part of a tour group, you probably have to sit next to the boy who breaks his gum or the woman who does not like the place that you are visiting at least once during your trip. If diplomacy isn’t your strong suit, a tour group might not be your best option.

Make your choice

Take a sheet of paper and write your personal list of tour group pros and cons. You will likely find that you prefer the tour group or the independent travel option. If your list is balanced, consider taking a weekend group tour – a “test drive,” so to speak – to find out if you like the experience.

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