Escorted Tours: Travel With an Expert as Part of a Group, Leave the Planning and Driving to Pros.

Perhaps the biggest mistake one can make about escorted tours is to assume they're all pretty much the same. They're simply not. Just like every cruise line has it's own personality and style, so does every tour operator.

Escorted tours of old were once satirized in the movie, "It It's Tuesday, It Must Be Belgium." (If you're too young to know the movie, rent it for a chuckle.) Escorted tours have evolved since then, keeping up with the needs and desires of today's traveler. There are many different styles of tours (and it's important to choose properly).

One new style, for example, provides complete flexibility to choose the sightseeing and restaurants, and only provides accommodations and transportation on a set itinerary. Others are designed for small groups that want to be more "hands-on," active and adventurous.

Top 7 Reasons To Take a Tour

visiting and learning about new destinations, culture and history
sharing experiences with new friends one makes
the benefit of an experienced host to add value
not having to deal with all the details
not having to worry about getting around or what to do and how to do it
not worrying about what things will cost
not worrying about where to stay

Escorted tours enable travelers to better budget their vacation, and not have to worry about the planning. Coach travel is also proven to emit less carbon or greehnouse gases, per person, than traveling by car.

If you are planning a family vacation and want to consider an escorted tour, there are family tours available during school holidays-- contact our vacation planners. Learn more about escorted tours by reading our overview below.

Picking The Right Tour

So what's the difference between the $1,299 escorted tour and the $3,299 escorted tour, if they're both 10 days to the same destinations? It's important to evaluate a number of factors including: the quality of accommodations, size of group, meals, sightseeing included, and quality of guides.

It's also important to travel on an escorted tour operated by a company that meets the travel industry's highest standards.

Quality of Accommodations

Deluxe escorted tours will stay in five-star hotels and resorts, or in some cases four-star or best available hotels (depending what a destination offers). Your comfort and a good night's sleep is important, and on a budget tour, you're less likely to have the most comfortable bathrooms and beds, quality beddings, and sound-insulated rooms that helps to ensure your personal comfort.

Premium and luxury tours utilize centrally located hotels. Being well located makes a difference and offers greater value. You may pay more for a tour that uses central hotels, but you will save money by maximizing your time to see and do things, finding good restaurants, and being able to walk to nearby sights and shops.

Mainstream tours will utilize four-star hotels, and will find a balance on location. Budget tours will often use 3-star hotels that are often not centrally located, or as comfortable.

Size Of Escorted Tour Groups

Deluxe tours operate smaller-sized groups. A deluxe tour will limit groups from 2 - 39 people, while mainstream tours will strive to fill a larger motorcoach with 40 - 50 people. With one escort, you'll get more service and attention on a smaller escorted tour group.

Meals On Escorted Tours

Compare what meals are included. Some tours include most meals as group meals, and some, by design, include very few. Some tours allow passengers to eat out on their own, not always as part of a group. They offer a "dine-around" program where meals are pre-paid as part of your tour, and you are able to dine at whatever restaurant you like and eat what you like.

What Sightseeing Is Included

Compare what sightseeing is included, and how much free time you'll have to explore on your own. Some tours, by design, include very little sightseeing to maximize your opportunity to sightsee as you wish. (It's also a way to sell tours for a lower cost, avoiding the inclusion of entrance fees and local guides in the tour price.) Other tours "pack it in", catering to those that want to be sure they see as many highlights as possible. The best tours find the right balance. While you can save money with fewer inclusions, are these activities you will want to do anyway?

Quality of Tour Escorts & Guides

A tour escort or guide will make or break a tour. While there are many professional guides, for the most part the chances of getting a great guide on luxury tours are better than on budget tours. Deluxe and premium tour companies have a greater investment in ensuring the consistency in the quality of the experience they deliver, and will pay their best guides more. Our preferred tour companies generally hire full-time guides, professionals committed to excellence.

Many tours have guides that are not paid as well and who make up compensation on the commissions they earn selling "extras." The chances of enhancing your overall experience with an exceptional guide are increased with a top-notch tour operator.

Advantages of Escorted Tours

An escorted tour will usually cost less than doing a similar tour on one's own, often by 30% or more. There are cost savings in traveling with a group of people, with the cost of guides and transportation pro-rated among the group.
Many people like to socialize with fellow travelers. Making new friends with whom one can share travel memories is rewarding.
By taking an escorted tour, you can avoid aggravation and stress, as to what hotels to use, what meals to eat and where, what sightseeing to organize, and what it will all cost.

Disadvantages of Escorted Tours

Those that shy away from escorted tours often want total flexibility of custom travel arrangements, to spend their time as they wish.
They want to stop and smell the roses where and when they like, not when it's arranged to do so.
They may be more private and may not enjoy traveling with strangers, and may not be interested in making new friends.
Escorted tour groups may dine in restaurants that cater to groups, often with pre-set or limited menu choices. Independent travelers may prefer to dine on their own (though as mentioned, this is possible with some tour companies and on "Select" tours).

The Bottom Line On Tours

There are many stereotypes about escorted tours, but there is no prevailing stereotype that really holds true across the board. From walking tours, cycling tours, cooking tours, women's tours, tours for those under 30 and tours for families--there are tours for just about every interest.

There's no reason to overpay for "more" than what you would enjoy or feel comfortable with on an escorted tour. Not every traveler is comfortable in a five-star resort, and likewise, not everyone would be comfortable in a three-star budget hotel on the outskirts of town. Some tour companies offer discounts for early payment, traveling with family and friends (5 or more persons on the same tour), and to repeat guests.

If you're also consider a cruise vacations, you may wish to read Choosing Among Vacation Options: Cruises vs. Tours.

Are You Ready to Plan Your Escorted Tour?

Our travel consultants can help you differentiate among escorted tours, and discuss which may be best suited to your needs. To help you arrange your next vacation, be it an escorted tour or a program customized just for you, contact one of our travel experts or send us your request.