We’ve answered a few commonly asked questions about what guided vacations entail as well as shared insightful tips to help you determine which one is right for you.
How will I be traveling on a guided tour? Whether on trains and planes, boats or buses, the mode of transit can vary by tour. Many itineraries with Trafalgar, Insight Vacations and Brendan Vacations take place aboard comfortable coaches with reclining seats and extra legroom. For a more personalized approach, leave the storytelling to your private driver, as is the case during Brendan Vacations’ Private Chauffeur tours. Travcoa and Abercrombie & Kent’s (A&K) repertoires include options as diverse as private jet journeys to luxury train tours. In addition to its guided land tours, Tauck offers river cruises aboard spacious, custom designed riverboats. How many people will I be traveling with? Companies such as Insight Vacations and Trafalgar have well-revered travel experiences for those who love to share their journeys with others. Many companies offer a range of group size options. Budget travel companies normally travel with 48 to 52 travelers. First class trips travel on average with 45 passenger. Tauck Culturious, Gate 1 Discovery, Abercrombie and Kent Connections, Alexander and Roberts and Collette Explorations cater to smaller groups, comprised of 24 guests or less. Abercrombie and Kent, Travcoa and Cox and Kings travel with a maximum of 18 like-minded travelers. Will there be time to explore on my own? Guided vacations offer itineraries complete with plenty of free time for autonomous exploration. Often there are opportunities to personalize your trip with optional excursions, which allow you to choose from a range of organized activities at particular destinations. Excursions range from a private group tour of one of Napa Valley’s vineyards to getting a glimpse of the landscape from above during a magical, early-morning hot air balloon ride. What are the benefits of having an experienced guide? Tour guides, travel directors, local experts, no matter what the title, guided tour companies put a premium on hiring the area’s finest ambassadors. They come from a variety of backgrounds. Whether they are archaeologists accompanying you to the Egyptian pyramids, war historians taking you through the military tunnels of Vietnam or an exceptional local guide well versed in the region’s cuisine, they all share a passion for travel. These experienced professionals show you what the guidebooks can’t – a true insider’s perspective. What’s included in the price of a guided vacation? There’s no question that all guided vacations are invaluable, providing informative and entertaining experiences you couldn’t have on your own. This type of vacation also saves you from negotiating with independent guides or attempting to plan your itinerary around set guided tour schedules. Package prices will vary but usually cover transportation, guides, all entrance fees, accommodations and most meals. There are often options for room category upgrades and sometimes alternate meal-plans. Foodies will love Travcoa’s Dine Around Program. This optional add-on program offers guests the freedom to choose their own restaurants, helping you budget for trip expenditures in advance. I’ve heard ‘Insider Activities’ are included, what are they? With a guided vacation, adventures prove as enlightening as they are enjoyable with concierge-like team leaders arranging travel experiences you never thought possible. Imagine skipping the line at the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, Italy and entering through a special-access door; hiking a sacred path to a Buddhist temple in the Yunnan region of China and then joining a local family of farmers for yak-butter tea in their home. Get an insider tour of Al Khazneh, the treasury in Petra, or celebrate baseball greats with famous filmmaker Ken Burns in Cooperstown. Cruise along Bali’s eastern shore aboard a traditional Balinese outrigger or ride a painted elephant to dinner in India’s colorful Rajasthan region. Insider activities provide unique experiences such as Trafalgar’s Be My Guest dining program featuring meals shared with locals in their home, from preparing regional dishes with a family in Buenos Aires to dining with a count at his Tuscan estate. Do guided TOURS offer special interest itineraries? Pinpointing particular interests truly epitomizes a guided vacation’s ability to provide in-depth cultural experiences. Insight Vacations’ special interest tours vary from year to year, but popular tours like the Country Roads of Champagne, Alsace & Burgundy, ensure oenophiles have plenty of opportunities to sniff, sip and swirl some of France’s prized varietals. Brendan Vacations’ Boutique Journeys partnered with Slow Food Travel®, an international grass-roots organization, to help travelers savor farm-to-table local specialties, as well as designed specialty tours for devotees to history, music, art or wine. Tauck events are one-of-a-kind theme driven experiences such as celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Rose Bowl, while their Culturious guided vacations provide cultural immersion such as French lessons in Provence. From Antarctica to Africa, A&K takes travelers on unique adventures and explorations. Trafalgar’s At Leisure vacations extend the flexibility to delve into whatever your heart desires, with longer stays in each destination, no departures before 9:00 a.m., smaller, more intimate groups and plenty of free time for self exploration. Are there guided vacations geared more towards families? There are numerous itineraries devised with families in mind, providing entertaining options for every age. Many itineraries catering to young families are often scheduled when school is out of session, aiming for stays of three nights or more at each destination in kid-friendly hotels (with four-to-a-room pricing available). The itineraries also offer child-friendly meal choices and embrace kid-pleasing activities, such as zip-lining, panda petting and more. Tauck Bridges guided vacations are chock-full of family fun, including adventures such as jungle river rafting or float trips in Costa Rica. A&K even has a Children’s Activity Coordinator at beck and call to tend to your children’s every last whim. Guided vacations are a great way for youngsters to meet other young travelers, while embarking on exciting new endeavors. Kids and parents can delve into a country’s culture with language lessons, cooking classes and creative excursions. Trafalgar’s Castle and Kilts, for example, includes a stay in a real castle, a medieval banquet, a half-day Harry Potter experience – and even a whiskey tasting for adults. Is it possible to customize guided tours? Absolutely! Some travelers like the idea of creating a more bespoke getaway, yet want to be able to tap into the expertise and streamlined planning of a guided vacation. These are not mutually exclusive and a guided vacation can give you the world on your terms. You can choose to have the entire vacation tailored to your interests and be accompanied by a private guide, such as A&K’s Luxury Private Travel option. Or embark on your own with Travcoa’s Independent Journeys – a variety of pre-planned itineraries around the globe. We also can arrange apartments in Europe, villa stays – just about anything you want to create the prefect vacation.
These frequently asked questions about guided tours are just the starting point. For deeper comparison guides written by our travel advisors, see Trafalgar vs CostSaver: Best Guide to Choosing Your Dream Tour and Globus vs Cosmos: Ultimate Guide to Choosing Your Perfect Travel Adventure.
