Get ready to tropic like it’s hot!
Whether you take a relaxing tropical vacation or embark on a snow-filled adventure, traveling can change your life. Close to 59% of Americans dream of traveling the world when they retire. However, you don’t have to wait to make your dreams come true!
Right now, you can begin planning the trip of a lifetime, even if you’re working with a budget. How? By booking discount group tours.
Read on to find out what traveling with a group is really like.
Advantages of Discount Group Tours
If you’ve never traveled with a group before, it’s probably because you weren’t aware of all the benefits.
Here’s what discount group tours offer:
- Someone to show you the way
- Instant friends and family
- Safety
- Organized travel
- Reassurance for loved ones
- Big discounts
- Special sightings
- Someone to take your photos
When you travel by yourself, finding the accommodations, and figuring out where to eat, is completely up to you. If you’re not familiar with the area, it can be a lot of pressure trying to find the best experiences at your destination.
Experiences With New Friends
If you take a group tour, you’ll have someone telling you exactly where you’re going every single day. Traveling with a group also means you’ll be making instant friends and family. While some people will just be fun to talk to, others will feel like family members, you never knew you had.
Safety in Numbers
Should something go wrong on your vacation, your group will be able to provide you a certain level of safety. Of course, the group is not going to monitor you, because it’s not their responsibility to keep you safe. However, if you get lost, or have transportation issues, at least you won’t be alone.
Easy to Organize
If you plan on traveling with friends, a group tour can make the entire organization process much easier. Simply, pick a tour, and then spread the word and invite other friends you want to join you. You’ll be able to easily figure out payments before you go, as well as knowing what your itinerary is going to be for the trip.
Disadvantages of Hiring a Tour Guide
Now that we’ve talked about some of the advantages, let’s look at the disadvantages that can come with group travel. Here are some of the things that can go wrong when you travel in groups
- Bad tour guides
- Unwanted services
- Flexibility problems
First, having a positive group travel experience comes down to finding the right tour guide. As you look for group tours, look for quality companies.
If you don’t find a reputable tour group it can ruin the entire experience. A great example of this would be if you hired a tour guide that gets paid through commission.
Greedy Tour Guides
When the person leading your tour, is getting paid money from other businesses, such as stores are restaurants, they won’t have your best interest in mind. At the end of the tour, you might find they’re pushing you into buying things that you don’t want, just to up their commission.
Read Customer Reviews
To avoid a bad experience, make sure you fully understand what group you’re traveling with, and who the tour guide will be. You should also read customer reviews, to make sure that you’re not going to feel pressured into making unwanted purchases.
Flexibility Problems
Sometimes traveling in a group can mean that you don’t have the flexibility you want. Organized tours usually have a time limit. You might find the perfect spot on your vacation, but you’ll have to leave it before you’re done exploring, simply because your time is up.
Finally, if your group is following a specific route, you might only be visiting main attractions or tourist sites. While the tourist attractions are great, it doesn’t mean they’ll give you the experience you’re looking for.
How to Find the Best Groups
Quality discount group tours, won’t make you feel like you’re racing through the country. Instead reputable tour companies will give you a more authentic experience. Here are a few tips to find the best tours
- Research cost
- Double-check you’re the right audience
- Avoid single supplements
- Get local guides
- Look at safety records
- Search for balance schedules
- Find environmentally friendly tours
- Look for smaller group sizes
- Read customer reviews
First, research the different costs that your companies are charging. Certain companies are going to nickel-and-dime you for every experience. A good company is going to work hard to maximize the value you get for every penny you spend.
Follow the Money
Before you book your tour, find out exactly where your money will be going. How much of your fee is going towards their overhead?
Are they asking you to pay for five-star hotels, but they’ll be lodging you in one-star accommodations? It’s best to find a company that’s completely transparent about what their prices are and why they are that way.
Avoid Single Supplements
If you’re not bringing friends, make sure you avoid the single supplement fees. A single supplement is an extra cost some tour companies will charge you if you need your room. Instead, find a company that will allow you to pair with other solo travelers.
Find Your Crowd
Finally, make sure that you’re the right audience for the traveling group. Are they appealing to elderly couples, young crowds, or families?
If you’re looking for a peaceful getaway, you don’t want to end up on a rowdy drinking tour with young 20-year-olds. You also don’t want to feel stuck in a family atmosphere, if you’re looking for a more adult experience.
Have a Great Trip
Now you have an inside look at what it is like to go on discount group tours. Can you imagine yourself making new friends, as you have fun traveling the world?
The more you know about how to plan your trip, the better your vacation experience will be. For more tips, check out another one of our articles.
