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If you’ve read any of my other posts, you know that I have a sick obsession with planning my next vacation. This is why I have a love-hate relationship with tour companies. Despite the fact that they’re convenient, money-saving and just so dang easy, I have a hard time giving up my rights to planning my trip. Luckily, I have had some great tour experiences that have taught me that you don’t have to give up all of your planning when you take a guided tour. Let my fellow plan-aholics rejoice- if you do it the right way, taking a European tour can actually make your planning EASIER and thus all the more enjoyable.
1. Tours Can Save You Money
Where are my money savers at? Now I’m not saying that all tours are great deals. You definitely have to look at each tour individually and decide for yourself if the money you’re putting into your trip is worth the quality that you’re getting out of it. Quality is key here. It’s also important to factor in all the time you’re saving not having to plan hotels, transportation between places, buying tickets for attractions, etc.
Another reason tours can be so well priced is because tour companies often score awesome group discounts allowing them to charge you less for said hotels, transportation and tickets to attractions. Booking at a group rate is definitely an advantage that equals more money in your pocket.
So much value is usually included in group tours. In my personal experience most include: hotel for each night of your trip, transportation from the airport and throughout the day, and entrance into the planned attractions. Most also include breakfast every morning and some include dinners as well!
I have personally used the travel companies Trafalgar and Gate 1 Travel and can vouch that they both include all of these things on their tours with excellent quality! Click the link below for up to 15% off your vaca from Trafalgar! Talk about saving some cash.
2. Avoid the Hassle of Transportation
If you’ve ever seen the way people drive in Rome, I guarantee you’d sign up for a guided tour right this second. Let’s face it, driving around another country with different traffic patterns, signs in foreign languages and manual transmission cars can just equal a travel nightmare. Not to mention, how do you even enjoy the view when you’re concentrating on the road? Now I’m not saying you should never drive anywhere on your own, I’m just saying for a longer European trip you might want to consider handing the burden of driving over to a profession bus driver.
3. Gain Some Knowledge
I’m all for researching your trip ahead of time and learning as much as you can about the country you’re traveling to. And you can (and should) definitely do that. However, when you’re paying for a guided tour you’re paying for a tour guide that already has tons of knowledge about the country you’re traveling to. Many times, tour guides will fill up all the boring travel time with history, legends and interesting tidbits that you might not find doing you’re own research.
4. Leave the Itinerary to the Pros
It kills me to type this one out. I LOVE creating itineraries. Honestly, I spend hours creating my custom itineraries for my future vacations. This being said- sometimes it’s easier to leave the itineraries to the pros. They do these trips all the time and their itineraries are usually excellent. They definitely are the experts at maximizing your time to give you the most enjoyable vacation you can possibly have.
I will say when I go on a guided tour it’s nice not to have to carry around my big folder of plans all vacation. It’s almost relaxing, just being able to go with the flow with no worries other than the time I need to be back to bus. The nice part about a lot of guided tours that I have been on is that they give you some free time to see the things you want to see and do some exploring. I definitely recommend looking for tours that offer this time. It’s nice to be able to get out and do your own thing- plus it give you time to get to know your fellow tour mates if you want. I have met a ton of people this way- some of them I still keep in contact with to this day years later!
5. Take the Fast Lane
When you’re traveling, nothing is worse than wasting precious time standing in long lines. A major plus to traveling with a group tour is oftentimes you get to bypass these long lines and take advantage of special entrances for groups. I can think of several times this has kept me out of an hour or two long line, most recently at Versailles when the line was wrapped clear down the road. Even if you’re not convinced a full length guided tour is a good option for you, it may be wise to consider a day tour just so you get the benefit of bypassing the long lines.
Still not convinced the group tour life is for you? Loving your most recent group tour? Let me know in the comments below.
