If you’re wavering between taking an organized tour or going solo on your next trip, read these pros and cons before you make up your mind. There are strong arguments on both sides of the fence.
As an independent traveler I have tended to steer clear of organized tours – think early departures and that person who is always five minutes late, holding up everyone else.
No thanks. I’d rather go it alone or with a chosen travel partner or two. But surely there are both pros and cons of organized tours?
In some destinations, organized tours may be the practical way to reach certain remote places or to combine several difficult-to-arrange stops.
So what makes an organized tour worthwhile, and when is going it alone still the better choice?
Discovery #1: There are definite advantages to organized tours
Many travelers enjoy organized tours for good reasons.
- You don’t have to lift a finger. Someone else will do your homework for you – booking the hotels, restaurants, transport from the airport and between cities, everything but the tips. You’ve just got to show up.
- Everything is planned (even predictable). You’ll have a schedule and an itinerary, which means you’ll be able to plan around it, in case you want to try a famous restaurant, or see some friends, for example.
- Your questions will be answered. Many organized tours have local guides so you’ll be able to ask about this unusual headdress or that traditional building. A good guide may also know out-of-the-way gems you would never have found on your own.
- You’ll have instant travel companions, in case you’re not in the mood or ready to be on your own (although reading through this section on solo travel might help)
- Someone else will take care of the ‘language issue‘ for you, if you’re not a linguist.
- Tours can be cost-effective: travel agencies and tour operators sometimes buy services in volume and can pass on some of those savings. But don’t assume a tour is cheaper than independent travel. Compare the total cost, including meals, transportation, entrance fees and optional extras.
- You’ll see more, especially if your time is limited. With things organized for you, you won’t waste valuable travel time searching for a room, getting lost or figuring out public transport.
- No decisions. If you have a stressful life, you might welcome having everything taken care of for you for a few days or weeks.
- And if you’re a novice traveler, a group may make you feel less anxious about stepping out into a new country.
- A tour can make some destinations or experiences easier to access. A local guide may also help you navigate cultural expectations, language barriers or practical difficulties that would be harder to handle alone.
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One terminology point is worth making. An organized tour can mean anything from a two-hour walking tour to a private driver-guide or a multi-day group trip. A package is a more specific travel product: in the European Union, for example, package-travel rules generally cover combinations of at least two different types of travel service sold together under defined conditions. The distinction matters because package travelers may have additional consumer protections, including information requirements, assistance and protection if the organizer becomes insolvent. Rules differ elsewhere, so check the law that applies where you book. |
Discovery #2: The disadvantages of organized tours are equally obvious
It’s not all rosy and plenty can go wrong when you’re in a group, rubbing elbows with people you’ve never seen before.
- You may have to spend time with people you don’t like. Or who don’t like you. What if you have nothing in common – they drink late into the night and you’re out jogging by 6am even on holiday?
- Your punctualities may not match. What if they delay the bus with their shopping while you’re excruciatingly on time, seated five minutes ahead of schedule?
- You can feel a bit rushed as you’re whisked from A to B to C with no time to sit and experience a place. This type of travel can become superficial.
- If the tour is too large your visiting time will be reduced by things like gathering everyone on time, getting on the bus, getting off the bus…
- Your tour guide might not be as good as expected – you might have been better off just reading your guidebook.
- You’re stuck with your itinerary. You might want to go to a museum at the time a major walk is scheduled but there may be little flexibility built into the schedule.
- You’re also stuck (and this is a big one for me) with the food. Although some groups will cater to your food choices, alternatives might not be satisfactory. And after the fifth ‘typical’ dish you might be desperately wishing for a pizza! If you have allergies or other dietary requirements, check exactly what can be accommodated before you book.
- You might feel cheated if there are activities you don’t enjoy, like drinking if you’re a teetotaller or still have to pay your share of the wine at the end of a meal.
- You may be visiting too many shops and not enough real sights.
- Tours can be tiring; sometimes agencies cram them with every possible destination to make sure you get your money’s worth.
- Your chances of meeting local people can be rarer, especially when you’re traveling from one sight to another by bus or moving quickly through a destination.
Discovery #3: The pros and cons of organized tours boil down to one thing
It’s this: how well you choose your tour operator.
It’s the most boring piece of advice but… do your homework! If you have a recommendation from friends, that’s great, you’ll be choosing with your eyes open. But if you have no references, your research will be that much more important. Pick a tour and search online for recent reviews and comments about the operator and the specific tour. Look at the itinerary, what is included and the cancellation terms, not just the star rating.
Consider these factors before you book:
- Size: the smaller the group the more intimate and personal the experience – but the larger the group the bigger the party.
- Length of tour: how long can you handle being with a group? A six-hour tour may be perfect for one person and exhausting for another.
- Accommodation: quality and variety – are you in a boring chain hotel every night, or do you alternate between B&Bs, unusual treehouse hotels and camps, for example?
- Food flexibility, especially important if you have allergies or food restrictions. Ask whether dietary requirements are accommodated at every meal or only some of them.
- Cost: of course, you want the most for your investment. But are there any hidden costs? Airport taxes? Extra meals? How much are tips? Drinks? Optional excursions? And the dreaded single supplement? This is where you need to read the fine print. Also check whether a solo traveler can choose a private room, share with another traveler or must pay extra for a room alone.
- Type of tour: is it a more adventurous tour, sedentary or a mixture?
- Refund policy: do you get anything back if you cancel? Under what conditions? If you are booking a package in the EU, also check the consumer rights that apply in addition to the operator’s own cancellation policy.
- Travel time: if you spend all day driving and two hours at a destination, that’s not travel – it’s transport.
- Transportation: how do you get from A to B? If you suffer from motion sickness, you won’t want to spend hour upon hour on a bus.
- Guides: their training and experience, and whether additional local guides – who may know the destination even more intimately – are included.
- Activities: are you just seeing or using more of your senses? Going to a performance? Taking a cooking class? Visiting a perfume factory?
- Physical activities: check this carefully, because if you’re a slow walker you won’t appreciate a highly physical tour, and vice-versa. Look for the actual walking distance, number of stairs and terrain rather than relying on vague descriptions such as “easy” or “active.”
- Compatibility: what are typical clients like? What is the pace and atmosphere? If it’s a 20-year-old party crowd, a week or two might be way too long. Age can be a useful clue, but shared interests, energy levels and expectations matter more.
- Accessibility: if you have mobility, hearing, vision or other access needs, ask specific questions before booking. “Accessible” can mean very different things from one tour to another.
- Shopping: make sure your tour isn’t a disguised shopping expedition. You don’t need to stop at shops with a tour: that’s what ‘free time’ is for.
- Speaking of which, make sure there is plenty of free time built into your tour or you’ll be exhausted by the end of the day, not to mention irritable and in a mood to break the bus.
- What is included: there’s no point in saving money by going for the cheapest tour only to find out no meals are included. Compare like with like.
- The WOW factor, that little extra you can’t define but you’ll feel it when you find the right agency with the right tour.
Discovery #4: There are different types of tour – and not all involve a bus
Five tour types are, in my opinion, the exception. I could easily take them and not experience most of the disadvantages of traditional large-group tours.
These include food walking tours, private organized tours, day tours, solo or single tours and all-women tours.
1. My all-time favorite is the culinary walking tour, which should come as no surprise.
In a food tour a small group of people, usually under a dozen, walk from place to place meeting local chefs, discovering new foods and learning local history. The group dynamic can be fun as tastes and scents are shared and the guide, often a local expert, shares his or her love for the neighborhood and its culinary delights.
A food tour can work particularly well for a solo traveler because the food gives everyone something to talk about. A good one combines eating with context: local history, immigration, markets, traditions or the people who produce the food.
The Tenement Museum in New York is a good example of the principle: its food experiences combine Lower East Side history with tastings and local food businesses. [2]
This kind of tour is fun and I never felt that ‘herding’ feeling so common when a group of people who don’t know one another travel together in crammed conditions.
On the contrary, we were all brought together by our love of food and that is often part of the secret of touring: if you have a passion, it’s fun to share it with others. But if you’re just there for the ride, your and others’ boredom will likely show through.
This type of private or customized travel isn’t reserved for the wealthy, particularly in countries a little further off the tourist path. But prices vary enormously, so don’t rely on old price examples. Compare what is actually included: guide, driver, vehicle, accommodation, meals, entrance fees and transfers.
A private tour can be especially useful when you have a specific interest, want to set your own pace or are traveling somewhere where language and logistics make independent travel harder.
Private tours can also be a good solution for solo travelers who want a guide without committing to a group. Some operators let you customize the itinerary, pace and interests, although the price can be substantially higher for one person.
3. The day tour is a great alternative to mammoth group tours.
I’m often in a city for a day or two at most, with little time to orient myself. If I know long enough ahead of time, I can do plenty of research and get myself organized to see as much as possible. But sometimes, that’s simply not possible and that’s when I decide a tour for a day or even half a day would at least show me the highlights.
You may have even less time, but you can still get to see the sights. If you happen to be connecting to another flight with a long layover, check whether the airport or a local operator offers a tour designed around flight connections. Never book one unless the timing leaves a generous margin for getting back to the airport.
Day tours are also useful as a middle ground: you can get an introduction from a guide, then spend the rest of your time exploring independently. Look for small-group walking tours, food tours, museum tours or private guides rather than assuming every organized tour means a bus.
For broad searches, marketplaces such as Viator and GetYourGuide can be useful because they aggregate tours in many destinations. Compare the actual itinerary, group size, meeting point, cancellation terms and recent reviews before booking.
4. The solo tour or singles tour is also an alternative.
Solo or singles tours are designed for individual travelers rather than couples or families. They can make it easier to meet people because everyone arrives without an established travel companion, but that doesn’t guarantee compatibility. Check the typical group size, age range, pace, rooming arrangements and whether the trip is genuinely designed for independent travelers rather than simply charging a single supplement.
5. Finally, the all-women tours.
All-women tours can appeal to travelers who prefer the atmosphere of a women-only group. As with any group trip, however, the important questions are still group size, pace, interests, accommodation, free time and the kind of traveler the operator usually attracts. Some companies, like European Experiences, mix solo tours, women-only tours and mixed tours.
Discovery #5: Never judge a book by its cover
For years I railed against organized tours without knowing enough about them and just agreeing with what I heard. I’ve changed my mind – at least on certain types of tours, like walking, private or small-group tours. I still slow travel or solo travel, but I’m no longer dead-set against group travel – if it’s small
The real question isn’t whether organized tours are good or bad. It’s whether this particular tour suits the way you travel. A two-hour food walk can be completely different from a 12-day coach itinerary, and a private guide can give you the structure of a tour without taking away much of your independence.
So if you normally travel independently, don’t dismiss organized tours. Use them selectively: for a complicated destination, a short stay, a specialized interest or simply a day when you don’t want to make another decision.
