How to choose the correct Tour Company
When each tour company is offering similar itineraries at similar prices it is important to choose the right one for you. I suggest reading the tour trip notes and the terms and conditions as things might not be all that they seem.
I have booked a group tour and it was added to the terms that they use triple rooms, and this is something that I really didn’t like and if I had known this, I would not have booked the tour.
So, to make sure you pick the right tour for you here are my top tips on what to look at.
Price
This is my biggest factor as I want to travel as much as I can and do not have a huge budget, so I am always looking for the best price. I love a website called Tour Radar as it has most of the group tours that are available and you can search by the best deal, I spent so many hours looking on this website I love it.
However cheapest is not always the best the same as the most expensive does not necessarily mean it will be the best.
When looking at the price of the tour see what is included and what isn’t as the price might look cheap but once you have added all the extras that you want to do another tour might have been the better option.
Note that a lot of the tours on tour radar do not include flights and I always look at the prices of flights before I book a tour to get an idea of how much they will be. Also, dont book flights until your tour has been confirmed as you don’t want to have a flight and then not get on the actual tour.
Another inclusive to look at is food. Some tours seem so much more expensive but include food and all the entrance fees once you add these up, they can make you cheap tour quite expensive.
Look at the Itinerary
This is obviously the reason why you are booking the tour because it is visiting the places that you want to go to but do double check the itinerary. I have booked group tours thinking I was going to explore a certain destination as it was on the itinerary, but it turned out we were only passing through so make sure the itinerary is meeting your expectations.
Also the itinerary might include things that you don’t want to do, the odd thing then you might be able to get out of doing it but if there is a lot on the itinerary that you will not want to do but you are paying for then it there might be a better option of out there for you.
Quality of accommodation
I used to always want to travel in luxury but now I much refer getting a decent price as most of the time these group tours are so fast you are only at, he hotel to sleep so extra facilities do not matter as much.
However, I still don’t want to be in a dorm or sharing with more than one person, so this is now something I double check before I book a tour.
The actual star of the hotel does not really bother me as I have stayed in some 1-star hotels that are so much nicer than 5-star hotels. If it is dry and clean, then I am happy.
Although if a tour includes a lot of free time, I will look at the hotels to make sure that they centrally located as this is going to affect what I can do in my spare time.
Most of the tours I have been on so far have really surprised me with accommodation as it has been a lot nice than I was thinking it would be.
Age range of travellers
It is important to look at what age range the tour is aimed at. I have used travel talk a few times and they aim at 18-39 year olds but a few people are older so I didn’t feel the eldest however I have done a g adventures tour that was aimed at 18-39 but everyone was early 20s and I felt so old so it is best to look at who is booking these tours look at reviews as well.
Who goes on these tours
Another thing to look at is what nationalities are using the tours and which language is the tour in. It might sound good that the tour is supplied in lots of languages, but it can make it a boring tour if the tour guide must repeat everything in 5 different languages, I much prefer going on English speaking tours.
I have booked tours when I have been abroad where I have been the only English speaker and it is a totally different experience than of there are other people that speak the same language as you.
Also, some tours cater for a nationality. There is one tour that I keep seeing and do like the sound of but it caters for the German market so I know that this probably wont meet my needs as I cant understand German and most of the information given out will be in German.
Look at mode of transport
Tours can range from using public transport to having their own private transport and it is important to choose a tour that is right for you. I personally refer to use private transport if it for long journeys.
However, when I was on the G Adventures group tour, we used public transport and it was luxurious and comfortable so again it is something to look at. I don’t think I would like to travel long times on chicken buses even though it would be an experience to travel with locals if it was for several hours it might not be as comfortable.
I also did another tour with G Adventures where we went on a local bus in India but it was only for 15 minutes and it was nice to see how the locals travelled but again it wasn’t to the comfort I am used to so that was long enough for me.
Also factor in travel times if you are covering long distances on a bus but there is a tour that offers a flight this might be more expensive but might be the better option if you are short on time. However, I love travelling by road as you get to see a lot more than if you are flying into a country.
Look at reviews
With the internet it is so easy to see what other people think of everything I always search for reviews of a tour company if I have not used them before.
I don’t always listen to the bad reviews though as I understand people are more likely to write a bad review than a good review and if something has gone wrong, they are going to be angry and not be offering constructive criticism but more about moaning.
But reviews are good to get a general idea of what people are thinking about the particular tour or tour company for example I have read that one particular tour is aimed at younger people and more like a party bus so I will avoid this tour as it is not something I would enjoy.
Have I missed something off this guide to booking a tour, is there something you always look for before booking, let me know.
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