Planning a vacation is a great way to get away and relax. Most of us want to have a variety of memorable experiences when we travel and do some sightseeing. Tours are a great addition to any vacation for many reasons, and can add a lot to your travels.
Here are some reasons you should incorporate some tours to your itinerary.
Organization
If you decide to plan out your own itinerary, it involves a lot of planning. This means many details, from transportation such as car rentals to figuring out a meal plan for the day. By choosing a tour, someone else is handling all of the details so that you do not have to, from timing to transportation. You don’t have to worry about making sure you’ll find somewhere to eat or if you will have enough gas in your rental car. There are so many details that are easy to overlook, and you can easily end up anxious. Tours take the stress out of your vacation planning – let someone else organize it for you!
Convenience
A tour allows you to go on an experience without needing to plan ahead. You can begin your vacation without having any solid commitments, yet still be able to book a tour if the desire arises. You don’t need the burden of having to plan or be responsible for an itinerary.
Comfort
Taking a tour means everything is taken care of for you. No hassles of arranging transport, food, and so on. If you are fun of nature and waterfalls and let’s say you want to visit Niagara Falls – you can simply book a tour, complete with an air-conditioned tour bus, food, and drinks. Enjoy a Maid of the Mist boat tour and come back for the fireworks at night.
Many travelers are no stranger to sleeping on the ride home! If you aren’t sleeping on your tour bus, you can enjoy the sights while relaxing. Regardless, you can take in the sights while being transported, instead of dealing with the commitment of driving. Taking a tour allows you to fit in a full day of activities, so whether you visit Niagara Falls or famous European waterfalls like Plitvice lakes from Zagreb, you can experience an entire day of enjoyable events.
Inside information
You can do as much research as possible, but without being familiar with something first hand, it can be difficult to know everything about a destination. Tour operators are familiar with the area they work, that it comes easily to them and they have insider information. There is no way you can predict everything about a destination, and some tour operators even offer insurance against the unexpected (such as a refund or complimentary tour if you do not see a whale on your whale watching tour).
Experience
The experience you get on a tour may be completely unlike that you can do on your own. You might not be able to gain access to something the way a tour operator can, such as a tongariro crossing bus. Or perhaps they can provide gear that you cannot rent otherwise, like an ATV, horses, or snorkeling gear. Tour operators often offer great extras in their tour packages, like photography or souvenirs that you cannot replicate on your own trip.
Safety
Tours make it safer to travel or do activities. This could be anything from driving in an unfamiliar place, to visiting a tourist destination and getting scammed. It can be easy to get taken advantage of in foreign countries, from gas stations to tours that price gouge. You may feel unsafe leaving your car unattended, or exploring a new place. Mistakes or improper navigation can leave you lost or in an unsafe location, and this can all be avoided by taking a tour.
Love how you included a pic of the Public Market in Seattle. I did an amazing grunge walking tour last time I was there.
Love these photos.Thanks for sharing with us.
I always book at least one tour on every vacation as they are a great way of doing a lot of different things all in one day and often they can be really good value for everything they pack in too.
I have done tours many times already and it’s safe. I always hear stories of foreigners being scammed but you can avoid this with tours
Traveling takes a lot of planning but with tours, you can a lot of time and effort. Although, it’s also good to do some travel DIYs
We’ve done tours on several different vacations, and they are such a great way to get to know an area. We’ve always loved them.
We love tours. I do try to find a few that will interest my kids.. or we will hear the word “BORING” on vacation. My favorite is any tour that gets to learn more about where we are visiting.
Travel tours can be really good fun. They also allow you to see things and do experiences you might not have done. I love that everything is taken care of by them.
I actually love the touristy things when I travel. I want to take all the tours!
I’ve never tried going on tours but now I want to! I agree with the safety and inside info.
You captured some great photos, can’t wait to visit these places.
I do like tours in some situations but I also love exploring on my own!
We travel a lot and tours can definitely come in handy, especially in places that you are very unfamiliar with!
I agree, some experience can be gained through a tour but can’t when going alone. I will book a tour when I travel. Thank you for sharing!
Tours are always a good idea. Loved this!