Travel Rap

If you were lucky enough to visit Europe on a Contiki tour when in college, you probably recall how much fun it was traveling with like-minded people, making new friends, sharing free wheeling travel experiences, and perhaps forming long-term new friendships.

So what happened to that free-wheeling openness and flexibilty as we grew older?  Why do some people feel the last thing they want to do for their vacation is travel with a group of "strangers" on a tour? 

There's a lot to be said about independent travel, the specialty of our travel agency. There are a number of reasons to have your trips custom-designed by our travel agency experts.  If you know what you want, you can get it exactly tailored to meet your needs. You may want to visit places that are off the beaten path of most escorted tour packages. For some, when it comes to touring Europe, for example, the best European vacations are done on their own.

There's also a lot to be said for escorted tours.  But more to the point, the escorted tour has morphed in recent years, and the choices and styles now available shows that tour companies are reponding to what travelers are looking for, more so than ever before.  A tour is not just a tour... anymore.  The best tours have evolved to guided vacation packages... A tour can be at your leisure, and slow paced... A tour can provide unique experiences you'd be hard pressed to arrange on your own -- like enjoying lunch at the home of an Italian contessa... A tour can be a framework -- provide a barebones itinerary with hotels and group transportation, but  leaving it up to you what you choose to do in each place...

If you prefer not to travel with a large groups, you can find an escorted tour designed for fewer travelers...Or maybe driving your own car about Europe, or traveling by rail and dealing with your luggage isn't more engaging for you than being driven on an air-conditioned motorcoach with an experienced guide on hand... A tour can be more economical than planning independent travel...

It's also not the case that there's a right or wrong answer. Different strokes for different folks.  And many customers will take an escorted tour one year, perhaps to a new destination, and travel independently other years, or when returning to a destination they've been to before. If you've wondered about taking a tour, the pros and cons, contact our travel experts for assistance.  If you have an opinon, let us know!