Guided tour or package holiday?
by Beata Nahaie on 25/07/09 at 10:14 am
With the boom of the travel industry and the unpredictability of the British weather, we have become spoilt for choice when it comes to the tour operator’s products competing for our attention to escape to the hot sun. Sometimes it can be really hard to choose the ideal type of holiday for you, especially if you are not an experienced traveller. Imagine yourself looking at the brochures or the numerous internet holiday websites contemplating the amount of dates, destinations, prices and holiday options. ‘Shall I book a cruise, a flight only and hotel, a tour or the whole package?’…
Let’s take a closer look at the two most popular holiday types – tours and package holidays.
Package holidays are designed by the tour operators with absolute comfort of travellers in mind. They combine your chosen hotel with either chartered or scheduled flight and transfer to and from the resort. Package holidays are a very convenient way of travelling to summer or winter sun, especially if you are travelling with children. Your accommodation will typically include self catering apartment or a hotel room with breakfast, half board or the very popular all inclusive board basis.
A package holiday can traditionally be booked for a seven, ten or fourteen night duration, although it is not unusual to find shorter or longer durations. You will mostly spend the whole time in and around your chosen accommodation for the duration of your stay. Sometimes you can also book excursions or day trips if you want to explore the resort in more detail or simply break away from the beach or the swimming pool. In your holiday resort, there will be a holiday representative who will make regular visits to your accommodation and assist you with any queries at designated times. Package holidays are all about convenience and relaxation and they can be of extremely good value if you are flexible enough and book them at the last minute.
A guided tour is suitable if you are travelling as a couple or as an individual traveller. The tour is usually organised in a closed group of travellers with whom you will be spending most of your time in and outside the hotels and at meal times. A guided tour can be more expensive than a package holiday but you have the convenience of your local tour guide being constantly there for you if you need any advice. You will also get a chance to visit a number of places within your planned duration and itinerary and therefore a guided tour will provide you with more cultural experience. Your time will be organised with precision according to your itinerary and with very little flexibility to change. There will probably be no or very little time to spend on the beach and your schedule will be very busy visiting sites, museums, travelling on the coach and changing hotels. Being with other members of the group can be an advantage or disadvantage, depending on your communication, age group and interests. Guided tour can sometimes be booked at the last minute, however they tend to be purchased in advance due to their nature, planned number of spaces and itinerary dates.
To sum up, your choice of holiday type will very much depend on your budget, dates, seasons of travel and the destination. It will also depend on how active you want to be during that time and how much planning you want involved on your holidays. Package holidays in typical summer destinations will provide you with the well-deserved rest whilst enjoying the comforts of your hotel facilities. A guided tour, on the other hand, can be a valuable cultural and social experience.
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