packaged group tours | good or bad thing?

example of a expertly designed tour offered on the Tauck Tours website

Who cannot relate to the impassioned question posed by a confused traveler on fodors.com.

First, I booked a cruise to Italy. then dumped it. Then I booked a group tour to Italy. Still have that one, but the time for losing my deposit is almost up. 

But through it all I have a friend who keeps telling me it's ridiculous. She says I should get on travelocity and book a flight and some hotels and just go on my own. She says Italy is the easiest place to visit; you can see everything and move around easily with trains.  

That friend speaks fluent Italian, was raised in Italy, and goes back every year with her husband, and they have a lot of money. I am exactly the opposite. I've never been out of the country except to England, speak only English, and going with another woman who has never traveled in her life. Money is an issue. I'm also not sure of all the sites I'd want to see. 

Do you have any advice about which way to travel? I'm already lost and I haven't even left yet!

She probably chose the wrong forum to ask for advice. Fodors is an exceptional resource for travelers who revel in planning every element of their own trip. Go to booking.com, they told her. It's so easy to book your hotels. It's so easy to travel by train. It's so easy to find the best prices this way, they claimed.

But it's also so easy for inexperienced travelers to make expensive mistakes. All of us have made and learned from our travel mistakes, especially professional travel advisors. In fact, the wisdom we've learned the hard way is the very best resource we can offer our clients. We will think about neighborhoods that are safe, attractive, with an easy walk to where you want to be. We will research days on which favorite attractions may be closed to tourists. We will advise when you should buy tickets in advance, avoiding wasting hours needlessly spent in queues.

The most basic travel question is the task of creating an itinerary that makes sense. And that's why, for this particular traveler, a packaged group tour is probably her wisest choice. She'll buy an itinerary that makes sense with knowledgeable tour guides everywhere. She'll probably enjoy better pricing than if she booked everything on her own. Best of all, she will awaken each day anticipating a ready-made experience ... instead of trying to figure out what to do and how to do it.

Can a travel advisor help if you want a packaged group tour? Definitely, yes! Tour companies are not created equal, and the quality of group tours differs markedly. A travel advisor can point you to vetted tour companies whose group tours offer exceptional experiences, companies like Tauck Tours, Backroads, and Abercrombie & Kent. And, yes, we'll get a commission from the tour company ... but it won't cost you an extra penny to book that tour through us.

copyright (c) 2019 by Ourisman Travel LLC. All rights reserved. We provide Virtuoso and other Preferred Partner amenities as an affiliate of Brownell, a Virtuoso® Member. If you have comments on this column, or questions about booking travel, email me or visit my website.

one of life's guilty pleasures ...

Leafing through travel catalogues is one of life's guilty pleasures. Pictured above is the cover of the new 2019 Backroads catalog. Backroads is one of my favorite travel companies — featuring active vacations that involve strolling, walking, hiking, biking, or multi-sport trips (depending on your own preferred activity level). There are lots of great travel catalogues out there — from companies like Tauck, Abercrombie & Kent, Butterfield & Robinson, Lakani, Globus ... and so many others. We work with them all!

Here are several good ways to use travel catalogues... 

(1) Use your travel advisor to book one of the trips. If you come across a trip that excites you, that jumps off the page, your first call should be to your travel advisor. We can book the trip for you (for exactly the same price), but we'll do even more. We know you. We understand your travel preferences. We can help you choose among different trips that might appeal. And we can make sure everything about your vacation is coordinated — your pre- and post-trip plans, even your air if you need help with that.

By the way, if you want to call the tour company first and get a certain date "on hold," that's fine. Then immediately call or write us to take over that booking.

(2) Get ideas for your bucket list. When looking through any travel catalog, you'll see LOTS of trip you'd like to take. When I perused the Backroads catalog this morning, I was inspired looking at the pictures, marveling at the scenery, reading the descriptions of all the fun things I could do in those places. Reading travel catalogs are a great way to develop your personal bucket list.

Then make an actual list and share it with us! We'll keep it in your file (so you won't lose it!).

(3) Personalize one of the itineraries. Maybe one of the trips really appeals to you — but there are changes you'd like to make. Perhaps you'd prefer to travel on your own; the idea of traveling with a group of 12, or 18, or 38 doesn't interest you. Look at any itinerary as a starting point, the first draft of what will ultimately become your own bespoke itinerary.

When you're ready to plan that bespoke, once-in-a-lifetime trip, just get in touch.

copyright (c) 2018 by Ourisman Travel LLC. All rights reserved. We provide Virtuoso and other Preferred Partner amenities as an affiliate of Brownell, a Virtuoso® Member. If you have comments on this column, or questions about booking travel, email me or visit my website.

is this cruise of Japan in your future?

This beautiful video came across my desk this morning, and the images really appealed to me. Though I'm not normally a fan of cruises — I prefer to wake up in the heart of the city, ready to walk out the front door and explore. That being said, I think I'd enjoy this cruise!

"Wonders of Japan" is an itinerary offered by Abercrombie & Kent, and it looks to me like a fabulous way to explore off-the-beaten-path destinations around the coast of Japan. You'll be aboard a small ship with just 199 guests. Pack and unpack just once ... and benefit from all-included meals, bar drink, gratuities, and shore excursions. Cruise dates are May 16-29, 2018. You can enjoy savings of up to $6,000 per cabin on categories 1, 2, and 3 by booking early — before the end of August.

Discover More™ in this cruise around Japan next spring. Get in touch, and we'll help you plan the entire trip.

copyright (c) 2017 by Ourisman Travel LLC. All rights reserved. We provide Virtuoso and other Preferred Partner amenities as an affiliate of Brownell, a Virtuoso® Member. If you have comments on this column, or questions about booking travel, email me or visit my website.