Don’t Be Afraid to See the World: Is an Escorted Tour Right for You?
Have you ever looked at a destination like Italy, Morocco, Greece, Spain, or somewhere else overseas and thought:
I would love to go there... but I wouldn’t even know where to start.
Maybe you don't want to travel internationally by yourself. Maybe you're worried about getting around once you arrive. Maybe you don't know which cities to visit, where to stay, how to get from one city to another, or what attractions are actually worth seeing.
Or maybe your biggest problem is even simpler:
You know you want to travel. You just don't know where you want to go.
That's one reason I want more travelers to know about escorted tours.
So, What Is an Escorted Tour?
Think of an escorted tour as a vacation where much of the complicated planning has already been organized for you.
Instead of booking a flight, then figuring out hotels, transportation between cities, tours, attractions and how everything fits together, an escorted tour can package many of those pieces into one itinerary.
Depending on the tour, that may include:
Flights
Hotels
Transportation between destinations
A tour leader or local guides
Some meals
Sightseeing and admission to attractions
Airport or hotel transfers
Free time to explore on your own
Optional experiences you can add
And not every escorted tour is built the same way. That's important.
Some are fast-paced and cover several cities. Others give you more free time. Some are designed with families in mind. Some work well for couples, groups, seniors or solo travelers.
My job as your travel advisor is to help figure out which type fits YOU.
“But I Don't Want to Travel Alone.”
This might be one of my favorite reasons to consider an escorted tour.
Solo travel doesn't necessarily mean traveling alone.
You can book your own room, get on that plane by yourself, and still arrive to an experience where you're traveling with other people who came for the same reason you did: to see the world.
And who knows?
Sometimes the people you meet while traveling become part of the story.
You might arrive knowing nobody and leave having exchanged phone numbers, taken pictures together, shared meals and made friends you never would have met sitting at home.
You can have your independence without having to figure out an unfamiliar destination completely by yourself.
Let Me Show You What I Mean
I recently researched an escorted Italy itinerary that travels through Rome, Orvieto, Assisi, Florence, Modena, Bologna and Venice. The particular itinerary includes hotels, transportation, several guided experiences and a tour leader for most of the trip. Budget-23468721 for 15644
But here's the part I like: everything isn't scheduled for you.
There is still free time.
For example, the itinerary provides time in Rome to explore independently, while travelers can optionally add experiences such as the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel or an evening tour of Rome. Budget-23468721 for 15644
Later, travelers get a guided walking tour of Florence, followed by time to explore independently, with optional experiences such as Pisa or the Uffizi Gallery. Budget-23468721 for 15644
In Venice, there's a guided tour, followed by more time on your own, with optional experiences including a gondola ride or visiting Murano and Burano. Budget-23468721 for 15644
That's the balance.
You're not necessarily being led around every minute of every day. You can have structure when you need it and independence when you want it.
And It Doesn't Have to Be Europe
Let's say Italy isn't your thing.
How about Morocco?
Another itinerary I researched travels through Casablanca, Rabat, Chefchaouen, Fez, the Atlas Mountains, the Sahara region, Ouarzazate and Marrakech. It includes accommodations, some meals, transportation, sightseeing and an English-speaking guide throughout the trip. Budget-23468889 for 6124
Think about that for somebody who has always dreamed of seeing Morocco but thought:
I wouldn't know how to do that.
You don't have to know how.
That's the point.
You don't have to know how to get from Casablanca to Fez. You don't have to figure out how to see the Atlas Mountains. You don't have to build every transfer and sightseeing stop from scratch.
And you can still have choices. On this particular itinerary, for example, travelers can choose an optional overnight experience in a Berber camp in the Sahara dunes. Budget-23468889 for 6124
That's not just taking a vacation.
That's experiencing a destination.
“Eric, I Don't Even Know Where I Want to Go.”
Perfect.
Seriously.
You don't always need to come to me saying:
I want this exact hotel in this exact city from these exact dates.
You can tell me:
“Eric, I have about 10 days. I want to go overseas. I don't want to travel completely alone. I like history and food. I have this much money to spend. What can we do?”
Now you've given me something to work with.
I can help look at different destinations and tour styles and narrow down the options.
Maybe we discover Italy.
Maybe Morocco.
Maybe Greece.
Maybe somewhere you hadn't even considered.
That's part of what a travel advisor is for.
Escorted Doesn't Mean One-Size-Fits-All
This is also why I don't want to name one particular tour company and tell everybody to use them.
There are many tour operators, and they don't all provide the same experience.
The right tour for a 30-year-old solo traveler may not be the right tour for a retired couple.
The right itinerary for a family with children may not be the right itinerary for a group of friends.
Even physical activity matters. Some itineraries involve considerably more walking, stairs and long sightseeing days than others. For example, the Italy itinerary I reviewed actually identifies activities by physical intensity, ranging from light through challenging. Budget-23468721 for 15644
Those are the details we should look at before you book.
Maybe the World Isn't as Difficult to See as You Think
Sometimes the biggest obstacle isn't money.
Sometimes it isn't time.
Sometimes it's simply fear of the unknown.
Who's going to meet me?
How am I getting to the hotel?
How do I get from one city to another?
What am I supposed to see?
What if I'm traveling by myself?
Those are legitimate questions.
But they don't have to keep you home.
There are ways to travel where you have guidance, transportation, an itinerary and other travelers around you while still getting opportunities to explore and make the vacation your own.
So let me ask you a different question:
If you knew you didn't have to figure everything out by yourself, where in the world would you go?
That's where we can start.
Poet's Year-Round Travel
Turning travel wishes into reality.
