There are many different ways to travel and see the world. Maybe your a little bit more adventurous and want to be spontaneous while on your vacation; or you are a planner but like to have control over your itinerary and like to do things on your own. If this sounds like you an Independent Tour might be right for you. If you are wanting to get to see and do everything at the spots you are traveling to and not have to worry about making a wrong turn and not being able to enjoy the scenery along your drive then an Escorted Tour might be right for you.
Each traveler is different and it is my job to help assist you in finding the right one for you. Below I have included my top favorite tour operators but just know there are many tour operators out there and I know we can find the right one for you.
Let's get started...
When Booking an Escorted Tour with me there is NO Fee for my services. I am paid by the tour operator after my clients travel for selling there product.
With most escorted tour companies you will have a Tour Director who is with you on the whole leg of the trip from start to finish. Then in some cities on your trip you will have local Expert Guides who join your trip for either the day or a few days (depending on the tour & company). These guides are filled with knowledge on the places you are seeing and can give you the rich history of the areas you will be visiting.
I have to say one of my personal favorite's about being on an Escorted Tour vs. an Independent Tour is that you get "cut to the front of the line passes". Escorted Tour companies work with the places and set up what time their group will be there so that you can just go right in and not have to wait in the long lines for hours to get in. What's not to love!
I am including below some of my Top Rated Escorted Tour companies. Again there are many tours companies out there; these are just the ones that I have worked with over the past 9 years as an agent and that I get amazing feedback from clients on.
GLOBUS TOURS
Learn More About Globus Tours Here
TRAFALGAR TOURS
Learn More about Trafalgar Tours Here
INSIGHT VACATIONS
Learn More About Insight Vacations Here
G ADVENTURES
Learn More About G Adventures Here
ADVENTURES BY DISNEY
Learn More About Adventures by Disney Here
There are 2 different types of Independent Travel.
The First one is what I call à la carte where I put together an itinerary based on the areas you want to see and your wants & needs.
The Second is booking with a Tour Company that has a pre-selected Itinerary for you with some included tours but a lot of time on your own. I will break them down for you below...
à la carte Independent Travel
When booking a à la carte Independent Tour with me I do require a non-refundable deposit down of $300 that will be put towards the overall total of the trip once booked. Since Independent Travel is a very time consuming trip to plan and there are a lot of pieces of the puzzle; you can imagine that we may have to go through several options before you book the trip. With that said I have unfortunately done a lot of work for clients in the past who have taken my work and then chose to use that information and book on their own. So I have made the decision to require a $300 payment to start the process; but again; once booked that $300 goes towards the overall trip balance and it is not a fee. Please feel free to ask me any questions regarding this.
With an à la carte trip; I start with asking what areas you want to visit and how many nights you are planning to be in each location. We discuss then your accommodation needs (I.e. 3*, 4* hotels, etc.), transportation needs (I.e. airfare, car rental, train tickets, private transfers), local sightseeing tours (I.e. Wine tour in Tuscany, Blue Grotto in Capri), and much more. Once I have all of this information I will then put together an à la carte itinerary for you and we can tweak different elements of it to get it perfect to meet your needs.
Independent Tour Companies
One of my favorite Tour Operators that offers Independent Travelers that little extra is Monograms. What is included in a Monograms Tour and why is it considered Independent Travel?
Monograms is an affordable way to travel with pre-packaged itineraries for multiple travelers or solo travelers. They are owned by Globus Tours (Escorted Tour Company) so they are able to negotiate great hotel pricing as well as sightseeing pricing.
The packages include: airfare from your city, transportation to & from the Airport, transportation from city to city (If by train - the local host will pick you up from your hotel and drop you at your specific train and a new local host will meet you at the next stop to get you situated in your next hotel), hotels in each city (they give you a few options to pick from in each city based on your comfort level), you are given a local host as a contact in case of any questions or issues that arise on the trip and you need help from a local that speaks English, and sightseeing tours (They include at least 1 day of sightseeing, usually a half day tour, in each city on your tour).
Learn More About Monograms Here
Read a Blog Post from Ashley's Client who did a Monogram Tour
Credits:
Created with images by Mathew Schwartz - "So many tourists visit. Going early in the morning was the only way to have some more clean shots." • Ibrahim Rifath - "Tomb of I’timād-ud-Daulah, Agra, India"