What is more profitable: tours or independent travel?
Many people are afraid to travel independently. And they choose to travel with a tour or on a trip. But what is more profitable, to choose the services of a tour operator or to plan a trip by yourself? And what are the pros and cons of each type of travel? Let’s look into it.
About the benefits and savings. The cost of the trip depends on the destination and what tour you choose. If you’re planning a vacation at a popular resort and you are able to buy a last minute tour, it may even be cheaper. During the season, tour operators rent hotel rooms and charter flights in bulk, due to which a low price is formed. You can also find cheaper deals for 2-3-4 people than for a solo traveler. You can always talk your relatives into a trip or find a traveling companion on a travel forum.
There is often an obvious benefit in all-inclusive hotel stays. But again, such a lazy vacation will not suit everyone. And to understand the real benefit and monetary difference between independent travel and travel packages, you need to calculate the budget of a vacation planned personally.
If you have to travel where you want to change several locations, visit different countries or cities, then it will be cheaper to organize a trip on your own. Also, buying tickets and booking accommodation in advance will help you save money.
Features of independent travel
What are the pros and cons of traveling independently?
Time. If you don’t have time to plan a trip, an itinerary, search for tickets, lodging and interesting locations, then of course, an organized vacation from a tour operator or travel agency will suit you better.
Ability to control everything. If you are not satisfied with the hotel, food or beach conditions of the trip, you can not change them. Well, or separately pay for everything again and look for a new place to rest. And if you plan everything yourself, and something in your vacation you are not satisfied, you can rent another apartment, move to another area or go to eat in a different cafe.
A clear budget framework. When organized by the travel agency vacation you initially know how much money you will need. There will only have to take extra money for souvenirs and incidentals. With independent planning, which can take a considerable amount of time, the question of the budget can be a long open. And it has to be counted on your own in any case.
Routes and locations. With a self-planned vacation, you choose the places you want to visit and the time to do it yourself. That is, you can avoid the crowds of tourists and crowds of people and see the monuments of interest in a more private way.
Originality and adventure. In the hotel you are unlikely to be served any original local dishes. The standard safe food awaits you there. And for some extreme experiences you need to plan a vacation on your own. The same applies to entertainment. This has its own advantage, it is safer, you will not get lost or poisoned.
But individually selected route for a trip can leave a more vivid impression.
How to plan a vacation without a travel agency
If you want to organize your trip by yourself, but you’re worried, get a good travel insurance. It will give you more peace of mind. Choose insurance that includes a good financial indemnity and all the risks that are possible on the trip. Also consider the requirements of the country you are going to. Some states require tourists to carry insurance with coronavirus coverage.
How much money do you need for the trip
The advantage of a ready-made tour is that you know right away how much you have to spend. But to plan your trip you need to decide a few key questions.
Determine where you would like to go. Different destinations cost differently.
The length of the trip also plays a role. If the trip is long, then it is more important to pay attention not to the price of airline tickets, but how much it will cost to stay, eat, play and so on. In short trips, say, a weekend, it is not so much the domestic costs that are important, as the cost of airfare.
Leisure. If you want to travel a lot, changing locations every few days and doing extreme activities, you’ll need a lot more money than if you just want to take in the color and live the life of the locals, walking the streets of the city and inspiring.
How to know how much it costs to spend a day of vacation in different countries
Also a vacation in different countries equals a significant difference in budget.
When planning your vacation, count flight + day at the hotel + average bill at nearby establishments + transportation costs + tickets to museums and other attractions. The menu of most restaurants can be found on the Internet or on the official pages in social networks. Also, a lot of useful information, including prices, can be found in thematic forums or blogs. For example, here you can find out how to use free transport in different cities around the world.
How to choose a season and time to rest
If you want to avoid the crowds of tourists and save a little money on vacation, then we recommend you not to travel in peak season. Move your travel dates up a bit, literally by a month or a half. That way you can really relax instead of jostling with other visitors at viewpoints or lying on each other’s heads on the beaches.
Also during the season, prices are much higher for everything from lodging to food. The locals also suffer from higher prices in the midst of the tourist months. In addition, at this time is more difficult to rent or book a room, and much less offers.
Need to book a hotel in advance to save money
By the way, even if your vacation still falls on the peak tourist season, you can book accommodation in advance. By booking early, you can find a lower price and more interesting available hotels and apartments, since most people do book lodging before they travel.
Although if you are not going to the metropolis, but to the province, and if you are sure that in the days of your trip there are not various competitions and festivals, as at this time usually all hotels and apartments in town are booked, you can rent an apartment on the spot. Why so? Many small hotels do not have websites and do not cooperate with aggregators. And you can only rent a room in them on the spot. Plus in person you can haggle or ask for a discount at the reception.
How to choose the right accommodation
Book lodging in advance if :
- You are going in the peak tourist season;
- Planning to live in a big city;
- You are arriving during festivals, concerts, competitions, etc;
- You are arriving at night or late at night;
- Going to an area where they don’t speak English and you don’t know the local language.
When booking accommodation using online services, then pay attention not only to the room and the view from the window, but also to the remoteness of your apartment from the attractions, grocery stores, the beach and the like. Sometimes it is even more advantageous to rent a room or apartment in the city center than in the suburbs, due to the reduced cost of transportation, the availability of a supermarket, and the location of major tourist attractions nearby.
If an active club life is not part of your understanding of relaxation, then make sure that there are no noisy establishments and discos near your place of residence. It is also important for a restful sleep that there are no busy highways, train tracks, 24-hour markets and the like nearby.
How to be safe while traveling?
And of course, do not forget that safety in travel is above all. This rule applies to careful selection of housing, looking at reviews and ratings of the tenant, the storage of money and valuables, and purchase of reliable insurance. Here, too, you should not just focus on the price, because cheap insurance bought just to comply with the formalities will not be able to guarantee you the proper amount of reimbursement and not the fact that it will even include the options you need.