Cracking the Group Tour Nut
Posted on February 14, 2012 By Joseph
During my days as a travel writer I have been on many press trips.A press trip is not unlike any other special interest escorted tour. In my case, I was with a group of journalists in search of the essence of a destination, like Portugal, for example. Failing that, we would settle for finding something new and different to interest our audiences and readers.
We could just as well have been a group of history teaches paying homage to Portugal’s ancient mariners, or wine lovers looking for the perfect glass of porto tinto. And just like those original European tourists, Hannibal and his elephants, we came, we saw, we conquered — and we did it as a group.
There is a lot to be said for escorted group tours. There’s the warm camaraderie of your fellows, the expertise of the guides and the easy style of travel. There’s always someone there to answer your questions, heft your bags, get you up and tell you where to go. If you have any problems there’s help, and in foreign countries there’s an interpreter.
What most escorted group tours lack is adventure. Everything is planned, scheduled and predictable. The reason most of us travel in the first place is to break the pattern of our everyday lives. We certainly don’t want to exchange one dull routine for another.
But it is possible to have your tour and some adventure, too. Here are a few suggestions:
1. Make sure that your tour includes free time — golden time, I call it — unstructured time to explore on your own.
2. Don’t choose an itinerary so packed that you’ll be too exhausted to take advantage of the free time.
3. Get a good guidebook. It introduces you to the country and maximizes your free time by nudging you in the right direction.
4. Ask for help from a local. A smile and a good phrasebook will usually overcome the language barrier, and who knows? — it could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship.
5. Take a chance. Don’t be foolish, but be brave.
After five days of being led around by our expert guides in Portugal, I got lazy. When we were set free to roam on our own, I felt disoriented. I thought I had lost the travel knack, but after a few friendly encounters with the locals, it came back.
Jack London once said about writing, “You can’t wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club.”
A travel experience is like that. You can’t just wait for interesting things to happen or be created for you. It’s your trip — go out and make something happen!
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