On your first cruise, perhaps you took a three day trip to Baja or the Bahamas, or maybe a week in some other tropical region.
If you brought your own mask and snorkel, you didn't feel any need for shore excursions. Perhaps you didn't even need those diving accessories.
You strolled through port towns and along sandy beaches where you camped out on Adirondack chairs or striped cruise ship towels, but the main attraction of your first cruise was probably the onboard experience with all the great entertainment, dining and poolside fun.
Over dinner, you heard fellow passengers glowingly review swimming with dolphins or exploring Mayan ruins, so on a subsequent cruise, you broke down and took a shore excursion yourself.
When the destinations for your next vacation became the great cities of Europe, it seemed only natural to take more ship-sponsored excursions.
Then, wonderful excursions included in every port on river cruises spoiled us completely. We wanted shore excursions everywhere, though we frequently refrain to conserve travel funds.
Not even river cruises can take you everywhere you'd like to go, so perhaps you occasionally have reverted back to driving vacations where you chart your own course, planning what you can in advance and figuring out the rest by the seat of your pants. Of course, you have to research the history of the region entirely on your own to get the complete regional experience. While I enjoy this type of travel and will undoubtedly do it again, there is a better way.
You can avoid worries about finding some out of the way bed and breakfast that turns out to be way out of the way, subsisting primarily on mini-market meals high in salt, fat and sugar (yum!!!) but not much nutrition, and bickering over wrong turns and tailgating, .
An land tour provides transportation, lodging, some-to-most meals and excursions. More importantly, you will have an experienced guide helping you at every turn, filling in the gaps.
If you remove those minor aggravations that somehow morph into anger directed at the loved ones with whom you travel on your own, it is amazing what a difference that can make in your level of vacation satisfaction and relaxation. In addition, I recently learned that stress may cause the body to store fat, exacerbating the negative effects of those fast food meals scarfed down on the run.
Surprisingly, when you calculate the bottom line that you actually spend on a do-it-yourself itinerary, including entrance fees, missed value due to lack of inside knowledge, and simple screw-ups, you will find packaged tours of equal or better quality often costs less despite being worth considerably more.
What if you don't have a travel buddy but still want to explore the world?
That makes an escorted tour a surpassingly more logical choice.
You can maintain your solitude if you prefer, but you will most likely find others with whom you share much in common, if you've selected the right tour for you.
Please note that not all tour companies are the same.
You can choose how much you want to have included and how much free time you want, understanding that more inclusions generally come with a price.
There are different qualities of accommodations, all selected with care by experts for exactly the passengers choosing that particular tour.
You can select leisurely vacation stays visiting two or three cities or on-the-go, sweeping vacations through several countries.
Some tours are geared for active adventurers and others for people with mobility issues.
To some extent, choices about quality and levels of activity will be reflected in demographic segmentation, but note that some tours are specifically geared for distinct markets like 18 to 35 year-olds or families with children.
You may be surprised to discover how much you enjoy that sense of comeraderie of kindred souls sharing your journey, although if you already cruise, that shouldn't be all that shocking.
You will see far more than you can stumble upon by happenstance and learn all about what you see there from experts on the region.
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