Tour companies that offer multiday trips arrange most everything for you: lodging, sightseeing, food and transportation. But group size, style of travel and budget are among the considerations travelers should assess before picking a tour. Read on for tips.
Big group or small
Start your research by thinking about how many people you want to travel with and what your tolerance is for the social demands dictated by group size.
Smaller groups can move more nimbly and possibly see more. But they can also be more intensely social as you spend a great deal of time with the same people touring and dining.
Larger groups tend to require more time to get around, but they can also offer more social variety — for example, you can change up your lunch partners more easily.
“Large groups offer anonymity, allowing travelers to choose their level of interaction,” said Deborah Miller, a travel adviser and the owner of Edge of Wonder Travels Unlimited in San Francisco. “Conversely, smaller groups foster intimacy among travelers, guides and the destination itself.”
Look for age-appropriate trips
Think about the demographics of your travel party and consider matching that to a tour company.
Operators often segment their trips by age under the assumption that similarly aged people have more in common or prefer the same pace. Road Scholar, for example, caters to an intellectually curious 50-plus crowd.
On the other end of the spectrum, G Adventures offers a category of trips for “18-to-thirtysomethings” and Intrepid Travel has trips for 18-to-35-year-olds.
With their inherent age spans, families can be a tough demographic to fit into larger group departures, which is why companies tend to break up family offerings by age group.
The active tour company Backroads has three age segments for families, including trips for those with children 4 to 19, those with older teens and younger adults into their 20s, and those with children in their 20s and beyond.
“By definition, that creates somewhat of an age segmentation among parents, too,” said Tom Hale, the founder, president and chief executive of Backroads.
Go general or specific
A popular option for first-timers, a general tour will hit the highlights of a destination, like the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre in Paris or major sites in Tokyo and Kyoto in Japan.
Beyond the general approach, alternatives abound based on themes, styles of travel or hobbies.
Themed trips include a culinary tour of Sicily, a deep dive into literary…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at NYT > Travel…