Budgeting 101 – Pay for tour or go it alone?

December 18th 2007
Susan
Saving for your trip

Ok, so you’re traveling. Congratulations! Now what do you do? You know you want to see the ruins of Bath, the town of Shakespeare’s Birth and the Loch Ness monster, but how to make it happen? Do you strike out on your own or take a local tour company’s trip? How can you get the most bang for your buck?

I’ve had many different experiences with taking local tours but most have been very positive. If you’re naturally independent, it can be fun to try and find your way around alone, but mostly it can end up being frustrating if you’re on any type of a tight schedule. If you’ve got any sorts of time restrictions, I have found that choosing the right local tours can help you see the things you want while allowing you to still travel independently.

Of course, the trick comes in choosing your own local tour company. When you’re in Los Angeles, there are thousands of street hawkers offering tours of the ‘Star’s Homes.’ Which one to choose? I always look for the following: Inclusion of admission to the site in your tour price. Knowledgeable and interesting guide. Reputation (look for fliers with listings of their tours in other cities) and stability as a company. Good transportation (find a fun-looking bus, but be wary of the boat-looking busses!).

If your tour company includes the admission fees to sites and the transportation fees it is frequently less expensive to use a local tour than to arrange transportation and entrance fees yourself. They can include both because they buy admission in bulk from locations for their customers so they get a discount (not that they’ll tell you this) and therefore they’re still making money. Plus, if you get a good guide you can get some free sight seeing and information in that you wouldn’t have gotten in otherwise.

Also, there are several sites that you can check out before you go for great reviews on tour companies. Kango.com has a whole ‘what to do’ section that is immensely helpful. Viator.com will actually book your tours ahead of time for you. Lonely Planet.com has reviews from other travelers.

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