hosted tour definition

Escorted, Hosted and Independent – Understanding the Different Tours

What is the difference between an escorted, hosted and an independent tour? This is a common question in the travel industry, and in this post we’re breaking down what they are, and the advantages of each. We’ve got a lot to cover, so let’s dive right in!

Escorted Tours

An escorted tour is one that is conducted by a tour director. They will take care of everything from beginning to end. For example, your transportation to and from the airport, as well as transportation to and from your hotel for daily activities. You’ll also typically be with a group throughout your tour.

For some escorted tours it’s a one day affair where they will pick you up from your hotel in the morning, take you to see the sites, and then bring you back to your hotel in the evening. Typically there is a strict agenda with meal times, and places to visit set up for you as well.

In the more extreme escorted tours, every day of your itinerary is scheduled and handled for you. You’re picked up from the airport, driven to the hotel, and each day you will be picked up for a new activity, and then dropped off at your hotel each evening. Then, at the end of your vacation your escort will bring you to the airport to go home.

Hosted Tours

Hosted tours are very similar to escorted tours. Like an escorted tour, you will probably be with the same group of people throughout the tour, and you’ll be transported to and from your hotel.

However, the difference here is that you won’t be escorted to every individual activity and function. There will be local guides available to answer questions throughout the duration of your tour, but for the most part you will be on your own.

Hosted tours are great for those that want the freedom to do what they want, but also want a guide available when they have questions or need something. Some meals and sightseeing will be included as well, but what you get varies by the company you tour with.

Independent Tours

These are the tours the free spirits typically prefer. On an independent tour you set your own schedule, you won’t be with a group, and you’ll be responsible for getting reservations for your meals.

With an independent tour vacation, you’ll still enjoy having your hotel, transportation, excursions, and some meals included with your package, but the rest is up to you. Many people prefer independent tour vacations for the freedom, flexibility and privacy they offer. However, what causes some travelers to opt for escorted and hosted tours over independent ones, is the discomfort they experience in being somewhere foreign to them.

What tour is right for you?

Deciding which tour is right for you is a personal choice only you can make. You’ll need to decide how much freedom you want on your vacation, and how comfortable you are with being in new places alone. Still, we hope this post has cleared up some of the confusion between escorted, hosted and independent tours.

If you would like to know more about tours available to your dream destination, call Ingenious Travel at 888.695.0321 . From adventure to luxury getaways, exotic to romantic vacations – We work with the best tour operators that suit a wide variety of travelers needs.

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Escorted vs. Hosted Travel?

Escorted travel you may have heard of. Hosted may be a new term or you may have heard of it, but not sure what it is? Today we are going to be discussing the differences between escorted and. hosted travel.

Escorted vs. Hosted Travel? They are both great ways to explore new places. I wouldn’t consider one better than the other they both have their benefits.

You will be touring with a group, the group size depends on the itinerary and company used to book. This is a great opportunity to meet new friends! Your group will be escorted with a tour guide throughout the entire trip. Your tour guide will be able to share history, fun facts, tips, and things you wouldn’t even know to ask. Many Escorted tours are themed around an interest such as wine, art, history, etc.

The complete itinerary and details are set in advance and typically won’t be altered unless something unexpected happens and it needs to be changed. When the unexpected does happen you are not alone you are with a guide who has a backup plan. Transportation is taken care of throughout the entire trip except for free time. The amount of free time varies by itinerary and the company. Because the itinerary and details are set in advance you will have a great idea when you book of all the costs and anything not included so you will know what you need to budget for.

Benefits of Escorted

You can maximize your time and budget with all the details planned and these types of trips help alleviate unknown or unexpected situations, especially for those who haven’t traveled extensively.
The social aspect and built-in travel partners and friends make for a new type of experience – meeting new, like-minded individuals can enhance your adventure and provide long-lasting friendships.
Information provided by your tour guide is invaluable and there are simply some locations that must be done escorted because of the remoteness of the location, for example.
Escorted tours can often provide higher quality at a better value.

Hosted can sometimes be mistaken as an escorted tour because it does come with a guide (host). The way hosted travel works, you will select the itinerary with the locations you are looking for. Some companies allow minor changes to the itinerary with some exceptions. You will have the flexibility within that itinerary to tour on your own.

Your host will pick you up from the airport and take you to your booked accommodations. Once you have checked in your host will be available to recommend things, answer questions, help with tickets, and help with anything unexpected, but will not accompany you.

This is a great option for someone who likes the security of having things planned out and having someone that can recommend things to you while maintaining flexibility to explore on your own and make your own agenda.

Benefits of Hosted

Local guides that can provide personalized recommendations
Your hotels will always be in a safe, convenient area
Support, on-site, so if anything happens you have someone in the same time zone, language and knowledgeable of the area to help
Still, have the benefits of an escorted tour where the host can help set up access to museums and tours while giving you guidance on how to explore on your own.
Flexibility for minor changes to the itinerary
Explore on your own, at your own pace.

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ESCORTED, INDEPENDENT AND HOSTED TOURS AND KNOWING WHAT COMES WITH THESE KINDS OF PACKAGES

When it comes to a world tour, it means to go and explore. There are a number of tours which exist and you will need to understand what each one of them really means. There is the hosted, independent, and escorted tour. The independent tour means that you are travelling on your own. This is where the travel company only takes the initiative to book your hotel and then seating on your own for any train or boat rides. When you land in the country you are going to, you will have to find your way to the hotel and make arrangements of what and where you want to go and see on your own. You will also have to book the type of transport to move from one area to the other of your choice. You can opt for this package if you want to travel and do not have a lot of money to spend on tour companies.

Hosted is another tour package and is different from escorted tours and independent tours as well. This is a kind of tour package where you will just need a little hand to help. There will be a person who will be available to help you, but for only during specific hours. If you happen to be travelling to various cities, then everything will be arranged as far as transport and hotel arrangement are concerned, but you will have plenty of time to plan on your own. Escorted tours are preferred to be the best and this is because they come with a number of advantages. This is where you will have someone by your side who will be able to guide you all through whatever you need. The hotel as well as a means of transport to and from will be arranged by the company which you have hired. Escorted tour come with a lot of packages which are referred to as escorted tour packages.

The escorted tour packages have many advantages and this is where they will make sure you will not, at any point, miss any activity or attraction. This is where all of your days will be full of adventures and excitement, while your evenings will be for relaxing. This also means the type of transport you will use is your preference. So, with escorted tours you will be able to enjoy more than you can with other types of packages.

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Tips for Travellers

Escorted Tours. The Pros, Cons and Who They are Best Suited For.

by Gary Bembridge · June 3, 2016

What exactly is an Escorted Tour? What are the pros and cons, and who are they most suited for? These were some of the questions that came to mind when I was invited to go on one by Titan Travel to Florida . As I had never been on one, I welcomed the chance to find out more about Escorted Travelling – and answering those questions. This is what I discovered.

Direction Sign in Key West Florida. Saw on my Escorted Tour of Florida

What is an escorted tour?

A Tour Manager hosts the tour, from start to end. They fly out and stay with the group at every step, handling all aspects of the trip once there. Flights, hotels, transfers to and from the airport, transportation around the destination (usually by coach), sightseeing and entrance fees are covered within the fare. Meals may be included in the price, but differ by trip.

Escorted tours pack as much as possible into the itinerary, and so tend to be intense and busy. They may only spend one or two nights in each hotel.

Is an escorted tour and guided tour the same thing?

They are similar but a Guided Tour uses a local representative who meets the group on arrival. While they provide guidance, support and handle local arrangements, they may not travel with, stay at the hotels or join every excursion and activity. The itineraries tend to have more free time and optional sightseeing opportunities.

Air Boat Ride in the Everglades. Excursions included in my Escorted Tour of Florida

What are the main pros of an Escorted Tour?

Removes hassle: Removes the hassle of planning your vacation. The tour company sets the itinerary, arranges and books flights, hotels, transfers, ground transportation, excursions and entrance to attractions.
See more : Likely you will see more than if you did it self-touring as they know, and have found, the most efficient way to cover the destination.
Reduces risk : The tours are constantly fine tuned and adapted, based on feedback from earlier customers and tour managers, to make sure all aspects meet the needs and preferences of their target traveller. There is less risk that you waste time visiting sights or staying in hotels that do not meet your needs – if you chose the right tour company for your travel tastes.
Guiding hand all the way : A Tour Manager, who knows the destination and speaks the language, accompanies the trip, They provide commentary on the destinations, make recommendations, give tips and advice, take care of all arrangements along the way and deal with any problems or issues that may arise.
Transparent budgeting : Budgeting for your vacation is easier and more transparent; as the fare you pay will cover all or most costs. Any exclusions are made clear, the most common being meals. For example, on my tour of Florida no meals were included, except one sunset cruise dinner on the last night.
Cheaper : They may be cheaper than independently booking a similar itinerary, as they have the benefit of negotiating group rates.
Safety and Security : The Tour Manager and fellow guests are always around to help, look out for each other and keep you company. This makes escorted touring appealing to solo, nervous or any traveller that does not want to navigate a foreign country, language and customs on their own. They are also useful for exploring countries with security, political and crime issues or where the tourist infrastructure is under developed, as the company will have considered and have expertise in handling these.

Alligator in the Everglades. Saw on my included excursions on my Escorted Tour of Florida

What are the main downsides of Escorted Tours?

Inflexible : No flexibility or customisation of elements of the itinerary, hotels, excursions or other arrangements is possible. You have to stick to the fixed schedule, sightseeing, hotels and restaurants packaged into the trip.
Pace : The pace is intense and often includes early starts, long commutes between destinations and only one or two nights in any one hotel to make sure as much of the destination is visited.
Tour Manager dependent : Reliant on the quality of the Tour Manager, which you won’t know until the tour starts.
Fellow travellers : If you don’t get on with the people on the tour you are stuck with them.
First-time traveller focused : Not as suitable for repeat visitors to a destination as they focus on the must-see highlights (which most will have seen on previous visits).
Upfront payment : You have to pay the full cost of your trip before you leave. Usually many weeks before departure date, and there are likely to be strict cancellation penalties.

Who is an Escorted Tour best suited for?

In my view, it is less about age and more about how people like to travel. Although in practice these attitudes tend to also be shared by, and often attract, an older demographic.

I believe Escorted Tours are suitable for travellers who meet some or all these criteria:

Are visiting a region for the first time . If you have been to a destination before it is likely an Escorted Tour will visit many of the sights you have seen. They tend to focus on the must-see and highlights, which makes them ideal for first-timers.
Want to cut the hassle and uncertainty of visiting a new destination . Escorted tours remove the need to research the history, background, sights, places to stay, transportation and where to eat. They also remove the need to make any of your own arrangements.
Want certainty on cost of their vacation and have paid for it before they go . As all the costs are bundled into the fare you will know the total cost (and pay for it) before the trip starts. If there are any costs not covered, like meals and gratuities, you will know these in advance and be able to bring the right amount of money with you, use your credit or a pre-paid currency card.
Want the security, reassurance and support of a destination-knowledgeable guiding hand at every step of the journey . The Tour Managers are experts in the destination and speak the language, and so are well equipped to show travellers around, tell them what they need to know, where to go and how to make the most of their time there.
Do not want to explore a destination by themselves . They suit travellers that do not want to visit a country by themselves, and prefer being surrounded by and meeting people.
Do not have the time to plan the details of their vacation. They suit people who know the destination they want to visit but do not have the time to properly plan and book elements of their trip. Escorted tours have packaged it all up for them. The only decision is where to go and with which company.

Miami South Beach. Saw on my Escorted Tour of Florida

What questions should you ask when choosing an Escorted Tour?

If the above has convinced you that an Escorted Tour is for you, then these are the questions I suggest you ask when making your choice:

What type (and age) of people will be on this company’s tour? Review the brochure, website and company’s social media accounts (especially Facebook and YouTube) to see who they are targeting and what sort of people appear in their marketing materials. I also recommend reading reviews left on sites like TripAdvisor.com, travel blogs and by searching for reviews on Google. If unsure send a message to reviewers to check what sort of people were on their trip. This is a feature that TripAdvisor enables on most reviewers’ reviews.
How many people will be in the group? The smaller the group the more time the Tour Manager has to spend with people and fine tune the commentary, adding in other side activities or diversions that the group wants.
What is the reputation and ratings of the Tour Company? Check what other travellers are saying about the company’s tours. Looking at their Tripadvisor.com reviews is a good place to start. Many will also have reviews on their site but they may be selectively chosen so go to other review sites such as TrustPilot.com and Revoo.com . Do a search on Google for reviews of the company (e.g. if considering travelling with Titan Travel to Florida search “Titan Travel Florida Reviews”).
How much of the tour’s itinerary have I visited or seen before? Is there enough that will be new and interesting to me? As mentioned before, many escorted tours suit first-time visitors to a destination and so spend time reviewing the itinerary to understand what you will be seeing and how much time will be spent at each. Some sights may just be driving through or photo opportunity only.
What is not covered in the fare? I recommend especially checking what meals are included and how many optional excursions there are. These can add a sizeable amount to the overall cost of your vacation. You need to understand these if price comparing different companies to compare overall cost for all aspects. I suggest calculating a cost for the trip by the time you get home for each. For example, Titan Travel includes transfers to and from your home and airport and so when looking at another tour provider you need to add that. Finally factor in gratuities for the Tour Manager, driver and local providers based on the custom in the destination (e.g. In the United States tipping is expected for almost every service, with waiters looking for between 15% and 18% minimum).
How much time will be spent on a coach or travelling between destinations versus sight seeing? It is unlikely they will tell you, but I use Google Maps and put in the places travelled from and to which gives the mileage and a good estimate on how long it will take. For example, I could tell that there would be around four hours of bus travel everyday on the tour before I left.
What are the hotels I will be staying in like, and where are they located? Again TripAdvisor.com is the easiest to use. Make sure the hotels meet your needs and quality standards (e.g. If you like to work out if they have a fitness centre, if you only like boutique hotels over resort-style ones). Also check how central they are to allow self-exploring or being able to find restaurants in the evening so you can avoid expensive hotel restaurants and try local cuisine.
What do I need to pack and take? Prepare to live out of a suitcase, as you will probably spend at most two nights in any one hotel and pack accordingly. Check what other items you need to cover a variety of weather like sunscreen, insect repellent, cold snaps (or vigorous air conditioning on the coach) and rain. Ensure you have packed the right footwear for the different activities and terrain you will experience.

Have you been on an escorted tour and have anything to add to these? I would love to hear your thoughts, which you can leave as a comment on this article or by emailing me .

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Ray, a podcast and blog follower, sent these insightful comments and some extra tips for escorted tours that I wanted to share with readers as they give some added first-hand traveller insights and suggestions:

Gary, I read your piece on escorted tours and want to add a few things. But first, I should tell you that I’ve become a fan of escorted tours, for many of the same reasons you mention. I’d rather enjoy my time seeing, hearing, and learning about another place rather than worrying about the logistics of travelling. In other words, I want to be a kid, not the daddy organizing it all and keeping the agenda and schedule!

My additional thoughts (in no particular order):

1) It seems that some tour operators (probably smaller ones) require clients to carry their own luggage back and forth between the tour bus and hotel rooms, while others provide that service.

2) Yes, you are with the same group of people for the entire trip. But if you don’t find ANY fellow tourists on your tour to be compatible with you at all, that probably says more about you than it does about them.

3) As you point out, too much travel from one place to another can be a disadvantage of an escorted tour. I think it’s easy to look at published itineraries and steer away from those types of tours, but even if you don’t, you can see and learn much even through the windows of a bus when travelling from place to place. It’s not always lost time.

4) It might be a good idea to determine whether the bus that you’ll be on has restroom facilities, especially if that’s important to you. Some do and some don’t.

My wife and I have the freedom to travel now, and we’re making good use of it. Listening to your podcasts is one way we get information about the best sites and companies, so many thanks for that. We take ocean cruises, we’ve taken our first river cruise earlier this year, and we’ve taken a guided tour to Italy, with others already planned to Ireland/Scotland and to Greece. About 16 years ago we traveled unescorted to Paris and then to Germany over 3.5 weeks, and although we saw and learned much, I tired of worrying about where our young family would eat and stay every day, and about language issues (especially in that mostly pre-Internet era). So now, as I mentioned, I’m a fan of escorted tours.

I happened to hear your podcast on the topic of escorted tours, and then I found the article on the same topic here on your website. My wife and I like both independent travel and escorted tours. I wanted to say that I think the most significant downside of escorted tours (not mentioned by you) is that when you take one, you can easily never speak to any local person in the country you are visiting, except perhaps the guide(s). It’s the exact opposite of “cultural immersion.” You may see the sites and visit the museums, but you can have no interactions with the people. In my opinion, you don’t really get a feeling for the place(s) you are visiting. The only people you may get to know are your compatriots on the tour bus. In the worst case scenario (for us), our fellow travelers are all Americans, like us, or even worse, all friends of ours! Then we don’t get to meet anyone new!

To reduce this negative aspect of escorted tours, we do two things:

(1) We try to chose tour operators who attract travelers from multiple countries.

(2) Whenever possible on the tour, we explore independently, on foot. We go into stores (not souvenir shops), visit neighborhoods, and in every way possible try to see “ordinary life” and, if we can, interact with people we see. For us, it makes a world of difference!

Thanks for checking out both the podcast and the article! Really good and key points you make, and the tips are key – so thanks for adding these. I think that point about having an operator where time is built into the schedule to allow some self exploring time is really key. Much appreciated!!

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Define Hosted Tour

hosted tour. A tour that features the services of a person, sometimes a hotel employee, who is available to perform certain services for members of the group.

To find the abbreviation, acronym, or term you’re looking for, use the Search box (below) or click on any letter (above).

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What Is a Hosted Group Travel Experience?

At Accent on Travel, we offer a wide range of hosted group tours and cruises every year. They’re one of the best ways to see the world and one of our favorite offerings because of the positive feedback we always get.

Right now, we’re taking reservations for our hosted group travel offers for 2023 , but there is still room for two more guests on our Southern Gems Christmas Private Jet Journey in December 2022 — so call right away to avoid missing out!

If you’ve never experienced the ease of a hosted group vacation before, allow us to explain in more detail how you benefit…

What is a hosted group journey?

As the name suggests, a hosted group journey sees you traveling with a small group of like-minded companions from the Mid-Atlantic area with friends and family who may get invites from across the US. Each hosted journey, whether it be a cruise or a tour, has been customized to give you the best experience possible. All of our hosted journeys are led by either a full time travel professional to take care of any of the questions that might arise, or an expert in their field – i.e. a musician, chef, priest, or the likes to give insights or to entertain. Your entire itinerary is planned with care ahead, with touring, transportation, and accommodations taken care of so you can really be ‘on vacation’.

Accent on Travel has a variety of hosted group tours and hosted cruises for you. Each and every option enhancing the vacation experience you would typically have if you were traveling alone and managing all the details yourself. Our options for 2023 include:

Hosted African safaris
Antarctica expedition cruise
Cruises to Italy
Cruises to Greece
Thanksgiving European river cruise
And many more

As you’re escorted from point to point on your scheduled route, we’ll bring you closer to your destination with insider knowledge and access to benefits you might not otherwise experience if you were traveling by yourself.

Why is hosted group travel so great?

We’ve been providing hosted group travel for many years now, and with so many ways to benefit from this travel type, we wanted to share with you the things that make it special.

Stress-free travel – From the planning of activities to all of the documentation you’ll need, our hosted group tours take these time-consuming tasks off your hands. That means you can enjoy all that your destinations have to offer without any of the worry or stress. This allows you to fully relax and indulge yourself — precisely what a vacation is for!
Like-minded travelers – Whether you’re traveling by yourself, with a partner, or with a friend, our small hosted group tours mean you get to travel purely with other people who have a passion for the same destinations you’re visiting. Your shared interests and experiences could see you making new friends, adding another dimension to your journey.
Local expertise – One of the things you can rest assured of when traveling with an expert is that you’re getting the best possible insights into the region. You won’t have to wrestle with bulky travel books, since we’re armed with the knowledge of how to find the best food, drink, and unique sights to see.
No language barrier – If you have a dream destination in mind but feel intimidated by a potential language barrier, then you can put your mind at rest with a hosted tour. We’ll always assist and encourage you to try your hand at the local language, but can communicate in all the important conversations to take the onus off you when you don’t feel confident.
Perks and benefits – In the interest of maximizing your time and minimizing expense, we use all our previous experience and industry insight to deliver perks and benefits to elevate your vacation when you travel with us. This can include quicker access to attractions along with pre-negotiated discounts.
Safer travel – There’s no safer way to travel than as part of a hosted group. Not only do you have an expert guide who can steer you and advise you on safety in the areas you visit, but you’ll also have other members of your group who will undoubtedly look out for you (and vice versa).

You can find our upcoming hosted journeys on our dedicated page where you can also explore itineraries in more detail to find the vacation of a lifetime, all without having to spend your precious time planning and researching. Let us bring out the best in your vacation by guiding you on our hosted group tours.

Call us at 888-806-2337 today to speak to one of our group travel experts and book your place to avoid disappointment.

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Find out about escorted touring

When planning your next holiday, the choice of destinations alone can be overwhelming. Then you have to decide whether you want to go on a cruise or a tour, or go it alone to make the most of your trip. We’ve already discussed destination choices in several of our blog posts. So, in this post, we’ll look at the second part and consider one of our favourite types of holidays – escorted tours. What is an escorted tour and why should you go on one?

What is an Escorted Tour?

On an escorted tour, a guide will show you and a group of other travellers around various sites in your chosen destination. This might be a city like the bustling metropolis of Rome, a country such as serene Sri Lanka or a themed tour of several different cities and countries, such as bird watching in central America.

Why might you choose an Escorted Tour?

You might choose an escorted tour for many reasons. Firstly, escorted tours typically cover many aspects of organising a holiday which you otherwise might need to take care of yourself – transport, accommodation, flights and transfers, some meals, activities and more. This means that you can spend less time worrying about your trip and more time enjoying it.

Of course, having an expert guide is also a big boon for many travellers, particularly if you’ve never visited an area yourself, or don’t speak the language. Even if you’ve visited before, having a local show you around can mean uncovering secrets that had previously eluded you.

Furthermore, by touring as part of a group, you are typically able to see a wider variety of sites, particularly when crossing numerous borders. As itineraries are planned by experts, all the details are optimised to help you get the most out of every experience.

What are the benefits of choosing a Jules Verne Escorted Tour?

There are certain areas where Jules Verne stands head and shoulders above others who offer escorted tours. The Jules Verne difference means a commitment to providing all of our clients with small, intimate group sizes, as well as experienced, English-speaking local guides.

With nearly 40 years of experience providing tours around the world, we create unique and inspiring itineraries across a range of themes. Our variety of themes is wide, but the consistent thread of history and culture runs through all our escorted tours. These exciting itineraries are supplemented by events that are exclusive to Jules Verne, such as special ceremonies, meals or performances.

We are also committed to making your tour personal to you. Whether you choose independent arrivals or take advantage of our extensions, we can help you craft your perfect holiday. We also offer no single supplement on many of our tours for those travelling alone, meaning they can fully enjoy their trip too.

Last, and by no means least, we’re fully bonded, so you can enjoy your break with peace of mind. We also offer a price guarantee, so you will only pay what is quoted when you book, even if our prices increase.

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What Is an Escorted Tour?

An escorted tour, also known as a group tour, is a type of travel experience in which tourists are escorted by a professional guide during their travels. In many cases, an escorted tour consists of a large group of travelers who usually make use of a large motor coach for transportation between locations. The cost of a group tour usually includes many travel-related expenses, including accommodations, admittance fees for attractions, and all or some meals. While some people regard this type of travel as restrictive, it can be a good option for people traveling in areas of the world that are considered to be dangerous for lone travelers or that have limited facilities for tourism. Some escorted tours focus on particular themes, such as eco-tourism or visiting sites that are pertinent to certain historical periods, while others are more general in nature.

Single travelers as well as couples and groups of friends may appreciate the convenience and camaraderie of an escorted tour, particularly if they are new to traveling or are concerned about their safety in an unfamiliar country. One major advantage of taking an escorted tour is that travelers are provided with an itinerary and most of their activities and needs during the trip are prearranged. This can allow the traveler to enjoy sightseeing without being concerned about booking accommodations, selecting restaurants, or getting to his next destination. Disadvantages of taking an escorted tour include a lack of freedom and independence, as travelers will only be able to visit the locations selected by the tour company. In addition, it is possible that a traveler may dislike other members of the tour group or even the tour guide himself, creating an uncomfortable atmosphere.

Travelers who wish to book an escorted tour should look to a reputable travel agent about their choice of tour or thoroughly research recommendations on online travel ratings sites. In many cases, travelers are expected to prepay for their tour at the time of booking, so they may wish to purchase travel insurance that can cover their losses if they must cancel their trip. It is also crucial for travel consumers to verify exactly which expenses are covered by their escorted tour fee. In some cases, a traveler may be expected to pay for transportation to and from a tour bus terminal or pay extra for gratuities. Travelers should also make sure that they understand the tour's meal plan, as some tour companies expect travelers to cover their own lunches as well as alcohol purchases during the trip.

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By: Robert Wilson Escorted tours will typically travel by motor coach.
By: Andres Rodriguez A group of friends may appreciate the convenience of an escorted tour.
By: elesi Escorted tours might provide greater background information about historical sites.
By: CedarchisCociredeF Escorted tours might highlight lesser know festivals.
By: Maya Kruchancova Escorted tours may feature popular clubs and bars.

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Classic escorted tours.

11-day The Golden Triangle & Ranthambore Tour
14-day Golden Triangle & Goa Tour
14-day Splendours of Kerala Tour
NEW! 17-day Indian Wildlife Adventure Tour
NEW! 19-day The Very Best of Southern India Tour
25-day Grand Tour of India
13-day Temples & Tigers Tour
NEW! 16-day Highlights of Southern India Tour
17-day Temples, Tigers & Goa Tour

Private Tours

NEW! 14-day Deccan Odyssey’s Grand Heritage Tour
NEW! 15-day Deccan Odyssey’s Cultural Discovery Tour

River Cruise

NEW! 17-day The Brahmaputra River & Darjeeling Tour
17-day The Very Best of Sri Lanka Tour
NEW! 14-day Treasures of Sri Lanka Tour

Holiday Extension

3-night Sri Lanka Beach Stay
19-day Essential Australia Tour
22-day Wonders of Australia Tour
NEW! 27-day Australia’s East Coast Jewels Tour
27-day Christmas & New Year in Australia Tour
29-day Treasures of Australia Tour
29-day The Very Best of Australia Tour
24-day Magnificent New Zealand Tour
24-day Natural Wonders of New Zealand Tour
27-day New Zealand by Rail, Road and Sea Tour
28-day The Very Best of New Zealand Tour
31-day Highlights of Australia & New Zealand Tour

Combination Tours

44-day to 61-day Australia & New Zealand Combination Tours
20-day The Very Best of Japan Tour
23-day The Very Best of China Tour
NEW! 15-day Classic Vietnam & Cambodia Tour
15-day Highlights of Vietnam Tour
22-day The Very Best of Vietnam & Cambodia Tour
NEW! 18-day Discover Vietnam & Cambodia
3-night Mekong Delta
NEW! 3-night Luang Prabang, Laos

Vietnam & Cambodia

14-day Grand Canadian Rockies Tour
21-day Grand Canadian Rockies & Alaskan Cruise Tour

Holiday Extensions

4-night Knight Inlet Tour
18-day Spectacular South Africa Tour
18-day Spectacular South Africa including Rovos Rail
25-day The Very Best of South Africa Tour
17-day African Rail Adventure
NEW! 17-day Namibian Rail Safari
NEW! 17-day South African Rail Discovery

Small Group Safari

NEW! 13-day In Search of the Big Five
3-night Cape Town Tour
3-night Victoria Falls Tour
3-night Chobe National Park Tour
6-night Victoria Falls & Chobe National Park Tour

New Zealand

Australia & new zealand, canada & alaska, south africa.

29-day Very Best of Australia Tour
17-day African Rail Adventure Tour
NEW! 17-day Namibian Rail Safari Tour
NEW! 17-day South African Rail Discovery Tour
18-day Spectacular South Africa including Rovos Rail Tour
25-day Very Best of South Africa Tour
NEW! 17-day The Brahmaputra River & Darjeeling
NEW! 18-day Discover Vietnam & Cambodia Tour
Private Tours of China
Private Tours of India
Private Tours of Sri Lanka
Private Tours of Vietnam & Cambodia

It’s Your Time to Explore

It’s hard to sum up everything you’ll experience on a Distant Journeys holiday, but here we’ve tried to inspire you. With who you will become, what you will discover and, most importantly, the memories you will treasure forever. It’s Your Time to become…

an Adventurer
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a Storyteller

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What is An Escorted Tour & Their Benefits?

Escorted tours are becoming an increasingly popular way to travel, especially for those who are keen to visit a destination but don’t enjoy planning the logistics. But what exactly does an escorted tour involve? As escorted tour specialists, we’ll explain how this immersive way of travelling works, and also dispel some of the myths about escorted tours which simply aren’t true.

The origins of the escorted tour

Thomas Cook , a name ubiquitous in the UK travel industry today, led 130 intrepid travellers on the very first escorted tour in the summer of 1863 . This two-week tour involved sailing across the English Channel and making their way across France to the Swiss Alps, where the travellers climbed up glaciers, still in Victorian dress, and rode mules over ravines.

With faster methods of travel and a much larger tourism industry, the escorted tour today has come a long way since its origins .

A carefully planned and chosen itinerary

The main selling point of an escorted tour is that your entire trip is arranged for you, perfect for those who don’t want to spend hours booking flights, hotels and activities. From your departure from the UK to your return, every aspect of your holiday is taken care of, so all you need to do is pack your bags and show up at the airport.

Each escorted tour often covers an entire country, with the itinerary including time for travelling between various cities and destinations. Escorted tours are therefore perfect for large countries such as Australia , China , India and New Zealand , where the country’s highlights and top destinations can be spread out hundreds of miles apart. You may spend multiple days in the same destination, with some days planned out for you with activities included in the price, and other days (which we call ‘Freedom Days’) free to spend as you wish. Hotels, breakfasts and often evening meals are also planned out for you as part of the package.

Arranged and accompanied by experts

Another plus of choosing an escorted tour is that all of the items in your holiday itinerary will have been tried, tested and approved by experts . Rather than spending hours finding the perfect hotel or excursion and trawling through TripAdvisor reviews, you can simply choose an escorted tour for the country or countries you’d like to visit, safe in the knowledge it’s been put together by someone who knows the entire experience inside out.

This reassurance also extends to the tour itself, as you’ll be accompanied by a tour manager throughout your trip . Tour managers have had years of training and experience of the country you’re in, and are there to ensure that every aspect of your holiday runs smoothly, as well as to share their wealth of knowledge on what to do and where to eat and drink in the local area.

koala close up holding tree branch Kuranda Australia

Why take an escorted tour?

The first reason why you may wish to take an escorted tour is one we’ve touched upon already: they minimise the hassle of travelling . With all of the best bits of a country picked out for you and compiled into one special itinerary, all you need to do is choose your tour, pack your bags and get to the airport! With a tour manager on hand, you can relax during your tour too, meaning you don’t need to get stressed about travelling between your various destinations.

Escorted tours also help to relieve any anxieties travellers may have about visiting foreign countries , especially those where they don’t speak the local language. It’s not just the language that can make things difficult – navigating the public transport systems in other countries can also be a worry. Fortunately on an escorted tour, a tour manager is always on hand to make sure you get where you need to be, and may also be able to help you overcome any language barriers.

For more intrepid travellers, escorted tours can also be a great way to experience the road less travelled . Many tour operators now offer escorted tours in lesser-visited countries and destinations – a great way to see somewhere totally different (and perhaps not safe to travel in alone/as a couple) while still remaining in safe hands.

Finally, escorted tours may be a great option for single travellers . They can not only travel more safely as part of a group, but also meet new friends to share their travels with. Some escorted tours accommodate for single travellers at no extra cost, while others may add a small extra charge.

the ghan train with Australian landscape

Dispelling the myths of escorted tours

Escorted tours are just one long coach trip.

While some UK and Western Europe tours may be carried out by coach, escorted tours with longer distances between destinations often include quicker, and more scenic, methods of travel. Coaches may be used for places just a couple of hours apart, but domestic flights are also included to get you from place to place quicker. Scenic railways may also form part of your tour, such as the TranzAlpine in New Zealand , and for travelling from the south to the north of Australia, there’s no more spectacular way than on the incredible Ghan railway .

Escorted tours are expensive

Because everything is included all in one package, people often dismiss escorted tours as incredibly expensive. However, part of the reason for this is that you are paying for the vast majority of your holiday upfront, whereas on a regular holiday you may not pay for eating out and activities until you arrive. As escorted tour operators often regularly arrange holidays for large groups, they are also often able to arrange hotels, transport and entry to attractions at a cheaper rate.

There isn’t enough time to explore

Many escorted tours last two, three or even four weeks at a time purely because they like to give you plenty of time in each of the destinations you’ll be visiting, so you can really soak up everything about the country you’re visiting and explore at a leisurely pace. You’ll often spend two, three or four nights in each town or city, depending on how much there is to see and do in the local area.

Escorted tours have no flexibility

Flexibility and the ability to customise your experience are both things that are becoming more and more common in escorted tours. This starts with getting to and from your destination; these days you often have a choice of UK airports you can fly from, rather just the one, and if you are flying long-haul, a choice of cities for a stopover . While the travelling between each destination and the time you spend there are normally fairly fixed, what you do while you’re there isn’t. Some experiences are included in the price of your tour, while others are completely optional, meaning if you don’t wish to do them you can spend the day how you please.

Discover our escorted tours

We hope you agree that an escorted tour sounds like a brilliant way to discover some of the world’s most fascinating countries! If you’re intrigued to find out more about where you can go on an escorted tour, take a look at our choice of escorted tours across Asia, South Africa and Australasia – there is bound to be a perfect tour for you.

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A beginner’s guide to escorted tours

It’s time to shake off your preconceptions around escorted tours. local insights and expertise are just some of reasons to book.

T he phrase “escorted tour” usually conjures up visions of a strict itinerary and no freedom over your trip. But with the right guide and local knowledge, they can be the best way to visit a new location — and help navigate any travel hiccups. With the right guide you’ll learn more about the place than you thought possible, as well as discover areas you’ve never heard of. From foodie tours of mountain villages to wildlife spotting adventures to expeditions in the polar regions, there’s a vast number of options when it comes to touring and plenty you can’t even attempt without a guide. Here’s what you need to know.

Main photo: a tour group gets up close to an iceberg at Cierva Cove in the Antarctic (Alamy)

Video: The Times’ Adrian Phillips takes an escorted tour in Tenerife with G Adventures

What are the advantages of an escorted tour?

In theory, at least, a lack of stress. At their best escorted tours can feel like a holiday with a smart friend you never knew you had. The quality of the guide will make or break your experience, and while there’s something to be said for taking a punt on a random local giving you their best sales pitch at the airport taxi queue, it’s much better to book with an established tour operator instead.

The exact package it offers will depend a lot on your destination. If you’re going to, say, Antarctica with G Adventures , there will be educational sessions and you’ll be accompanied on your expeditions by experts including historians, marine biologists and naturalists. By the end of your 11 days you’ll likely know as much about them as you will about the light-mantled sooty albatross.

At the Uyuni salt flats in Bolivia (Alamy)

Similarly, if you’re looking to tour some of South America’s most dazzling landscapes, Explora has a highly tuned, highly expensive Travesia itinerary that takes you from San Pedro de Atacama in Chile , through the Andes, leaving you six extraordinary days later in the brilliant white world of the Uyuni salt flats in Bolivia — it’s just you, a guide and a private driver.

Tours are also ideal in countries where there is high potential for language barriers. To that end, a guided tour with Inside Japan will offer translation as well an interpretation, something particularly useful when venturing outside of the classic Golden Route (from Tokyo to Kyoto ) on itineraries such as its Winter Highlights tour.

Red-crowned cranes at the Kushiro wildlife preserve in Hokkaido, Japan (Alamy)

No matter your destination or operator, meals will rarely be something to worry about, with most guided tours including breakfast, lunch and dinner. Having a guide on hand also means you’ll have first-hand access to a problem solver should flight plans change or something go awry in the country you’re visiting.

Which companies are best?

The answer really depends on what kind of trip you’re after: individual, group, fully planned or minimal assistance. Simply deciding you want a group tour is just the start of the adventure.

Clues are often in the names. Take Intrepid Travel , for example. Yes, it can offer you a foodie tour of Italy but it also casts its net wide enough to include more, well, intrepid destinations such as a 39-day odyssey around central Asia .

There are lots of destination specialists too. If you’d like to travel further east, then Wendy Wu will have you covered. Its credentials for outstanding tours of China are long established, but it also has vast experience with Japan , Mongolia and South Korea .

For exploring polar regions, it’s almost impossible to visit without going in a group. Aurora Expeditions has spent over three decades pioneering trips to the Arctic and Antarctic. It has just two ships in its fleet, both with a low number of berths. It also offers destination extensions before and after each cruise, for example guide-led hiking trips to Patagonia before or after Antarctic trips.

Despite its enormous remit, Journey Latin America offers a diverse portfolio of expert tours across two continents. From Mexico to the Falkland Islands — with a lot in between — its customisable tours can take care of every element of your trip from door to door, or focus on particular elements to help you along the way. For anyone feeling nervous about visiting Central America, its 16-day Active Costa Rica and Nicaragua itinerary will put minds at ease.

SmoothRed offers wine tours around Europe, but while it faces stiff competition in France and Italy from rival operators, some of its more niche destinations, such as Hungary , give it the edge. Its five-day Budapest and Tokaj tour takes you from the wine bars of the Hungarian capital east to the fabled Tokaj vineyards, once exclusively the home of hyper-sweet wines, but now a destination diversifying its lists towards much more interesting offerings.

Visitors photograph the Budapest skyline (Getty Images)

What if I’m going it alone?

Small-group tours are also a superb way to meet like-minded new people if you’re travelling without friends or family. Flash Pack offers holidays firmly aimed at those in their thirties and forties, while Saga has a wide range of small-group tours designed for travellers aged over 50. Some companies, such as Exodus and Explore , can also pair you up with another guest of the same sex in a twin room to avoid solo supplement charges.

What about UK tours?

Should big international trips not be for you, then there are also specialist operators closer to home, eager to shed new light on domestic destinations. To that end, the Fife-based Brightwater Holidays offers small-group tours around the UK, with a particular focus on Scotland . Running trips to more than 30 Scottish islands, it aims to demystify these little-visited parts of the UK.

At Liniclate Beach on Benbecula in the Outer Hebrides (Alamy)

Five tips for first-timers

1. check the small print.

Not all tours are created equal and it’s worth checking exactly what is on offer for your respective package. Some or all of the meals may be omitted, but much more important is checking to make sure whether or not international flights are included.

2. Choose small group or private

If you’re looking to save a little money, it may be worth taking a small-group tour rather than a private one. While you’ll have to share transport and the guide, you’ll at least have company for the trip.

A tour group at El Tatio Geyser Field in northern Chile (Alamy)

3. Look for discounts

Especially true of expedition cruises, but also of tours generally, it’s worth checking to see if discounts are offered on new itineraries when they are first announced, or towards the end of season when tours may be undersold. Always check an operator’s offers page too.

4. Ask about tipping

Of course spending days or even weeks with a guide leads to questions about appropriate tipping. If you’re feeling at all awkward, ask the operator before or during the tour to find out what is expected.

5. Speak up

Despite itineraries seemingly being set in stone, many tours are customisable, even after they have begun. If you’ve heard about a particular local attraction or curiosity, ask your guide. Driving tours especially have more flexibility than you might think.

• Best solo travel holidays for 2023 • Best tour companies for solo travellers • Best tours for couples • Best tours for families

A tour offering for Times readers

We’ve joined forces with Tourhub to bring our readers a huge selection of escorted tours from trusted travel partners. Expect everything from group adventure tours in Costa Rica to trips that are perfect for solo travellers in Jordan — see the full collection here .

19 best Costa Rica tours for a spectacular getaway

Tour Package

Package holidays, popularly known as a tour package or simply the word ‘tour’ in the travel and tourism industry refers either to a package tour escorted or not escorted by the tourist guide.

When we say tour package, it means a pre-arrangement, prepaid trip that combines two or more travel components like airfare, airport transfer, accommodation, and other services . Practically, to define the tour package concept is complex one rather understand.

Holloway defines a tour package as “a total tourism product consisting of transportation from the market area to the destination, accommodation at the destination and recreational activities promoted by the tourists.”

According to Gregorg “a tour package is advertised journey including specific features, arranged and promoted with tour literature by a tour operator and paid for in full by the tourists before starting the tour.”

Technically, a package tour/tour package is a total tourism product as it generally includes transport from the origin place to the destination, accommodation at an en route place or at the destination and other recreational or travel services. These components are purchased by an individual, firm or company called the ‘ tour operator ‘. He combines all the travel components in a package and sells them at all-inclusive prices to the clients.

History of Tour Package

The term ‘tour’ was in vogue as early as 1670. The Britishers traveled to widen their knowledge of the continent, especially to study the culture and social life. This practice was gradually adopted by other lovers of cultural centers.

The result of the process was that many European historic and cultural centers were opened to the British tourist. By the early 1730’s the small fishing resorts around the British coast begin to attract tourists seeking to their diseases by drinking the sea-water or by immersing themselves in it.

The introduction of a rail link between the major centers in 1830, had a profound impact on the pleasure travelers for the first time. Many entrepreneurs began to inspire rail travel by organizing excursions for the public at discounted offers.

However, to ‘the origin of package tour’ the credit goes to Mr. Thomas Cook in 1855 , Cook, extended his business operation to different countries by introducing the first ‘ inclusive tour ‘ to Paris.

Mr. Cook put together all the components of tourism products and sold them as ‘inclusive tour’ to the tourists. His pre-packaged tour inspired other tour organizations in the travel industry to organize similar tours to all parts of the globe.

Most of Cook’s tours were a linear tour i.e., the person went from place to place on a single destination. Basically, Mr. Cook developed the concept of ‘grand tour and escorted tour’, the concept which is still used.

Incidentally, World War II has tremendously developed the package tour concept because of the following reasons:

Social and Economic Conditions
Increase in Aircrafts
Marketing Conditions
Legal Requirements
Integration took place.

Today, package tours are a vital segment of the world’s travel and tourism industry. According to WTTC, the package tour sales generate $25 billion annually in the United States, $18 billion in Europe, $19 billion in Britain, and $21 billion in Asia. Today tour sales represented 50 percent of all leisure travel sales and 35 percent of all travel agency revenues.

Types of Tour Packages

A travel agency/tour operator deals with variety of ‘tour packages,’ catering to the diverse needs of tourists such as adventure, beach, architecture, cultural, business, conference, incentive tours, ayurvedic packages, Buddhist, religious, incentive tour, special interest tours, cruise tour group tour, educational tour, heritage, monuments, wildlife lovers, etc. These are broadly classified into five categories :

Independent Tours
Escorted Tours

Hosted Tours

Incentives Travel/Tours

Freedom Tours

Independent tour.

Independent tours are prepared/formulated for those tourists who want to travel independently. The components of such tours are air travel, air transfer, accommodation, travel documents, sightseeing, boat riding, entertainment, and other travel services.

However, in some cases, the tourists are free to purchase every single component separately. Thus, this type of tour provides the tourists considerable freedom to plan the activities according to their own choice.

An independent tour may or may not be an all-inclusive tour. Therefore, tour price varies depending on the type of air travel, air transfer, accommodation and is inclusive of other tour components. The foreign independent travel (FITs) and domestic independent travel (DITs) are examples of an independent tour.

Escorted Tour

When a travel agency includes the services of a well educated and trained tour manager in its package, the tour is called an escorted tour. Basically, escorted tours are meant for those travelers who are planning to visit a foreign country first time.

The escort’s responsibilities and duties are to provide comprehensive information and assistance to the group or individual traveler, at the origin, en route and the destination place. The excursion tours are the example of escorted tours.

A hosted tour means when an agency utilizes the services of another agency at a particular destination. Suppose a group of French tourists is coming to India. When the group arrives in India, they are greeted at the airports by TCI, which assists them in clearing their baggage and transfer them to the hotel.

Their tour-host (TCI) is available to offer device and information about the local attractions and entertainment. Further, when the group arrives at another designation in India, a different travel agency greets them at each tourist spot. Thus, a hosted tour provides the tourists maximum level of pre-arranged and personalized services.

Incentives Travel/Tour

It is a motivational programme or a fully paid holiday which is given to the employees by the enterprises as a reward. Mostly in medium and large-scale companies and usually too distant destinations to spur them in maintaining their track record, to increase output, improve the image and moreover to earn the long period loyalty of the employees.

There are a number of the other packages offered by a tour company such as a custom tour an excursion tour, an adventure, and special interest package tours.

Freedom tours are becoming very popular these days among the working class. These tours are designed as per the choice of tourists. The tourist is free to choose and plan how they want to travel and enjoy their holidays. These types of tours are meant for that kind of people who like to decide how, when, and where to travel.

This tourist may an individual, family, group holidays for families and group travel for business. These tours are promoted and developed by the ORBIT.

Components Of Tour Package

What is to be included in a package tour largely depends and varies from one tour organization to another, or from the one country to another, or from one destination to another and from one market to another market. But there are certain well-defined travel services which always turn a part of a package tour irrespective of the tour operator/travel agency, destination and even the market condition.

If we study and see the package tours offered by Thomas Cook and Sons Ltd., Cox and King Ltd., and other international travel companies, we find that a package tour has two major components. Therefore, a standard package tour has two basic components namely:

Ground Arrangements

Travel industry experience has shown that the first component, i.e. ‘Travel’ is directly bought by the agency from the principal providers like airlines and transport operators and for ground arrangement, the travel agency management asks the ground operators.

The reason behind buying ground arrangement from a handling agency is that it represents as a ground operator at a particular destination for the numerous tour organizations. Secondly, the price offered by it are much lower than an individual agency obtain. Thirdly, it is very difficult to get credit from the supplier and finally, it ensures professional travel services.

Factor Affecting the Tour Package Formulation

Generally, the business of package tours involves great risk, high breakeven, high-quality product, and competitive prices. Therefore, the tour management requires in-depth tour planning and market survey. However, before a tour is designed the tour manager should take into consideration certain factors which are crucial in the formulation process.

These factors have a profound impact on the tourist’s satisfaction. The main factors are:

Purpose of Tour
Choice of Destinations
Tourist Budget
Legal Requirement
Types of Tourist Accommodation
Tour Period
Departure and stay information
Tour price; inflationary condition
Tour Reference Tools
Tour Features – political stability
The relationship between the host and tourist generating nation

Tour Package Design and Selection Process

The quality of a package tour is entirely based on the above factors. Essentially, to design/formulate a travel product, the tour manager has to take the biggest responsibility, intuitiveness, imagination, and innovation coupled with a lot of business activities which range from finding new exotic destinations and planning, organizing or promoting such tour.

The following are the main stages in the tour design and selection process:

1. Initial Research

(i) the destination research.

The decision to develop and formulate a new package is a multi-stage process that involves various positive and negative points/steps. Normally, the idea for a new product comes either from the tour executive within the company due to a review of the questionnaire completed by the previous tour members because of the political, economic and social development in a particular area.

When a tour manager see that a large number of old clients are interested in taking a trip to particular destinations, naturally, those destinations become the nucleus of a new ‘tour concept’.

(ii) Market Research

Since tour package is a complete tourism product, obviously, before formulating/designing this product, market research needs to be analyzed and assessed in a systematic manner. Market research provides us the answer to the following questions:

What is the size of the tourism market?
Who are the existing clients?
Where do they live?
Who will be their potential buyers?
Who are their competitors – their strategy and area of business leisure?
How many tourist ones want to cater?
What price will the clients accept?
What facilities are available and required?
What are the constraints viz., license, permission, finance, restrictions, taxes, and others?

Once we know the basic components of the package tour, distribution channels, market conditions, constraints in the tourism market, we can develop the marketing strategy. It enables the smooth functioning of the agency and also offers a clear picture of the tour programme. Practically, market research is conducted by the private tour companies/ private tourism enterprises in order to penetrate the market.

2. Itinerary Preparation

By itinerary one means the designing of a programme which one wants to sell and it includes destinations, stopping points, number of days and the travel services that are to be included in the programme. Whether it is a lean season or an offseason, escorted or not escorted, consumer-oriented or readymade tour programme, the itinerary is prepared to identify the origin, destinations, stopping points, accommodations, sightseeing and other travel services on travelers’ trip.

3. Handling Agency or Destination Company

The appointment of handling agency not only ensure excellent travel services to the tourist but also make the operation smooth and profitable. It is a matter of great significance as the success of travel business largely depends upon the clients are actually taken care of during the tour.

It is a positive match between the promised services and tourist’s actual experiences or feelings. Thus, the tour operator should consider the experience of the handling travel agency in the business, the area of operation, reputation, credibility, professional staff, credit facilities and the competitive price in appointing a handling agency.

4. Negotiation

It is another important management decision area in tour designing and planning. Once the decision has been made regarding the destination’s concerning their date, duration and number of clients to be carried during the trip, the tour management starts negotiations with the principals’ suppliers for a normal contract.

Negotiation means talk between the travel companies and the principal suppliers for the terms, conditions, and prices of the components of a tour package. When both parties are satisfied, it leads to a formal or informal contract between them. The tour company negotiates with the following tour vendors/suppliers:

Accommodation
Transport Operations- Rail and Road
Ground Operators
Cruise Companies
Car Rental Companies
The overseas representatives
Ancillary Service Organizations

5. Coasting and Pricing a Package Tour

The cost of a package tour encompasses the air ticket, the hotel room, car rental, entertainment charges, administrative costs, promotional costs, and other travel services. The confidential tariff helps the travel company in preparing the cost sheet which will enable the concern to determine its price strategy.

Tour pricing is a big factor in the success of the company’s tour programme. The price of a package tour is, whether it is an escorted, independent or hosted the tour, often lower than the combined costs of the same components purchased separately from the principals. However, the purchase price of a travel product is based on three factors: Cost, competition, and demand.

Every tour package sold by a vendor has a quantifiable cost. To produce profit the price paid by the tourists must be greater than the agency’s cost.

6. Tour Brochure

The tour package is an intangible product which has to be purchased by the tourists/clients without inspection and sometimes even without adequate knowledge. In these circumstances, the brochure becomes the principal instrument to perform the major tasks to inform the clients about the products and to pursue them to purchase it.

Designing, printing, and distributions of tour brochures require necessary skills and knowledge about the components of the tour package. Basically, in the era of specialization and intense competition, tour brochure creates awareness and provides the description of the holiday programme.

Thus, tour management should consider various pros and cons while preparing a tour brochure. A brochure should contain the following information:

Name of the Travel Company
Means of transport
Details about destinations
Accommodation, types, location, meals
Name of the overseas representative
Duration of each tour
Booking, reservation and cancellation conditions
Details of other services – insurance, currency, entertainmentTravel documents required
Details of price

7. Development of Reservation System

The next step in tour formulation process is reservation system. The agency management in order to put a package into operation must develop and implement a scientific reservation system. The system depends on whether the reservation is to be handled manually or with a computer working on the distribution method.

Whatever method the agency may adopt, the agency management should always keep in mind the sole objective of the reservation system.

8. Marketing of Tour Package

Once a tour package is ready, travel agency management has to make a careful decision regarding promotion and marketing of the particular package tour. The basic objective of management is to make a tour package widely known to make it more and more attractive.

To achieve these objectives, the management must consider the budget available, promotion mix, potential market, easiest and most effective media, campaigning through the international, regional or the public/private sector etc.

The promotion of a package tour means increasing its sales potential and creating an awareness of the existing and potential markets. The following methods are commonly used to promote package tours:

Middlemen – Retail Travel Agents, GSA, consolidators
Familiarization tours
Building Brand Loyalty
Encouraging Potential Buyers
Competitive Market

9. Tour Handling/Actual Tour Operation

After the successful marketing and achieving target sales, the next and final step in the process of tour designing is tour handling. It means an actual operation of tours, which generally includes administrative work and passenger handling like maintaining reservations, handling deposits, sending advice to ground operators, arranging travel representation, analyzing the feedback received from clients/escorts/ground operator and so on.

All this is not an easy task. At every stage, one has to face different types of queries and problems due to lack of coordination and communication.

Significances of Tour Package

Tour package is beneficial to travel companies, travelers, destinations and other organizations which are directly or indirectly involved in the tourism business. The main benefits are:

Increase the seasonality of a destination cost/price
Earn foreign currency
Better quality of products professional services
Wide-variety of the tour package
Provide bulk business to organizers

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Escorted vs. Independent Tours: What are they and which is better?

There are two common travel styles to consider when planning a trip to any Latin American destination; Escorted Tours or Independent Tour – but what are they exactly and how does the travel style of each impact your trip? Let’s find out…

What is an Escorted Tour?

Escorted tours are just that, you have a dedicated tour leader that travels with you throughout your entire journey, in addition to local city guides. For first time travellers, having a private English-speaking guide gives them reassurance alleviating the stress of navigating an unfamiliar landscape.

We run three small group escorted tours, ‘ Essence of South America ’, ‘ South American Voyager ’ and ‘ Galapagos and Machu Picchu ’. These tours have regular departures throughout the year and include all international and domestic flights from Australia or New Zealand. Escorted Tours, especially small group tours can have the advantage of spending more time at each attraction while travelling with other like-minded travellers.

What is an Independent Tour?

Rather than being escorted by the same tour leader throughout your entire journey, you will be met by local guides in each destination. Our independent tours have selected departure dates and can be modified according to your needs and interests. Essentially, you could cut and paste different parts of our itineraries to create your ideal itinerary.

Some travellers prefer these types of tours because they are more flexible. They can move between destinations and attractions at their own pace and without being limited by a group.

Tailor-made itineraries

Do you have an itinerary in mind with specific destinations or activities you would like to partake? These types of itineraries are called ‘tailor-made’, meaning they are custom made for you and are designed according to your specific interests, budget and travel preferences.

Generally, you won’t have a dedicated guide throughout your journey, but you will be met by local guides in each destination. Tell us your Latin American Wishlist and we will customise and design your perfect trip for you.

So which tour type is best? To answer that, it’s a matter of personal preference and previous experience travelling to any destination, not just Latin America. Some like the security of travelling in numbers and the familiarity of an escorted tour. Others prefer the autonomy that independent tours offer, because they can go at their own pace between attractions. There is no wrong or right answer because it is all a matter of taste!

Get in touch today, we’d love to talk to you.

Call us: 1300 857 805.

We have friendly travel specialists who are waiting to help you.

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What does hosted tour mean?

Definitions for hosted tour host·ed tour, this dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word hosted tour ., did you actually mean hysteria or house sitter , how to pronounce hosted tour.

Alex US English David US English Mark US English Daniel British Libby British Mia British Karen Australian Hayley Australian Natasha Australian Veena Indian Priya Indian Neerja Indian Zira US English Oliver British Wendy British Fred US English Tessa South African

How to say hosted tour in sign language?

Chaldean Numerology

The numerical value of hosted tour in Chaldean Numerology is: 2

Pythagorean Numerology

The numerical value of hosted tour in Pythagorean Numerology is: 1

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Familiarization Tours – What are they?

September 4, 2015
wellsgraytours

You may have heard of Familiarization Tours (FAM Tour is the industry abbreviation) and wondered what they are, who provides them and who are they for.

FAM Tours are hosted by travel destinations, restaurants and attractions to familiarize travel professionals with products and services that they feel will help the travel professional sell their destinations or services. FAM tours can be as close as a local restaurant or B & B in your community inviting the local Information Center staff or local travel agents to enjoy a meal or overnight stay. First hand experiences are much easier to sell.

FAM Trips are not usually free, but offered to travel professionals at a reduced rate. This ensures that travel expert is truly invested in learning about the destination or product. While this may sound like an ideal way to take a vacation, it is far from it. Destination FAM tours are jammed packed with hotel rooms, quick overview stops at attractions, dining experiences packaged into a short trip with long, long days. FAM tours are designed to provide the travel professional with a “snap shot” of the destination. The upside is that your travel professional will meet face to face with service providers and begin to build relationships with those they will work with. When booking your next holiday or tour, they will be able to recommend safe local transportation as well a personal perspective into your next adventure.

Wells Gray Tours utilizes FAM opportunities whenever possible to research new destinations. These FAM tours provide great benefits for you as the traveller. When researching a new destination it is so much easier to plan the itinerary with input from staff that has had firsthand experience. Having someone on the ground in a destination allows for a personal glimpse into cultural expectations, safety issues and transportation availability. Recently our staff has been busy; Darlene from our Vernon office and Sema from Victoria cruised on the Ocean Endeavor to Baffin Island and Greenland, Stephanie from Kamloops and Kerrie from Kelowna spent time in Savannah, Georgia and the Golden Isles, while Fraser and Shane are busy exploring cruise opportunities with Norwegian Cruise Lines.

On the Ocean Endeavor to Baffin Island and Greenland

The Golden Isles, Georgia

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Tallinn, Estonia with Norwegian Cruise Lines.

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Wells Gray Tours not only takes advantage of FAM tour offerings, but offers FAM tours to its employees on our tours to destinations that we travel to frequently. This ensures that all our staff stays well informed on areas we go to repeatedly, understand how we operate when out on tour and have a chance to meet and mingle with our guests in a relaxed and fun atmosphere. Wells Gray Tours provides the staff with additional time off to take FAMS.

You know you will be in good hands when you travel with Wells Gray Tours due to on our going commit to making sure we are well educated about the destinations we travel to.

Written by: Joan Niemeier

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Meaning of hosted in English

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host verb [T] ( EVENT )

South Africa has submitted an application to host the World Cup.
Paris is bidding to host the next Olympics .
Sydney made a successful bid to host the Olympic Games .
The city is hosting the winter Olympics next year .
The town has been hosting the annual event for the last 24 years .
a good time was had by all idiom
bacchanalian
entertaining
go to town idiom
rejoicingly
revel in something

host verb [T] ( TELEVISION SHOW )

audio described
audio description
commentary box
interchannel
live stream
serialization
slow motion
station break
transmission

host verb [T] ( INTERNET MEETING )

administrator
back someone up
live streamer
untechnical
user interface
vectorization

host verb [T] ( WEBSITE )

above/below the fold idiom
address bar
affiliate link
internet-enabled
keyboard warrior
service provider

Examples of hosted

In English, many past and present participles of verbs can be used as adjectives. Some of these examples may show the adjective use.

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of or relating to birds

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What does hosted tour. mean?

Hosted tour. means a tour that features the services of a person, sometimes a hotel employee, who is available to perform certain services for members of the group., was it useful, share this page, what is the abbreviation for a tour that features the services of a person, sometimes a hotel employee, who is available to perform certain services for members of the group., most popular questions people look for before coming to this page.

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Abbreviations or Slang with similar meaning

WGBA - Who is Going to Be Appearing
WIGBA - Who Is Going to Be Appearing
cabana. - Sp. 1. A hotel room which is a separate building, typically near the beach or a pool. 2. A private changing room near a hotel beach or pool.
concierge. - A hotel employee charged with providing advice and additional services to the guests.
conductor. - 1. A railway employee who collects tickets on board. 2. The person nominally in charge of a tour group. 3. The director of a symphony orchestra.
courtesy room . - A room in a hotel (or elsewhere) made available to guests for a short period of time at no additional charge. For example, a beach resort might provide a courtesy room to guests who checked out in the
machine readable passport. - A passport that has biographic information entered on the data page according to international specifications. A machine readable passport is required to travel with a via on the Visa Waiver Program.
no show. - n. A passenger who doesn't arrive for a flight or a hotel guest who reserves but never arrives.
registered traveler. - A frequent traveler who has submitted to a background check by the Transportation Security Administration and is consequently exempt from routine searches at airports.
sleep concierge. - A member of a hotel staff who oversees the selection of pillows, mattresses, and other bedding options offered to guests.
Stendahl's syndrome. - A condition of dissorientation, dizziness, or swooning caused by too much touring, especially of historic or artistic attractions. Named for the 19th century French novelist who is said to have suffer
valuable vulnerable. - A client who brings significant income to a travel agency but who is susceptible to taking his or her business elsewhere. Thr term may have been borrowed from the shipping industry, where it refers to
casualty - (DOD) Any person who is lost to the organization by having been declared dead, duty status - whereabouts unknown, missing, ill, or injured.See also casualty category; casualty status; casualty type; d
ASBO - Anti-Social Behaviour Order. A controversial UK crime prevention mechanism in the form of a civil restriction issued by a magistrate's court, placed on a person who is deemed to have committed a public nuisance offence, which for example instructs the per
PBP - Proctodynia By Proxy. (ODSA) Highly amusing healthcare abbreviation to describe a condition suffered by clinical staff. Proctodynia is the medical term for rectal pain, so a patient/colleague who is very demanding/unreasonable is a pain in the backside fo
PURE - Previously Undiscovered Recruiting Error. A relatively recent new employee who is not quite working out as expected... Remember - it ain't their fault - it's the organisation which makes the decision to hire, not the candidate.. (Ack R Gesling)
Frequent Flyer - Someone who is transported to and from hospital on a routine basis (also someone who spends more time at the local hospital then most employees and is known by all staff members including Environmental Services)
NEWB - person who is new to something
Twitterholic - A person who is addicted to using Twitter
Lame Brain - A slow person; someone who is slow to understand a task. We have many lame brains in our office.

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COMMENTS

Understanding Tours: Escorted, Hosted/Guided and Independent
Tour Directors are jack-of-all-trades: they deliver commentary about the sights, handle the organization and logistics of getting the group to and from where they need to be, and their job often involves using a motor coach (or even a cruise ship) as transportation. ... HOSTED/GUIDED: Hosted/Guided tours are very similar to escorted tours. Like ...
Escorted, Hosted and Independent
Still, we hope this post has cleared up some of the confusion between escorted, hosted and independent tours. If you would like to know more about tours available to your dream destination, call Ingenious Travel at 888.695.0321. From adventure to luxury getaways, exotic to romantic vacations - We work with the best tour operators that suit a ...
Escorted vs. Hosted Travel?
Hosted can sometimes be mistaken as an escorted tour because it does come with a guide (host). The way hosted travel works, you will select the itinerary with the locations you are looking for. Some companies allow minor changes to the itinerary with some exceptions. You will have the flexibility within that itinerary to tour on your own.
Escorted Tour, Independent And Hosted Tour Understanding
Hosted is another tour package and is different from escorted tours and independent tours as well. This is a kind of tour package where you will just need a little hand to help. There will be a person who will be available to help you, but for only during specific hours. If you happen to be travelling to various cities, then everything will be ...
Back to Basics: Components of a Tour
Transportation. Most tours include transportation as part of the package. A fly/drive package combines air transportation and a car rental. An air/sea or fly/cruise combines air and ship transportation; a rail tour includes transportation by train; a motor coach tour uses buses to carry tour participants from destination to destination to visit ...
Escorted, Hosted and Independent
Hosted tours are very similar to escorted tours. Like an escorted tour, you will probably be with the same group of people throughout the tour, and you'll be transported to and from your hotel ...
Escorted, Independent and Hosted Tours: Knowing What Comes with These
Hosted is another tour package and is different from escorted tours and independent tours as well. This is a kind of tour package where you will just need a little hand to help. There will be a person who will be available to help you, but for only during specific hours. If you happen to be traveling to various cities, then everything will be ...
Escorted Tours. The Pros, Cons and Who They are Best Suited For
A Tour Manager hosts the tour, from start to end. They fly out and stay with the group at every step, handling all aspects of the trip once there. Flights, hotels, transfers to and from the airport, transportation around the destination (usually by coach), sightseeing and entrance fees are covered within the fare.
Escorted tour
Escorted tours are a form of tourism in which travelers are escorted in a group to various destinations; they differ from a self-guided tour, where the tourist is not part of an organised group. [1] [2] Escorted tours (in US English) are also known as guided tours . Escorted tours are normally conducted by a tour director who takes care of all ...
Define Hosted Tour
A tour that features the services of a person, sometimes a hotel employee, who is available to perform certain services for members of the group. To find the abbreviation, acronym, or term you're looking for, use the Search box (below) or click on any letter (above). A definition of hosted tour as used in the travel industry.
What Is a Hosted Group Travel Experience?
Each hosted journey, whether it be a cruise or a tour, has been customized to give you the best experience possible. All of our hosted journeys are led by either a full time travel professional to take care of any of the questions that might arise, or an expert in their field - i.e. a musician, chef, priest, or the likes to give insights or ...
What is an escorted tour?
You might choose an escorted tour for many reasons. Firstly, escorted tours typically cover many aspects of organising a holiday which you otherwise might need to take care of yourself - transport, accommodation, flights and transfers, some meals, activities and more. This means that you can spend less time worrying about your trip and more ...
Tour Types
Guided/Hosted Tour. Guided tours are similar to escorted tours but travelers are led by a local representative at each destination, rather than a Tour Director conducting the entire trip. Travelers may not be escorted to all activities and functions and will have a lot more freedom during the day. Just like escorted tours, some meals and ...
What Is an Escorted Tour? (with pictures)
Last Modified Date: March 06, 2024. An escorted tour, also known as a group tour, is a type of travel experience in which tourists are escorted by a professional guide during their travels. In many cases, an escorted tour consists of a large group of travelers who usually make use of a large motor coach for transportation between locations.
What is An Escorted Tour & Their Benefits?
Escorted tours are just one long coach trip. While some UK and Western Europe tours may be carried out by coach, escorted tours with longer distances between destinations often include quicker, and more scenic, methods of travel. Coaches may be used for places just a couple of hours apart, but domestic flights are also included to get you from ...
A beginner's guide to escorted tours
1. Check the small print. Not all tours are created equal and it's worth checking exactly what is on offer for your respective package. Some or all of the meals may be omitted, but much more ...
The Difference Between Independent and Escorted Tours
Vacations By Rail's Escorted Tours include travel by train and deluxe motorcoach, hotel accommodations in convenient locations, many meals, and baggage handling. While guided sightseeing is one of the best parts of our Escorted Tours, there are often generous blocks of time, or even entire days, to explore destinations at your leisure.
Tour Package
Wide-variety of the tour package. Provide bulk business to organizers. Tourism. Tour Package is a pre-arrangement, prepaid trip that combines two or more travel components like airfare, airport transfer, accommodation, and other services. Practically, to define the tour package concept is complex one rather understand.
Escorted vs. Independent Tours: What are they and which is better?
To answer that, it's a matter of personal preference and previous experience travelling to any destination, not just Latin America. Some like the security of travelling in numbers and the familiarity of an escorted tour. Others prefer the autonomy that independent tours offer, because they can go at their own pace between attractions.
What does hosted tour mean?
Definition of hosted tour in the Definitions.net dictionary. Meaning of hosted tour. Information and translations of hosted tour in the most comprehensive dictionary definitions resource on the web.
Familiarization Tours
Familiarization Tours - What are they?. You may have heard of Familiarization Tours (FAM Tour is the industry abbreviation) and wondered what they are, who provides them and who are they for.. FAM Tours are hosted by travel destinations, restaurants and attractions to familiarize travel professionals with products and services that they feel will help the travel professional sell their ...
HOSTED
HOSTED definition: 1. past simple and past participle of host 2. to provide the space and other things necessary for a…. Learn more.
What does hosted tour. mean?
The hosted tour. acronym/abbreviation definition. The hosted tour. meaning is A tour that features the services of a person, sometimes a hotel employee, who is available to perform certain services for members of the group..

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