Gallagher's Travels: Travel Tips

Selecting a Tour

Friends recently mentioned planning a visit to Morocco for the first time and wanting to explore a large portion of the country over several weeks. I suggested they start with a package tour for half their visit and once acquainted with the country and its customs venture out on their own for the second half.

As you can imagine, I hear both horror and success stories from travelers and thought it would be helpful to include some thoughts to consider if you’re thinking of a tour or package vacation.

We usually start off by collecting a lot of brochures or getting a recommendation from friends or a travel agent. Travel agents can be helpful if they have actually participated in the tour or extensively explored the country or area your thinking of visiting. Unfortunately they frequently have no real experience only the same brochure that you were given.

The brochures provided by the tour operators will usually contain most of the information you need to determine exactly what you're getting for your money, to compare one tour or vacation package with another and to avoid unpleasant surprises.

If you are traveling with another person (and this includes friends, spouses and relatives) it is a good idea to prioritize your trip “ideals” together before or as you collect information. This will help to keep in focus the things that are most important to you and your companions, keep you traveling together in the future and insure everyone has a good time. I personally would last about forty minutes just lying on a beach somewhere and prefer to be in the center of major cities. To some people my choice would not be a vacation.

Price

Check carefully what's included in the price and what's not. Is air fare or only land arrangements? If air fare is included, will there be an additional cost for an "add-on" fare from your home city? If not included, are you free to fly the airline of your choice or can you get a price deduction and use your frequent flyer miles?

The first and last day of travel tend to be the most expensive on your own or even when joining a tour. These are the days the most incidentals seem to crop up. Now that airlines don’t provide even bad food it frequently means buying overpriced snacks at airports plus taxi fares and other sundry expenses. If you are doing only land arrangements find out what it will cost to get from the airport to the hotel.

Other factors may add to the price, such as optional excursions - especially on cruises, service charges and/or taxes, weekend air surcharges and high season supplements. If you travel alone, there is often a supplement fee for single accommodations. Tips need to be budgeted for staff on your cruise or other tours. Every guide expects a tip. If your meals are inclusive tips are usually covered but not the meals you have on your own or room service expenses.

Itinerary

The day-to-day itinerary described in the brochure is a guide for what you can expect to see and do on a tour. Make note of the cities and sites that you'll actually be visiting, as opposed to those places that you'll simply be driving through (often indicated by terms such as "see" or "view"). There's a big difference, in particular, if the bus or ship arrives in the city at 8:30am and departs at 12:30pm that gives you four hours to explore Zurich, Costa Rica or Grand Cayman. Then if the seas are rough or road construction causes delays this time could easily be shortened or in some cases the stop eliminated.

Other important questions to consider include:

Are you comfortable with the amount of time spent traveling during the tour? If the itinerary says 14 countries in 10 days that means no stopping! Is there a great deal of walking involved? Does there seem to be enough free time for shopping or exploring on your own, or is there too much leisure time for your taste?

Planning your free time, as an example, in Paris and you have a particular museum or site to see. Arriving on Tuesday morning, is the museum open that day? What are the logistics of traveling across town? I recently received an itinerary that allowed one hour and 45 minutes to see a large arts and craft show and shop the historical district of the city.

Hotels

Accommodations are frequently the hinge point in the success of a trip. Pay close attention to the descriptions and ratings of the hotels. Keep in mind that hotel ratings in other countries may not always reflect American standards. A "deluxe" hotel in one country could differ in size, amenities and degree of luxury from a similarly rated hotel in another country. Again check the web site, when was the hotel renovated or built? Exactly where is it located in relationship to the markets, public transportation or beach. If the hotel doesn’t have their own or affiliate web site, a city search will provide various hotel listings with information that can aid you.

Those facilities situated just outside the center of a city shouldn't be inconvenient if you’re sightseeing by tour bus or have a rental car. However, if you are going to have free time, you may prefer hotels that are centrally located. Ask if this is hotel is frequently used by the tour company or is this the first time. Some hotels cater to tour groups especially students. This may not be the quietest accommodations.

Costa del Sol is the perfect example of frequent slightly misstated hotel information. As hotels line the coast for miles and miles you can eventually get quite a distance from cities like Malaga. Without a car, you’re a captive of a few shops and restaurants. Buses run up and down the main highway but I prefer not to spend my vacation waiting in the sun for a not always timely bus.

If you’re only staying one night almost anything is tolerable but still should be at least commensurate with what you’ve paid for the trip.

Meals

Dining is one of the most enjoyable parts of the travel experience. Read the brochure carefully to determine how many and what kind of meals are included each day? Will you choose off the regular menu, be limited to a small selection or worse no preference? Be sure you understand the terms often used in connection with meal information, such as "Continental Breakfast," "Full Board& and "MAP."

Luxury land tours tend to offer all or frequent choice of the menu with some buffets particularly breakfast. If you are a vegetarian, be prepared for frequent confusion and unless you eat fish some real lapses. Cruises usually work well for everyone. A few years back we were on a ultra low budget Caribbean cruise marketed in the UK and the tour company brought in their own kitchen staff and food supplies. It was every grim story of old boarding school British food. Canned beans at every meal, canned peas, everything over-cooked including the custard. I thought we were living in an episode of Monty Python.

In a group tour at a European seaside hotel, the buffet breakfast was meagerly replenished and some of the guests seemed to inhale enough for several days. While in Washington, D.C., I recently had a similar experience when tournament soccer moms actually filled plastic bags, for later snacks, from the hotels breakfast buffet. Behavior by the uncivilized is something no one, including tour operators, can control.

Road warriors usually carry snacks at all times and especially if you have medical or other food issues. Dried fruit, meal replacement bars and even dry cereal work well. I always have microwave popcorn and instant coffee but not every hotel room has a microwave.

Conditions

Found at the end of most brochures, this is where you need to pay attention. Important points including details about reservations, cancellations, refunds and availability of insurance are here.

Carefully read the companies policies in regard to cancellations, changes in departure date, hotels or other inclusions and refunds, and any cancellation and/or modification penalties that may apply, both to land and air travel portions of the trip. Remember, while this is a pleasure trip for you, it is a business for the tour operator. Expect no slack.

My watchword for travel outside the US and based on personal experience is: Under NO circumstances leave this country without medical evacuation insurance at a minimum. If you think you will be doubling your coverage who cares - the cost is peanuts, if you think you’re going to a civilized country, I say forget that idea too. Make sure that under any medical emergency you will be flown back to the US without hesitation.

Trip cancellation Insurance. When I was living in Minnesota, the grand plan was to leave for a few weeks each winter escaping for a warm exotic climate. Package tours were a great bet but nothing is as unpredictable as Minnesota weather. Not so long ago I missed a once per day flight from BWI to the islands thanks to a “Blue” shuttle driver who couldn’t find the airport! If you miss your cruise ship the alternative is, lose the money and not go or fly to the next stop.

The Conditions page may also specify the Ground Operators, if any, who are participating in the program. These are local travel companies, selected for their reliability and expertise, who usually provide motor coaches, sightseeing tours and other services arranged by the tour operator. If you are able, ask if these are companies or individuals that the tour operator has used before. Outside of the US not everyone that speaks English does it clearly and accurately including tour guides. For us short people on a large bus, the high seats block the guides voice as well as road and other noises. A good tour operator will always have a superior public address system.

Somewhere I was on a bus tour with people that encompassed three or four languages. The tour was given in English, Spanish and French by the same person. During the dialogue in French and Spanish there was a lot of laughter but none during the much shorter English version. Obviously we didn’t get the joke script and who knows about the facts.

Other important items covered by the Conditions page include: Meals, Accommodations, Air Transportation, Sightseeing, Baggage Allowance, Health Information and the items Not Included in the price. Check on lost luggage coverage on the tour not just the flight. The Conditions page is the “meat” of what you will be receiving and what you won't.

Nothing, not even years of experience, can protect us from challenges on a trip or at home. So roll with the flow is the best advice from any of us so called experts!

For additional information check the US Tour Operators Association web site, www.ustoa.com

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