Do you think of yourself as an experienced traveler? Or are you just starting your adventures around the globe? 

In the last few years travel has been a sacred, almost forbidden word as the pandemic brought the world to its knees. Nowadays though things are starting to get back to normal and with this the gateways to all those beautiful places you want to visit open once more we can’t help but bring up the topic about how you plan your trips and why. 

 

What should you expect from a guided trip?

Guided trips are one of the pleasures in life... for people who want their whole vacation planned hourly and even minute by minute. You arrive with the group; you’re guided all around with the group and you leave… with the group! With no individual treatment whatsoever and sometimes - no regards to what you want to do and look at in addition to the official guided tour. Especially if because of some reason the group is running late, or you have a tight schedule. Somehow it doesn’t sound like a vacation, right?

Nevertheless, there are also a few positives. You can also find guided trips under the name all-inclusive because this is what they really are - an organizational plan for your trip that has a very strict schedule and gives you a guide to be accompanied everywhere by. Guided trips are popular worldwide and are generally preferred by older travellers who don’t want to be bothered with details and organizing their own accommodation, travels and leisure time. This doesn’t mean that you can’t find guided trips for young people or families too. 

How do you know you might want to book a guided trip? You must ask yourself a few important questions. First and most of all: how familiar are you with the country you’re traveling to? If you know about their traditions or they are not that different from those in your own country, then this is one less thing to worry about. A whole other question is if you know the language or if the natives are willing to speak an international one. If the country is exotic, with traditions, religion and language that are very foreign to you, it is a good idea to look for a guided trip because it will provide transport and additional information as well as a translator. This way you will avoid many potential mishappenings - even getting conned in some way. As well as that, depending on the nature of the guided tour - holiday, historical etc., you will get a far better understanding of the culture, heritage and the nation itself than you could do on your own without doing a very extensive research beforehand. 

In conclusion, you choose a guided tour if you want to have convenience and help on every step of the way in the foreign land you’ve chosen to explore. Therefore guided tours often include:

• organizing all your documents beforehand for you - including VISA registrations (if those are needed) and getting you plane tickets for the trip
• taxi / bus / private ride from the airport / train station / bus station to and from the booked accommodation with your luggage taken care of
• event tickets and bookings for the group for special historical sites etc.
• information on places you can get good meals etc.

One definite convenience in a financial aspect is that agencies in this business are very well connected. This means that sometimes they may be able to arrange for you services and tickets at lower prices than an individual traveller can. 

Nevertheless, being with the same group of people - excluding the guided family tours, can be quite exhausting. Especially if you’re an introverted person who likes their space and time. This is why, if you choose a guided tour for your next trip, don’t forget to ask about how big the group is, as well as how many activities they have planned and how dense the schedule is for them. And if you think they will exhaust you, maybe search for another offer. Be sure you will find one since good travel agencies usually value their customer’s free time and peace at the trip too. 

 

The pros and cons of self-guided trips

A lot of people say self-guided trips are the golden land between guided trips and full on independent traveling. The reason: if you choose the self-guided trip way you get some services from a travel agency or some other type of trip provider but you have the freedom to choose your own day to day activities. The said services may vary they can include only travel arrangements or travel, luggage transportation and accommodation or travel, accommodation and some planned routes and suggestions in the form of information for instance. It all depends on your needs and wants. 

These types of trips are suitable for people of all ages, but it’s recommended they have some experience with travel. During the experience you don’t have a guide and you do not necessarily travel with a group, except the company of your choice - friends, family, spouse, etc. Of course, you can always choose to hire a professional guide for a specific part of your trip in order to explore a historical site, mountain or hiking trek, for instance. 

Self-guided trips give a lot of freedom and at the same time you’re sure everything important is dealt with. You just have to relax and follow your own routine, interest and gut. You don’t have to tour a museum dedicated to nature if you’re not into it, for example and you can use the time to take some memorable photos at a similarly famous landmark or just get lost into the atmosphere of the place. Of course - not literally! 😉 

This is the place we advise you to learn some basic safety measures and tips that may come handy if you really get lost or into some kind of situation during your self-guided trip. Always make sure you have a map and/or GPS with saved locations of your accommodation and the nearest embassy of your home country. This is especially important if you’re traveling in countries that are not that safe and friendly to tourists. Memories, if possible, the phone number for said embassy as well as emergency numbers for the police and ambulance help in the country.

Always remember:

• don’t carry all your cash with you and keep your money separate from your documents.
• to be aware of your surroundings
• learn a little bit of the language - common phrases that may give you some idea of what the people around you are talking about in an emergency
• don’t trust people you don’t know - in many countries there are people on the streets that will try to scam you with flowers, bracelets and many more objects for money. Others may be disguised as rental services - cars, taxis etc. Take the time to google the most usual ones so you can recognise and avoid them. This will save you money and many problems.

Last, but not least, be aware of your time and don’t forget two things: have fun and make the best of the self-guided trip!

 

Why would you want to be an independent traveler?

We have seen them on Instagram, TikTok, countless vlogs and blogs throughout the years - those independent adventurer travellers who book and organize a whole month trip all by themselves and have a program they stick to every single hour of every day during it. We love to look at their photos and videos, their perfect mornings, noons and evenings and we secretly envy the lives they lead. The important question here is - does it look impossible to you to be an independent traveller like some of them?! Well, it’s not that hard, but it is also not for the totally inexperienced!

It is important to start with this: independent traveling can be amazing and at the same time, totally overwhelming. And it starts way before the dates for your trip are in the close future. We’re talking months of planning and research you will have to do in order to organize them and prepare well. 

The process includes:

• searching for the best transportation to get to the said destination are there transfers, how many hours will it take, will you have to potentially plan accommodation between flights etc.
• search for the best prices for said transportation - especially if the destination is more exotic. You may even have to buy tickets half a year in advance to get reasonable prices - and that is optimistic sometimes.
• plan of accommodation - a little bit easier, but nevertheless, a time-consuming task. Consider the place being with easy and/or close access to the airport terminal, transportation, potential landmarks and other places you want to visit etc.
• check of needed documents and/or medical procedures - in the times of COVID-19 some of them might change in a matter of hours so make sure to have all the information at hand and have all the documents and tests ready. Some countries also require special vaccines for certain diseases, so make sure to check up with your doctor too. VISA’s and permissions for travel aside, always make sure your passport and ID are up to date and are not expiring soon before the trip or during it. Otherwise you might not be able to board the plane at all! As well as that, check if your drivers’ license can be legally used in the country of your choosing. Otherwise your travels may turn quite difficult at a certain point.
• planning the trip and what you want to see so you can get the most of your time - the internet will be your best friend in the matter, and it all depends on you.

Independent travel tends to be generally cheaper than guided or self-guided trips if done right. As well as that you can have a more authentic experience since it’s way more flexible in time and activities. You are the architect of your trip and it’s all up to you to plan and execute it just the way you want to.

A few additional tips and tricks you should consider if you’re traveling independently: pack lightly and take your time to get to know the culture of your destination. With nobody to guide you, you will only have yourself and your knowledge to account for. As well as that: keep in mind all the safety tips we mentioned in the self-guided trips section and you will have a great time!

How will you plan your next trip: guided, self-guided or as an independent traveler?