Planning a trip abroad? Many of us wonder whether we should plan the trip on our own, or simply opt for a packaged tour. Here's a quick run down of the pros and cons of both options, so you can make a well informed decision.
Children
Travelling with children?
If so, consider going in for a packaged tour. You will already have
your hands full with kids around, and the last thing you need is
everyone arguing over what they want to do and see next. In addition,
you want to be looking out for your children making sure they don't wander too far. If your eyes are glued to the map, this may not be very easy.
GROUP PACKAGES
Family Fun
Packaged tours are also very family friendly, and most of the time they
are geared towards having fun with the family. As a result, the outings
included generally call for a good time for everyone.
Choices
Tours also very often have a few extra options, which you
may need to pay for. For example, your holiday to Paris should
invariably include an optional visit to the Lido show. As this is not
suitable for children, you could opt to stay behind with them, or you could opt to leave your children sleeping in the hotel room, while you purchase two tickets for you and your spouse.
It is also likely that others from your tour group opt
out of certain shows. You may feel more comfortable leaving your kids
behind if you know that there are familiar people at the hotel.
There is always a possibility that other families are travelling with children, in which case your kids will enjoy the extra company.
Convenient
In a strange country, there is always safety in numbers. Also,
little inconveniences like not knowing the local language do not matter
as everything is taken care of.
Economical
Such trips also work out to be more economical, since travel
agencies get group discounts, and they pass these benefits on to their
clients.
INDEPENDENT TRAVEL
Freedom
Young couples travelling without children often prefer travelling by themselves, so they are not bound by anyone else's itinerary.
Economical
They can also work out an even cheaper trip on their own
if they plan well and stay in youth hostels or other budget
accommodation. Such accommodation may not be very appealing after a
certain age, or when you are with children. If you opt
for the same level of accommodation and a similar itinerary as provided
by packaged tours, you will definitely end up spending more.
Flexible
Plans are more flexible. You can stay on longer at certain places, and cut short your trips to other places. Travelling
by the local transport system also gives you a better experience of a
place than if you simply pass through in a tourist bus. So when in
London, move around in the Underground.
Experience
You can avoid tourist traps and spend time experiencing a
place, instead of just seeing it. There's really nothing like a
"must-see" in any place. Many Indians living in India haven't visited
the Taj Mahal, many Bombayites haven't seen the Elephanta Caves. Yet,
we have experienced India like tourists haven't. So instead of opting
to visit some botanical garden if you have little interest in botany,
consider spending your time at a restaurant typical of the place, and
try some of the local cuisine.
Name:
XYZ
Country: india
hi all,
i need some advice. i live in the us and am planning to visit india during summer. i have a young baby thats 11 months old. we are planning to do some sightseeing. we are planning on visiting ooty. we would be travelling from hyderabad. we would like to take the toy train from mettupalayam as they say the view from the train is breathtaking. but i heard that it's very conjested and jam packed in the train. is it advisable to take the train or is there any other ways to get to ooty and is the view as enjoyable. please advise. thanks in advance.
