Not long ago, an organized group tour — usually by bus — was considered “sissy” travel.
We looked down our noses at them, calling them “cocoon” tours — safe and comfy, but not particularly exciting and allowing little or no contact with the people and culture the tourists go to see.
Today’s tours, however, can be as wild or tame as anyone might want. Whether it be a perilous adventure to a war-torn region or a grueling climb in the Himalayas, there’s likely to be a tour company that has just your ticket. Whether your thing is religion, literature, history, politics, sports or a hobby like railroading, there’s likely to be a matching tour in the United States or abroad.
While adventure-loving travelers often want to do it independently, they find they need to turn to experts for guidance. It’s not that they wouldn’t want to do and learn on their own, but many have jobs or family commitments and just don’t have the time to do the research. They turn to those who’ve been there and done it and can either point to or lead the way and still not diminish the adventure part of the journey.
After you’ve chosen between doing and seeing, look at your particular situation and travel style. Do you have physical limitations? How important is cost? Do you prefer five-star hotels or pensions with Old World character? Some people thrive in large group tours, sharing travel experiences with new friends. Others prefer to go in small groups, maybe with friends or family.
A personal chat with a local travel agent can help you decide what your particular travel personality is and whether a certain tour is right for you.
On the Internet, start with the U.S. Tour Operators Association (ustoa.com).
Most travelers would put our Rick Steves tour in the middle of the spectrum — not fancy but not rough. His tours, popular with baby boomers who want a bit more comfort than they did when they backpacked the world in the 1960s, take travelers off the beaten path, but not uncomfortably so. His guides push travelers to make contact with locals.
Our hotels had what you might call character. One, in Mustafapasa, was 250 years old, with stone walls and stressed wood floors covered with ornate oriental carpets and kilim rugs.
Our hotels had private toilets. Most of the publicrestrooms we saw had at least one modern, Western toilet for those squeamish about “squatties.”
We were told to be prepared to walk up to 10 miles a day. We didn’t walk that far on any given day, but much of the walking was on steep, cobbled streets. And, as we were warned, we had to carry our own bags, sometimes up several flights of stairs. Smart tour members packed light.
Steves’ tourists travel with a buddy system — someone not related to you who makes sure you’re on the bus when you’re supposed to be.
One of our companions complained about the number of shopping stops. But most were actually bathroom breaks at clean roadside restaurants or markets. Sometimes we stopped at farmers markets as a way to keep us from arriving at a hotel too early in the day. And sometimes we stopped because, by law, tour-bus drivers in Turkey have to have a break every couple of hours.
Steves’ Europe Through the Back Door firm is offering more than 300 European tours on 28 itineraries in 2009. His 30-plus guidebooks have an off-the-beaten-path theme and are popular with independent travelers planning their own trips. His website (ricksteves ) covers destinations, as well as travel tips and a “graffiti wall” that allows travelers to share tips, experiences and suggestions.
John and Sally Macdonald
