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Joining a tour by a travel agency or travelling on your own are your considerations before computing your travel budget. Cannot decide if what will you choose between these two? This article will help you to weigh the advantages and disadvantages.
You have booked an air ticket and filed your holiday leave. You have searched the tourist spots and read the travel guide. Now, you should search and ask online users especially the locals in online travel forums about the average cost of food, basic needs and transportation so you can compare these to what travel agencies and hotels can offer.
1. Travel time
Travelling on your own means time within your hands while travelling in a group tour provides you an organized trip. You can just leave the itinerary to your travel agency’s hands.
2. Price
If you and your members are only few, it will be cheaper to travel independently because you can choose accommodation, transportation and food to eat while if you travel in a big group, it will be cheaper to book with a travel agency. Your group will be more manageable if you choose an organized tour.
If you will travel on your own, just purchase a guide book, know the prices and then, off you go.
3. Places
In a group tour or travel agency, you can just visit places indicated in the travel package while on your own, you can visit places everywhere. A tour guide is knowledgeable in places but you cannot change plans in a group tour.
If the destination is not using your native language as their second, just get an interpreter or a tour guide so you will be sure that you will not be fooled and you can complain to the travel agency if something bad happens during your trip.
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4. Safety
Travelling independently means you must be more cautious and you have to rely on your own while on a group tour, you can feel more secured. Better to choose an organized tour if you think you will find it hard to find ground transportation and venturing to unknown places.
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5. Scams
It depends on the situation. Just be careful. Know if the travel agency is legitimate and be sure they will not swindle your money while if you are on your own, trust your instincts and do not be scammed by vendors.
Before buying travel deals on a website, check if the travel agency is real by searching its address in your country and the travel destination, contact details so you can inquire and complain, doing a reverse image of the hotel’s pictures and knowing the travel agency’s history by reading reviews or contacting partner establishments. If you will be buying through phone, check this guide.
6. Insurance
Travelling independently means you must have your own travel and medical insurance. If getting an organized trip provided by the agency, check if the travel package includes insurance. If not, it’s up to you if you are willing to upgrade the travel package.
7. Documents
On your own, getting documents will be cheaper but complicated while with a travel agency, processing visas will be easier. Sometimes, you don’t need to have a visa on your own because travel agencies will just get a group visa so everyone can enter the country.
For example: You can easily visit Shenzhen when you join a travel agency because they have obtained a group visa and then if you go from Shenzhen to Hong Kong, you can just travel on your own.
8. Comfort and Convenience
You can either enjoy luxurious trip or being a backpacker on your own trip. If with a travel agency, you will just have to enjoy the trip and worry nothing because a bus or van will be organized for you. You can have a free breakfast if you have booked with a travel agency. You don’t need to ask directions to strangers.
Whatever you choose, make a right choice. If you are planning to have longer trips, it will be best if you’ll get a group tour to some places and then for remaining last days, you travel on your own because you probably are now familiar with nearby places and countries.
