These days, travel is made cheaper by low-cost carriers. Many people just take it easy and jet-set year around after year, visiting new places. Lately, we know they have also "free and easy" programmes so that you can choose your own ground arrangements as you like it. A friend went around San Francisco on his own with nary a programme in hand. Also, it allows one to spend time on one's own. The hassle of organized trip is that you have to follow a very tight programme and it may include places of little interest to you. So do you prefer organized tours of "free and easy" when you travel?
[question posted by jonjee0203]
responses and comments:
I don't go on organised tours but prior to leaving i organize the schedule so my wife and children can have a comfortable time.As a youngster i would have taken the free and easy method.One is forced to visit places which the organizer chooses as you have rightly mentioned in organised tours. [picjim]
Yes, I do the same. I organized the ground tours from back home before I start my travel.I pay for the flight tickets and the hotel. Food is on my own. A local company handles my travel. That is to the places I want to go only. Thanks for your comments. [jonjee0203]
I didn't go on organized tours.I like travelling alone.I often go to some places which are old and beautiful.they are little countries.there are beautiful rivers and mountains.the local people are simple and have passion.what about you? [ypyanyan]
it is wonderful. [ypyanyan]
During those days that travel is a challenge due to the expensive air fare, the insufficient information and knowledge availability to the public. The current WWW is one of the most convenient way to obtain information about places that we want to visit. For myself, after finding out what is the general information of the place, I then will decide if I want to do a guided tour or F&E. If the place has lots of inconvenient transportation and availability of food, I then may consider the guided tour as then this will let us have better arrangement. For those big cities, which signs and all maps are available at tips, I will do a F&E as then I could have more of my time instead of following others.. sometimes, if we do not have understanding tour member, it will also be a 'trouble' in the end. [cwong77]
cwong77 I totally agree with you on the 'trouble' part in the end. When I went on a guided tour to Europe last time, there was this family of ten in our group. Just because they formed the majority, they dictates what we do and so on. I got so angry that upon returning, I wrote a lenghty letter to the agent but in the end got nothing, but more headache! That was the last time I took guided tours. [submerryn]
Hi jonjee0203 As for me, if I travel local or to a country that speaks the same language or English basically, I'll travel free and easy. If I am travelling to a country with foreign language like Japan and France, I'll take a guided tour. It need not be a fully guided tour. Just enough to cover what I need and then leave some days free to go around on my own. That way, I can really learn about their culture and life there. [submerryn]
You are oh so practical. Sure, I am most agreeable with your touring strategy. I found it difficult when I was in Seoul but easy when I was in Sri Lanka.Yes, we can do some traveling in France and Germany if the citizens there speak a smattering of English. so, we must learn some basic vocabulary when we go to lands that speaks Spanish , French ,Italian and German.Good approach. [jonjee0203]
I like the 'free and easy' more than the organized tour, coz I dont' want to be tied much to a very hectic schedule the tour organizer arrange and hence I will not enjoy each location. I like to explore the place leisurely and stay more time, took pictures, read some info, eat whenever I want to. [joyce959]
You are in my gang. Just like you, I dislike hassles. I like a leisurely enjoyed holidays. Don't we all know that vacations and holidays should be unstressed and taken at our own pace? So guided tours are hassled tours and we must rush from pillar to post to make sure we do not delay the tour group unnecessarily. Oftentimes I see senior citizens making too many 'pee breaks' which make the other tour members impatient. On free and easy, we are ,as we say, on our OWN TIME! [jonjee0203]