Remember:  This advice is worth what you paid for it!

Independent Travel - Planning Tips - Day Trips - Trains - Bus Tours - Hotels - Victoria.St

First, a few of our personal 'group bus tour' pet peeves.

• Depending on how much you like the places you are seeing, they allow either too much or too little time for the visit.  You can't please everybody on the bus all the time.

• Some people are chronically late as a way of life and there seems to be at least two on every bus tour.  They arrive at the rendezvous point ten to fifteen minutes late  ...constantly  ...each and every time  ...throughout the trip.  They are the ones who say to their 38 fellow vacationers, 'Are you waiting for us???'   The kindest word we can think of to describe that kind of behavior is 'inconsiderate'.

• One hears tales of some bus tour guides (hopefully rare) who are in business for themselves...  claiming that the admission fee (which he pockets himself) for a particular venue is not included in your package price and you end up paying twice for the same thing  ...collecting commissions from shopkeepers on your souvenir purchases  ...and still looking for a tip from everyone at the end of the tour.

• Ever been on a group tour where the tour company's driver does not know the route and gets lost for one and a half hours?  We have.

• Ever been on a group tour (we have) where you stay for two nights in some obscure town wondering why you are there?  ...only to find out that the tour guide's family lives nearby and he wants to visit them!

All that having been said, why would anyone want to go on a group tour?  Read on.

• These tours have the potential to save you money due to the discounts offered to groups.

• If you are going to Britain for the first time, group tours can give you an overview of the country and ideas for places to see in depth on a subsequent visit, on your own.

• For some affable and gregarious tourists, group tours are an opportunity to meet people and develop friendships that can last for years, long after the tour is over.

• Not everyone has the time and/or desire to do the work to plan their holiday in all its detail...  researching places to see, scheduling around opening days and hours, planning the driving routes and driving times, determining train schedules, preparing alternate plans, documenting it all in writing.

• Recognizing that driving on-the-left is not necessarily an easy or appropriate task for everyone, some may wisely decide that they are unwilling or unable to self-drive in Britain.  Group tours offer them an opportunity to see the countryside and places which would otherwise be inaccessible.

Group Tour strategies

• The first time visitor to Great Britain may be more comfortable with an organised tour group rather than independent travel. Try to go with a like-minded group of people.  For example, if you are an art aficionado, teacher or railway enthusiast, try to find a tour package that emphasises your interests and attracts your kind of people.

• Check-out group tour packages with your travel agent.

• Read the brochures from several tour companies.  Will you actually go inside places or just see them on the outside?  Note the details of accommodations, meals, luggage restrictions in addition to the itinerary.

• Keep in mind the old adage, 'If the price seems too good to be true, it probably isn't.'  

• If you are looking for a suggestion, we have friends who have gone on several different tours offered by Tauck Tours and recommend them.  We understand that Tauck is a bit more expensive than others.  However, you generally get what you pay for.

• The best group tour that we went on had a detailed, written itinerary that allowed us to pick and choose when to stay with the group or break away to see places that especially interested us.

• If you do decide on a group package tour, keep in mind the limitations and pitfalls listed above.

• The Tauck Tours brochure - available from your travel agent - has an excellent! column titled 'Expectations versus Reality'.  Their advice is definitely worth reading and taking to heart.

• We have enjoyed the Guide Friday (another link) bus tours in London, Stratford-upon-Avon, York and Edinburgh.  They offer an excellent commentary as you tour a city and you can stop off to visit a place and get back on a later bus.  Their tours are available in over 40 popular tourist destinations in Britain.

Copyright © 1999 - 2005  J. C. Nash. All worldwide rights reserved.
Last modified: Thursday, 27 October 2005.