Retirement Travel: Should You Join a Tour Group, or Plan Your Own
Category: Travel
August 15 , 2024 — One of the most common things that retirees say they want to do is travel, now that they have the time, and maybe the money, to do it. Couples usually spend a lot of time deciding where and when to go. For example, they might want to take their most adventurous tours early in retirement, when they have fewer physical problems. But another issue that needs to be decided is whether to plan the trip by yourself, use a travel agent, or go on some type of group tour. In the hope of making your travel experiences better, this article will explore all these options, with the pluses and minuses for both.
Tour Group
This is by far the easiest option. You decide on where you are going and your budget, then you pick the tour operator that matches your needs. Nowadays there are tours for every interest and level of activity – from theatre tours of London, river cruises, national parks, to the base camps of Mount Everest. Choosing a company that you have used before, or which comes highly recommended by someone whose judgement you trust, is a good way to go. College alumni tours are a great idea. They tend to include more interesting sights and destinations, a chance to travel with people you have something in common with, and the expertise of a college professor to explain what you are seeing.
Pluses of a Tour – It’s easier
- Transportation is usually arranged
- Met at the airport for transfers
- Hotels are reserved
- Most meals covered
- Tour activities selected and reserved
- Learn a lot from your guides
- Meet interesting people
- It’s easy, just show up and all is taken care of
- Help if you need it
- Get to places that are hard or impossible on your own – like Antarctica
The Negatives
- Itinerary is fixed
- Traveling with a group you didn’t pick
- Restaurants more limited because of size
- Travel with people you choose
- Possibly Cost
- Group busses and other transport
Pluses of a custom tour – either planned by you or a travel agent
- More flexible itinerary
- Choose hotels and restaurants you want
- Could cost less – or more
- Hired guides might be better and more personal
- The sights you want to see
- Flexible timetable
- Go with the people you choose
- Rent a car or choose other transport
The Negatives
- Much more planning involved
- Getting around by yourself in strange cities and countries can be hard
- Might pay higher hotel and air fares
- Have to arrange your own transfers
- Can be more stressful
- If problems, you are on your own
How to Plan Your Own Trip
If you go with a group tour your only job is to figure out who you are going with, what your budget is, where you are traveling, and which operator to choose. But when you plan your own trip you have all of those basic tasks, but now have the added responsibility for all the details in your entire trip. That includes choosing how to get there, where to stay and eat, how to get from place to place, and which attractions to visit.
These are not always easy things to plan; they take time and effort. Fortunately, that process can be fun and not that difficult. You can read excellent travel books like the Lonely Planet series, which go into great detail on just every place on earth. Libraries and bookstores have extensive travel sections you can use. Searching on terms like “best places to visit in…” or “24 hours in ….” will turn up excellent ideas. Your friends trips can be a great resource too. Or, you can shortcut all of that by choosing a reputable travel agent. Although the days of travel agents planning trips on the commissions they earn from airlines, etc. are mostly gone, most charge only a modest fee that usually offers great value for the experience and expertise provided.
Making reservations is a whole lot easier than it used to be when phone or snail mail were the only options. Now you can book just about everything online.
Don’t forget to book popular tourist attractions in advance. There are so many people traveling now that popular sites like museums, the Vatican, Sagrada Familia, the Prado, etc. require reservations weeks or months in advance. Don’t got somewhere and expect to get in without a reservation – you might get shut out!
John Brady
Bottom line
Travel is one of the best things about retirement. Depending on your budget and inclination, you now have the time to explore the world (and your own state and country). Planning your own trip vs. going with a group is personal decision – each has its own advantages and disadvantages. Perhaps you will try both.
Don’t Miss Out on Your Dream Retirement Spot
Free Weekly “Best Places” Newsletter – with Free Report
Comments? Which method of travel do you prefer? We would love to hear your opinions.
For further reading
Comments on "Retirement Travel: Should You Join a Tour Group, or Plan Your Own"
Lynne says:
I have done both. If I travel with someone, we usually pick everything ourselves, get maps, rent a car and go. It is a great way to see as much or as little as you like. If I go solo, I go with a group. Much more expensive with the solo penalties, but much safer. There is usually personal time built into the tours, where you can go and do your own thing. Both options have their pros and cons, but the end result is worth it.
Linda says:
We usually combine both. We sign up with a very high-quality tour company that we’ve used several times. We arrive at the starting city early to relax and have some adventures on our own. At the end of the tour (usually 2 weeks) we fly to another country of choice and do our own thing for another week or so.
Group tours are very rigorous though. You wake up at dawn and hit the road very early. You change cities/hotels almost every day. You never unpack. It’s great fun and we’ve met some wonderful people along the way. You have options to explore on your own several afternoons during the tour or you can sign up for additional excursions for extra $. Tours plan so much for you and you see an abundance of sights and attractions that would be very hard to get to on your own.
Admin says:
We have done this both ways. Each has its attractions and negatives. One of the best things about group tours is meeting interesting people. The flexibility of going solo is fun, you pick what to do and where to eat. Group tours all have the same kind of stops, after a couple maybe one too many wine or olive oil tastings.
Frances says:
I feel compelled to respond to this thread. Hubby and I are "Full Time RV'ers" and have been for 9 years now. We have been used to traveling on our own and our own schedule. This is our 50th anniversary year and are taking an RV Caravan tour of the Badlands to the Rockies. It was not cheap but our travel clock is ticking and in 38 days we will see places that it would take us years to get to. It starts on Wednesday and there are a few RV's here already. We have met a few folks and so far things are great! Travel gets under way Friday.
Will report back when tour is over and give our thoughts on solo or group travel! Love this USA!!