August 29, 2023 | Travel Planning , Travelling Alone
Magnificent. The view from the top of Eagle’s Nest, Germany.
You can walk quite high up the mountain, and you do feel the difference in the air you breathe. An interesting piece of history but the views are the star attraction here. From as high as I hiked, I had about a 300 degree view of the alps, including HockKalter, Berchtesgadener Hochthron, and Salzburger Hochthron peaks.
The question is, how do you get there?
With a tour group or plan your own itinerary?
There are benefits to both ways to travel, and drawbacks to both as well.
My last vacation was divided into 2 main parts: A 10-day tour of Imperial Europe; and 18 days planned by myself. There are important things to consider and compare.
PLANNING TIME
I had a rough idea of where I wanted to go, so I read a bunch of various tours and itineraries, from a couple tour companies. Did some research on the tours available. Selected a tour. Picked the departure date. I called and booked my tour through the company directly. I made sure I had the documents required. And that was it. Done. I did do some research on the cities we would visit, and I made a list of a few places I wanted to check out during downtime, but that is not required. All I had to do was get my butt to Munich on time. Total planning time: 8 hours.
Planning my own itinerary was a true process. I couldn’t tell you how many hours it took. Well north of 100. I did have a couple fixed dates with a lot of flexibility in my vacation, so the research to maximize my time was extensive. Build your itinerary around the fixed dates on your calendar. Great planning ideas often became logistical impossibilities, I was always making sure travel plans were actually possible. Not just possible, but truly feasible.
SCHEDULE FREEDOM
When travelling with a tour group, you don’t have a lot of free time. Your itinerary is locked in, and you have very little control over where you stay and what you’ll see. If you go on the elective excursions, you will have very little free time. If you do not go on the excursions, you will have some free time, but always within the confines of the main tour itinerary.
When you make your own itinerary, you are only confined by your imagination. You decide the places, dates, and times of your adventure. You have the freedom to craft an adventure based entirely on your own goals and interests!! Put a couple of truly important-to-you dates on your itinerary, and work from there.
Remember: Complete Freedom also comes with Complete Responsibility!!
The first cost of schedule freedom is the time you have to put into planning your adventure. The second cost of schedule freedom is responsibility. It’s your plan. It’s on you. Everything. So be organized and have a backup plan for when plan A falls apart unexpectedly.
The freedom of your own schedule is still constrained by transportation schedules, accommodation availability, and your budget.
CAREFREE TRAVEL
This is largely a question of responsibility. When I was on my tour, my most important responsibility was getting my lazy self out of bed on time to make the bus. Seriously. That was it. “Be on time for the bus!” was my biggest responsibility. I had zero cares, and thoroughly enjoyed that aspect of the tour. It was truly wonderful, and added an unexpected dimension to my vacation. The lack of responsibility helped me to relax, and really enjoy the tour.
When the tour part of my vacation was over, my stress level immediately increased. Suddenly I was responsible for my own travel. Tickets? Check. Transportation? Check. Travel Documents? Check. Are the tickets on an app or paper? Which station do I catch the train from? Which tram stop do I get off for the Rijksmuseum? My vacation was filled with questions, and I did not always have the answers. Technology has certainly helped the traveler. Google maps and all the various apps available have made it easier to travel and stay organized. But it’s still on you.
ADVANCE ENTRY TO POPULAR SITES
On my tour we had many early morning alarms, but for good reason. By arriving to popular tourist locations early, often 15 minutes before opening, our group did not deal with the crowds that would be forming outside as we left. A considerable advantage. Our guides were never rushed or pressed for time, and we were able to ask questions and learn more details about the places we visited. When we went to Eagle’s nest, there was no one but our tour group on the first buses up the mountain. When we returned to the base of the mountain, the crowds were huge and lines were long.
When planning your own itinerary, that sort of advance entry is difficult to organize. You will need to check with private tour operators, local guides and the location itself. Time of day matters when visiting popular tourist sites. The more you are able to take advantage of advance entry opportunities, the more time you have to enjoy the attraction you are visiting.
MEETING PEOPLE FROM AROUND THE WORLD
While the lack of responsibility was very nice and relaxing, it was not the best thing about taking my organized tour. The best thing about my tour was meeting people from all over the globe. I was the lone Canadian in the group. Five American states were represented, and there were a bunch of Australians from different parts of that country. A few other countries were represented. The only thing we all had in common was speaking English.
It was truly wonderful to break bread and talk to people I never would have talked to otherwise. Many issues in different parts of the world are very close to issues at home. Talking to an Australian school teacher was like talking to my mother, also a teacher. I talked to the Australians about their ongoing aboriginal issues, as we in Canada deal with the horrific residential school system. Two of the Australians were forest fire fighters, and had been to Canada to help with the devastating Fort Mcmurray fire.
There was a woman who was born in Iran but escaped in her early twenties. She went to jail twice as a student, for dyeing her hair and painting her fingernails. I had heard that this sort of thing happened, but never talked to someone who lived through it.
There was a wonderful family of six, mom and five older children aged 16-23. They were dealing with the loss of their husband and father, who had actually booked the trip before he passed.
Talking to different people on my tour was eye-opening and rewarding. We were together long enough to get to know each other some, and months later I still regularly communicate with many of the people on my tour.
So do both! Enjoy the hassle free, responsibility free travel you get with a tour group.
Enjoy the freedom of creating your own vacation. Tailoring your itinerary to your personal tastes and desires is incredibly rewarding. Just make sure to do your research, and put in the planning time so your vacation runs smoothly.
Bon Voyage!
