Take the Stress out of Multi-Destination Travel

As you can imagine, I’ve been working 'round the clock recently assisting clients with refunds, rescheduling and cancellations of everything from the quick 4-day getaways to Mexico, to rearranging entire wedding groups, as well as, month-long European adventures.

Throughout these last couple of months, as the situation has continued to evolve, I’ve noticed significant differences in vendor/supplier responses and treatment towards their guests, travel partners and staff members.
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As a result, it’s made me appreciate the additional levels of security, protection, and options that are available when choosing to work with vendors that are stable enough to provide most (if not all) components for a lengthy multi-destination adventure versus securing each individual travel component with multi-vendors.

As a small business owner, I strongly believe in supporting the local communities and businesses abroad when I travel, but it’s important to understand that when working with a larger vendor, it doesn’t actually mean that you’re choosing “big business” over small and local.

Quality vendors, partner with locals in the community to ensure that they help the local economies and people, in addition to providing travelers with an immersive local experience.

To this end, I want to shine a spotlight on the “tour” experiences offered for multi-destination vacations. There are still a lot of misconceptions about taking tours, and the most common one is that a tour is squeezing onto a bus with a group of strangers and being driven past sights to snap some pictures before quickly moving on to the next place.

While those kinds of tours do exist and can be the right choice for some, there are a multitude of other ways to take advantage of the tour benefits while maintaining the flexibility of independent travel. You want to ensure that your trip is protected and that you work with the suppliers who have your best interest at heart!

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- It's Better to Travel Well, Than to Arrive -

With all that in mind, I wanted to point out a few of the styles and benefits of different tour experience opportunities...

Tour Benefits:

• Your trip is under the umbrella of ONE vendor - keep payments simple, rebook with ease should another crisis arise, and ensure all travel plans are consistent and organized from start to finish.
• You don’t need to try to source accommodations on your own - take the guess work out from the thousands of options, plus you have someone in destination to take care of things right away. 
• Local guides are included - personal knowledge, recommendations, and stories providing an authentic cultural experience you will miss on your own. 
• Depending on the tour, some activities, entrance fees, and meals will be included - including access to “skip-the-line” tickets and activities that the general public won't be able to enjoy! You don't know what you don't know - let the professionals show you what you may have missed. 
• Transportation and luggage handling are usually included - no more lugging your own bags over cobblestone streets, between trains, taxis, buses, etc... Arrive care free and maximize your time IN destination instead of figuring out how to get around during your trip.

Tour Experiences:

1. Private
   Private touring is very hard to differentiate from independent travel, as it is just yourself and your traveling companions. Private tours tend to be completely customizable so you can essentially do the trip you always wanted – but without the stress. These usually include private transportation so you’ll have your own driver and they often include a local guide who can share insights about the hidden gems of the city that you’re visiting.
   
   
2. Escorted
   This kind of touring can range quite significantly from the standard tour bus kind of experience, to being barely more than just transportation and hotels provided for a small group where you share the luxury shuttle or same hotel, but everyone can do their own thing during the days and evenings. Many will have included half-day tours should you want to join, and leave you the rest of the day to enjoy at leisure. Think of it as everyone chipping in for a group rate at a hotel or a group discount on a charter for transportation – all the benefits of group travel without having to actually travel with a group.
   
   
3. Family Touring
   This is a game changer in my opinion. I have planned so many lengthy itineraries for families who are traveling together, often as multi-generational with an older family member, in addition to small children. Multi-destination travel is often very complex between different airports, train terminals, ferry’s, sights and attractions, restaurants, hotel options – and those are just a few. When you add small children into the mix and have to logistically figure out how to carry luggage, backpacks, as well the children themselves - things can get stressful so quickly! The family tour experiences erase ALL that stress and allows you and your family to enjoy transportation between activities, someone else taking care of logistics and entertainment – as well as someone else to handle luggage! I can’t tell you how many clients rave about how successful and fun the vacation was when they return after they tried a tour over going it alone.
   
   
4. Undiscovered
   These are a relatively new kind of tour catering to those who have traveled more or just don’t really care about seeing the major “sights”. This kind of small group or private tour will take you to quaint picturesque towns and villages that are otherwise difficult to get to on your own. You’ll have the opportunity to truly immerse yourself with the locals and culture! Find beauty in these less-traveled areas and return with a unique story that will make others envious.  
   
   

Honestly, I could go on and on about the benefits related to touring, but the best way to really go into the nuts and bolts about the different kind of options and benefits offered, is to schedule an appointment with me! Book your consultation or call (913) 244-9195! 
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Stay safe, positive and hopeful! 
 Experiences Await...
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