Travel Tip 77
The top ten things to ask before booking a group tour.
My Penguin Island group tour was with a company that only operates small groups and is allowed to land on the island. Most people unknowingly book tours that have large groups and aren’t allowed to walk on the island.
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Last week I did three group tours in Ayacucho (scroll down to the blog to read about them) and they were all fantastic. However, there are a few things you should find out before you put any money down on a group tour.
Here are the top ten questions to ask before booking a group tour.
What is the detailed itinerary?
When you’re on a group tour, you’re along for the ride. If one of the activities is something you can’t or won’t do, check if there is an alternative or if you’ll be left sitting by yourself while everybody else goes into a cave or does a long hike. If you’re claustrophobic or can’t do much walking, you need to know what you’ll be doing if you can’t keep up with the group. Another important thing to check when looking at the itinerary is if you’ll have any free time.
One of my Concordia Argentina tours included a ropes course and zip line. If that’s not your thing, make sure your tour doesn’t include something like this - or that there is an alternative activity.
2. Does the tour take you somewhere you couldn’t go on your own?
If you’re weighing whether to do a group tour or whether to do things on your own, you need to know if there are some things that you actually can’t do on your own. For example, there is no way to get to Penguin Island near Ushuaia without a tour. However, one of the most popular tours from Puno, Peru is to Amantaní Island and it’s easy to get there on your own, but not from Puno.
3. How big is the group?
There’s a big difference between being part of an 8-person group and a 20-person group. Consider how big of a group you want to be with, and make sure the tour agency has a limit that will work for you.
When you’re checking the itinerary, consider the time of day for each activity. Most group tours visit Ollantaytambo in the afternoon, which is why I like to visit in the morning. You can see there weren’t any crowds this morning.
4. Will you be with the same group the whole time?
This is especially important for multi-day tours. Sometimes it’s nice to stay with the same group, especially if you’re traveling solo and like to make friends during group tours. Sometimes it’s nice to switch up the group. This is a personal preference, so think about which you would prefer and look for a tour that guarantees that.
5. Who are the guides?
Check that the guide is local, speaks the local language and speaks your language. Read my travel tip 53 for why you need a local guide.
6. What is the transportation like?
This is very important if you suffer from motion sickness. If there’s a lot of driving involved, ask if you’ll be in vans, busses or something else. If there’s a ferry or boat ride, ask about what kind of craft you’ll be on. If you’ll be kayaking or canoeing, ask if the boats are single or double.
The only lunch option on this tour in Argentina was chicken. I traded my chicken away for extra vegetables but wished there was a vegetarian option.
7. Where will you eat?
Lots of group tours go to buffet restaurants to save time on ordering, and to ensure that there’s something everybody can eat. If you don’t like buffets, or if you have dietary restrictions, make sure that there will be something you can eat. As a pescatarian, it’s not always easy for me to find food I can eat in Peru but in Ayacucho everywhere had chaufa de quinoa, which is like fried rice but with quinoa and there was always a vegetarian option.
8. What is the accommodation like?
If you’re on a multi-day tour, you might not get to choose your hotel. Ask which hotel you’ll be staying in and do your own research on the place. If it doesn’t look like somewhere you’d want to stay, ask if there are alternatives.
If you get seasick easily, make sure any boat travel will be in boats big enough to minimize rough seas. I was in a small group for this zodiac tour to see elephant seals in Chile, and it would have been torture for anybody who gets seasick.
9. Are there extra charges for solo travelers?
This is becoming less common, but some companies still have surcharges for solo travelers. This is usually because hotel room prices are based on double occupancy, and they want solo travelers to pay double if they’re not sharing a room. Some tour companies expect solo travelers to share a room with a stranger, though this is not common. If you’re signing up for a day tour, there shouldn’t be any surcharges for solo travelers.
10. What are the tipping expectations?
Most group tour guides expect to be tipped if they do a good job – but some companies include tips. Read my travel tip 68 to help you understand tipping expectations.
Ayacucho is famous for retablos, boxes that have figurines inside. This one has religious scenes but most have scenes from everyday life - and are much smaller.
Blog
Ayacucho is the best tourist destination I’ve found in Peru that has almost no international tourists. If you want to visit somewhere amazing in Peru where you’ll be surrounded by Peruvians, Ayacucho is for you! In one week there I saw only a handful of international tourists, but there were lots of Peruvian tourists, so the city had great tourism infrastructure: tours, hotels, restaurants, & activities.
Concordia is the most off-the-beaten-path destination I’ve visited in Argentina.
Article
Of all the places I’ve traveled in Argentina, Concordia had the fewest international tourists. Actually, in my five days there, I only saw a few tourists from Uruguay. All the other tourists were from Argentina, yet like Ayacucho, Concordia is a great place for tourism!
