Is it better to travel with a tour guide
Nowadays traveling is becoming more and more popular, as we have more leisure time and more money to spend during our vacations. When it comes to ways of traveling, many people prefer to join groups arranged by travel services and escorted by tour guides, while others may argue independent backpack travel should be better. My viewpoint is both have advantages and disadvantages.
The advantages of traveling with a tour group are obvious. People do not need to worry about accommodation, transportation, sightseeing schedule and restaurants and so on, all of which has been arranged in advance and taken care of by the travel service during the trip. Besides, the tour guides will tell stories behind the places of interest, and help us with unexpected emergencies, such loss of suitcases and health problems. Being relax and educational is group-travel’s best feature.
However, it is not flexible for some people. Suppose when you enjoy a place well and wish to stay there a little longer, but you are told you have to come back to the bus in half an hour, just because you have to rush to the next place, which turns out to be not so nice. The arranged meals are expensive and not as tasty as it should be; the booked hotel is too far from the shopping area; you share a room with some strangers who might snore loudly all night. In short, such nuisances of group travel turn down many people who pursue more flexible travel alternatives.
So what about individual travel? The pleasure of freedom and flexibility is well guarded, and there is more chances to explore the place and encounter its people. However, there are a lot of troubles for tourists to arrange tours by themselves, and security is an issue. Moreover, during sightseeing, they might miss a great deal of valuable sites and historical relics.
In conclusion, every coin has its two sides. Only when you are clearly aware of the “two sides” can you come up with best option for your next tour. I personally choose to travel with a group in that it can save me a lot of energy and with the comfort of leading by a tour guide, I can enjoy a place fully.
