#TTOT Round-Up: Package Tours

Every Tuesday, it's Travel Talk on Twitter! Join either of the two sessions at 9:30am GMT and 9:30pm GMT to get in on all the fun travel talk! Just follow the #TTOT hashtag!

Here's the round-up of this week's #TTOT on "Package Tours" where seasoned travelers discuss the pros and cons of packaged tours and independent travel!

Q1 thearcticnomad Do you usually go with package tours? Why or why not?

• ZahidBari: Prefer traveling alone, gives me more freedom and knowledge about a place because I have to research everythng myself and no deadlines
• CheskaBennett: Sometimes you have to, couldn't have see The Galapagos Islands without the package tour
• Emma_Sparks: I tend to avoid tours. Mainly because I'm stubborn and want to prove I can do it myself
• amontrealer: I prefer independent, but tours have great advantages - lots of sights in little time, experienced guide, transportation included
• hjortur: Eh, NO! I travel to feel free, not to let someone else run my complete schedule
• lowcostholidays: Package tours can be great for first time travelers, they're a good way of getting to know people and safer 
  
• BackpackerInfo: No, don't have much money
• redhunttravel: I mix it up. Have done many tours and many solo trips. Sometimes the remote places require packaged tours

Q2 via nihaoxiongmao What's your most enjoyable or most frustrating experience of a package tour?

• GetawayMagazine: Enjoyable: It's easier and you don't have to do too much planning. Great for last-minute escapes
• Jordi_P_Hostels: Frustrating: Led into tacky shops so that the guide can get a commission
• BackpackerBecki: Enjoyable: Meeting lifelong friends & experiencing new things that u may not have thought about when solo
• erika_aquino: Worst: I just hate being herded like cattle on those tours
• MalloryOnTravel: I LOVE walking tours. What a great way to get to know a city. Especially history or ghost tours
• nihaoxiongmao: Worst experience was, as a kid, not being able to sleep due to noisy drunks at an all-inclusive resort
• trevormorrow: Enjoyable- being able to sit back and let someone else take care of the details. Frustrating- being on a schedule

Q3 via Insure_My_Villa Do you prefer traveling with a package tour or on your own? Why?

• AJCultureist: The freedom of being on our own is important. There's been many times that we want to stop and explore a place, chat with locals
• OneikaTraveller:  For beach vacations, package tours all the way
• traineecloggie: On my own - I can decide what areas I want to pump my budget into and which ones I want to skimp on
• wanderplex: I do like tours of "hidden gems." I did a tapas crawl/tour in Spain and discovered great places I wouldn't have found myself
• brookeyarns: Most times on my own, the schedules and restrictions of package tours don't allow enough time for photos/exploration/spontaneity
• mygo2it: Depends on the destination. Some tours give access to places you wouldn't be able to go on your own
• foodieintl: On my own! The food is much, much, MUCH better

Q4 by trevormorrow Are certain destinations best experienced while on a package tour? Why?

• secret_escapes: Great for places that are hard to access otherwise - Tibet, North Korea, Burma, Bhutan
• tripcrafters: Packages help cover main destinations during a short trip in an organized manner
• NomadTours: Easier and better value for families to travel on package/guided tours, especially if traveling with young children
• Jeanied1: I would take an organized tour - or ideally, hire a guide - if there were particular security issues in the place in question
• ArchofAdventure: If dangerous animals are involved, it's best not go it alone
• beyondblighty: Some tours like sport/language/photography courses are so specialist u couldn't have the same experience alone
• WorldCruise: River cruises are a complete package and a great way to see Europe
• ClareBowenUK: Sometimes for safety tours are better or maybe where the tourist infrastructure is not established tours make things easier

Q5 via IdealBreaks Who, alive or dead, would you love to have as a package tour guide?

• Alan_Curr: David Attenborough immediately leaps to mind
• midliferoadtrip: Anthony Bourdain
• GetawayMagazine: Wouldn't it be cool if you could do tours with the original person who discovered the route/destination?
• idealbreaks: Julius Caesar to show me around Rome and tell me what it was like back in the day 
• connvoyage: Christopher Columbus or Ferdinand Magellan 
• SDA_PR: Steve Irwin probably would've been a blast to tour with
• yqtravelling: Ernest Hemingway, Paris
• lolobourgeau: Harry Potter, that way we could apparate everywhere! So much more efficient 
• JTSpurs: Che Guevara South America tour... Preferably on motorbike
• hjortur: I'd love to see what package Indiana Jones could offer me
• LCHadfield: Santa Claus- he's been everywhere & knows where the bad kids are

And there you have it, "Package Tours!"  

Next week's #TTOT topic is: "DomesticTravel!" Submit your questions HERE!

See you next Tuesday 9:30am and 9:30pm GMT for the next #TTOT!

As always, a HUGE travel community thank you to our #TTOT hosts and organizers: traveldudes, roniweiss, toddwassel, traveldesigned, insidetravellab, WildJunket, tbloggersunite and mobilelawyer!

Have YOU got anything to add to the "Package Tours" discussion? 

© Connie Hum 2012