Explore More And Maximize Travel Savings Using Guided Tours

There are some really great reasons to consider traveling with a guided tour. Here we offer a few solid reasons why you should consider them!

#1 Real Value

A few years ago we joined friends on a package tour to South America. After a bus tour featuring Yellowstone* this was our first international packaged travel tour. It was a 17 day tour with Exoticca from our U.S. airport that include Lima, Cusco, Sacred Valley, Machu Picchu in Peru, Quito, San Cristobal, Galapagos, Guayaquil in Ecuador and back home. The travel package included all hotels, many meals, 7 destinations, 7 sightseeing tours (that included a round trip train to Machu Picchu and admission and a round trip bus into the Amazon for a stay at an eco-lodge), that included 9 flights with all transfers to hotels and airports for a price under $3,000 per person. Doing the calculations after it looked like we had saved almost 40% versus going on our own..

#2 You’re Well Taken Care Of

When traveling on our own there is a great deal of planning before heading out. Booking hotels, reviewing restaurants, deciding on local tours and guides and figuring out local transportation. On a typical international tour someone is at the airport to greet you and you’re taken to your hotel, A number of meals are scheduled and most days include a local tour or two as well as buses or vans with admission to attractions prepaid.

#3 They Often Take You To Places You Hadn’t Previously Considered

Tour companies when offering a slection of tours usually provide a daily itinerary showing which sights you’ll visit or will have an option to include on each day. They are so thourough that we have actually used tour descriptions when planning travel on our own.

While we have been pleased with exoticca they are not the only option and we have talked with lots of travelers about who they use. Following is information on additional travel companies and links to their sites,

Guided Tours

As you make travel plans one thing at the top of most lists is – “What to see and how to go about it?” Viator provides guided tours all around the world featuring knowledgable guides for groups and individuals.

Of course exoticca is not the only option and we’ve talked with a number of people who have been pleased using Intrepid Travel, Globus, Trafalgar and several more but exoticca is the one we currently use and are generally pleased with.

INTREPID

GLOBUS

TRAFALGAR

Our preference has been and still is, to do our own research and plan our own itinerary when visiting a city or location. Cruise port visits with time limitations often require us to book tours through the ship or preferably with local guides**. The two we most often check on and book with are Get Your Guide and Viator and usually select on the basis of the tour descriptions and cost.

Get Your Guide provides guided tours all around the world featuring knowledgable guides for groups and individuals.

A recent offering from exoticca

While working on this article (September 2026) an email came in from exoticca with a listing of several tours (Visit exoticca’s website for more information)…