Choosing The Tour / That's Right For You

Today's tour products come in four main groups: escorted, package, independent and charter. Each has its own advantages, described below, but remember-as important as the options are the tour operators themselves.

One vital step in selecting a reliable and experienced company is to look for an operator's membership in the 25-year-old United States Tour Operators Association. Qualifications are stringent: Applicants must have a solid record of service including at least three years in business, though some members have been operating for 50 years and more. They need at least 18 references, the sponsorship of at least two current members, and the financial wherewithal to participate in the USTOA's $1 Million Consumer Protection Plan.

Here's an overview of the four main types of tours to help you select which suits your style and wallet:

Escorted Tours are the most traditional of tour products, and the most misunderstood. Consider these images: A Zodiac pontoon dinghy bounding over Arctic waves to reach a rare bird colony. A professor in Prague describing the fall of communism over an intimate dinner. A park ranger walking you to the secret spots in his vast domain, where waterfalls crash and the sunset is perfect.

All these and more are available as escorted tours. In fact the options are so disparate it's easiest to identify the few elements they share: Group travel, usually by motorcoach but sometimes by ship or train. A set itinerary, with lodging, activities and most meals included. And a tour director to coordinate, guide and manage the trip. "A package tour should have had a lot of research behind it," says Sven-Olof Lindblad, of Special Expeditions. "As a consequence, that makes it possible for participants to use their time very effectively. We cut out a tremendous amount of the hassles."

That's particularly true in less-developed destinations-Eastern Europe, Africa and parts of Asia, for instance-where a lack of infrastructure can make independent travel more of an ordeal than a holiday. "In unusual places, we provide the adventure, but we also provide the cocoon," says Alistair Ballantine, of Abcrcrombic & Kent in Oak Brook, I11.

Many escorted trips also provide for a tremendous amount of learning. Naturalists accompany trips to the wilderness. Local experts, known as step-on guides, may join briefly to share their knowledge of specific areas, cultures or activities. And tour directors themselves are savvy, personable and well-informed.

IST Cultural Tours prides itself on its local specialists. From writers to professors to archeologists, these people "take you to places others wouldn't know about...they live in the country," says IST's Suzanne Hall.

Some people wonder if they'll have enough independence on a group tour. "More and more modern-age tour operators are providing what I call organized independence," says John Stachnik, head of Mayflower Tours in Downers Grove, I11. "There is substantial time built into the trip to do your own thing, from a horseback ride on the beach to an intimate dinner on your own."

Package Tours

Like group tours, packages tend to have fixed itineraries, with ground transportation and hotels booked in advance. But like independent tours, there's no organized group: Clients are on their own, free to do as they please at each destination. "You're on one end of the scale in a group tour, with most everything done in a structured environment," says Barry Rush, president of Jetset Tours in Los Angeles. "A package moves you to slightly less structure and more independence, but with plenty of convenience still built in."

That makes package tours especially popular with first-time visitors to foreign cities, resort vacationers who want the most hassle-free arrangements available, and anyone looking to make efficient use of their time.

Packages also are easy on the budget: They tend to be the least expensive way to go, since they're entirely assembled by tour operators making bulk purchases of air, hotel and motorcoach space. And, there are many individual choices available within packages so you can tailor your trip-things like day trips, transit passes and city sightseeing.

Independent Tours

There's no group on these trips, no guide and no fixed itinerary, unless you want one. You pick where you want to go, book it and go-just like any independent trip. The sole difference is that by booking through a tour operator from its available inventory, you get the advantage of group buying power, without the group.

"Flexibility is the word. It's the antithesis of what the perception of a tour is," says Ralph Caliri, president of Haddon Holidays, in Mount Laurel, N.J. "We really don't sell tours. We sell modular, in dependent travel components."

Modularity makes for the widest range of options. You can buy discounted airline tickets, coach or first class, and go freewheeling from there. You can add hotel accommodations, booking each night in advance, or, for im-provisers, buying a book of vouchers good at any of hundreds of hotels scattered around the countryside. Tell one in the morning which you'll visit that night, and they'll call ahead for you.

You can also be a little less adventuresome with independent tours. "Hosted" tours provide local hosts who will meet you at the airport and visit you at your hotel, helping you plan sightseeing and entertainment options. "It's like going overseas and meeting your aunt," says Fred Berardo, president of Central Holiday Tours in Jersey City, N.J.

Charter Tours

Thanks to improved federal regulations and a new generation of operators, air charters have become the preferred way to reach many of the world's most popular vacation destinations, for reasons of value and convenience alike. Here's how they work: The tour operator rents an airplane and sells the seats, often in combination with a hotel package and perhaps other ground components. The result is substantial savings: Charters can run 10 to 30 percent less expensive than regularly scheduled carriers and without advance purchase requirements or most other restrictions.

There are other advantages. Charters often fly to popular destinations where regularly scheduled flights can't meet demand, so it's often easier to get charter seats to fit your schedule. Charters also may offer direct flights that regular carriers don't provide. "We're looked at more like a scheduled service," says Bill La Macchia, president of Funjet Vacations. "We're responsible for that flight."

In fact operators customarily have staff present to see flights off, welcome passengers to the destination and assist them to baggage claim, through customs and on to their hotel.

Source: Conde Nast Traveler Magazine