Conducted tours

We have always opted for conducted tours as they take away the nitty gritty of what goes into planning a trip- help with obtaining visas, tickets, hotel, and most important of all planning the itinerary.. 

Our first package holiday was to Kashmir, followed by Darjeeling, Bangkok/Singapore, USA, a cruise, Europe, Australia and New Zealand.

We did go on our own to Trivandrum, Ootacamund, and a few other places where we had friends who promised help. Most of the time we had to fend for ourselves and never felt satisfied. 

A package tour has an itinerary that includes sights that a tourist would want to see. A big country like US for example will have so many attractions and to see it all one would need years. The experience we get going on a conducted tour will get us back with fond memories that will last a life time. 

We make friends and we have company. 

We are put up in good hotels that have a huge breakfast spread, clean rooms with a great ambiance.

At one of those tours even our luggage was taken care of in that it was cleared from the airports and placed right near our hotel rooms. 

There is always a tour representative that accompanies us who is there for help when we need it. And there is always something or the other we need help for. They know the best shops, the best eateries and so forth. They even get us together and organise parties.

These packages include a few days where we are left on our own which is a good thing.

There is just one disadvantage in that we are all rushed.  I remember we gave up one outing and spent a day in the hotel relaxing and doing our own thing.

But there are a few who prefer to go on their own for reasons best known to them.