| You've paid top dollar for your "luxury tour" but find | | | | restaurants and special events exclusive to that |
| yourself continually eating in shabby restaurants, | | | | operator. You should aim to find the tour operator that |
| puzzled that tourist sites shut early each afternoon | | | | specializes in your particular interest. |
| while souvenir stores seem permanently open. You | | | | Conclusion: Test your tour operator with difficult |
| are angered not only by your guide's increasingly | | | | questions. Find out if they really know their stuff. |
| obvious dishonesty but also by the waste of your | | | | 4) References - the best judge of a tour company is |
| valuable vacation time. | | | | a past customer |
| This disappointing but common experience springs | | | | Good PR is available to any company at a price. |
| from the confusion people often have in choosing | | | | Advertising in its various forms is not necessarily |
| among a plethora of luxury tours, each of which claims | | | | indicative of the quality of a company's tours. The best |
| to offer much the same product. This brief article | | | | source of such information is past customers. When |
| describes 5 critical factors to help travelers read | | | | interviewing such a referee, you need to bear two |
| between the lines of glossy brochures and help them | | | | things in mind. Since no company is going to forward a |
| better assess the relative merits of rival tour operators. | | | | dissatisfied customer as a reference, what you need |
| 1) Trustworthiness & Security - the first filter | | | | to look for is a customer who reports services over |
| Typically, tour operators will ask you to pay for your | | | | and above their initial expectations. Secondly you |
| tour in advance, in which case you will want to be sure | | | | should value a referee's response in relation to their |
| that the operator is trustworthy and that your funds | | | | background. The response of an experienced luxury |
| are secure. Such security works on a number of | | | | traveler should be given greater weight. |
| levels. On the most basic level - if your intended tour | | | | Conclusion: Request references, interview them |
| operator is not registered in a country with a reliable | | | | thoroughly and weigh their responses accordingly. |
| legal system and does not offer some sort of financial | | | | 5) Watch out for exclusions, particularly in tours to |
| guarantee in your home country (surety bond or trust | | | | "difficult" countries |
| account scheme), then your deposited funds are as | | | | First, make sure you understand what is not included in |
| liable to disappear as whisky on St. Patrick's Day. | | | | your tour price. If the itinerary appears vague, contact |
| On a secondary level, especially in an industry as | | | | the operator to find out exactly what the situation is. |
| susceptible to risk as the travel industry, you want to | | | | Areas where tour operators often scrimp are: |
| be sure that even if the operator goes bankrupt (the | | | | (i) Accompanying Tour Director - will they send your |
| fate of many after September 11, 2001) your funds will | | | | group with a tour director. If so, is the tour director local |
| nonetheless be returned to you. For this reason, look | | | | or Western? How much training have they received? |
| for companies which are adequately bonded or - for | | | | (ii) Meals - count how many are included and find out |
| greater security - for companies running | | | | what their quality is. |
| industry-approved trust account systems, where your | | | | (iii) Domestic Airfare - often this is presented as an |
| funds are independently held, usually by a major bank, | | | | add-on. |
| until after the end of your tour. | | | | (iv) Tips to guides and drivers - if excluded, find out |
| Conclusion: For your own peace of mind, it is advisable | | | | how much you are expected to pay per person per |
| to only deal directly with tour operators from countries | | | | day. |
| with reliable legal systems, and then only with those | | | | (v) Optional Add-ons - find out the per person price of |
| tour operators which advertise surety bonds or | | | | each optional add-on you are interested in. |
| industry-approved trust account systems. | | | | When you understand your tour's exclusions, think |
| 2) "Boutique" tour operator" versus "The Jack Of All | | | | about the distinction between visiting "easy" and |
| Trades" tour operator | | | | "difficult" countries. Even without language skills, the |
| The tour industry divides into innumerable countries and | | | | savvy tourist can handle himself effectively in Europe |
| activities. Whereas one tour company might specialize | | | | or North America. The same person will most probably |
| in one niche area, such as walking tours in the Loire | | | | be at sea in such countries as Russia or China. It is in |
| valley ("Boutique" tour operator), another might offer | | | | these countries that exclusions for meals, |
| every sort of luxury vacation in every country ("Jack | | | | accompanying tour directors or else "optional" add-on |
| Of All Trades" operator), including several walking tours | | | | tours can become sources of displeasure. |
| in France. In this scenario, it is unlikely that the generalist | | | | For example, in "difficult" countries not having an |
| tour operator can deliver a better like-for-like product | | | | accompanying tour director creates two problems. |
| than the specialist. Certainly, the generalist should offer | | | | The first is logistical. Typically, the travelers will fly from |
| a lower price since they are a high volume player. In | | | | airport to airport meeting local guides at each one. |
| terms of quality and service however, the specialist will | | | | Should something go wrong during the airport transit, |
| always have the upper hand. | | | | for example a cancelled flight, the customers will be |
| Conclusion: Ask your friends and travel agent, | | | | stranded with no one to turn to for help. Anyone who |
| research the internet - if service and quality is what | | | | has passed through a Russian airport knows how how |
| you value, find a boutique tour operator focussing on | | | | unsavoury this can be. The second problem is that in |
| your specific region or activity. | | | | these cirumstances, the tour operator is trusting the |
| 3) Expert Status - the tour operator must be an | | | | local guide not to take advantage of their customers. |
| expert on the destination | | | | They are hoping that the guides, usually supplied by the |
| How well a tour operator knows their destination or | | | | local groundhandler, will not abuse the customers time |
| activity will feed directly into your enjoyment of their | | | | and enjoyment by taking them to commission-paying |
| product. If the operator simply sub-contracts all | | | | restaurants and souvenir shops . This is a common |
| aspects of their tours to a local groundhandler, then | | | | problem with even the most respected luxury tour |
| you should expect abysmal service since the local | | | | operators. Therefore, those traveling to "difficult" |
| groundhandler has a free hand to minimize costs at | | | | countries should note whether or not they are going to |
| your expense. If the tour operator is simply decorating | | | | be accompanied on the tour. A well-trained, |
| a local groundhandler's product with sophisticated | | | | accompanying tour director adds to the price of the |
| features, the tour will share much in common with a | | | | tour, but so does wasting your money and time on a |
| tourist class tour apart from price. Instead, you should | | | | disappointing tour. |
| seek a tour operator, who is so familiar with the | | | | Conclusion - Avoid tours to "difficult" countries that |
| destination that they have a wide selection of hotels, | | | | exclude meals and an accompanying tour director. |