SIZING UP A SMALL-GROUP TOUR; TO TRAVEL IN A GROUP OR NOT IS NOT THE ONLY QUESTION.Byline: Kristin Jackson Seattle Times We were on a family trip to a splendid Roman archeological site - the ruins of the 2,000-year-old city of Ephesus in Turkey. We had hired a guide to show us around for a day so we could learn about it in depth. Big mistake. As we tromped past an ancient temple, our guide solemnly announced: ``Very old. Made of stone.'' In an immense Roman amphitheater amphitheater (ăm`fəthē'ətər, ăm`pə–), open structure used for the exhibition of gladiatorial contests, struggles of wild beasts, sham sea battles, and similar spectacles. , which once held 24,000 people, he nodded sagely and said: ``Very old. Made of stone.'' All through Ephesus, everything was very old, made of stone. That was the extent of the guide's knowledge, or at least of his English. The phrase ``very-old-made-of-stone'' has been a running joke in my family ever since that trip many years ago. We laugh about it now - it was only a bit of money and a day misspent mis·spend tr.v. mis·spent , mis·spend·ing, mis·spends To spend improperly or extravagantly; squander: misspent the funds; misspent their youth. . But these days, given the surging popularity of small-group guided tours guided tour guide n → visite guidée; what time does the guided tour start? → la visite guidée commence à quelle heure? - which last for several weeks and cost thousands of dollars - having the wrong guide or being on the wrong trip is no laughing matter No Laughing Matter is an episode of U.S. Acres from the series Garfield and Friends. It was the 74th episode produced for the series, although it is listed as the 71st episode on the Garfield and Friends DVD. It originally aired on October 21, 1989. . Travelers must do some homework before they sign up for a tour. Packaged trips, from escorted motor coach tours to air/hotel packages, are popular among American travelers. Americans took about 47 million such trips in 1995 (the latest figures available), according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. the Travel Industry Association of America. A guided bus Guided buses are buses steered for part or all of their route by external means, usually on a dedicated track. This track, which often parallels existing roads, excludes all other traffic, permitting the maintenance of reliable schedules on heavily used corridors even during rush tour of the country-music palaces of Branson, Mo., or an air/hotel package to Disneyland or Hawaii are among the most straightforward of such trips. Major airlines and big, well-known travel companies offer them, and virtually any travel agent can give advice and make reservations. However, one of the fastest-growing parts of the travel industry is small-group tours, especially adventure/eco-tours and cultural tours. Typically, a guide leads a group of eight to 15 travelers, with daily itineraries, accommodations and meals all pre-arranged. The price for an overseas trip of two to three weeks usually is about $2,000 to $3,000 and up, excluding international air fare. (Closer to home, look for weekend or weeklong week·long adj. Continuing through the week: a weeklong conference. Adj. 1. weeklong - lasting through a week; "her weeklong vacation" seven-day guided trips.) U.S. companies offering such trips range from mom-and-pop outfits that handle a few dozen travelers each year to big operators such as Mountain Travel-Sobek or Backroads, which each take thousands of travelers annually to remote corners of the world. The variety of trips is staggering - from river-rafting the Grand Canyon Grand Canyon, great gorge of the Colorado River, one of the natural wonders of the world; c.1 mi (1.6 km) deep, from 4 to 18 mi (6.4–29 km) wide, and 217 mi (349 km) long, NW Ariz. and horse-pack trips in the Cascade Mountains Cascade Mountain can refer to:
Jerry Mallet mallet, n a hammering instrument. mallet, hard, n a small hammer with a leather-, rubber-, fiber-, or metal-faced head; used to supply force or to supplement hand force for the compaction of foil or amalgam and to seat cast , president of the Colorado-based Adventure Travel Society, estimates 12,000 outfitters in North America North America, third largest continent (1990 est. pop. 365,000,000), c.9,400,000 sq mi (24,346,000 sq km), the northern of the two continents of the Western Hemisphere. now offer guided, small-group adventure trips; that's up from about 8,000 in 1994. But walk into a typical travel agency, and you'll find that few agents have much information on such companies or their trips. Compared to mega-markets such as cruises, the adventure-travel and cultural tours remain a specialized, small market and one that few agents focus upon. (That's changing as some participate in the American Society of Travel Agents' adventure and eco-travel training). ``The travel agents really haven't gotten into it overall. It's a challenge for them,'' said Mallett. It's difficult for agents to keep tabs on so many small, new companies; it's easier and more lucrative to sell an air/hotel package to Hawaii, a cruise or other standard vacations. California-based Mountain Travel-Sobek is one of the companies with the highest percentage of trips booked through travel agencies - about 25 to 30 percent of its annual business, said Mark Campbell Mark Joseph Campbell (December 6, 1975 in Clawson, Michigan) is an American Football tight end in the NFL for the New Orleans Saints. He has also played for the Cleveland Browns and Buffalo Bills. He played college football at the University of Michigan. , a Mountain Travel-Sobek spokesman. The company goes after travel-agency bookings, holds seminars for agents and offers commissions on trips booked. For many other adventure-travel companies, less than 15 percent of their bookings are through agencies, said Mallet. Most travelers end up booking small-group tours themselves directly from the companies that organize them. With no travel agent to fall back upon for advice (or legal redress Compensation for injuries sustained; recovery or restitution for harm or injury; damages or equitable relief. Access to the courts to gain Reparation for a wrong. REDRESS. The act of receiving satisfaction for an injury sustained. ), it's crucial that travelers shop around before investing their vacation time and money in such a trip. On small-group tours, it's the guides who make or break their trip. They're key to the smooth running and mood of the trip. Travelers' safety also can hinge on Verb 1. hinge on - be contingent on; "The outcomes rides on the results of the election"; "Your grade will depends on your homework" depend on, depend upon, devolve on, hinge upon, turn on, ride guides' competence during physically demanding trips such as river-rafting or high-altitude trekking. Most guided tours operate successfully. Word-of-mouth advertising and repeat clients are mainstays of many of the smaller companies, so they do their best. But, as in any industry, there are a few rotten ones - so shop before you sign up. Gini Harmon of Seattle learned how the wrong guide can wreck a trip when she went to southern Europe Southern Europe or sometimes Mediterranean Europe is a region of the European continent. There is no clear definition of the term which can vary depending on whether geographic, cultural, linguistic or historical factors are taken into account. on a small-group tour led annually by a Seattle-area man. ``The guide was incredibly rude to us, and to other people, to the point there was no way we could stay,'' said Harmon, citing several instances in which the guide was verbally abusive and menacing to them and several others. She said the guide also refused to modify some food and daily arrangements to accommodate the group's wishes. Disgusted and dismayed, she and her husband left the two-week trip after five days and traveled by themselves. When she returned to Seattle, Harmon began fighting for a refund. She went to small-claims court small-claims court n. A special court established for simplified and efficient handling of small claims on debts. , and last summer was awarded $2,500. Harmon has traveled widely, including on guided tours in Nepal, China and Tahiti, and ``I'd never seen anything like him.'' ``My advice to other travelers is you just can't take anything for granted,'' said Harmon, who had joined the tour on the recommendation of acquaintances who knew the trip leader but hadn't traveled with him. ``You have to do firsthand first·hand adj. Received from the original source: firsthand information. first investigation before going. If somebody doesn't have a proven record, ask for names of people who were on previous trips and talk to them yourself.'' Outtakes How can you learn about small-group tours? Ask a travel agent for recommendations. Or, phone the American Society of Travel Agents ASTA, short for the American Society of Travel Agents, claims over 20,000 members in 140 countries. Its members include travel agents and companies who offer travel products, such as tours, cruises, hotels, car rentals, etc. , (703) 739-2782, and ask for the education/training department to get the names of agents who have earned ASTA's certification for specializing in adventure travel/ecotourism. Other good sources of information: Magazines such as Outside frequently carry ads and listings for adventure tours as does the quarterly Escape magazine. Hundreds of companies that offer cultural as well as outdoors-oriented tours are listed in the ``Specialty Travel Index'' which is published every January and August (available at some bookstores and newsstands or phone 415-459-4900). Some useful books are ``Great American Sports and Adventure Vacations'' (Fodors, $17) and ``Arthur Frommer's New World of Travel'' (Macmillan, $19.95). Colleges, universities and alumni associations An alumni association is an association of graduates (alumni) or, more broadly, of former students. In the United Kingdom and the United States, alumni of universities, colleges, schools (especially independent schools), fraternities, and sororities often form groups with alumni occasionally offer tours. Also check with local museums, and with your favorite aquariums and zoos. Comparison-shop with well-known companies elsewhere, such as Mountain Travel-Sobek, Backroads, Abercrombie and Kent, Journeys, Wilderness Travel, Geographic Expeditions and Overseas Adventure Travel. (Most have toll-free phone numbers; ask toll-free directory assistance, (800) 555-1212.) If you can't get a recommendation from a friend or acquaintance who's been on the tour you're interested in taking, ask the company for names of people who've taken the tour whom you can phone for references. Here are some other questions to ask them: How long have you been in business? A new company may do just fine, but make sure they've researched and set up the trip well. And bigger is not necessarily better; some small companies offer a more personal tour. Who is the guide? Has the guide led this tour before? How many times? And how long has the company operated in that geographical area? If you're considering a rafting raft 1 n. 1. A flat structure, typically made of planks, logs, or barrels, that floats on water and is used for transport or as a platform for swimmers. 2. , mountaineering mountaineering or mountain climbing Sport of attaining, or attempting to attain, high points in mountainous regions, mainly for the joy of the climb. or other physically adventurous trip, what is the guide's training and certification? And does she or he have first-aid training? Who else is signed up for the tour, and who typically goes on it? Single people may not want to travel with couples, people in their 60s or 70s may not want to go on a trip with gung-ho 20-somethings. Any extra costs? Be sure you understand everything that is, and isn't, included in the trip fee, from flights to meals. What's the group size? How much free time is there? Do you have liability insurance, and what sort of insurance do I need? Buying locally usually offers the best chance for redress in case something goes wrong. It's easier to make your complaints, in person, to a local company. It's also simpler to undertake legal action close to home, if necessary. Before you sign up for a small-group tour, here are some things to consider: The advantages On a small-group tour, the legwork leg·work n. Informal Work, such as collecting information or doing research in preparation for a project, that involves much walking or traveling about. is already done; you don't have to spend any time making arrangements. A guide can smooth the way if things go wrong. If you have limited vacation time, and limited time and energy to spend on pre-trip planning, a small-group tour can be a stress-free way to see a lot. It's a good way for solo travelers or those uneasy about going on their own to explore far-flung destinations or try sports like rafting. You may make new friends. The disadvantages Group travel limits your activities, what you see and your privacy. You're on someone else's timetable, often a fast-paced one that may not allow for changes in the itinerary. You pay more, frequently $150 a day or more on overseas trips, for the company's and guide's expertise, planning and time. While most tour groups are congenial con·gen·ial adj. 1. Having the same tastes, habits, or temperament; sympathetic. 2. Of a pleasant disposition; friendly and sociable: a congenial host. 3. , there can be friction. When things go wrong: Be prepared for some snafus, even on the best-organized and best-led trip. But if things go really wrong, complain to the guide and complain in writing as soon as possible to the tour operator. CAPTION(S): 2 Photos, Box Photo: (1--color) Small-group tours can be as pleasurable pleas·ur·a·ble adj. Agreeable; gratifying. pleas  ur·a·bil as floating down a Venice canal in a gondola - or, without some research, you can end up with the wrong guide on the wrong trip. (2) A group of tourists sees the sights in Graz, Austria. For some, such a small-group trip can be a good way to go. Box: Outtakes (see text) |
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