Want to see more of your travel destination in a short amount of time? You should probably book a tour.
Yes, these are probably pre-packaged tours that might not offer you an “authentic” experience but honestly, that’s bs. I think it’s important not to pigeonhole these guys and the services they offer because they work hard to provide us the best experiences possible, and sometimes those experiences just involve a bus, 20 other people and tourist attractions.
(I also want to point out that cheap tours will always involve and lot of other people because that’s how they keep costs per person down. Economics and business. You get what you pay for.)
Booking a tour saves you time trying to figure out which local bus to take, what time it runs, how far you have to walk, and what the hype over the castle/park/ruins are all about.
You pay for a knowledgeable guide who can satisfy all your questions with the right and sometimes funny answers, you get to skip queues because they’ve arranged it all for you, you get discounted entrance tickets to some other attractions and you get to meet other people on the tour.
To make sure you book a good tour, check out what TripAdvisor recommends for your budget. Read the reviews and make sure to email the company with any questions you might have. It’s in their interest to provide tip top customer service because the Internet can be a nasty place for tour operators who treat their customers poorly.
And with that, I’m off to enjoy a tour I’ve booked for the Giant’s Causeway and some castles in between!
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