ON A GROUP TOUR: WHO IS LEADING THE TROOPS
Group tours are guided by an itinerary designed by the tour company. A schedule of activities is in the itinerary and a timeframe for execution. This is not to say every minute is planned. There are often slots of free time to pursue your own activities.
There may also be elective activities, often at a cost.
My experience is an early breakfast and out the door on the bus no later than 09:00. Onward tourist soldiers!
Many tours are cross jurisdictional involving planes, ferries, ships and railways.
A with you all the time “tour director” travels with you throughout your tour. The tour director handles transportation, feeding times, site admissions and offers insights as the sites visited. Indispensable for medical emergencies of which there were two on this trip requiring hospital admissions. Tour directors assist with visa and entry requirements where possible.
A tour director is a mother hen, confidant and drill sergeant all executed in a diplomatic fashion….hopefully. On this tour we had a very skilled and gentle diplomat. This was made apparent in an airport in transit security check where a Chinese tour director was bellowing commands in an aggressive fashion to his browbeaten group!
There is usually a country guide in addition to the tour director, an expert on the sites visited in each country .
At times the incessant commentary delivered on a bus microphone is just a bit too much if you have had a long day and want moments of quiet to savour what you have seen .
Next: Your fellow travellers: What to expect
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