Package tour or free & easy?

Great discussion topic, applefreak! personally, I prefer free and easy because i think part of the fun in going on a trip is the online research and going to the library, reading through guidebooks, reading online reviews of hotels and what to do in certain places. of course very much depends on which country you are going. In south east asia, i much prefer planning my own trip. and cobbling together all the aspects from flight to hotel to itinerary to restaurants to search out on foot. that's what i did for my recent trip to hanoi. for my honeymoon to new zealand, we did a mix. we did a hop on hop off coach deal, so the coach tix were fixed and the hotels were booked for us by the travel agency. but after being dropped off at teh hotel we could go wherever we wanted, eat whereever (even at the supermarket!) and just turn up the next time it's time to leave the town for the coach to the next town. so we didn't have to fight about directions or getting lost en route. although some people who like driving would say taht is part of the fun. for korea, when i went wtih my parents i just chickened out and went on a package tour. since i don't speak the language, i preferred to have everything nicely catered for. and there were the usual long coach rides, adn obligatory trips to ginseng factories and jewellery shops where they try to con you into parting with your money but i didn't mind as much. and i covered the major attractions without much planning. another factor to think about is whether you want to travel with the same group (of singaporeans usually) if you're on a package tour. i would much rather not. for new zealand, we saw different folks on each coach ride and could decide how friendly we wanted to be. so we chatted on some rides and kept to ourselves on others. lovely.

That will really depend on the amount of time you have left with the planning. If you got the time to plan a head, of course going on your own would be so much better. Package tours, the guide is always wanting you to go on so many of their "optional" tours. Which if you choose not to go, they will start to treat you different. But if you are lazy to do the full research, go on a tour package that is local to that country you are visiting would be slightly cheaper as the accommodation and transport is already catered. All you need to do is a little home work about the places in the itenery and you are set for a pretty good holiday without the fuss or worries about not being able to get the accommodation you wanted.

I am an independent traveler not a package tourist. I like to book my flights either direct with the airline or through a travel agent. I read guide books about my destinations before I go. I travel around a region by train, bus or ferry. I try to stay in locally owned accommodation like beach huts and guest houses. I like activities like swimming, snorkeling, walking, seeing wild animals and taking photos. I am free to make all my own decisions about traveling. I tend to move at a fast pace seeing as many different places as possible on a trip overseas. Not everyone has the confidence to travel independently but for me it is the best way to travel. One time I got a last minute package deal to Kenya. Then whilst there I took a train from the coast to Nairobi, then took a safari for five days to see wild animals. It was a cheap way to have the holiday of a lifetime. I have seen last minute package deals to Costa Rica offered. This would be a great way to have an independent holiday in Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama.

been with packages and it is generally cheaper than booking the travel separately. however, i kinda like the free and easy way of doing things. most of the time, i will just book the flight and will find my way to some accommodations. i get better deals sometimes. I just choose the season of travel. I travel during the shoulder or off season. That way, i get better rates.

If i have enough time i would try to be the way of free &easy ,you know ,you can enjoy yourself,go where you want, choose the time you want to go or want to back .That is cheerful! But if the time of travel is short,i would choose go on a package tour, there has little time for you to arrange it.

Whenever I am having a tour, I rather travel without them. It is a great adventure to explore the world. The initiatives to know the places, discovering the worth of being adventurous in life.

most of the time I'll opt for the package tour as it would have everything arranged for me, from meals to tours. At the same time I'll also make my own research of the places that I wish to visit should there be any leisure time that we can spend on our own. free & easy is not bad too, you can have more freedom in planning your time and the places that you want to visit.

I also do not like package tours. They seem inexpensive but they are actually impractical. Just like what you said, the agency practically choose everything for you. Thus, you will not really be able to fully enjoy what you intend to do. I love traveling and I only ask the agency to book a flight for me. All the rest, I do it on my own.

Dear friend, I hope we do not need a manager may many our tensions and confusions are overcome with a well known person to guide us. Moreover we may not be alone and may be our tour may be scattered without much systematic planing. I hope a package tour is much planned and systematic and more much risk is taken by those authorities who is behind this tour. More over more information and details are also got from tour guide. It is really bit stress free and less confusions arise.