Are you a Ninny Lady if you go on group tours?
The other day a woman called The Women’s Travel Group about our November trip to Paris. After asking about the trip, she announced she had lived in Paris, knew it well and did not need a group tour. Why she called? Who knows. But bottom line, there are reasons for her to join the trip.
A group tour has benefits for either older women or younger professionals overwhelmed by demanding jobs. Clearly for older women, safety in numbers, assistance of a tour manager dealing with details, and companionship factor in. Porterage is critical. Diet requests also. For younger women, the fact that they only have to pack and retrieve their passports is appealing. No additional work for that hard earned vacation.
A group tour protects you like the ‘boy in the bubble’. Strikes in London, road blocks in Ecuador, meal ordering in Albanian, are dealt with before you know they are issues. With professionals, a strike-closed museum visit can be moved to another day and tickets swapped. Entrance to ‘hard to get into’ museums like Santa Maria delle Grazie to see The Last Supper are pre-organized. And porterage and room assignments are done. Change your room? Done. Replace your electronic key? Done. The unfortunate fact is a tour manager has more clout than you do. They speak the language, know the nuances to get things done. They report back to a tour company, which controls future bookings.
A good group tour arranges sightseeing for pace, appropriate timing for viewing and and to slot in bathroom or refueling breaks. A good time for museum tours is 90 minutes; after 90 minutes, tired travelers lose concentration. Marble floors take a toll. A walking tour can be as long as 2 hours with stops at important sites. Going it alone in a museum, the ‘Paris lady’ would miss the opportunity of a guide hand picked for the group, and the deeper information shared by women in the tour who have done their homework. A black steel lid in a London sidewalk might be a Victorian coal hole; you won’t know unless you are with a group guide.
Meals at hard to get restaurants can be part of a managed tour. Groups are often treated to a private room away from noise. Or seated in a select outside space under a vine covered trellis. Even restaurants who do not depend on tourism, greet groups as special guests. 15 times a 3 course menu is worth a lot to any establishment. Getting into restaurants in popular places like Santorini or Lake Maggiore is a snap with an organized tour. And the tour guides knew which tables have the best views.
How can an individual replace secret insider spots suggested by staff, like the bus driver. Our driver in Northern Italy suggested we stop at Cannobio, a charming lake side village with a famous ice cream parlor. Or by the guides: here is where to buy the authentic
Talavera a pottery, said the guide in Puebla, Mexico. She was right. Never underestimate local knowledge of tour staff. Where to replace lost luggage clothing in Delhi? Our guide took us to FabIndia. I am still wearing the lovely cotton clothes we bought that day.
The fancy word today is curating a tour. What it means is doing it right with quality staff so even the ‘Paris lady’ feels satisfied. For more information on quality group tours: The Women’s Travel Group. You may contact us here also:
