I'm completely addicted. To travel, that is.
With nothing on the calendar this month, I'm going a bit stir crazy.
It's one of those periods that we all experience, a time of transition, blah, blah, blah.
I passed my Life in the UK test (yay!) and we have an appointment with Immigration next week.
Hopefully, I'll have my Indefinite Leave to Remain in the UK soon. Fingers crossed.
A few other things are also in the works and should all work out soon.
Then we can start adding a few more trips to the calendar.
Patience is not one of my best virtues and I'm chompin' at the bit.
I must go to ALL the places!
Recently I came across a post by Nomadic Matt called
It really struck a chord. You gotta love a good rant. Especially one you agree with completely.
Being a fan of cruising, I deal with this often. (You really should just try it.)
But we travel all sorts of ways. We cruise, we wing it, we plan, we drive, we fly, we take trains.
As long as we're going, we're happy.
Get this...we even take guided tours!
Gasp. I know, right? "And you call yourself a traveler."
There is definitely a trade off when you book a guided tour,
but just maybe it's a trade off in your favor. Let's discuss, shall we?
Pro and Cons of Group Tours
Let's get the Cons out of the way.
- Loss of Control, spontaneity and flexibility. Uhm, yeah. Hard to argue with that. You certainly do lose a bit of those things when you are on a tight schedule and are responsible to a group of people.
- Not getting what you expected or would have selected on your own. The group has a reservation for dinner but you just want to stop at this food truck. Did anyone even look at this hotel on TripAdvisor? Why are we taking the 4am train for crying out loud?
- People. You mean I have to spend 11 days listening to this know-it-all, blowhard? If I have to hear one more crack about Americans. Could everyone just please stop talking... and breathing?
- Herd Mentality. You've all seen them. Groups of people following the lady with the red umbrella. Not a chance in hell of blending in and becoming one with your surroundings. Your main goal is to just keep up.
So, those are some pretty serious Cons, aren't they? Let's see if the Pros can outweigh them.
- Money Savings. Group bookings are usually much cheaper than if you were to book everything by yourself.
- Convenience. What could be more convenient? All of the logistics are planned out for you. Just show up and enjoy the ride.
- Access. Reputable tour companies have relationships and connections that get you better access. Early entry before opening hours. Behind the scenes tours. Special experiences.
- Troubleshooting. If things go wrong, you have someone on your side to take care of the problem. They've likely dealt with this exact issue and have a ready solution. They want you to have a wonderful time.
- People. Okay, people aren't all that bad. Sometimes, they're pretty awesome. You might just make some lifelong friends. And you have someone to talk to when your spouse has put in their earplugs and checked out for a few hours.
- Safety. There is no denying there is safety in numbers. Not to mention the tour company has your safety as their number one priority.
I'd say those are some pretty solid Pros.
Which is why when we were planning our trip to Morocco we booked a guided tour.
Matt has traveled with Explore! half a dozen times now.
I was a bit skeptical but wanted to give it a try, since it's something that he really enjoys.
We took their 11 day Moorish Spain to Marrakesh Tour in April of last year
with three days in Spain and eight in Morocco.
with three days in Spain and eight in Morocco.
Explore has been around since 1981 and offers over 450 small group adventures in 120 countries.
Going through their tour catalog is better than the Sears catalog at Christmas.
They offer walking, trekking, cycling, family, wildlife adventure tours and more,
all at various levels of Style, Comfort, Type and Pace.
So, how did this tour stand up to those Pros and Cons listed above.
We all know that I have control issues. So, there were times that I didn't want to go along with the group. Sometimes I just gritted my teeth and went along, usually happy afterwards that I did. There were also times, when Matt and I made a command decision and turned left when everyone else was going right. We were always sure that when we did so, it didn't affect the schedule in any way. But, sometimes it just had to be done.
The itinerary was very full and a bit like drinking out of a water hose. I've already written 18 posts about our trip and there are about 8 more planned. It was overwhelming. But, looking back, we were able to do so much that we never would have done had we been on our own.
We don't obsess too much about safety when we travel, but we always try to be informed and careful. I felt completely safe throughout our time in Morocco. In addition to our tour leader, we had local guides wherever we went. We were led through the Medinas by people who lived there. We met some wonderful people who were happy to safely show us around their home turf.
Explore offers four Comfort Levels on their tours: Basic, Simple, Standard and Comfort. This tour was at the Standard level. Our rooms were okay. Clean, safe and relatively comfortable. I did write over and over in my notes "Towels sucked", so that was an issue. One regret I have is that we didn't stay in a Riad (traditional Moroccan house). It definitely would have added to our experience of Morocco. Here are some photos from the various hotels. You can see some were nicer than others.
With a tour group, obviously the biggest factor is your travel mates. Our Tour Leader Dee was wonderful. She is a traveling, yogi, tour guide superstar. Anyone who can get 16 adults through 11 days of train travel without once losing their cool, is pretty special. We're friends on Facebook now and I'm sure we'll meet up with her again someday.
We were with a group of mostly Brits that ranged in ages up to their seventies. But, let me tell you, they were experienced travelers, fit, active and ready to go. I was one of the youngest in the group and struggled to keep up with them some days. They were a great group (with the exception of the know-it-all I eluded to earlier. But he gave us some great stories.) Compared to other tours Matt has done, it was an older group. I'm sure that each tour is different depending on when, where and how long the trip will be.
No matter how flexible and friendly people are, traveling with a group is a challenge. I often always felt very conspicuous. A group of 17 white people dressed so obviously as tourists traipsing through the Medina with their cameras clicking must be a very jarring sight.
I'm also a classic introvert, so being around people all day is draining. There were times when I would put on my sunglasses and listen to my iPod just to get a moment's peace. I'll admit that I struggled with this, but because of my personality not because of those around me. Matt, on the other hand, is an extrovert and thrives on the social interactions. Some of his closest friends are people he's met on an Explore tour.
I'm also a classic introvert, so being around people all day is draining. There were times when I would put on my sunglasses and listen to my iPod just to get a moment's peace. I'll admit that I struggled with this, but because of my personality not because of those around me. Matt, on the other hand, is an extrovert and thrives on the social interactions. Some of his closest friends are people he's met on an Explore tour.
So what's my verdict? Will I go on another guided tour?
If you'd have asked me the day we got home, I probably would have said "No."
But, just look at everything that we experienced...
Top Five Reasons to Visit Spain
Ronda, City of my Dreams
A Moment in Ronda
Museo de Ronda
Church of Santa Maria
Plaza de Toros de Ronda
The White Villages of Spain
Speechless in Morocco
Fes, Morocco
Time Traveling in Morocco
Made in Morocco
Cats of Morocco
Roman Ruins of Volubilis
Rabat, Morocco
"Rabat. She is a pretty city."
The Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca
First Impressions of Marrakesh
(with more still coming.)
Now that I've had time to process everything, the answer is absolutely "Yes!"
In fact, we already have our next one picked out.
Matt has traveled all over the world, but this travel thing is still new to me.
Morocco is the most exotic and different (from-what-I-know) place that I've been to so far.
It was a definite challenge but I'm so proud of myself for doing it and getting so much out of it.
It was an absolutely magical and mind-broadening experience, that I'll never forget.
Going on a guided tour is a great way to see Morocco.
Trips like this are what travel dreams are made of,
even if there are a few travel snobs out there who might disagree.
What are your feelings about traveling with a group? Happily or Hell No?
