If you've been dreaming of an adventure trip, you should consider contacting a travel tour operator. This travel expert will be ready to tailor-make a holiday trip to suit your geographical interests as well as your favourite adventure activities. Whether you imagine yourself snorkeling, hot air ballooning or horseback riding, a travel tour operator will know all the ins and outs of how to organize your dream vacation within the perimeters of your personal budget. The first thing you want to be sure of when hiring a travel tour operator is that they belong to a trustworthy travel association such as the Southern Africa Tourism Services Association (SATSA) which represents the private sector of the incoming tourism industry of South Africa. By going through a group such as SATSA, not only will you have a peace of mind that the operator can be trusted, but you will save yourself the time of comparing costs, booking transportation and accommodation as well as planning the itinerary.
After making a list of travel tour operators that come highly recommended by an association such as SATSA, spend some time investigating them to see which one will work for you. The most thorough source we have today is the World Wide Web which has information on just about any established entity in the world. See what the travel tour operator says about itself on the company website as well as what others say about it. Aim to get a feel for the operator's validity and reputation. Store all of the information you gather in a notebook or a word document, so you can compare the advantages and disadvantages of various operators. After the internet, the best place to look for travel tour operators is a travel magazine such as National Geographic. By paging through the magazine, you'll not only find reputable operators, you'll be inspired to make the most out of your adventure vacation.
If you haven't already, now would be a good time to get really specific about what you want out of this adventure vacation. If you've ever made any sort of list with things you want to do before you die, give it a fresh look. Consider which ones would be a good activity in the time of year you'll be traveling. For example, you would probably want to avoid seeing the Taj Mahal in the month of June as heat-wave temperatures at that time often soar up to forty-five degrees Celsius. If you'll be traveling in a group, take note of how many people as well as your intended price range for the entire trip. Create a vacation description that has all the details you're not willing to compromise on such as activities that must be included. It's best to do this before you approach a tour operator as the experience can be so exciting that you forget what you really set out to do.
Once you know all specifics of the adventure trip you're seeking, set up meetings with some of your top operators. Go to the meetings prepared with your dream vacation description as well as a list of questions for them to answer such as what credentials the guides and associates have as well as how many years they have been in the field. After explaining what you're looking for and the parts of your vacation that are non-negotiable, ask the operator to come up with an estimate of how much the vacation would cost with a basic financial breakdown of where the money will go. This will be helpful when comparing rates with other travel operators. Perhaps most importantly, find out what the daily holiday itinerary would look like. You may prefer lots of free time to explore on your own or, on the contrary, days filled with activities hour by hour. If there's anything that you're not happy with, see if an alteration can be made. At the conclusion of your meeting, ask how you can get in touch with a few of their former clients to get some personal experience feedback.
After doing proper research on various operators, writing down the non-negotiables of your trip and asking your favourite operators for some specifics, you're almost ready to make your decision. One of the most important aspects of a company to consider is their customer service. Remember that you could need to reach them quickly if an emergency arises when you're overseas. How quickly can you get a representative on the phone? If you are going through an automated dialing system for twenty minutes only to leave a message after the beep, you know that tour operator should not be entrusted with your tour. It makes sense to be partial to companies who not only respond to your inquiries promptly but go the extra mile to make the trip exactly how you've imagined it. By examining various travel tour operators under these lenses, it will be easy to make your decision.
After making a list of travel tour operators that come highly recommended by an association such as SATSA, spend some time investigating them to see which one will work for you. The most thorough source we have today is the World Wide Web which has information on just about any established entity in the world. See what the travel tour operator says about itself on the company website as well as what others say about it. Aim to get a feel for the operator's validity and reputation. Store all of the information you gather in a notebook or a word document, so you can compare the advantages and disadvantages of various operators. After the internet, the best place to look for travel tour operators is a travel magazine such as National Geographic. By paging through the magazine, you'll not only find reputable operators, you'll be inspired to make the most out of your adventure vacation.
If you haven't already, now would be a good time to get really specific about what you want out of this adventure vacation. If you've ever made any sort of list with things you want to do before you die, give it a fresh look. Consider which ones would be a good activity in the time of year you'll be traveling. For example, you would probably want to avoid seeing the Taj Mahal in the month of June as heat-wave temperatures at that time often soar up to forty-five degrees Celsius. If you'll be traveling in a group, take note of how many people as well as your intended price range for the entire trip. Create a vacation description that has all the details you're not willing to compromise on such as activities that must be included. It's best to do this before you approach a tour operator as the experience can be so exciting that you forget what you really set out to do.
Once you know all specifics of the adventure trip you're seeking, set up meetings with some of your top operators. Go to the meetings prepared with your dream vacation description as well as a list of questions for them to answer such as what credentials the guides and associates have as well as how many years they have been in the field. After explaining what you're looking for and the parts of your vacation that are non-negotiable, ask the operator to come up with an estimate of how much the vacation would cost with a basic financial breakdown of where the money will go. This will be helpful when comparing rates with other travel operators. Perhaps most importantly, find out what the daily holiday itinerary would look like. You may prefer lots of free time to explore on your own or, on the contrary, days filled with activities hour by hour. If there's anything that you're not happy with, see if an alteration can be made. At the conclusion of your meeting, ask how you can get in touch with a few of their former clients to get some personal experience feedback.
After doing proper research on various operators, writing down the non-negotiables of your trip and asking your favourite operators for some specifics, you're almost ready to make your decision. One of the most important aspects of a company to consider is their customer service. Remember that you could need to reach them quickly if an emergency arises when you're overseas. How quickly can you get a representative on the phone? If you are going through an automated dialing system for twenty minutes only to leave a message after the beep, you know that tour operator should not be entrusted with your tour. It makes sense to be partial to companies who not only respond to your inquiries promptly but go the extra mile to make the trip exactly how you've imagined it. By examining various travel tour operators under these lenses, it will be easy to make your decision.
About the Author:
Want to find out more about holiday planning, then visit Echo 4x4's site on how to plan the best adventurous holiday for you.
No comments:
Post a Comment