Originally Posted by SanDiego1K
I've done tours and I've traveled independently. I'd be very hesitatant about buying a package that covered the entire trip. You lose all flexibility with a package - you can't decide that a particular hotel is unacceptable or a particular town is boring and move on. Hotels won't honor your elite status; you get treated as a run of the mill leisure traveler. Further, you have to pay up front - and Gaucho, you won't get points for your hotel stays!
When I am planning a complex trip, I gather tour brochures and use them to give me ideas about what to see and how long it takes. I then rough out the agenda and customize it to my own interests.
I'd look at roughly out the trip, make decisions about hotels in pivotal cities, and look at shorter tours to fill in. You will keep better control over your experience by doing so.
The one positive about booking a tour is that your friends can't hold you accountable for meeting their expectations. All comments get directed at the tour operator.
SD1K-- thanks for the input. I basically agree 200% with what you are saying. Ive been blessed to be able to travel almost everywhere in the world and have done just about 98% tour package free travel - however, things do get complicated when you have to share major decisions with others in a party of six (we are three couples) and especially when budget issues are not as flexible.... then it does get complicated.
In theory, it should be possible to iron out a trip without a complete package and still get decent 'local' rates for some of the sites, but then it also gets into a planning nightmare. I may be wrong, but there dont seem to be many active FTers that are based in CAI or ATH.... so getting a lot of local info. and trustworthy advice is going to get tricky.
I dunno... for me, at this point, maybe a good compromise is to use a full service TA that will help us blend something together.... I assume this will be more costly than just getting some of those off the shelf packages but still be less money than planning everything on my own and then having to settle for hotel rates for the sightseeing outings that need to be done.
As for the no elite status recognition, no hotel points and no mileage..... please dont mention that again...
As Ive said, not all of us (unfortunately?) are so rewards program oriented, and for me this trip is a lot more about having a great 2-3 weeks with some friends - Ive been to all the places we are going already. Im sure I will have enough time to earn more points eventually....
Thoughts...?