Group tour or private holiday: how to choose

Searches for group tour packages have grown by more than two-thirds in three years, led by Japan, Vietnam and Thailand. At the same time, more families than ever ask us for private holidays built around their own dates. Both styles have real advantages, and the right choice depends less on budget than on who's travelling and what kind of trip you enjoy.

Here's how to decide, what to check before you book, and the middle way that suits many families and companies.

How a group tour works

A group tour (often called a fixed departure) runs on set dates with a fixed itinerary. You travel with other guests, usually 15 to 40 people, accompanied by a tour manager. Flights, hotels, most meals, sightseeing and transfers are arranged in advance. You pay one price, show up at the airport and everything else is taken care of.

How a private holiday works

A private holiday (sometimes called FIT) is planned only for you, your family or your friends. You choose the dates, hotels, pace and activities. A local driver or guide meets you where you need one, and the rest of the time is yours.

Side by side

Choose a group tour if

• It's your first trip abroad, or your parents' first.
• You'd rather not plan every detail, or deal with transfers and tickets in an unfamiliar country.
• You enjoy company and like having a tour manager who handles everything.
• You want Indian or vegetarian meals arranged throughout.
• You want a lower price: group fares and hotel rates bring costs down noticeably, particularly in Europe and Japan.
• You're travelling solo and would like company.

Choose a private holiday if

• You have young children who need their own pace, naps and early nights.
• It's a honeymoon or a special celebration.
• Your dates are fixed by school or work holidays and don't match a departure.
• You want specific hotels, a slower itinerary or more time in fewer places.
• Someone in your party has mobility needs that a group schedule would make difficult.

The middle way: a private group

Your family, friends, club, alumni group or company travelling together on your own dates, with an itinerary built around you. You get the price advantages of a group and the flexibility of a private trip. Extended families from South India often travel this way for weddings, milestone birthdays and reunions. For companies, the same idea becomes an incentive trip.

From around ten travellers, a private group usually has its own coach, guide and, if you wish, tour manager.

What to check before booking a group tour

• Group size: 20 travellers feels very different to 45.
• Tour manager: is there one travelling from India for the whole trip, or only local guides?
• Inclusions: which meals, entry tickets, tips and city taxes are included?
• Pace: how many hotel changes, early starts and long coach days?
• Hotel locations: central hotels save time; out-of-town hotels save money.
• Food: arrangements for vegetarian, Jain or halal meals.
• Elders: how much walking each day, and whether wheelchairs or lifts are available.
• Free time: some evenings to explore on your own make a big difference.

What to check before booking a private holiday

• Whether transfers are private or shared
• Which days include a guide, and in which language
• Hotel cancellation terms, especially before your visa is issued
• A local contact number you can call at any hour

Popular choices

• Group tours: Japan, Vietnam, Central Europe and Switzerland.
• Private holidays: Bali, the Maldives, Thailand and Kashmir.

Not sure? Tell us who's travelling and what you enjoy, and we'll suggest both and compare the cost. See our group tours or browse private holidays.

Questions, answered

Related

• Group tours
• All holidays

Published by Airtravel Enterprises · More articles and guides