Tim Leffel’s Cheapest Destinations

Adventure Tours vs. Booking Locally

As an independent traveler, I’m wired to be skeptical of organized group tours. The whole idea of being herded around from place to place doesn’t usually work for me. But I understand why some people love to travel that way. You don’t have to spend days researching and planning, you have some built-in companions, and if something goes wrong it’s somebody else’s job to take care of it. If you’re on a short vacation, all of that can be appealing.

Plus when you want to go on some kind of adventure activity, you’re going to be a group regardless: white-water rafting, popular hiking trips, jungle treks, etc. But that doesn’t mean you have to set it all up from home, with a company based in your home country. Because if you do, much of what you spend is just covering marketing and overhead.

I don’t want to pick on this company specifically, but here’s a good example. Book an Inca Trail hike through these guys and you pay $565, ground cost only. Apart from knowing that the maximum group size is 24 (high for this hike), there’s little info on the quality of what’s included.

Now go direct to the source in Cusco and try a well-regarded agency such as Peru Treks or Andean Travel Life. They give you a very detailed rundown on what’s included and note that the maximum group size is 16, usually less. The prices for 2007 are $350 to $365 and you know exactly who is actually leading the adventure on the trail. You don’t even need a calculator to learn that the adventure booked from home is $200 more than one booked at the source.

This is just a short 4-day hike, on a trail with lots of competition and strict regulations. Imagine the difference for a week-long Amazon adventure, or a trip to the Galapagos? If you’re flush and it’s worth it to just write a check and be done with it, let ‘er rip. But if you have more time than money, do some digging around. For more info, see this article: Booking Adventure Travel.