Group Tour

This is a postscript to my letter “Pros and Cons of Tour Group Audio Systems” (Sept. ’08, pg. 15), with clarifications.

The first trip on which I used the audio systems mentioned by Mr. Roberts (Sept. ’08, pg. 15) was the 13-day “Eastern Europe to the Black Sea” cruise-tour with Grand Circle Travel (Boston, MA; 800/248-3737, www.gct.com). We traveled through Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria and Romania, Aug. 29-Sept. 10, 2008.

I really liked them, but I found myself way behind and hurrying to catch up. When I lost the connection, I knew the group was way ahead of me.

I suspect that many ITN subscribers have had some experience with the relatively new audio systems used by tour groups to allow better communication between guides and group members. I believe it might be worthwhile to exchange some thoughts on this subject.

These systems are essentially one-way, low-power radio links, with the guide having a small transmitter and microphone and each of the group members “wearing” a small receiver and headphones. My wife, Janet, and I have had both good and bad experiences with these devices over the past few years.

My husband, Steven, and I took the 10-day “Life in Japan” tour, May 13-22, 2007, with General Tours. The cost was $6,328 for both of us, including one extra day in Tokyo, another in Kyoto and the optional tour to Nikko. We purchased airfare separately.

by Randy Keck

by Judith Anshin, Contributing Editor

In this edition of “Under the Microscope,” I will examine an important aspect of the greatly increasing trend toward small-group travel. In terms of who is in charge of leading groups, including solving any problems encountered along the way, how are these groups operated on the ground by tour companies?

Over the last 20 years, China has built up its infrastructure so that it is quite reasonable for individual travelers to tour on their own. Still, there is some risk and one can have some trepidation in undertaking this adventure, especially outside of the big cities. There is an alternative to using a group tour or doing it on your own, however, and that is having a China-based travel agent make all the arrangements.

I had a window of opportunity to take off work and go to Turkey, a country in which I had substantial interest. I began looking for companies that provided tours there, being mindful that I did not have much time to plan and would be alone.

Previously I have written on the subject of one of the rarest categories of all touring offerings in the U.S. outbound travel marketplace: the long-haul, single-destination group tour (LHSDGT), in this article to be referred to as LT. The LT was defined at that time as a group tour of three weeks or longer that focused on a single overseas destination.

Over the many months since the original article appeared (Sept. ’04, pg. 106), I have received a surprising amount of reader comment on the subject, most lamenting that there are not more such offerings available.