Definition of 'guided tour'
- guided tour
guided tour in British English
Examples of 'guided tour' in a sentence guided tour
Trends of guided tour.
View usage for: All Years Last 10 years Last 50 years Last 100 years Last 300 years
Browse alphabetically guided tour
- guided missile
- guided missile cruiser
- guided wave
- guided writing
- All ENGLISH words that begin with 'G'
Wordle Helper
Scrabble Tools
Quick word challenge
Quiz Review
Score: 0 / 5
The Pros and Cons of Guided Tours
As travel bloggers, we face a very real dilemma: Do we try to see and experience as much as possible during our trip, or do we allow ourselves more time to explore and wander at our leisure?
Both approaches have their own unique benefits and drawbacks – and if you find yourself wondering which is right for you, this blog will help you decide!
The Pros of Guided Tours
1. you get to see all the major points of interest. .
We took a tour bus to Mount Rainier National Park and were able to see all the items on our bucket list:
- Mt. Rainier (of course)
- Grove of the Patriarchs
- Reflection Lake
- Christine, Myrtle and Narada Falls
2. You always have someone to take your photo.
What’s more annoying than getting home from your trip only to realize all you have on your camera are selfies of your giant face with few recognizable details in the background?
Gone are the days of the selfie stick and, with them, all the semi-decent shots of you and your fellow traveler(s). But fear not! When traveling in a group, you can ask your tourmates to snap a few shots for you.
Disclaimer: OK, so the photos might not always be great, but at least they show more than your right arm and face.
3. [For extroverts only] You get to meet other travelers.
There’s something special about sharing an adventure with a bunch of strangers. During a guided tour to the Loire Valley in France, we ate a private, family-style meal at Château de Nitray with our tourmates, and it ended up being one of our favorite parts of the entire trip!
4. You don’t have to worry about transportation.
There are few things more terrifying than navigating public transportation in an unfamiliar destination, especially one in which you don’t know the local language.
We found ourselves in Paris trying to navigate the RER for a trip to Versailles. Though we successfully purchased our train tickets at the kiosks, the digital screens didn’t show any trains going to Versailles. Turns out, the announcements they were playing on the overhead speakers (in French) alerted travelers that there would be no trains to Versailles that day.
When we got back to the land of free wifi (thank you, Hotel Regina!), we booked a coach bus. We were thankful to have reliable – and air conditioned – transportation on this trip and many others!
5. You get the inside scoop.
With a local tour guide, you get more than just what’s written on the brochure. You get an insider’s perspective and opinion on the locale’s history, impact, people, traditions, celebrations and more. You discover the hidden gems and the funny stories that give each destination its character.
The Cons of Guided Tours
1. it always feels rushed..
No matter what tour you take or how long you’re at your destination, a guided tour always feels rushed. We’ve missed out on photo ops and off-the-beaten-path adventures by taking guided tours during which there’s no time to stop for these last-minute detours.
The photo above was taken through a bus window during a guided tour. We wanted to beg the driver to please pull over and stop so we could capture this beautiful scene, but we were on a time budget and couldn’t afford to do so.
2. There are usually people in your footage.
If you’re traveling with a large group, chances are that some of your tourmates will photobomb you. In Mount Rainier National Park, Mike was carefully setting up a shot of me walking across a bridge, under which was a beautiful waterfall.
As I was “acting” my way to the other side of the bridge, a group of our tourmates thought I was lost and swiftly entered the shot to guide me to a different location. Bye bye, dreamy footage. Hello, photobombers.
3. [For introverts only] You have to spend time with other travelers.
For some travelers, being with a group of strangers all day is a nightmare. It really depends on the crowd – we’ve had wonderful tourmates and we’ve had loud, obnoxious ones (who you can hear in every video we shot).
If you have time, call the tour company in advance and ask about the size of the tour group. This will help you decide which tour to take – or whether to take one at all.
4. Certain tours might not be worth your investment.
Guided tours range in price, but some can be pretty expensive depending on your destination. In some cases, they might not be worth your investment at all.
Consider this: We booked our Mt. Rainier day trip in advance and figured the weather probably wouldn’t be great. What we didn’t know is that when the weather isn’t great, it affects your chances of seeing the mountain at all, which was the main reason we booked the day trip.
When I asked our tour guide what our chances were of seeing Mt. Rainier, he wouldn’t even say. For a tour that cost $130 per person, that was a pretty risky gamble!
Read more about our hunt for Mount Rainier .
5. Guided tours can be exhausting.
I know, I know – first-world problems. But guided tours can seriously take a toll on you!
Most of our tours have been 12-hour day trips. We get up at the crack of dawn, head to the meet-up spot with nothing but a cup of coffee in our stomachs and set off on a long and often draining tour.
This is usually the trade-off when you decide that you want to see everything on your bucket list.
Whether you’re booking a guided tour or not, we wish you happy travels and hope this blog post helps you plan your next adventure!
We’re going to spend some time roaming on our own during our next vacation in Anaheim, California. Be sure to subscribe for updates and follow us on Instagram at @travtwogether .
Share this:
- Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
Emily Malott
3 responses to “The Pros and Cons of Guided Tours”
So true about yours. I’ve always felt rushed and exhausted. So I book time a few days before and after your in the country I toured!
[…] Guided tours that are included in packages afford you the opportunity of exploring the surrounding area. As useful as it is to have a local tour guide showing you the sights, it can limit where you can go. Pre-booked excursions are particularly applicable to first-time visitors, as they can experience the best of the local attractions on offer. However, returning visitors may find it rewarding to add a window of flexibility in their itinerary to do some of their own exploring. […]
thanks for the pros and cons about tour .
Discover more from Traveling Twogether
Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.
Type your email…
Continue reading
- Cambridge Dictionary +Plus
Definition of guided tour – Learner’s Dictionary
Your browser doesn't support HTML5 audio
(Definition of guided tour from the Cambridge Learner's Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)
Translations of guided tour
Get a quick, free translation!
Word of the Day
a type of large tree that grows in northern areas of the world, or the wood of this tree
Fakes and forgeries (Things that are not what they seem to be)
Learn more with +Plus
- Recent and Recommended {{#preferredDictionaries}} {{name}} {{/preferredDictionaries}}
- Definitions Clear explanations of natural written and spoken English English Learner’s Dictionary Essential British English Essential American English
- Grammar and thesaurus Usage explanations of natural written and spoken English Grammar Thesaurus
- Pronunciation British and American pronunciations with audio English Pronunciation
- English–Chinese (Simplified) Chinese (Simplified)–English
- English–Chinese (Traditional) Chinese (Traditional)–English
- English–Dutch Dutch–English
- English–French French–English
- English–German German–English
- English–Indonesian Indonesian–English
- English–Italian Italian–English
- English–Japanese Japanese–English
- English–Norwegian Norwegian–English
- English–Polish Polish–English
- English–Portuguese Portuguese–English
- English–Spanish Spanish–English
- English–Swedish Swedish–English
- Dictionary +Plus Word Lists
- Learner’s Dictionary Noun
- Translations
- All translations
To add guided tour to a word list please sign up or log in.
Add guided tour to one of your lists below, or create a new one.
{{message}}
Something went wrong.
There was a problem sending your report.
IMAGES
VIDEO
COMMENTS
GUIDED TOUR definition: a visit to a place such as a museum with a guide who explains facts about the place. Learn more.
If someone takes you on a guided tour of a place, they show you the place and tell you about it. American English : guided tour / ˈɡaɪdɪd ˈtur / Arabic : جَوْلَة إرْشادِيَّة
No matter what tour you take or how long you’re at your destination, a guided tour always feels rushed. We’ve missed out on photo ops and off-the-beaten-path adventures by taking guided tours during which there’s no time to stop for these last-minute detours.
guided tour meaning: a visit to a place such as a museum with a guide who explains facts about the place. Learn more.
What is a tour guide? Tour guides, or tourist guides, are members of the hospitality and travel industry who show visitors around places of interest. Tour guides may lead groups or individuals through historical sites, museums, geographic destinations and on outdoor excursions.
guided tour meaning, definition, what is guided tour: if someone takes you on a guided tour, t...: Learn more.