It’s a question commonly asked by travelers: Should I go it alone or enlist the help of a tour guide? Either approach has its benefits, but also its downsides. To make planning your next trip easier, we’ve dissected the pros and cons of guided tours, from multiday outings to half-day excursions, as well as how to decide whether they’re the right choice for you. Here are six questions to consider before you book.
What Type of Experiences and Activities Are You Looking For?
While there’s no reason you can’t walk around the historic core of an Italian city on your own, ski down a mountain in Colorado without a guide, or take a self-drive safari in South Africa, there are some activities that you just can’t do on your own. These types of guided tours and activities are ideal for travelers seeking immersive experiences rather than sightseeing. Professionally hosted cooking classes, wellness breaks, and photography tours all fall into this category.
According to the 2024 U.S. Tour Taker Report from travel company Arival, it’s a trend that is increasingly apparent with Gen Z and millennial travelers from the U.S. Their findings are backed up by a 2024 Get Your Guide survey, which reported that 89% of travelers believed that teaming up with a local guide is the best way to explore a new destination, as these respondents valued authentic insights into a different culture over a superficial visit.
Is a Guided Tour a Safer Option?
On the other hand, some places aren’t safe to visit independently, and taking a guided tour is the only option to ensure that you don’t put yourself (or others) in danger. For instance, it’s possible to explore underground caverns, hike on a glacier, or venture inside a glittering ice cave — as long as you appreciate the risks and are accompanied by a local expert. As Viktória Komjáti of tour operator Icelandia explains, “We usually recommend booking guided tours for three main reasons: safety, comfort, and immersion. Activities in fragile or extreme environments, such as glaciers or wilderness areas, are much safer with skilled local guides.”
The tour operator will monitor conditions not only on the day of your visit but also in the weeks and months leading up to it, giving them the knowledge they require to make an informed decision about whether it’s safe to proceed. Along with the comfort of knowing that someone is watching out for your safety, the social nature of such an excursion can be an added perk — group tours can be a great way to meet like-minded travelers and make new friends.
Do You Have Time To Research a Trip Yourself?
If you’re keen to maximize your time in a destination with which you’re unfamiliar, then it might make sense to opt for an organized tour for all or part of your vacation. Doing so can save hours of scrolling through blog articles and social media posts and sifting out genuine reviews. Whether you’re considering a day excursion or planning a multiday itinerary for a longer trip, trusting someone else to take the reins can give you confidence that you won’t miss out on must-sees or overlook hidden gems.
Stan Ellerm of Australian tour company Tasmanian Hikes believes that “guided walks give you a greater understanding and appreciation for the area that you are exploring. Our guides have curated the best places to visit and are there to enhance the overall experience, as well as take care of your well-being.”
How Well Do You Cope With Unfamiliar Surroundings?
If you’re likely to spend your trip worrying about committing a cultural faux pas, getting lost, or being unable to make yourself understood, visiting new places on a guided tour will most likely feel a lot less daunting. You’re also paying for someone else to shoulder the responsibility for delivering a seamless and enjoyable trip. The company will usually take care of logistical matters such as purchasing tickets and getting from one visitor attraction to the next, giving you peace of mind and leaving you free to enjoy the experience.
However, more adventurous travelers could find a tour itinerary constraining — instead, they might be excited about the problem-solving opportunities a far-flung adventure somewhere new could deliver.
Is a Guided Tour Worth the Money?
Ultimately, one of the biggest downsides to joining a guided tour is the cost. If it’s a group tour, sharing these costs with others means you don’t shoulder the burden alone, but you wouldn’t incur them at all if you were traveling independently. However, tour companies can sometimes negotiate a better deal with hoteliers and specialist providers, as they can offer repeat business throughout the season. You’ll also get added value from the insights and information they impart during the tour.
Before signing up, it’s a good idea to do some price comparisons. Dig into what the tour includes and price out what each separate element would cost if you were to book on your own. With some online research, you’ll be able to figure out whether the guided tour you’re considering represents good value for your money.
Would a Hybrid Approach Work Better?
Don’t forget to consider a hybrid approach. If you’re planning a city break, kicking things off by taking a guided walk or seeing the key sights on a minibus tour could make sense for you. But once you have a feel for the place, you’ll have more confidence to venture out on your own as you take a deeper dive into what interests you most. Meanwhile, on an extended vacation, opting for guided tours for some activities and doing others independently allows you to enhance your vacation with expert-led activities and experiences, while giving you personal space to absorb and process this new environment.
You might also choose an organized tour as a way of overcoming patchy availability of long-distance public transportation. Where roads aren’t in great shape, independent travel might be too daunting. Or if you’d need to rent a car or hire a driver, the itinerary could become prohibitively expensive. Interspersing periods of individual travel with guided tours could give you the best of both worlds.
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