Your alarm sounds off one morning, you roll out of bed, but this time around, the first thought that pops into your head isn’t related to work meetings and checklists; it’s of a sea glistened by the golden sun or a glacial lake nestled in an amphitheatre of mountains. You want to transport to somewhere else in the world immediately. Still, you know your endless to-do list will hinder you from planning any trip, forcing you to turn your designated vacation time into a staycation. While enjoying where you live without the threat of deadlines can be relaxing, nothing compares to jetting off to somewhere new and exploring the natural wonders of the world. But how can you plan a trip if you don’t have time to, well, plan a trip? There’s one solution to consider: pre-planned tours.
This article will share the pros and cons of pre-planned tours before diving into the three underrated places to go in hopes of helping you kick off the most tedious part of the pre-planned adventure tour process: choosing where to go. Read on if you lack time to plan a trip and want some inspiration on which country to visit.
Why should you go on a pre-planned tour?
Let’s break this down into a list of why and why not planned tours make an awesome or not-so-great travel option. It all depends on your adventure style, really.
Pros of pre-planned tours:
- You don’t have to plan anything: hotels, adventures, transportation to and from the airport, and the list goes on.
- Some tours can be catered to the needs of your group. For example, if you’re on a guided trekking tour, but you’re with young kids, your guide can bend the adventure to suit all fitness levels.
- Choose between guided or self-guided tours! If you don’t want to worry at all about getting lost on your adventure, choose guided. If you want to travel with just you and your partner or your friends and follow the directions provided, choose self-guided. Your accommodations and adventures are still pre-planned for a self-guided tour, but it’s up to you to ensure you get from point A to point B if you’re hiking or mountain biking, etc. Some include transportation.
- Discover local hot spots and hidden gems tucked across the region you’re exploring alongside a trusted guide.
Cons of pre-planned tours:
- If you’re on a guided tour with a group of random people, you may not like certain people in your group. (Do note that some guided tours allow you to have a guide with your friends and family!)
- Most tours schedule designated leisure days, which is great, but you may need one earlier, and your group may not be on board, forcing you to tag your tired legs along. In other words, you may not have as much freedom as you would on an itinerary you created.
Pre-planned tours are fantastic for busy families, a friend group that can’t agree on what to do, or even company retreats. Now’s the tricky part: choosing where to go. Let’s kick this challenging part of the planning process off with a glimpse of what some adventure tours look like in 3 different—and underrated—travel destinations.
1. Adventure Tours in Canada
Why should you explore Canada on a pre-planned tour? For one, the country is so vast that it’s hard to jam the highlights into one or two weeks, making it worthwhile to explore alongside a trusted guide. Secondly, getting around Canada may cost you an arm and a leg, so it may be easier to package everything into one tour to avoid stressing out over how to get from point A to B. (Those creating their itinerary can always rent a car.)
Adventure Tours in Canada are not meant for those seeking a beach-lazed holiday. Braided with rugged and mountainous escapades, many pre-planned tours in Canada include camping in the thick of the wild, hiking to bright blue alpine lakes backed by snow-capped mountains, or skiing and snowboarding in powdery bliss. Get ready for unruly explorations immersing you away from the hustle of the outside world and into the depths of the forest, where birds and the rustles of trees take on the role of natural background lullabies, and the incredible backcountry views replace TV screens as your primary form of entertainment.
2. Adventure Tours in Greece
To outsiders, Greece is a microcosm of everything tourists adore about seaside Europe: iconic and historical tales etched across crumbling ruins, glistening seascape backed by fascinating architecture, and phenomenal dishes worlds ahead of typical North American cuisine. Most people go here to experience summertime bliss intertwined with European charm, but Greece has so much more to it than what meets the eye. And you can get to know the country by exploring it via hiking, walking tours, biking, or sailing!
Adventure Tours in Greece offer the chance to explore areas that other tourists may not know about or the opportunity to revel in the magic of this European country from a local’s perspective. A pre-planned tour will take you beyond the surface and deeper into Greece’s undeniably fascinating history and beauty.
3. Adventure Tours in Ecuador
If you’re the type of vacation goer who appreciates adventure and ever-changing scenery, Ecuador is where you want to go. Within one to two weeks, you may find yourself paddling amid the Amazon Rainforest, listening to birds humming in the background one day to a more rugged mountain biking experience in the Andes to soaking up the sun while the waves kiss with your toes on a sandy beach.
This South American country is the ideal destination for anyone who prefers a fusion of intoxicating culture, scenery, and adventure on their holiday. But whenever you want to chill, there’s always the beach-furbished, wildlife-centric Galápagos Islands. And guess what? There is a range of pre-planned tours that can support your need for an adventurous vacation in Ecuador. For example, the Andes to Amazon Adventure has you cycling through Llanganates National Park and rafting in the Amazon (to name two activities). You can read more about this guided adventure and find other Ecuador tours here!
Hopefully, reading about these three underrated destinations helps ease the process of choosing where to try out a pre-planned tour!
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