One of the first decisions we had to make when planning our trip was whether we wanted to take a group tour, or organize everything ourselves.
Group Tour
+ easy. pick a company, pick a tour that sounds appealing.
+ able to see many ‘must sees’. Tour companies know what tourists like to see.
+ cheaper. probably. Depending on what the tour includes, and how many meals/excursions you pay for on top of the tour fee.
+ meet other travelers your age. Many group tours are organized by age.
- less ‘local’ experience. The hotel you’ll stay in will probably be more institutional than charming. Same for the restaurants.
- you see what the group wants to see. You’ll probably have some free time – but not a lot of flexibility.
Organize it Yourself
+ you choose what you want to see, and how long you want to spend there.
+ cheaper. possibly. Depending on how you choose to spend your money (public transit or taxis, picnic lunch or fancy restaurant?)
+ experience more than the ‘must sees’. You’ll still be a tourist, but might experience more of the local culture.
- it will take more time and effort to organize.
Our choice was made by the last bullet. Organizing a trip yourself definitely takes more effort than choosing a tour. But that effort isn’t necessarily a bad thing – if you’re up for it!.
I read once that there are three great parts of traveling:
Planning and Anticipating
The Actual Trip
Reminiscing
Enter: Plan Travel Write. 
Tags: tours
