Nothing strikes more fear into a traveler than the worry that they’ll miss out on the Next Big Thing. The traveler who spends months on the perfect beach in Thailand, has magical experiences and then upon leaving, hears about the even MORE magical experiences someone else had on some other island.
The person who ventures to a new city, with a full plan of what to do and see and then sees an advertisement for a group tour to another ‘must see’ activity. Do you stay with original plans or join something else? It’s important to be spontaneous when you travel, otherwise you very much could end up missing out on an amazing experience. But rarely will this amazing activity come in the form of 40+ tourists blindly following a guide, all connected to the audio guide, so as not to miss a thing…
The problem with this is that then you miss hearing the live music that could entice you to venture into a concert hall. If you’ve already paid for a tour that includes a meal, you’ll be far less likely to follow your nose to a restaurant on the street with the amazing smells coming from it.
When we work hard to save money to travel, the last thing we want to do is miss out on something great, because we didn’t know about it beforehand. No matter how much research you do, how many people you poll on tripadvisor, and how well-prepared you are, you can’t do it all.
And if you tried to, it wouldn’t be a very relaxing trip.
Picture this. You’ve just arrived at your accommodation in whatever city you’re about to explore. You have a plan, or not, and you are fully comfortable with what you want to do. And then the reception desk tells you about this ‘can’t miss opportunity’ to do something or go somewhere you hadn’t even planned on. Or perhaps worst of all is when it’s something you had planned on, but they give you a litany of reasons why this simply can not be done on your own.
Fear not, fellow travelers! Whether or not you shell out whatever amount this experience will cost, it will have NO IMPACT on your overall wellbeing on your trip. If you miss something, I am pretty sure you will see something else in its place. Don’t let FOTU (Fear of the Unknown), convince you that something is so difficult, dangerous, or unpleasant and you cannot do it in your own. Unless you have literally never left your own hometown, (and if you haven’t, chances are pretty good that your first trip abroad won’t be to a destination that should have you worried for any reason), you are likely in possession of enough common sense to keep you safe.
(Side story: I was recently in Sorrento and had to travel back to Naples to catch a train. I’d heard so many horror stories about the Circumvisuviana train (check them out on tripasvisor), how tourists were targeted and pickpocketed or mugged or even attacked in broad daylight. It was the only way back to town, unless I wanted to put out 35€ for a private transfer (read: tour alert!). I didn’t and was determined to do it on my own. The result? Embarrassingly easy with absolutely zero concerns. Never felt unsafe. Never felt threatened. Never felt better about my travel smarts.)
Tours, for the most part, especially in first world countries, are geared to those who have the greatest FOMO (Fear of Missing Out).
What if I told you both the person who takes the guided tour, and the person who doesn’t, will both have valuable, rewarding travel experiences?
There are always exceptions to the rule. I recently went to Pompeii. While I didn’t pay for a ‘hotel pickup and drop off’, I did pay for an English guided tour at the site.
Recently, I was in Capri. My original plan had been to take the ferry over myself, and then navigate around the island and get to see what I planned to see. When I added up the ferry costs and then the additional boat tour of the island that I had planned to organize on arrival, I realized that my hostel had a better offer. While on the boat to the island, a woman came around to offer guided tours of the island, assuring us that local buses were appalling, frequently stuffed full without air conditioning, and were much more expensive than her tour she was offering, plus some special sites she had ‘thrown in’. Goodness help the budget traveler in me, but the thought crossed my mind ‘do I really want to fight my way through public transport’, and then ‘what am I missing by not doing her tour’.
And then I shook my head from my reveries. The one thing I’d come to Capri for was the Blue Grotto and I felt more than comfortable navigating it on my own. Anything extra I saw was bonus. But I didn’t need to pay 20€ for the ‘privilege’.
Upon reconvening on the trip back to the hotel, I compared notes with those around me. The ‘can’t miss’ experiences were showing the group where to shop (and spend more money…), and the several hours of free time in each town.
The overcrowded buses? Only once did I not have a seat. Seeing exactly what I wanted to, and on my own time, saved me 11€.
Are there cities and countries that you should pay a little extra and go for a guided tour? Absolutely! Tours can give additional wisdom to the history and culture of the places you are visiting. Just *please*: don’t let the FOMO paralyze you into thinking that you are incapable of traveling apart from a group. Don’t allow a salesperson to convince you you need to do anything other than what you set out to do.
Then, not only will you have the best, most magical travel memories and stories, but I guarantee you that that time you spent totally and completely lost, will one day very much be something to laugh about.
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