Let’s Talk About Tour Companies: The Pros and Cons of Booking with a Travel Agency

Everything you need to know about the pros and cons of booking with a tour company in 2024.

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So you’re booking a trip – how exciting! You know where you want to go but aren’t sure if you should organise everything yourself or leave it up to the professionals. Well, we’ve compiled the pros and cons of booking with a travel agent for you to help you decide the best way to plan your adventure.

What are tour companies?

A tour company (also called a travel agency, tour agency or tour operator) is a business that typically combines and organises accommodation, meals, sightseeing and transportation into a purchasable package. Most countries have a range of tour companies that organise international holidays and trips and provide experts to do some or all of the holiday organisation for you. We’ve used tour companies a fair bit in our travels and wanted to write about what we’ve learned, as well as muse on the pros and cons of booking with a tour company.

What do tour companies usually offer?

• The basics – booking of flights/transfers/accommodation etc.
• Holiday packages – including the basics as well as meals and facilities etc.
• Full tour of multiple destinations – flights/transfers/accommodation/food/transport between destinations/day trips and excursions etc.
• Guided day trips – e.g. guided walk or day trip to and around a destination.
• Independent day trips – e.g. bus to and from a location but free to roam when you arrive.

Our favourite tour companies

For day trips:

We’d always recommend doing your research and choosing to support local businesses when you travel. By supporting local tour companies, your money goes back into the community, rather than lining the pockets of an international company, which is a more sustainable way to travel.

If you’re looking for an easy way to find tours and day trips in various locations across the world, we’d recommend checking out Get Your Guide and Viator. Rather than being a tour company themselves, both websites specialise in promoting local businesses and their tours to you. Their prices are affordable, they have a huge range of tours to choose from and they connect you directly with the company, so you have support throughout your booking.

For package holidays:

Our favourite package holiday company for UK travellers is TUI. Featuring a huge variety of destinations, all with exciting activities and excursions, TUI’s holidays are excellent value for money, incredibly affordable and all ATOL-protected, giving you extra protection when you book. We used TUI for our trip to Iceland in 2017, and you can read our thoughts on the holiday and service here.

There can be a stigma around using a tour company or travel agency. Some people think that if you don’t book your flights, accommodation or excursions independently, or research all the routes yourself somehow your travel experience is inferior. But this is a really unfounded notion. Actually, tour companies and travel agencies can be really useful and offer a range of benefits for even the most experienced traveller.

Pros of booking with a company

1) They offer personal security

One of the biggest incentives for booking with a reputable tour company is that they offer you an element of safety. For those who might have less experience travelling or are nervous about navigating new places, a tour company can offer reassurance and a wealth of information about a destination. Booking with a tour company can be a great option for newbie travellers, or even for experienced travellers who just want a little extra security during their trip. This was the case for Lucy when she visited Israel, a country that Western media often portrays as dangerous. Tourist Israel’s guides offered her security to explore a new country, but also an incredible insight into the country, meaning she learned so much about Israel from speaking to locals.

2) They offer financial security

Holiday packages booked in the UK are usually ATOL (Air Travel Organiser’s License) protected. This means if the company fails and your holiday can no longer go ahead then you will be entitled to a refund if you are yet to travel, and hotel costs and flights home if you’re abroad. This offers a traveller a great sense of comfort knowing there’s always a contingency plan and their money is safe. ATOL protection rules apply to most travel companies but we would recommend always double-checking this before booking your trip and getting travel insurance too.

3) You have less responsibility

Not only does the tour company do all the booking and liaising with accommodation etc. for you but they also take on responsibility for your trip in the event of an emergency. If your trip is disrupted (by weather, strikes, cancellations or any other event) it is the tour company’s responsibility to look after you and rebook/rearrange the aspects of your trip that are affected. That being said, it’s important to make sure you book with a reputable company to ensure you’re going to be provided with the right support.

4) The guides are experts

For day trips, tour companies provide knowledgeable guides who can teach you more about a destination than you might learn on your own. All tour companies know the main attractions of a destination and can offer tours that hit those key areas of interest efficiently. On several occasions, like on our trip to Iceland’s Golden Circle, we have remarked how glad we were to have taken a tour as we learned so much more than if we’d done the trip ourselves.

5) It can be cheaper

A tour operator can negotiate prices with other companies to get the best price for each attraction, hotel or flight. This can make booking a package remarkably cheaper than booking all the components yourself. We would still suggest price-comparing across different companies to find the best deal before finalising your booking to make sure you get the best price though.

6) You might have no other choice

Some places are inaccessible to the public or only allow tourists to visit with a guide. There are many areas that require special permits or equipment to access, such as a Demilitarised Zone or Bhutan, where travel can only be done with a registered guide. There are also other sites where it would be extremely dangerous to attempt DIY travel too, like Chernobyl or Antarctica. Without a tour company, you wouldn’t be able to visit these parts of the world at all.

7) You can meet new friends

Unless you have chosen a private tour, you will likely have the opportunity to mix with other like-minded tourists. Being thrown together with a random group of people is a great way to kick-start friendships as you undertake an adventure. Booking with a tour company can be a great way for solo travellers to meet new people on the road.

Cons of booking with a tour company

1) Tour groups can be too big

Excursions with a tour group can range from a private 1-on-1 trip to groups of 50 or more people. If you’re not the type of person who likes environments with lots of new people, then these bigger tours might not be for you. They can also mean the tour guide has less attention for individuals or time for questions. It’s worth doing your research before you book to check what size of group each tour will be.

2) They visit attractions at the busiest times

Day tours usually visit attractions at the busiest time of day when lots of other tour groups are there too. This wouldn’t make much of a difference if your package is just flights, transfers and accommodation however, if you have booked day trips/excursions then this is something to be aware of. If you like to visit an attraction off-peak for a quieter experience it might be worth booking it yourself.

3) They miss out on some attractions

Day trips booked through a tour company will often stick to the most touristy attractions as those are the most popular. This can also be a downside to any traveller who likes to leave the beaten path and explore an area more thoroughly than just the main attractions. If you like to escape the crowds and explore less touristy areas then a tour will not always be the best option.

3) They’re restricted by time

An organised tour typically works on a 9-5 timeframe with pick up after breakfast and drop off before dinner. This can restrict how much time you get to explore an area and can mean you don’t get to stay for the evening too. If you want the freedom to stay for longer in your favourite places then you may not want to be restricted by a tour company’s schedule.

4) The standard of accommodation can vary

This one really depends on who you book with and how reputable they are, but the general rule of thumb is the more you pay the more value you get. Accommodation in cheaper-priced packages can sometimes be of a lower standard. Our advice would be to check the hotels that your company is offering on TripAdvisor and read reviews so that you have all the information before choosing what’s right for you.

The Takeaway

Ultimately, travel companies are a great resource and can offer amazing value for money – if you do your research and book the right package.

Our top tips for booking with a tour company:

• Always price-compare other packages, as well as what you would pay if you did it yourself.
• If you know what you can get from a destination on your own then you’ll know whether you get more or less value from a tour company.
• If something’s not clear reach out to the company and ask further questions.
• Research thoroughly, check reviews and read the Ts&Cs.
• Always get third-party travel insurance.

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