Trip Planning Service vs. Custom Tours vs. Booking Everything Yourself
Many people prefer to think that travel agents are a thing of the past, and with the rise of online travel agencies (OTAs), booking travel became easier for many people. While this is true, the way we travel and our options have changed dramatically.
For some, planning their vacation or dream trip is part of the experience, and they enjoy it. For others, it’s a chore. Some people travel a lot, and it becomes mundane to plan it all the time. And some like to mix different styles, which is what we personally prefer.
When we travel, we usually mix guided tours with self-booking. We like to mix self-driving with transfers and resorts with Airbnb, where we have to cook. This allows us to save money and make our travel multifaceted.
Did you know that the average person can spend around 16 hours planning and booking a trip, according to recent travel research? Gen Z travelers reported spending more than 20 hours. This is roughly two full workdays. This could be just for a simple vacation, never mind any big trip, like a multi-week, multi-country journey. Big trip planning can involve hundreds of hours of research and planning.
Planning is not only about booking flights and hotels. Travelers also spend time researching attractions, restaurants, cultural events, transfers, and things to do, which is why even a simple trip can take more time than expected.
So now we can talk about different trip planning methods after these facts.
Let’s start with self-booking. I think it’s for those who like organizing and planning. It’s like shopping: you either love it or hate it. Here you have to do all the research: find the right tickets — and there is a lot of information, blogs, and speculation on how to buy cheaper tickets — choose places you want to visit, choose a hotel that you like, book a car or transfer, figure out visas, and look for things to do. Booking all the excursions and finding restaurants seems like an easy part after all of the trip preparations.
Does this list excite you or overwhelm you?
I personally don’t see much benefit in self-booking as long as you are not enjoying it. I do enjoy it a lot. This allows me to be fully informed and develop anticipation for the trip. Benefits that come to mind are travel rewards, full control, flexibility, and full customization. It is the best option for weekend getaways and short single-place vacations, like visiting Aruba for a week.
When you do trip planning services, you will have that fully planned trip done by someone else. The benefit of that is obviously time saving, and if you do not like to spend time planning your travel, then this is for you.
Very often, trip planning is a service, and it is not paid from commission. It is usually charged per day, per person, or per itinerary. More travel advisors now also charge planning fees because planning takes real time, especially for complex trips.
The downside of that is that you still will have to express your wishes, such as hotel must-haves, food preferences, interests, and more. You also will have less control over your itinerary, but there is a surprise factor, so that may be fun as well.
This option is good for very complex itineraries that span multiple countries, when regular tours are not possible. For example, if you want to plan a South African grand tour spanning 4–6 countries, your option would be patching different tours, finding a grand tour from a single company that fits, or doing some trip planning.
With trip planning, you can have some downtime when you are not required to have a guide, or you can be more flexible with the hotel and stay in Airbnb. Tour operators normally work with certain hotel establishments.
Did you also know that travel agents work on commission and normally do not charge anything else above it? This is the custom tours section where I will share my opinion on traveling on a tour. I will not talk about group tours. This is just not our thing, but there are people who love it. We personally never want to share our experience with a bunch of strangers and wait for everyone, but meeting new great people is always a plus.
Custom tours are a great way to travel if you are only visiting 1–2 countries and you need to be fully catered to. This is the easiest way to travel, as everything will be done for you, and you will not have to worry about the logistics.
In custom tours, you usually will have everything set up for you: airport transfer, guide — or no guide with our self-drives — transportation, lodging, and all sightseeing will be organized.
The downside of custom tours is that usually travel agents partner with certain companies, and you will have less flexibility. But if you are particular about staying in a certain hotel, I think it should not be a problem to specifically book it. Also, communication can take a big chunk of time, but it still will be less than booking it all yourself.
Before any big international trip, it is also smart to check official travel information, such as U.S. State Department travel advisories and CDC Travelers’ Health, especially if your trip includes multiple countries.
The choice is yours, and with so many options, I believe it is wise to trust a travel agent to do the work for you, unless it’s an enjoyment for you. If you need help with trip planning or want to organize a custom African safari, contact us and we can help you make your dream a reality.