To put it simply, traveling can be divided into two categories: group travel and independent travel. But I have sorted out my experiences over the years and shared them with you where are the pitfalls and what are the advantages and disadvantages of different travel methods.

Traveling can be simply put into two categories: group travel and independent travel. With the development of cruises in recent years, cruises can also be regarded as a way of travel. So, what are the differences between these methods? ? What kind of travel is suitable for me? What are the pitfalls between different modes of travel?

After reading this article, you will not be able to travel directly, but I have compiled my experience over the years, where are the pitfalls, and what are the advantages and disadvantages of different travel methods. I hope you will share them all. After reading this, I at least have some concepts. I don’t blindly reject group tours, and I don’t mindlessly advocate independent travel. Don’t put cruise tours and square dance aunties (I don’t mean to despise square dance aunties, the desire for survival is very strong). equal sign.

1. Traveling with a group

In fact, the first time I went to Thailand, I also traveled with a group. For a group trip organized by the company, I chose the most classic Mamba line. Of course, I encountered all kinds of things mentioned on the Internet. : Why do you spend half the day shopping? Why do tour guides ask you to buy local entertainment items? If you don’t buy them, you will lose face.

In my personal opinion, group tours are generally much cheaper than independent travel. Why? Do you really think that because dozens of people traveled together and saved transportation expenses, they got huge discounts on air tickets and hotels? In addition, when we travel independently, we may occasionally stay in a worse hotel. When traveling in a group, hotels are generally not too bad. Do you think travel agencies are open to lose money?

Speaking of which, let’s talk about the group tour I took with my family to Hong Kong when I was in college. It took 4 days, one day of free time, and of the remaining three days, at least one day was spent in a shopping store, which of course was a long time. A long time ago, Hong Kong was a shopping mecca. During the Spring Festival, the tour fee per person was less than 4,000. I took Cathay Pacific back and forth. I stayed at Nina for 2 days. I forgot about the other two days. For example, I wanted to feel better. Then besides Disneyland, I also went to other classic attractions. We went on a night tour of Victoria Harbor and Ocean Park. To be honest, the tour fee was not enough. The tour guide would also tell the truth, such as which hotel company sponsored our hotel, and the tickets for our Ocean Park. , which company sponsored it. That trip was very enjoyable mainly because many people do shopping during the Chinese New Year, and Hong Kong is really suitable for shopping at that time. But what if the entire group doesn’t buy it? What will be the result? I have no idea.

So, if you sign up for a cheap group tour product, be prepared to go to a shopping store and make you uncomfortable. Let’s talk about the group tour in Thailand just now. If I remember correctly, the group fee should be more than 3,000 per person. Two years later, we traveled abroad again, and the boss increased it to 5,000 per person. We went to Jeju During the 64-day tour of the island, the tour guide did not do any promotion. He would go to shopping spots, but they were all souvenir shops. It is up to you whether you want to buy them or not. And if everyone is happy with their purchases, just stay longer. If no one is interested, Just leave early.

In fact, I have always encouraged everyone to go on group tours. After all, many people are under great pressure at work, and it is not that easy to make guides. If there are good group tour products, why not do it? But remember that you should be greedy for small things and lose big money. You have to be cheap and have good quality. Things are not that good. Within the allowed range, accept the scale that you can accept.

We are all adults, let’s analyze the pros and cons.

Note: The above prices are at least 5 years ago, please do not compare with current prices.

made a complaint, what kind of people are suitable for group tours?

1. Who is suitable for group tour?

• You can’t speak a word in English. Don’t tell me that you can’t speak a word in English and you can still have fun abroad. I have met an aunt in her 50s and 60s who traveled to many countries by herself. She is really amazing, but Ask yourself, do you have the courage?
• If you are too lazy to make a guide, it is very convenient to join a group tour.
• If you are alone or 2 people, you need to go to some places that you can only drive to by yourself. If you have a limited budget, you can choose to join a group or join a local group (for example, I went to Tibet, Linzhi route, I was alone, and I followed a local group for 3 days. The difference in room rates is not much, but I can’t hold the cost of chartering a car myself).
• If you want to know a little bit about the scenic spots, but don’t need to know too much about them, the tour guide can play this role, giving you a brief explanation and understanding some basic knowledge. If you travel independently, you need to check a lot of information on your own.
• I like to buy things every time I go to a place. You have to buy the same things anyway. It’s no different from the tours that need to go to shopping malls. You can also eat well and live well. Don’t think that tours with shopping malls are so scary. Many of them are Go to some specialty shops, duty-free shops, etc. Of course, if you go on a 4-day group tour of Thailand that costs more than 1,000 yuan, I haven’t said that. Please read my text above.

2. Which places are suitable for group tours?

• Egypt, the place is chaotic, I feel more at ease if I go with a group.
• There are many countries in Europe. If you want to apply for a visa, and just want to go to a few more places to check in, you can go to 5 countries in 10 days. It is the first choice to go with a group, but it is not possible to travel independently. Ah
• The United States, the land is vast and rich, and I want to visit more places. It is much more convenient to join a group.
• New Zealand . The same principle as the United States. Either drive yourself, otherwise it is a bit difficult to travel independently.
• Cambodia, I don’t understand the history of Angkor . I don’t understand the history of Angkor. The group at least has a tour guide who can explain a thing or two. Of course, it is the same if you hire a local guide yourself.

Of course there are many more, so I won’t give examples one by one. Anyway, you can save money by traveling to dangerous places and places where you need to drive by yourself. Save money and worry.

3. Disadvantages of group tours

Of course there are advantages and disadvantages. It is not unreasonable that group tours have been criticized for many years. Everyone chooses the way that suits them. In fact, it does not depend on what you need, but the comparison between the two. , which kind of shortcomings you can accept more is the key.

• Most of them need to get up early in the morning to start visiting the scenic spots
• The stay at the scenic spots will not be too long. They usually get off the car to take pictures and leave.
• In most cases, group meals are not very delicious. . .
• Shopping stores, most group tours are relatively restrained, but some group tours put the cart before the horse and focus on shopping stores. Be careful with this kind.

4. Several destinations where shopping stores are popular

• Thailand, especially Bangkok Pattaya This classic route has too many shopping stores. . .
• Hong Kong is a very suitable place for shopping. There are indeed many shopping stores. It is not difficult to travel independently in Hong Kong. It is recommended that you choose to travel independently.
• Bali , the group will go to many silverware shops, wood products shops, etc., which mainly focus on local handicrafts.
• I won’t go into details about domestic shopping. No matter where you go, you can find a bunch of shopping malls. Currently, the ones with the worst reputation are Yunnan and Guilin..

Having said so much, what is my attitude towards group tours? Woolen cloth? Unfortunately, I can't get up at 6 or 7 in the morning to visit the scenic spots, nor can I spend the whole day in the car. I prefer to have a two-hour lunch if I have something to do, or stay in the museum for the whole day. Therefore, in most cases, I do not meet the standards for group tours.

Of course, I can compromise in some cases. For example, if I participate in a group outing organized by the company, then I don’t have to do whatever I want; for example, if I go on a group tour with my family, I can use my personal energy It’s really limited. If you want to arrange for several adults to travel independently, there are really a lot of things to worry about and a lot of homework to do. I may not have thought carefully enough. Group travel is also an option.

2. Cruise cruises

Cruises have become very popular in recent years. I took one once and fell in love with it. It was so simple and leisurely. But yes, adults need to understand that there must be a but behind everything.Let me talk about the advantages of cruises first:

1, Advantages of cruises

• It is cheap, it is not a holiday, and a sea view room is only 2-4 thousand. If you are allowed to ask for leave, just take 2 days for the weekend;
• It is worry-free, get it You pay a tip on the cruise, and you don’t have to worry about anything else. You have a room, entertainment, and food, so you don’t have to worry about anything; . Doesn't

seem to be very suitable for lazy people? You don’t need to use your brain, don’t think too much, and you can complete the trip easily. However, the disadvantages of the cruise are also very obvious:

2, disadvantages of the cruise

• Most of the time is on the ship, either watching shows, going to casinos, or swimming. , either the amusement facilities on the boat or watching the sea. If you don't like the above, you will be bored;
• The food on the boat is not delicious, but the taste is just that. After all, it is a buffet, and the price is there, or you can pay Ordering food;
• is unavoidable, there are too many people, which affects the experience;
• It will be very crowded ashore, and there is only so much time for a boat of people, and they have to be divided into batches, so the experience is not good.

3. Cruise ships are suitable for the following groups of people:

I personally think that cruise ships are suitable for the following groups of people:

• People who like to gamble can gamble on the high seas. The last time I met a girl, even the dealer knew her, and she came to the ship to gamble. (Personally, I don’t support publicity, it’s just a kind of group of people);
• For middle-aged and elderly people who want to play with their little sisters and pass the time, if they choose an inner cabin for 4 people, they can get it for less than 1,000 yuan last year. Take it, just think about it, what kind of 4-day tour can have such a low price? Of course, cruise prices have increased a lot this year, but there are still a lot of tailgate cabins under 1,500 yuan; they are also suitable for student party trips;
• don’t want to use their brains to make strategies, and like vacations. In other words, if your travel style Just find a beachside hotel and lie on the beach, so a cruise is actually not much different;
• I want to find a place to relax temporarily, but it’s too late to make a guide, and I’m afraid of being cheated when joining a group? At least there won’t be any pitfalls on the cruise (or there won’t be big pitfalls).

4, Shore Sightseeing

Let’s talk about shore sightseeing. When I took the flight, Korea was not yet dizzy, so the route I took was to land on Jeju Island. I went to several scenic spots, and then finally went to the duty-free shop. The duty-free shop will leave 1-2 hours for you to buy and buy by yourself, because there are a total of 2 opportunities to go ashore. After I had a great time shopping in the duty-free shop for the first time, the next day, I went directly to a nearby large supermarket to shop by myself. Go, anyway, just go back and gather at the designated time.

If you don’t want to take the free shore tour, you can also sign up for other half-day tours or one-day tours, which are charged separately; some require shore tours, and some are not mandatory without going ashore and signing. This depends on the regulations of each travel agency.

But what is more regrettable is that the cruise market, which was so prosperous last year, is in terrible decline this year. Not only do many ships not come, but many have even sold their ships. Next year, there will be even fewer ships. . . In terms of price, it is no longer the ultra-low tailgating price of the past. After all, I have bought a balcony room for 1,299, and I have never seen this price this year. . .

Just sit back and cherish it.

For those who are interested in cruises, these articles have strong strategies and are quite pertinent. They are worth reading. Nowadays, aunts are on a lot of (self-) media. The people who write about them may not have been on a cruise themselves. The titles are very eye-catching. I couldn't help but click in. When I clicked in and looked at the content, I was like, this kind of article, I just passed it:

3. Free travel

I finally started to talk about free travel. First of all, this article is not I will tell you how to make independent travel strategies, how to make an itinerary, how to choose a destination, etc. I will simply talk about the pitfalls I have gone through and the process of enjoyment.

1. Disadvantages of free travel

• It is troublesome to check the guide
• Some places need to charter a car. If there are few people, the cost will increase sharply
• Language problem, I may not be very fluent in English, and some places are even more difficult if I don’t speak English, such as where I went In Novosibirsk, except for the front desk of the hotel who can speak English, no one in other places, such as restaurants, stations, museum staff, etc., can speak English.
• Food, many group tours take care of Chinese people, and they will also find Chinese food group meals abroad, so you can travel freely. Find a Chinese restaurant by yourself, the price is still a bit expensive.
• Regarding the car problem during the itinerary, a bus can be used for group tours. If you travel independently, you need to take a taxi or take the subway or bus, which will be a bit of a hassle.

2. Advantages of independent travel

Independent travel There are so many pitfalls and disadvantages, but most people still flock to it. Why?

If you also like to get up in the morning and spend an hour or two in the garden eating a Western breakfast, then you will not choose to travel in a group anyway;

If you also like to walk around the city and measure a city with your feet If you like to get up at four or five in the morning just to wait for the sunrise, if you miss it, you can stay one more day and wait again. After watching the sunrise, you can still Go back to the hotel and sleep, then you will not choose to travel with a group anyway;

If you also like a certain museum and can stay in it all day long, then you will not choose to travel with a group anyway. Travel;

If you also like to go to some unpopular and unfamiliar scenic spots, places where there are no tour groups, then you will not choose to travel with a group anyway;

If you also like to live in some unique and historical places Hotels, castles, B&Bs, even if it is far away from the central city, you will not choose to travel with a group anyway;

If you like to be free and not disturbed by others, if you like to have your own concept of time, no If you need to get stuck to meet up, then you will not choose to travel with a group anyway.

I will not forget the night when I fell asleep to the sound of the waves in Mui Ne, nor will I forget the morning when I got up at 5 or 6 in the morning in Nha Trang and went to the beach to watch the sunrise; I will not forget the beauty of Bagan. I will never forget the magical impact brought by the Thousand Buddha Pagoda and the Big Stone near Bago; I will never forget the tranquility of going to Lovina in northern Bali and lying on the undisturbed beach. It is the quietness that the south can never give. , I can’t forget the empty forest in the valley of Ubud; I can’t forget the beauty of the Taj Mahal, which I went to twice for this reason; I can’t forget the sunrise on the Ganges River and the corpse floating by me; I can’t forget the beauty of Belize I can’t forget the leisurely life of Guanajuato at the Big Blue Hole; I can’t forget the mosque in Kazan town where I studied for 2 years, and I can’t forget a ballet in St. Petersburg; I can’t forget the shock of the blue ice of Lake Baikal, and I love it even more. A simple life of working from sunrise to sunset, going out for a walk.

. . . .

4. Summary

Whether it is a group tour, independent travel, or cruise tour, there is never such a thing as better or worse. It is just a more suitable way of travel in different situations. Some people like traveling independently and its freedom, some people like cruises and their laziness, some people like traveling in a group and their peace of mind and efficiency. Everything is just a choice.

Appendix: Free Travel Guide to Preventing Pitfalls

1, Hotel Anti-Pitholes

Compare multiple platforms, read more user reviews, look at the location, transportation, and room facilities. For more recommendations, look at the pictures provided by the user reviews, maybe More realistic; of course some comments will be biased.

I'm really not sure what the hotel is like. Generally speaking, the standard rooms in youth hostels don't have big problems, and the hygiene, location, and services are pretty good.

The budget is enough, and the international chain five-star hotels are also good. Most of them can be guaranteed, but four stars are hard to say.

Those who like to stay in B&Bs are more difficult. There are relatively few B&B platforms. Sometimes it is difficult to tell whether there are any problems. Firstly, it really depends on luck. Secondly, you can also choose one with a higher number of reviews.

2, restaurant lightning protection

This is a bit difficult. Everyone has different tastes. It is inevitable that some people think it is delicious and others think it is average. Recommendations from some travel websites are generally unreliable because the updates of guides are slow and the evaluation criteria are very slow. It’s unknown, so it’s really just for reference and don’t take it too seriously. Nowadays, there are a lot of reviews on overseas websites, which can be used as part of your reference. You can also check out tripadvisor, yelp, etc. and read more reviews from others.

Actually speaking from my own experience, popular restaurants recommended on the Internet are just like that. . . The local restaurants you find at random are often surprising, so I suggest that you just take things as they come. If you see a crowded restaurant, you can try it. Traveling is all about discovery, isn't it? It’s boring to keep going to restaurants that everyone else has been to.

3. Scenic Spots

You have to go to popular attractions. Even if many people tell you or you feel bored after going there, you will still take a look at the landmark buildings. But in some places in Southeast Asia, such as Angkor Wat and some beaches, there will be many locals coming to sell things, children begging, etc. They are also trying to make a living. I usually say no politely, and if I keep pestering me, I will leave quickly, but Sometimes I also give some money and buy some postcards. It really doesn’t cost much. Some people think this is condoning them not working hard and condoning children stretching out their hands to pray. I hope they can study hard. The problem is, they have this Conditions?

If you are soft-hearted and bring candies to the children, why not bring them some pens and notebooks? Before I left, I met a little girl, so I gave her the remaining three or four pens. The look on her face The smile is the sweetest smile I have ever seen in my life, it really comes from the heart.

4. Choose travel companions

If you are alone, it is very likely that in order to save room and transportation costs, you will go to some travel websites to find people traveling with you. There will be various problems in this, just to name a few of my own experiences or examples of friends around her:

• is a makeup maniac who spends 2 hours putting on makeup in the morning. Everyone is waiting for her to be alone, but she is not embarrassed;
• is a camera maniac who never leaves once she reaches a place. Taking selfies for 2 hours will delay the rest of the trip;
• is very fussy, and if there is an accident during the journey and needs to make temporary adjustments, the extra expenses incurred will cause a lot of noise or constant blame;
• loves to chat with locals, and he may go to chat with others even if he has a meal. Dinner may take four or five hours;
• can't speak a word of English and needs you to accompany her all the time;
• has different habits and hobbies, but will never accept compromises.

In fact, everyone will encounter it when going out. We can negotiate with each other and compromise on small things. In fact, it is quite difficult to completely avoid meeting people who are not suitable for traveling together. Generally speaking, you can communicate more in the early stage, communicate more before traveling, and discuss all aspects of the itinerary clearly, or you can get to know each other through this discussion. character. I have also had situations where I had to temporarily change traveling companions before traveling. Once before, when I made some comments about the itinerary, the other party simply and rudely said no, without even discussing it. It would be better to find another companion before traveling.

Personally, I hate the kind of people who tell you right away that they don’t know how to make an itinerary and will just follow you. Why should I? . .