The Pros & Cons Of Private vs. Group Tours

Con: Fixed Dates and Itineraries

Traveling to a new destination is often a once-in-a-lifetime experience, but going on group tours can limit your ability to fully enjoy your trip. Group tours have fixed dates and itineraries, which means that you can’t stay longer in a location because you want to dine in more restaurants around the area or take more pictures nearby.

When you book for a group tour, expect that the itinerary — along with the information on how long you’re going to stay in a spot and what activities you can do — will be given to you before the start of the tour. This setup will leave little to no flexibility and prevent you from customizing your travel experience.

Con: Fixed Transportation

Since group tours involve a lot of people, expect that going on one will lead you to miss out on certain locations and sites. Group tours usually use large public transportations, like buses, which means that you won’t be able to visit sites that are only accessible when walking. The same is also true for destinations that are only accessible by medium or small-sized vehicles.

Con: Tourist-rich Experiences

Group tours will allow you to visit different sites in another city, state, or country, but keep in mind that these sites are often filled with tourists. When you join a group tour, expect that you’ll have to rub elbows with other tourists as these sites are popular worldwide.

Choosing to join a group tour will allow you to immerse yourself in a new destination, but your experience is often limited because you’ll witness the same things as every tourist.

Private Tours: Pros and Cons

Another way to enjoy a destination is by paying for a private tour. This kind of tour provides greater flexibility as you get to choose who to travel with and when to travel. 

Pro: Easily Customizable

One of the biggest benefits you can experience when you go on a private tour is customization. Companies that provide private tours will often give you a list of the itinerary, but this is easily customizable. You can decide when to visit the spots mentioned in the itinerary, remove specific to-dos in the itinerary, or add destinations that you’ve gathered from your own research. 

Do you want to try out different cuisines whenever you travel? Add a cooking class to your itinerary. Are you looking forward to hiking or trekking in the mountains on a weekend during your upcoming trip? Schedule the activity on your itinerary. Do you want to shop for local goods before heading home? Dedicate an entire day to a local farmers’ market during your trip. 

When you choose to go on a private tour, your trip will be focused on your needs and wants, not from the consensus of individuals whom you never encountered in the past. Private tours basically give you the opportunity to decide where to visit during your trip and what kind of activities you are going to engage in when traveling.  

Pro: You Set the Date and Time

Planning a trip can become a struggle because not everyone has the flexibility to travel whenever they want. Generally, you’ll have to carefully plan out the duration of your trip to avoid conflict between your work and other responsibilities you might have back home. 

Another benefit of going on a private tour is having the ability to decide when you’re going to travel. Since you don’t have to wait for a huge group to travel, a private tour allows you to decide when you’re going to fly in and out of your home country and how long you’re going to stay in a specific location. 

With a private tour, you can decide to stay shorter or longer on a specific spot, allowing you to make the most out of your trip. Do you want to stay longer than planned or leave immediately? Going on a private tour enables you to do any of these and more.  

Pro: Safety is Guaranteed

Because of the outbreak of the COVID-19, caution is necessary when traveling. Ideally, you should lessen your contact with other people when spending time outdoors to lessen your risk of being infected or transmitting the disease. 

Going on a private tour is a safer option compared to group tours because the former will require you to travel with people that you already know. With a private tour, you don’t have to mingle with other people when traveling, and you can choose to visit locations that aren’t crowded with tourists. This will ensure your safety and enjoyment during your trip. 

Pro: Spend More Time With Friends and Family

You can always go on a trip with friends and family, but going on with a group of strangers can be awkward. This is especially true if you have kids around, as you’ll be looking over your shoulders all the time to make sure that they don’t bother other people during the trip. 

When you go on a private tour, you won’t have to experience this kind of problem as you can have exclusivity when deciding who will travel with you. When you pay for a private tour, you can bring your closest friends and family along and not worry about their crazy antics or unexpected behaviors because everyone knows everyone. Traveling with your own social circle will ensure that your trip is stress-free and one for the books. 

Pro: Private Transportation

Because a private tour will only involve very limited people, going on one will also give you access to private transportation. Instead of riding large buses or trains, you’ll have to ride in a minibus or private car when you go on a private tour. This will give you the opportunity to visit locations that aren’t accessible to large vehicles.

Pro: Special Assistance

Companies that provide private tours understand that every single person in the group is unique and will have different needs. These companies know that individuals paying for private tours are usually ones who want to spend time with their family, especially with their senior loved ones. 

When you go on a private tour, you won’t have to worry about your senior loved one’s mobility or medical concerns because the service provider will meet these needs. You just have to let these companies know about your needs, and they’ll be happy to oblige. 

Companies that cater to private groups have years of experience in dealing with clients who have different needs and will be very happy to cater to yours. The service provided in private tours is individualized and can be tailored-fit. 

Cons: Cost (but there are hacks!)

The only drawback of private tours is the cost. Because only a limited number of people will join the tour, expect that you’ll have to pay more. However, this doesn’t mean that you have to break the bank just to enjoy a private tour with your friends and family; there are actually companies that offer discounts and promos, especially if you place a booking months before your trip.  

Moreover, because private tours are highly customizable, you can create an itinerary to better suit your budget. Do you want to save money on accommodation? Cross off 5-star accommodations from your itinerary and choose to stay in local hostels or property rentals instead. Do you want to skip visiting a spot to save money? Go ahead and change your itinerary. 

When you go on a private tour, you won’t have to acquire debts just to experience the trip of your dreams. 

Look At the Bigger Picture

Both private and group tours are beneficial, but keep in mind that these aren’t flawless. Any kind of tour will also have some drawbacks, which is why you should look at the bigger picture and weigh the pros and cons of your option before choosing. 

Aside from using the information in this article to make a decision, don’t forget to consider your travel goals and the location of your upcoming trip. Look into the logistics of your destination and what you would like to discover when traveling to help you decide. 

If you’re interested to book a private Oahu tour, reach us at (808) 425-9896. You can benefit from our discounts and promos when you book an Oahu tour online today!

–  Oahu Private Tours