some tour package companies

15 Best Tour Companies of 2024

Tour companies like Intrepid Travel and G Adventures can help you create the experience of a lifetime. Choosing the right company depends on your destination and travel preferences.

Guided tours can be a great way to experience a new destination, but you want to make sure you get the best experience possible. How can you find the best tour companies to guide your adventure?

Whether you’re looking for group trips, self-guided tours, river cruises, tours for solo travelers, or overseas adventure travel, you want to find a tour operator that can deliver a seamless, enjoyable, and authentic experience, all without zeroing out your bank account.

Here are the top 15 tour companies out there today. I’ll walk you through what each excels at and how to pick the best one for you.

• Our Top Picks
• Best Tour Company Overall: Intrepid Travel
• Best Small Group Tour Company: G Adventures
• Best for Day Tours: Get Your Guide
• Best Tour Company for Solo Travelers: Go Ahead Tours
• Best Tour Company for Families: Adventures by Disney
• Best Tour Company for Seniors: Trafalgar
• Best Tour Company for Europe: Tauck
• Best Tour Company for Italy: Insight Vacations
• Best Tour Company for Ireland and Scotland: CIE Tours
• Best Iceland Tour Company: Nicetravel Iceland
• Best Tour Company for Spain and Portugal: Cosmos
• Best Egypt Tour Company: Exodus
• Best Asia Tour Company: Klook
• Best Tour Company for Israel: Click Tours
• Best Tour Company for Greece: Epos Travel Tours

Intrepid Travel : Best Tour Company Overall

When you imagine travel tours, you may picture massive group tours and a bus packed with 50 noisy, gawking tourists.

That’s not what you get with Intrepid Travel . This company specializes in adventurous and immersive small group tours with an average of 10 people.

Operating on all seven continents, Intrepid offers a huge range of trip types to fit any traveler. You can choose biking tours across New Zealand, river cruises in Europe, trekking in the Himalayas, or wildlife safaris in the Serengeti. There are options for all-female adventures, family expeditions, active trips for adventure travelers, or trips catering specifically to 18-29 year olds.

If you don’t want to spend the trip of a lifetime sitting on your butt looking out a bus window, Intrepid Travel is for you. Their group trips are designed to fully immerse you in the culture and beauty of a new place. Here are two examples of what you’ll get from Intrepid Travel:

With the Alaska: Hike, Bike, & Kayak tour, you are led by an expert guide on a range of active adventures through some of Alaska’s best scenery and national parks. You’ll go sea kayaking, cycle along the rugged Alaskan coast, and hike through Denali National Park.

If you’re looking for more of a cultural experience, the Premium Sri Lanka tour is an incredible journey through the culture, history, food, and wildlife of this island. You’ll explore ancient temples, eat incredible food with locals, and search for leopards in the country’s wildlife preserves.

One last perk: Intrepid Travel is a Certified B-Corp, meaning they are dedicated to doing good in the world. They donate to worldwide relief causes and offset the carbon footprint of every trip they operate.

G Adventures : Best Small Group Tour Company

If you’re looking for small group tours, G Adventures is one of the best in the category. Just like with Intrepid, their tour groups average 10 people, so, with G Adventures, you won’t have to deal with being part of a massive hoard of tourists.

So what sets G Adventures apart? Unlike many tour operators, they focus on helping you get exactly the experience you’re looking for instead of packing every day with a rigid schedule. Every trip offers a wide range of optional activities that you can pick and choose from to personalize your experience. Plus, you can opt for more free time to explore or hang out on your own.

I also love that G Adventures hires all local guides. They put a lot of emphasis on their guides, even calling them CEOs (chief experience officers). That means you get local, insider expertise on your trip. Your tour director will speak the local language, know the best spots to eat, and fully understand the culture.

If you’re looking for big luxurious hotels and resorts, G Adventures probably isn’t for you. Instead of going to the big chain hotels, G Adventures uses locally owned and operated lodgings.

This has two benefits. First, you get a much more authentic local experience. Big hotel chains don’t have the same charm and character as a true local hotel. Second, your money will go toward benefiting the local economy rather than some giant corporation. That’s a big win for G Adventures in my book.

Get Your Guide : Best for Day Tours

You may not need or want a fully guided multi-day group tour, But sometimes it’s nice to have the guidance of a local expert for a truly unique experience that you couldn’t get otherwise. Choosing day tours is a great way to get the benefits of guided group tours without being stuck with a tour group for your entire trip.

Get Your Guide is my favorite resource for finding amazing day tours, entry tickets, and other travel experiences. It’s perfect for more independent travelers who can manage the details of their own trip, but are looking for shorter guided tours.

How does it work? Get Your Guide is essentially an online marketplace where you can search for and reserve tours, museum passes, adventure activities, and more.

For example, let’s say you’re planning a trip to Sweden. On Get Your Guide, you could book a dog sled adventure to see the northern lights, a day cruise on an icebreaker ship, a “ghost-walk” historical tour of Old Stockholm, and a guided ice climbing excursion.

I’m already getting excited about that trip.

Go Ahead Tours : Best Tour Company for Solo Travelers

Solo travel can be a bit intimidating, especially if you don’t have a lot of travel experience. I’ve found that group tours can be a great way to ease some of the stress and make it easier to enjoy your trip as a solo traveler.

Go Ahead Tours is one of the best tour companies that specializes in trips for solo travelers. With their solo trips, you always get a private room at no extra cost, and the other travelers in your tour group will also be solo—so you don’t end up as the awkward 17th wheel in someone else’s family vacation. As a solo traveler with Go Ahead Tours, you get all the benefits and security of a group trip, and you’ll meet other amazing people traveling the world on their own.

Go Ahead Tours focuses on small group itineraries in tour destinations around the globe, from popular destinations to locations off the beaten path. Want a food-centric trip across Italy? Check. Want to visit South America and hike to Machu Picchu? Check. How about a wildlife safari in Kenya? Yep, they’ve got that. Go Ahead Tours offers the best group tours for solo travelers, and you may even make some new friends on the way.

Adventures by Disney : Best Tour Company for Families

Family travel can seem complicated, especially if you have younger kids. Group tours can help simplify planning the dream trip, but tour operators often plan trips focused on adults, so younger travelers may get bored quickly.

Adventures by Disney is one of the few group travel companies that specialize in family-oriented trips and tours, from South America to Scandinavia. Disney Vacations designs their group trips to have something for everyone: wine tastings for the adults, adventure scavenger hunts for the kids, and sights and experiences that will engage your entire family.

Disney Adventures trips are a bit pricier than many other group travel companies, so not all families will be able to afford them. However, if you can make it work with your budget, your family will get an amazing experience that you just won’t find from more mainstream travel.

Trafalgar : Best Tour Company for Seniors

Trafalgar is one of the biggest (and best) group travel companies in the world. They offer hundreds of international trips to popular destinations around the globe.

Trafalgar’s guided tours are great for travelers of all age groups, but they cater particularly to senior travelers. The majority of Trafalgar guests are over 50. It’s also great for family tours to get grandparents and grandkids spending quality time together.

If you’re looking for highly active itineraries with adventure activities packed in, Trafalgar may not be the best for you. They focus more on cultural immersion, history, architecture, and local cuisine. Trafalgar is a great choice if you want to take a deep dive into the essence of your destination.

You can count on having a tour leader who is an expert in the local culture and history, and you will come home with tons of new knowledge.

Trafalgar focuses primarily on land-based tours, but they also offer a range of cruise vacations if you want to travel by sea.

Hotel stays, meals, transportation to/from the airport, and all the logistics are all arranged for you. You can even add on flights, extra hotel nights, and travel insurance so you don’t have to worry about any additional complications for your trip.

Tauck : Best Tour Company for Europe

Tauck is another big name in group tours that operates on all seven continents. While they have guided tours all around the globe, Tauck is an especially good choice if you’re looking for a group tour in Europe.

It’s easy to go to European cities, see the major tourist sites, and head home without really diving deep into the culture and spirit of the place. My favorite thing about Tauck is that their European tours are designed to give you more than just the standard tourist experience. Their Yellow Roads of Europe tours take you off the beaten path for a truly unique European experience.

Every Tauck tour pairs you with handpicked expert local guides who will help fully immerse you in the experience.

Tauck offers both river cruises and land-based group tours. If you want a unique European experience, imagine cruising through Western Europe along the Seine.

Insight Vacations : Best Tour Company for Italy

Almost every traveler dreams of a bucket list trip to Italy. What’s not to love? Amazing food, amazing sights, amazing culture, Italy has it all.

If you’re looking for the best guided tours in Italy, I highly recommend Insight Vacations . Insight offers tours all over the world, but their Italy tours are especially good. Whether you want to see the major sights, learn to live like a local, or sample the best food from around the country (or all of the above!) they’ve got tours for you.

As an example, you could choose their Best of Italy Tour for your next trip. This 11-day tour includes stays in Rome, Florence, Venice, and more. You’ll learn from local artisans, eat farm-to-table meals on the foothills of Mount Vesuvius, and get a VIP tour of the Vatican (including areas normally off-limits to visitors).

Insight’s tours are all led by local tour guides who speak the language and have in-depth knowledge of the culture and history of each site you visit.

If you’re traveling with a group of 10 or more people, Insight Vacations can also put together custom itineraries specifically for your group.

CIE Tours : Best Tour Company for Ireland and Scotland

If you’re into history, stunning scenery, charming towns, or good times at the pub, you would probably love touring Ireland and Scotland. CIE Tours is technically based in the US, but it’s partially owned and operated by the Irish government. It specializes in travel to Ireland, Scotland, and a few other European countries.

This dialed-in focus means that there are no better guided tours for Ireland and Scotland. I highly recommend their Taste of Scotland and Ireland Tour . In 11 days, you’ll experience sightseeing in Glasgow and Dublin, a day cruise on Loch Ness, carriage rides through the Irish countryside, and a feast in a historic castle.

Their tours have a great balance of exciting sightseeing and activities with enough downtime to relax or do plenty of exploring on your own. It’s a great way to get all the benefits of group travel without feeling like you have no control over your schedule.

If you want more freedom, CIE also offers independent adventures. They will build an itinerary for you and book your lodgings, admission tickets to attractions, and rental car (or you can opt for a private driver). You can choose from their pre-packaged itineraries, or build your own custom trip.

I also appreciate that CIE Tours has fairly affordable rates that include all admission tickets and most of your meals. Plus, they often offer discounts on airfare!

Nicetravel Iceland : Best Iceland Tour Company

Maybe you’ve always been intrigued by Iceland’s wild, untamed beauty (I know I have). If you want to experience this first hand, Nicetravel Iceland is one of the best group travel companies in this amazing country.

Nicetravel Iceland by three local Icelandic families, so they have a lot of local expertise. They offer trips ranging from 8 hours to over a week and have itineraries to suit any type of traveler, whether you want to relax in natural hot spring pools or hike along the glaciers and coastlines.

They focus on small group tours, and you’ll never have more than 19 people in your group. Most of their tours start from the capital, Reykjavik, and will drive you to various destinations in Mercedes Sprinter Vans. Way better than the huge tour buses many other companies use.

In addition to standard tours for sightseeing, they also have a range of tour options for more adventurous travelers. You’re in the right place if you want to explore caves, hike on glaciers, or raft down raging rivers.

Cosmos : Best Tour Company for Spain and Portugal

For a tour operator on the Iberian Peninsula, Cosmos is one of the best choices, especially if you don’t want to spend an arm and a leg. Cosmos has been guiding group travel for nearly a century, and they employ expert local guides to help you get the most from your trip.

The Cosmos Best of Spain and Portugal Tour is an incredible 13-day group travel itinerary. You will stay in 7 amazing cities across the two countries and visit a wide range of historical sites.

Cosmos is also a good choice for responsible travel, as they have several initiatives to support local communities and planet-focused nonprofits like the African Wildlife Foundation, The Ocean Cleanup, and Trees4Travel. I appreciate companies that are taking steps toward sustainable travel.

Exodus : Best Egypt Tour Company

It’s hard to visit any travel website without seeing a picture of the Great Pyramids. Egypt has captivated the minds of explorers and travelers for centuries, and it is worth having on your bucket list.

If you want a guided tour of Egypt, I highly recommend Exodus Travels . With destinations on all seven continents, Exodus Travels is one of the most popular group travel companies for adventurous travelers, and their Egyptian tours are particularly good.

With 9 different guided tours in Egypt, you can find the perfect itinerary for your trip. Exodus Travels is a true expert in the industry and hires incredible guides for their group travel excursions.

Plus, Exodus Travels also offers trips that are perfect for family travel.

Klook : Best Asia Tour Company

Whether you want to experience the hustle and bustle of downtown Tokyo or an adventurous trek to Everest Base Camp, Klook is one of the best group travel companies for Asia.

Klook is more than just a tour operator. It is a marketplace for everything travel, from airline tickets to hotels to tickets to museums, theme parks, and more. Klook offers trips for small groups or individual travelers all around the globe, but they are based in Asia, and that’s where they focus.

Klooks South Korea Tour will take you to Nami Island, through beautiful gardens, and into a centuries-old palace in Seoul.

Click Tours : Best Tour Company for Israel

Click Tours specializes in group travel in Europe and the Middle East, and Israel is by far their most popular tour destination. In Israel, Click Tours will offer trips ranging from 3-day highlight tours to 18-day deep-dive cultural experiences.

They focus on small group travel, and your tour group will have 15-24 guests. That means you get more personal attention and a more authentic experience of the country.

A tour of Israel with Click Tours will focus on historical and archeological sites. You’ll visit temples and ruins that are thousands of years old as well as dive into the amazing food and rich culture of Israel.

Epos Travel Tours : Best Tour Company for Greece

If you’re looking for a group travel trip to Greece, Epos Travel Tours is a local company based in Tripolis that offers tours across the country.

Since Epos Travel Tours specializes only in Greece, you can expect catered trips and insider knowledge. They are truly the experts in travel to Greece, and their trip itineraries are designed to help you get the most from your trip, whether you want to visit historical sites or delve into amazing food and culture.

If you’re into history and architecture, their tour of Ancient Corinth is hard to beat!

Best Tour Companies FAQ

Which is the best tour company in the world.

In my experience, Intrepid Travel is the best tour operator. They have amazing small-group tours.

What are the top travel companies?

The top travel companies for tours include Intrepid Travel , G Adventures , and Trafalgar .

Is Globus or Trafalgar better?

Trafalgar is usually the better choice. They offer amazing all-inclusive tours around the world.

Are tour companies worth it?

Group travel can be worth it if you want the stress and planning taken out of your trip.

Who is the biggest tour company?

Disney is the biggest tour company by revenue.

How do you know if a tour company is legit?

It is a good idea to look for reviews of a tour company on TripAdvisor.

Jakob Thygerson

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• World's Best

Our Readers' Favorite Tour Operators in 2022

These are the companies Travel + Leisure readers trust to provide them with travel expertise and memorable experiences.

Note: If you’re looking for our most recent recommendations, check out the 2023 list of our favorite tour operators .

When it comes to an itinerary, Travel + Leisure readers want more than a string of photo opportunities — and the right tour operator makes all the difference in creating a trip of a lifetime versus one that simply checks off a list of sights. This year, our readers were especially drawn to companies that utilize local expertise and experience to thoughtfully design trips that will entertain as well as inspire.

Every year for our World's Best Awards survey , T+L asks readers to weigh in on travel experiences around the globe — to share their opinions on the top hotels, resorts, cities, islands, cruise ships, spas, airlines, and more. Readers rated tour operators and safari outfitters based on their staff and guides, itineraries and destinations, activities, accommodations, food, and overall value.

The top picks were noted for their deep knowledge of destinations and guides who "go the extra mile." One reader who has been traveling for more than five decades said a trip with Classic Journeys (No. 2) was the "very best" they had experienced. Others noted attention to pandemic safety details, while one who went to Norway was charmed by a "wonderful surprise dinner in Bergen out on the water that was fantastic."

Tour operators that seamlessly navigated the logistics of a trip also came out on top. Quasar Expeditions (No. 9) was noted "for really planning out every detail" so that "all you have to do is show up and have a great time." Meanwhile, of TCS World Travel (No. 10), a guest said: "You never lift a finger and just spend your time actually exploring the destination." They even added that they "learned so much" along the way.

Among the five companies on this year's list that weren't on last year's were two women-only tour operators that cater to travelers of all ages. AdventureWomen (No. 14) has multiday tours designed by women from Bhutan to Yellowstone National Park, while Explorer Chick (No. 15) has everything from day trips — like glassblowing in Baltimore and cave rappelling in St. Louis — to full itineraries in Machu Picchu and the Galápagos. One reader said her Everest Base Camp trip with AdventureWomen was filled with "like-minded women" who "bonded so well," while another said she felt it was a "safe tour group for women."

No matter which tour they chose, readers were most taken by the people they met along the way, as one said of Trek Travel (No. 13): "By the end of the trip, a group of strangers felt like longtime friends." Find out which other companies round out the list of the best tour operators below.

1. DuVine Cycling + Adventure Co.

A tour with DuVine goes far beyond just riding a bike — it's a way to really see the character of a destination. Case in point: even those who say they're not necessarily cycling fans have been converted. That's part of what helped the tour operator — which runs trips in Europe, the U.S., Latin America, and Africa — skyrocket from No. 14 last year to this year's top spot. Its "top-notch biking equipment" and "challenging but doable itineraries" didn't hurt either. One reader was especially taken by a guide picking figs off of a local tree in Puglia for an extra energy boost during a tough climb, as well as another guide singing to the group after dinner. As another reader put it simply: "They exceed your expectations."

Score: 99.12

More information: duvine.com

2. Classic Journeys

Score: 99.04

More information: classicjourneys.com

3. Artisans of Leisure

Score: 98.38

More information: artisansofleisure.com

4. (tie) Black Tomato

Score: 98.33

More information: blacktomato.com

4. (tie) GeoEx

More information: geoex.com

4. (tie) Wilderness Travel

More information: wildernesstravel.com

7. Inside Japan Tours

Score: 98.14

More information: insidejapantours.com

8. Kensington Tours

Score: 98.03

More information: kensingtontours.com

9. Quasar Expeditions

Score: 97.84

More information: quasarex.com

10. TCS World Travel

Score: 97.78

More information: tcsworldtravel.com

11. Butterfield & Robinson

Score: 97.33

More information: butterfield.com

Score: 96.95

More information: tauck.com

13. Trek Travel

Score: 96.90

More information: trektravel.com

14. AdventureWomen

Score: 96.11

More information: adventurewomen.com

15. Explorer Chick

Score: 95.87

More information: explorerchick.com

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The 8 Best Travel Package Sites for Booking a Cheap Vacation

Sarah Schlichter

Deputy Executive Editor Sarah Schlichter's idea of a perfect trip includes spotting exotic animals, hiking through pristine landscapes, exploring new neighborhoods on foot, and soaking up as much art as she can. She often attempts to recreate recipes from her international travels after she gets home (which has twice resulted in accidental kitchen fires—no humans or animals were harmed).

Sarah joined the SmarterTravel team in 2017 after more than a decade at the helm of IndependentTraveler.com. Sarah's practical travel advice has been featured in dozens of news outlets including the New York Times, the Chicago Tribune, USA Today, Budget Travel, and Peter Greenberg Worldwide Radio. Follow her on Twitter @TravelEditor .

The Handy Item I Always Pack: "A journal. Even years later, reading my notes from a trip can bring back incredibly vivid memories."

Ultimate Bucket List Experience: "Road tripping and hiking through the rugged mountains of Patagonia."

Travel Motto: "'To awaken quite alone in a strange town is one of the pleasantest sensations in the world.'—Freya Stark"

Aisle, Window, or Middle Seat: "Aisle. I get restless on long flights and like to be able to move around without disturbing anyone else."

Email Sarah at [email protected] .

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Booking a flight, hotel, and rental car together doesn’t just save you time—it can often save you money, too. But before you make such a significant purchase, it’s important to find the best travel package sites for booking your vacation.

I tested more than a dozen vacation package sites to see which ones had the lowest prices and best user experience. I discovered that many of the best vacation package websites allow you to book any combination of flight, hotel, and rental car, while others are more limited (flight + hotel is often the default). Fortunately, some sites will let you add a car onto a hotel+flight package, even if a car isn’t listed on the initial booking page.

It’s also important to compare the price of a vacation booked as a bundle to that same trip booked a la carte as separate components. Booking a package isn’t always cheaper, and sometimes you’ll get  better flight options to choose from if you search for your airfare separately. In some searches, I discovered that the flight options included by default with my vacation package had ridiculously long layovers or undesirable departure times (4:30 a.m., anyone?).

The Best Car Rental Booking Sites

Keep a sharp eye out for resort fees; many of the best vacation booking sites don’t count them in their initial per-person price estimate because they’re collected separately by the hotel, but they can drive up the final cost of your trip. Similarly, optional airline baggage fees can also increase your total bill, especially if you book a flight in basic economy, and some vacation package sites don’t disclose these fees as clearly as others.

Finally, it’s important to know that many of the best sites for vacation packages are owned by the same parent company, so you’ll often find similar inventory and prices from one to the next. Knowing which sites are mostly interchangeable can save you some research time.

The Best Travel Package Sites

We put them to the test to compare prices, inclusions, and more. The following are the best websites to book vacations, listed in no particular order. Scroll down for more in-depth analysis of each one.

• Expedia’s sister sites: Travelocity , Orbitz , and CheapTickets

CheapCaribbean.com

Funjet vacations.

This well-known site is one of the best travel package sites for a reason. Expedia offers a full complement of bundle options (flight/hotel, flight/car, hotel/car, and flight/hotel/car) as well as trips to just about every corner of the globe. It’s reliable when it comes to pricing, too: Expedia offered the lowest price in two of my five tests, and was cheaper than average in all but one test booking.

That said, the amount the site said I was saving on a given package didn’t always match up to the actual price difference when I added up the cost of the trip’s individual elements. In one of my test cases, it was actually cheaper to book my flight, hotel, and car separately. So take those supposed savings with a grain of salt (or even better, price out the components separately on your own to be sure you’re getting the best deal).

Expedia has plenty of useful filters to help you find what you need. You can sort hotels by price, distance from a city’s downtown, guest rating, package discount, and property class, while flight options can be filtered by general departure and arrival times (for example, morning vs. evening), airline, whether carry-on bags are included, and more. You can also sort flight options by duration (longest or shortest), price (highest or lowest), departure time (earliest or latest), and arrival time (earliest or latest). There’s also a map view so you can check out the location of each hotel.

Best Feature: The breadth of choice and consistency of pricing make Expedia perhaps the best site for vacation packages. You may not always get the absolute lowest price here, but chances are you’ll pay a fair rate and have plenty of options to choose from.

Check out Expedia

How Far in Advance Should You Book a Vacation Home?

Expedia’s Sister Sites: Travelocity, Orbitz, and CheapTickets

Many travelers don’t realize that Travelocity , Orbitz , and CheapTickets are all owned by Expedia Group, and typically have very similar inventory and pricing to Expedia. Each of these sites has similar layouts and filter options, too. Like Expedia, these three sites offer every possible vacation package combination involving a flight, hotel, and/or rental car.

It was rare for any of these sites to beat out Expedia’s prices in my tests; in general, the rates were identical (especially on Travelocity, where I didn’t find any deviations from Expedia) or a little bit higher. However, Orbitz and CheapTickets did offer slightly cheaper packages on one flight/car itinerary.

Because the pricing is so similar, it’s probably not worth searching all three of these sites in addition to Expedia unless a difference of a few dollars will make or break your travel budget.

Best Feature: Travelocity, Orbitz, and CheapTickets offer a checkbox on their main booking page to specify “I only need accommodations for part of my trip”—a feature that allows user to select a subset of their trip dates and search for travel packages only within that period. This feature is also reflected on Expedia’s search page.

Note: Expedia Group also owns Hotwire , which I didn’t find quite as reliable as the other three in my tests. For one itinerary, a nonstop flight that the other sites offered was not available when booking a Hotwire package (though it was available when booking a separate flight on Hotwire), and the pricing on some searches was a little higher than on the other sites.

Check out Expedia’s sister sites below:

Like Expedia and its partners, Priceline also offers every possible combination of flight, hotel, and rental car. Its search results pages are easy to navigate, with plenty of filter and sort options, plus a map view for hotels. Priceline offers numerous hotel options in popular vacation destinations at every price point.

One quirk to prepare for: Priceline’s flight result page lists departure and return flights together as a pair rather than letting you choose each one separately. This cuts down on the number of screens you have to click through but could mean extra scrolling while you try to find the exact two flights you want. Not all flights that are available when booking airfare separately on Priceline seem to be accessible to those booking a package—so it’s worth checking both.

Priceline was in the middle of the pack as far as pricing was concerned. It won one of my tests but was the most expensive option in two others; overall, it offered cheaper-than-average prices 60 percent of the time. To help you save money, the site offers “Express Deals” for rental cars, an opaque option in which you don’t know which rental car brand you’ll get until after you’ve booked. If you’d rather choose which company you’re renting from, standard car rentals are also available.

Best feature: Once you’ve selected your flight and rental car preferences, the site will keep them the same as you click through alternate hotel possibilities—saving you the hassle of having to select them over and over again.

Check out Priceline

What Happens If You Don’t Turn Your Phone to Airplane Mode?

As its name suggests, CheapCaribbean.com has a more limited scope than other sites on this list, but it’s worth checking if you’re planning a trip to the Caribbean, where package trips such as honeymoons are particularly popular. The site turned up cheaper-than-average prices for both of my Caribbean tests.

CheapCaribbean.com is one of the best vacation websites for all-inclusive packages. Once you’ve entered your trip information, you can also filter your results by “adults only,” “children’s amenities,” and “luxury.” Each hotel-specific page includes a list of active promotions, on-site activities, and the property’s Tripadvisor Traveler Rating.

In some ways CheapCaribbean.com isn’t quite as sophisticated as other travel package sites. There’s no map available to compare locations of the listed hotel options. Also annoying: not being able to group Houston’s two airports into a single search, though you can select “all airports” for New York City and Washington, D.C. But the affordable deals are worth a few snags, as long as you’re only looking for a flight/hotel package—there’s no option to add a car or create any other package combinations, though you can add travel insurance and transfers, at least for the destinations I checked.

Best Feature: The “ Deals of Fortune ,” or bookings where you know the destination but not the exact resort until about a week before the trip. This is a fun feature for value-conscious travelers who aren’t set on a particular island or property.

Check out Cheapcaribbean.com

A popular meta-search site, Kayak saves travelers time by searching many of the best travel package sites with a single click. Unfortunately, you can’t specify which elements of your trip you’d like to bundle; it searches flight + hotel by default. You can add a car later on some of its partner sites, but if you’re looking for a flight/car package, you’ll have to go elsewhere.

Results list the cheapest available packages from sites such as Priceline (Kayak’s sister company), Expedia, and CheapCaribbean.com. There’s a map view available, and the results page shows both air- and hotel-related filters to make it easy to find nonstop flights, free breakfast, or a specific hotel.

I found that the prices listed on Kayak didn’t always match the price on the source site when I clicked over to find the deal—a fairly common problem with meta-search sites. But I also occasionally discovered that I got a different price after clicking from Kayak than I did when searching the same itinerary from the booking site’s home page. For example, a Las Vegas package was $819 per person on Priceline when I clicked over from Kayak, but just $783 when I booked the same package from the Priceline home page. Another test offered the opposite result, with the price being cheaper after clicking from Kayak than it was when booking directly on Priceline. The lesson: Test both options when using a meta-search site.

Best Feature: Being able to search some of the best vacation booking sites in a single place is a major time saver. Though Kayak doesn’t always find you the lowest possible price, it’s a good place to start your search and get an idea of what’s out there.

Check out Kayak

The Essential Caribbean Packing List

The Funjet home page gives you a single package option: flight/hotel. However, you can work around this by adding a rental car on at the end of a flight/hotel or individual flight booking. There are plenty of sort options for your results, including price, hotel name, rating, points of interest, and location.

One annoyance: Similarly to CheapCarribbean.com, there is no option to select “all airports” for certain cities like Houston or Chicago. And Funjet’s prices aren’t the most consistent, ranking as the cheapest in one test and the most expensive in another. Still, the site is worth comparing to others when booking your vacation.

Best Feature: Rather than making you scour the web for coupons, Funjet automatically applies any relevant promo codes to your search.

Note: If you’re headed to the Caribbean, Central or South America, Hawaii, or Mexico, try your search on Funjet’s sister site, Apple Vacations . The destinations it covers are more limited than Funjet’s, but I found that the prices were often a little better. CheapCaribbean.com is also owned by the same parent company, Apple Leisure Group.

Check out Funjet

Book Your Stay With SmarterTravel Hotels

If you’re ready to book your next adventure but don’t want to commit to a prepackaged bundle, you can still save big by booking your hotel stay with SmarterTravel Hotels.

All of the products featured in this story were hand-selected by our travel editors. Some of the links featured in this story are affiliate links, and SmarterTravel may collect a commission (at no cost to you) if you shop through them. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.

Follow Sarah Schlichter on Twitter @TravelEditor for more travel tips and inspiration.

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11 Best Tour Companies for Family Tours in 2024

Family tours are a fun and hassle-free way to see the world with your kids in 2024..

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The best family vacation ideas create the kind of formative memories that stay with kids all the way into adulthood. But planning those memorable family travel adventures can be exhausting, especially when simply trying to choose a restaurant for dinner can ignite bickering. That’s why parents often choose family tours, which eliminate almost all the hassles from the vacation planning process.

When you travel on guided family tours, you get knowledgeable leaders privy to locals-only spots and hidden gems you’d probably never find on your own. They handle all the tedious details and decisions before you depart and organize everything during your trip, freeing you to simply have fun. Guided family tours almost always include accommodations and at least some meals for the ultimate in vacation ease.

2024’s Best Family Travel Tour Companies for Group Tours and Private Tours

While family group tours are not for everyone, they’re a great option for families who enjoy mingling with others as they explore the world. Here are my most highly recommended picks for 2024’s best family tour companies operating in popular family vacation spots in the U.S. , Europe , the Caribbean , and around the world.

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1. Adventures by Disney

Disney and families go together like milk and cookies, so it’s no wonder  Adventures by Disney  (ABD) is a leading provider of family tours. Adventures by Disney offers more than 40 family adventures to destinations on all seven continents. Most of ABD’s tours for geared toward families, but the company does offer a few adult-exclusive itineraries as well. Adventures by Disney’s guided family tours are led by knowledgeable Disney-trained trip leaders called Adventure Guides, who take care to every detail and ensure a memorable vacation from start to finish. 

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You can expect Disney’s trademark magic to shine through with special activities for children, exceptional service, and VIP experiences such as up-close photos with the Great Sphinx of Giza in Egypt, sailing past polar bears in the Arctic, and horseback riding in the shadows of the Grand Tetons and Yellowstone National Park. After your first trip, you’ll be eligible to join the company’s Adventurer Insiders program for special savings on trips throughout the year. 

Quick Facts about Family Tours with Adventures by Disney

• Average guided tour group size:  30 people.
• Price category:  Upscale.
• What’s included:  Disney-trained Adventure Guides, family-friendly accommodations, transfers, most meals, and gratuities for housekeeping, drivers, and waitstaff.
• What’s not included:  Airfare, alcohol unless specifically noted, and gratuities for your Adventure Guides.
• Primary audience:  Families.
• Destinations:  More than 40 destinations across all seven continents.

2. Family Tours from G Adventures

Tour operator G Adventures  believes travel can change the world, and its family guided tours aim to open the world to kids by introducing them to diverse people and cultures. The company also offers exclusive tours in partnership with National Geographic, which means adventure-loving families with children age seven and older who are interested in wildlife, photography, and geography can book a  National Geographic Family Journey with G Adventures to places like Iceland, Morocco, and Alaska.

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G Adventures has a range of small group tours for families to suit most travel styles and ages, including hard-to-please teens and tweens. Most trips blend must-see destination highlights with meaningful cultural exchange. Enthusiastic guides are hand-selected for their desire to work with families.

Quick Facts about Family Tours with G Adventures

• Average guided tour group size:  12 people.
• Price category :  Moderate.
• What’s included:  Accommodations and some meals.
• What’s not included:  Airfare.
• Primary audience:  Family tours are generally appropriate for ages six and up.
• Destinations:  More than 750 trips in 100+ countries across all seven continents.
• More tours: 10 Best G Adventures Tours to Take in 2024

3. Family Tours from Trafalgar

From family tours to foodie adventures to safaris, Trafalgar has an itinerary to fit your style. All of Trafalgar’s tour directors have at least three years of road experience, and many have been with the company for decades. Tours cover all accommodations (typically four-star hotels) and most meals, activities, and transportation during your trip. One-of-a-kind experiences such as dining with locals, sleeping in a castle, and VIP entry to iconic sights sweeten the deal. 

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Children as young as five are welcome on Trafalgar’s travel tours for families. Notably, Trafalgar also offers single-parent vacations . From meeting a real-life cowboy in the American West to experiencing life as a gladiator in Rome to letting your inner Harry Potter loose in England, the company’s family vacations provide adventure for all ages. ( Read our full Trafalgar review here .)

Quick Facts about Family Travel Tours with Trafalgar

• Average guided tour group size:  40 people.
• Price category:  Moderate.
• What’s included:  Accommodations, daily breakfast, many meals,   luxury coach transportation, Wi-Fi in most countries, airport transfers, and luggage handling.
• What’s not included:  Airfare.
• Primary audience:  Family tours are generally appropriate for ages five and up.
• Destinations:  All seven continents, with kid-friendly trips to Europe, Britain, and the American West among the most popular options for families.
• More tours: 10 Best Trafalgar Tours to Take in 2024

4. Lindblad Expeditions’ National Geographic Explorers Sailings

The only expedition cruise tour company on this list, Lindblad Expeditions is a great fit for families looking to feel safe, supported, and seen on a big adventure.

On itineraries featuring the National Geographic Explorers program (Alaska, Galápagos, Baja California, Iceland, and select Antarctica cruises), certified field educators lead kid activities that range from learning to drive zodiacs, snorkeling, ziplining, and helping with citizen science projects. And each sailing is staffed by a crew of expert naturalists, biologists, and other science and wildlife experts.

Several of the company’s ships have adjoining rooms so families can turn two cabins into a suite that sleeps four comfortably. Guests—including kids—have plenty of room to roam onboard, to spots including a lounge with a library and the ship’s bridge, where the crew will happily show kids navigation tools. Meals have plenty of options (and ways to keep even picky eaters happy) and the dining room vibe is casual enough to keep mealtimes easy.

On a recent Lindblad cruise, I got a firsthand look at just how much a culture of safety is woven into every part of the journey. As a parent, I appreciated the extra care the entire crew takes, especially since activities like snorkeling off small boats and water landings could otherwise feel a little dicey with kids.

Quick Facts about Family Tours with Lindblad Expeditions

• Average guided tour group size:  The number of guests varies by ship size, but the range is 28 to 148 guests per sailing. Most ships hold around 100 people.
• Price category:  Lindblad defines itself as a luxury adventure outfitter
• What’s included:  An expert crew that includes naturalists, scientists, and an expedition leader; comfortable and polished staterooms; transfers; meals; and all activities
• What’s not included:  Airfare and gratuities for crew
• Primary audience:  People with an environmentally conscious mindset who are looking to explore remote and wild places with an emphasis on conservation
• Destinations:  100+ itineraries across all seven continents.

5. Intrepid Travel’s Family Tours

Responsible, experience-rich travel is a mission at not-for-profit  Intrepid Travel , with small group trips geared to young adults, women, solo travelers, active travelers, and families. On its family tours, groups are made up of three to five families from all over the world, plus a guide. Many participants have an interest in the preservation of indigenous cultures, climate education, and conservation, so fast friendships with like-minded participants tend to develop quickly.  

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Personal connections with locals are an integral part of the Intrepid experience: Kicking a football with Massai tribesmen in Kenya, learning about indigenous cultures in Costa Rica, and baking bread from a traditional recipe with a Berber family in Morocco are just a few examples. Family trips prioritize kid-friendly hotels with swimming pools and activities like riding in a tuk-tuk through the streets of Bangkok or searching for wildlife with a wolf tracker in Yellowstone National Park. 

Quick Facts about Family Tours with Intrepid

• Average guided tour group size : 12 people.
• Price category:  Budget.
• What’s included:  Accommodation, local transport, and some meals.
• What’s not included:  Airfare, travel insurance, and tips.
• Primary audience : Middle-age females and solo travelers, though families are well represented; some tours are geared specifically towards families.
• Destinations : More than 1,000 trips to 100 countries across all seven continents.

6. Luxury Family Tours with Abercrombie & Kent

Group tour operator Abercrombie & Kent  pioneered the concept of luxury small-group travel more than 60 years ago, and today the company continues to lead the pack with small group journeys to more than 100 countries and on all seven continents. Highlights include wildlife safaris to Kenya and Tanzania, history-focused trips to Israel, and Peruvian explorations to Machu Picchu. On family tours with Abercrombie & Kent, a Resident Tour Director remains with the group throughout, facilitating a richer understanding of local customs. He or she is assisted by specialized local guides who encourage guests to take a meaningful dive into immersive insider experiences.

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Your tour price includes everything from meals to activities to hotels, which are high-end properties suitable for discerning guests. Mid-journey laundry service, luggage transfers, and Internet are also included. Participants are often Gen X and baby boomer couples. The company’s luxury family itineraries to places like Costa Rica and the Galapagos are timed with school breaks . 

Quick Facts about Luxury Family Travel Tours with Abercrombie & Kent

• Average guided tour group size:  14 people.
• Price category:  Upscale.
• What’s included:  Inter-itinerary flights, accommodations, luggage transfers, meals, mid-journey laundry, activities, and expert guides.
• What’s not included:  Airfare to and from your destination, though a flight concierge is available 24/7 to assist with airline delays.
• Primary audience:  Gen X, boomers, and multigenerational families.
• Destinations:  More than 100 countries across all seven continents.

7. Butterfield & Robinson’s Family Tours

Guided tours with Butterfield & Robinson often include biking and hiking, though you don’t need to be an athlete to enjoy strolling a serene country lane or pedaling an e-bike on a flat path. The company’s family adventures cater to children as young as eight and are designed and test-driven by actual parents to prioritize a balance of family togetherness and adults-only time . Families with older kids will also find special itineraries for traveling with teens and young adult children. A walking trip in Peru or biking in Cambodia and Vietnam allows your family to bond in a whole new way.

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The presence of other young people creates the opportunity for peer friendships to blossom, though all of the company’s family tours leave room for independent activities and cultural experiences, so you’re not tethered to the group. On Butterfield & Robinson trips, accommodations are curated to fit the region you’re visiting; you’ll never stay at a cookie-cutter chain hotel. And while meticulous planning goes into each trip, you can expect impromptu pit stops and last-minute simple pleasures that make travel so worthwhile. 

Quick Facts about Family Travel Adventures with Butterfield & Robinson

• Average guided tour group size:  10 people.
• What’s included:  Accommodation, meals, wine/drinks, and guides.
• What’s not included:  airfare, pre- and post-trip accommodation, and travel insurance .
• Primary audience:  Butterfield & Robinson’s family tours are geared toward active travelers who want to dig deeper into a destination.
• Destinations:  55 countries across six continents.

8. Family Tours with REI Adventures

If you love fresh air family adventures that celebrate America’s rich natural beauty,  REI ‘s guided family tours will fit like a glove. Kayaking, hiking, and biking in the U.S. are their specialty. There are typically two guides on every trip, and they know the secret swimming holes, the primo selfie spots, and exactly what species of bird is singing in the early morning. The guides do it all from prepping meals to sharing information about wildlife. 

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REI offers trips for hard-core adventurers, solo and female travelers, and active families. Travelers with children ages eight to 17 may select small group adventures specifically for families, like hiking in Yosemite National Park, kayaking in the San Juan Islands, or trying a treetop aerial challenge course in the Great Smoky Mountains. Guides on family tours are trained to keep kids engaged. On some trips you’ll camp under the stars in comfy tents (your guides will set up the tents); on other trips you’ll sleep in comfortable lodges. REI members receive a discount, as do children. 

Quick Facts about Family Travel Tours with REI Adventures

• What’s included:  Camping gear, meals, and national park fees.
• What’s not included:  Transportation to the trip’s starting point.
• Primary audience:  Family tours are geared toward kids ages eight to 17 years old.
• Destinations:  Eight states including Wyoming, Alaska, and California.

9. Road Scholar

Not-for-profit  Road Scholar  trips attract lifelong learners who are keen to plunge beneath the surface rather than just skim it. The company caters to baby boomers and seniors, with programs for skip-gen vacations (grandparents and grandkids traveling together) and multigenerational vacations (grandparents, parents, and grandkids traveling together). These trips present multiple opportunities for adults and kids to learn together. But while incorporating learning into a family vacation can be a welcome benefit, the kids will be having so much fun they may not realize how much knowledge they’re absorbing. 

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All of Road Scholar’s family tours have two group leaders who know how to appeal to varying ages, interests, and attention spans. They take care of logistics while local instructors add expertise on a range of topics. Mount Rushmore and the Badlands ,   whitewater rafting in the Grand Canyon , and  discovering iconic landmarks in Paris  are some of the most sought-after family itineraries . 

Quick Facts about Family Tours with Road Scholar

• Average guided tour group size:  22
• Price category :  Moderate 
• What’s included:  Accommodations, most meals, hands-on experiences, gratuities throughout the program, and the Road Scholar Assurance Plan
• What’s not included:  Travel to and from the program and trip cancellation insurance 
• Primary audience:  Baby boomers and seniors, including grandparents traveling with their grandkids
• Destinations:  150 countries and all 50 states in the U.S.

10. Tauck Bridges

Family-owned  Tauck  has been offering epic guided vacations for nearly 100 years. In 2003, the company launched its family travel tours called Tauck Bridges , which are designed for family travelers of all ages (parents with kids, skip-gen trips for kids with grandparents, all three generations traveling together, etc.) with 20 itineraries in North America, Europe, Latin America, and Africa. Highlights include exploring the Alps, listening to Irish music, and viewing slot canyons in the American West.

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The distinguishing factor of these family tours is they’re created with an eye toward engaging all generations so that everyone in the family will have a great time. Tauck’s trip guides are known for their personal touch and have expertise in local customs, traditions, flora, and fauna. Meals and hotels are always top-notch.

Quick Facts about Family Tours with Tauck Bridges

• Average guided tour group size:  35 people.
• Price category :  Upscale.
• What’s included:  Gratuities, sightseeing and admissions, most meals, airport handling, luggage transfer, and taxes.
• What’s not included:  Airfare and adult beverages.
• Primary audience:  Tauck’s family tours cater to multiple generations traveling together.
• Destinations:  More than 100 destinations in 70+ countries across all seven continents.

11. Family Travel Adventures with Austin Adventures

Tour operator Austin Adventures  forged its reputation by specializing in tours to America’s national parks, and the company remains an expert in this area. Its guided group family trips are ideal for anyone who gravitates towards hidden gems and the lesser-known side of national parks. If you book a trip to Yellowstone, for example, of course you’ll watch Old Faithful erupt—but you’ll also hike a semi-secret trail. Activities such as rafting and zip lining up the fun factor for kids.

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Guides are first-aid certified, and with a 6:1 guest-to-guide ratio, there’s plenty of time to chat and get acquainted. The guides on family tours, some of whom are teachers during the school year, know how to plan kid-friendly activities that allow parents time to relax. All but one meal is included, presenting the opportunity to have an evening on your own or perhaps with newfound friends. Austin Adventures offers popular family tours to bucket-list destinations like the Grand Canyon, Glacier National Park, and New Zealand.

Quick Facts about Small Group Family Adventures with Austin Adventures 

• Average guided tour group size: 12 people.
• What’s included:  Meals and snacks except for one dinner, any necessary equipment and gear, and accommodations.
• What’s not included:  Airfare to your destination, gratuities for guides, alcoholic beverages, and one dinner.
• Primary audience:  Its family tours are best enjoyed by active families.
• Destinations:  21 countries in North America, Europe, South America, and Africa.

More from TourScoop:

• 5 Things I Wish I Knew Before My First Adventures by Disney Trip
• How Adventures by Disney Uses Storytelling to Appeal to Families
• 10 Things to Know Before Your First Group Tour

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Out of Your Comfort Zone

The art of backpacking & adventures to get out of your comfort zone – tips and advice, 7 best small group tour companies for international travel around the world.

Last Updated on July 17, 2024 by Lohanna Reis

The best rated tour companies specialized in small group travel (with tips to save on your bookings). Tour companies for all types of travelers: solo traveler, adventure, exotic/hard-to-reach destinations, luxury, young, singles, party, family, etc. Plus, pros and cons so you can compare organized group trips with independent traveling.

To travel independently? Or to travel as part of the group? That is the (cheesy) question!

Okay, if you know this website/blog, you’ll know that it focuses on tips for independent world travel (without an excursion or tour) that let you travel long-term even if you are on a tight budget. It’s just that you need the time and planning to be able to prepare an entire trip yourself.

But I know that some people either don’t like or don’t have the time to prepare all that they need for a trip by themselves ( flights , accommodation , itinerary , transportation , travel insurance , etc….).

In this case, my suggestion is to travel as part of a group tour. Then, basically all the most important parts of your trip will already be taken care of and organized and all you’ll have to do is relax and enjoy.

And there’s nothing wrong with traveling as part of a tour group (even if that’s not something we usually focus on here). You still can have a travel experience that is incredible, all-encompassing, and authentic whether you go on your own or with a tour.

The problem is knowing which company and type of tour to do.

I say this because there are “TOUR GROUPS,” and there are “ tour groups .” In other words, not all tour companies around the world are created equally. And that’s why below we selected some of the best-known and highest-rated tour companies on the market. In other words, they are great travel alternatives if backpacking during your holidays isn’t really your thing.

(But if you want to save money or travel on a tight budget, just keep in mind that it will almost always be a lot cheaper to travel independently. If that’s more your aim, then just follow the sequence on this page to begin planning your next trip yourself.)

P.S.: Remember that you can combine independent travel with group travel! When I was in Australia, I did a large part of my trip independently (backpacking-style) but when I went to see the central area (Alice Springs and Uluru), I went with a tour. It worked out perfectly to mix tours and travels!

Table of Contents

• 1 The 5 Best Tour Companies for International Travel Around the World
• 2 So, should I travel with a tour group or by myself?
• 3 How Do I Choose the Best Tour and Group Travel Company for Myself?
• 4 How Should I Prepare for my Group Tour (and Save Some Extra Money While I’m at it)?
• 5 A super quick summary
• 6 Planning your next trip?

The 5 Best Tour Companies for International Travel Around the World

G Adventures type of tours: Fun, relaxed or adventure trips

G Adventures is one of the biggest tour companies for small group travel in the world. They focus on adventure travel at a relatively low cost compared to other companies. They have more than 650 different excursions/adventure tours on all 7 continents! Yes, even to Antarctica (just in case anyone forgot this was a continent ?) and the Arctic (though this doesn’t get to be a continent because it’s basically just a block of ice ☹). And they have guided tours of all kinds: Active, YOLO (for young people aged 18-39), Family, Classic, etc…in other words, you’ll definitely find a tour that’s right for you!

And I, personally, really like the way they give the search results – with maps and tour itineraries – that show you exactly what you’re going to do. This makes it easy to compare different tours.

Intrepid type of tours: Fun, relaxed or adventure trips

Along with G Adventures, Intrepid is another one of the biggest international tour operators for adventure travel on the market, offering more than 800 itineraries around the planet. With them, you’ll travel in small groups of lots of adventure and minimal frills. In some cases, depending on the type of excursion (such as a camping excursion), it’s expected that you’ll help prepare dinner together with the other travelers. Don’t worry, all will be explained and led by your guide!

I did a tour similar to this in the middle of the desert in Australia and it was awesome! It helps you build a connection with your group which makes the tour that much better. And like G Adventures, Intrepid also has tours of all kinds such as Family, Biking, Wildlife, etc…it’s hard not to find something you like.

Contiki type of tours: trips with a focus on partying, having fun and relaxing

Contiki is famous for organizing guided trips for young people aged 18-35 (they are actually one of the tour companies that don’t allow people outside this range). And they are well-known by one thing: the parties!

With Contiki, a day of visiting tourist attractions in Europe or Australia will usually end in partying, booze and uh…..well, there’s a reason some people call it Sextiki. I’m not saying this based on my opinion, but just google around and you’ll find the same thoughts.

So, Contiki may not be for everyone…but if you’re are traveling alone and beyond tourism also want to meet people from around the world and party, Contiki is the tour company for you! There’s a reason why their catchphrase is #NOREGRETS.

But this doesn’t mean that you can’t still enjoy Contiki if traveling as a couple or if you aren’t a big partier, but you should know upfront kind of what to expect.

They have tour groups going to the United States, Canada, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Asia, and Latin America, etc…but they are especially awesome for European tours. 

Special Promotional Coupon Code for Contiki: PPASIALMD526

(mention code DPRKOUT )

YPT type of tours: low-key trips to exotic and hard to reach places

If you’ve read our article about How to Visit North Korea on a Budget , you’ll see that we visited one of the world’s most closed-off countries with Young Pioneer Tours. This is because YPT is a tour company that specializes in, according to them, “budget tours to destinations your mother would rather you not go to.” Places like Turkmenistan, Eritrea, Iran, Transnistria (actually, I visited this last one by myself in one of my Europe trips and wrote about it here ), and other infamous places that are difficult for tourists to get to.

So if you are on the lookout for adventure and uncommon destinations, I’d recommend taking a look at their website.

When booking with Young Pioneer Tours, mention the code DPRKOUT while making your booking to get a free t-shirt and an exclusive North Korea travel guide. Also valid for trips to destinations beyond North Korea.

Tourradar type of tours: tour search engine with all kinds of excursions and travel packages

Unlike the options above, Tourradar doesn’t actually offer their own tours. Instead, they are a big aggregator (or online marketplace) that lists guided tours from companies around the world.

On the website, you can search for and book group tours/packages from more than 500 different operators.

So, if you want to make things easy, just put in the destination you’d like to visit, the month, and the year and Tourradar will give you a gigantic list of guided tour options of all kinds. 

During your search, you can also filter by price, duration, age range, style, etc…which makes finding affordable tours pretty easy. 

Something that I think is really cool about Tourradar is that they have a section with the best festival tours around the world – like the Tomatina in Spain, Exit in Serbia, Oktoberfest in Germany, and even tours to Carnival in Rio de Janeiro!!

Win a free trip with Tourradar!

Another great thing about them is that they are always giving away free trips. To enter in one of the contests, just click this link here  or the picture below, put in your name and email….and that’s it! Good luck!!

  6. Encounters Travel

Encounters Travel Type of Tours: Innovative tours to open-minded people

Encounters Travel is an English company with more than 50 years of experience. The company’s focus is saving money combined with the enjoyment of its customers, considering the cultural aspects of each country.

So to not exclude anyone, the groups have a maximum of 20 travelers, in addition to offering a private tour service, where prices can be a little more expensive, but ideal for those who prefer to travel alone.

With Encounters Travel, it is also possible to customize excursions, in case you are in a group of friends who want to deviate a little from the itinerary planned by the company. They are great for college, school, clubs or association outings.

The company’s website is super intuitive, divided into several categories that make it easier to decide the perfect trip for you. There’s also a section of the site dedicated to booking last-minute trips, in case you’re one of those people who doesn’t like to plan too far in advance!

Trafalgar type of tours: exclusive travel focused on luxury, convenience, and comfort for selective travelers

Well, as you probably already know, this website/blog isn’t exactly focused on guided trips of luxury and comfort. But, although the tour companies listed above will already be a lot more comfortable than an independent trip weighed down with your own backpack, they tend to attract travelers that are a bit more adventurous and low-key.

But if your travel style is more about relaxing, luxury, and comfort, I recommend you check out Trafalgar. Trafalgar is one of the oldest, most renowned, and exclusive tour operators in the world. They offer more than 230 different itineraries around the world that can also be tailor-made for even the most selective of travelers.

If this sounds like you, take a look at their site and get a tour quote to see if the options are to your taste and style.

SFT Tours type of tours: excursions around the world in small groups for women only

Solo Female Travelers Tours is a women’s company that caters exclusively to the female audience. The intent of this is to create comfortable, safe, and reliable adventures for their clients in places that would not normally be very accessible to solo travelers.

SFT Tours has small group tours to Iceland, Tuscany, Tanzania, Sudan, Mongolia, and Antarctica. Their trips are quite varied, ranging from luxury tours in the Italian countryside to extreme adventures like climbing Kilimanjaro and motorcycle expeditions through Mongolia (see here 25 Interesting Things I Learned While Traveling in Mongolia ).

By booking an expedition with them you will be connected with other women traveling solo, which is a great opportunity to create new friendships. All Solo Female Travelers Tours prioritize companies created and led by women with a mission to help empower women around the world.

So, should I travel with a tour group or by myself?

Pros of Traveling with a Group Tour

• As mentioned above, almost everything will be organized for you . So, just relax and enjoy!
• If you don’t want to travel alone but don’t have a friend or family member to go with you, going with a pre-arranged group will take care of that.
• You can feel safer because you’ll always be with a guide. In other words, you won’t find yourself lost in the middle of the city or getting cheated by that taxi driver in Santiago del Chile while in an escorted tour.
• You can access places that are almost “closed” to independent tourists. As an example, we had to visit North Korea with a tour – we explain it here if you want to do the same. The same thing is true of Iran for American and British citizens.
• It’s easier to get a visa for certain countries. In other words, it’ll often be easier to apply for a visa and have it approved if you already have a tour booked and paid for.
• Group tours are a great way to meet people and make friends from around the world! Since the tour companies are international, you won’t just be traveling with people from your own country (you can do that at home) . You can find 11 tips to make friends while traveling in our article here .
• Most of the recommended tour companies here give you some “me time” that’ll let you have some time to explore on your own during the tour. But in some places, like North Korea , this won’t be true as you must always be with a guide. Remember that there’s also the possibility of doing extra travel tours during those “me time” periods if you prefer.
• It’s guaranteed that you’ll stay in quality and pre-reserved accommodations (so you don’t have to worry about sleeping on a bench in that park in Banff, Canada because it was Easter and everything was full….which I totally don’t know from experience or anything).
• You’ll have help and support in the case of sickness, theft, loss, accident or any other unexpected problem that can happen during your trip.

Cons of Traveling with a Group Tour

• Traveling in a group can be frustrating . Not everyone always gets along and sometimes they’ll be disagreements or little cliques. But in general, the type of people who decide to travel with a lot of the tour companies below are open-minded and easy to deal with.
• If you like having your space, being in a tour group isn’t ideal. Even if the tours suggested below do give you some time to relax and explore by yourself, the “me time” isn’t unlimited.
• Going with a group tour is almost guaranteed to be more expensive than traveling, planning, and reserving everything yourself.
• If you end up in a group with an average age different from your own , it can be a bit irritating. Heterogeneous groups with different ages are common on many tours and it’s interesting to hear about different life experiences. But if you’re 21 and the average age of your group is 60, it’s not so interesting.
• You have to be patient with that couple that is always late to breakfast in the morning or nearly misses the bus after each stop. But this is all part of traveling in a group tour….so, don’t be “THAT couple!!”
• On that note, remember that you have responsibilities of being a part of the group and you can’t just “do what you want” like you could if you were traveling alone.
• You are stuck with your group’s schedule . Outside of the “me time” allotted, if you want to catch the bus and stick with the group, you have to follow the schedule. Think the current museum is boring? You have to stay there until the set time is finished. Want to spend more time at the beach? You’ll be cut short when your group starts leaving you behind.

How Do I Choose the Best Tour and Group Travel Company for Myself?

There’s a bunch of factors you need to consider:

• Type of tour: Since you’ll find tours of all types offered by the companies below, choose the one you’re most interested in: city, train, adventure, cycling, festivals , camping, beach, historical, etc…
• The age range of tours: If you are 24, you probably don’t want to be part of a tour with the average age of 62! Same idea the other way. Being the oldest person in a tour with a bunch of 23-year-olds that are out late partying every night isn’t that great.
• Cost of additional activities: In general, the tour packages mentioned below will cover all accommodation and transportation and some of the food and attractions. However, there are almost always additional costs that could be added on during the trip. Things like riding a camel, diving , learning to surf, etc… and if everyone else on the tour is doing it, you probably don’t want to be the only one watching from the sidelines. So, see what the possible extra costs could be (beyond the price of the tour) to make sure they fit into your trip’s budget.
• Amount of free time: Some people like to do activities with the group all day long (to make the most of what they paid for). But others like some time to head out a bit on their own to explore the city or just relax without their guide at their side. You can usually see how much “me time” or free days you’ll have by looking at a tour’s itinerary.
• Atmosphere: This is similar to the idea of age above. Some tours are completely focused on young people and partying (I’m talking about you, Contiki !), and others revolve more around history, museums, and cities like a European tour. Then, there are others still with more adventure and less fuss. Research well before deciding!
• Reviews: As with everything online, you can also find reviews for tours and tour companies. Some reviews are on the company website itself, others you’ll have to search online for. It’s always good to hear what other travelers who’ve actually been on the tours thought of the company, the destination, and the itinerary.
• Level of physical activity: In almost all of the tours you might check out, there’ll be a level of physical activity number from 1 to 5 (with 1 being the lowest level, and 5 being the highest level). In other words, if you aren’t super active, I wouldn’t try to travel during your vacations with a tour that’s going to climb Mount Kilimanjaro (likely a level 5 on that scale). On the other hand, if you are someone who’s in good shape and likes to exercise, a level 5 tour might be ideal for you. Personally, I love combining travel with exercise !
• Group size: On average, the companies below work with groups sizes that average 10 people. But there are sometimes bigger groups…though usually not bigger than the number needed to fill up a bus. Check the info about each tour if group size is important to you.
• Length & dates: This should seem obvious, but worth mentioning! If you can only have very specific days off work, you’ll have to make sure that the tour you want fits into this timeframe. Otherwise, if you have a big enough group, you may be able to arrange your own group tour with the dates of your choice.

How Should I Prepare for my Group Tour (and Save Some Extra Money While I’m at it)?

• Research and compare the cost of plane tickets yourself . Sometimes, you can buy your plane ticket with the company that you’re doing your tour with (like a tour package), but it’s also worth checking to see if you can find something better yourself. Research and compare what you find with the price the tour company is quoting you to see the best option. If you search yourself online, our article with 16 tips to save on flights can help.
• Explore different options for travel insurance before purchasing. Just like with flights, usually, you can either buy travel insurance directly with the same company you are buying the tour with, or buy it yourself. To do some research yourself, be sure to check out our article with the 3 best and cheapest travel insurance companies on the market ! And just remember: it’s obligatory to have travel insurance to participate in a tour and you’ll be asked to show proof of the insurance before your trip begins.
• Try to arrive a few days early in the place where your tour will start. Maybe consider staying around few extra days afterward to relax, as well. This makes sure you aren’t late, can have some time to prepare….and see a new place!
• If you arrive early or stay late after your tour, book accommodation in advance ! The majority of tour companies will offer some options for hostels/hotels to stay in before or after your trip. Obviously, they’ll earn some extra commission by making a reservation in your name. So, if you want to save in this aspect, consider booking something yourself . Then, you’ll be able to see all of the possible options (and not just the ones the company will push on you). Check out our article with the 6 best websites to find and reserve your hotel or hostel to help.
• Decide between a shared room or a private room. In most cases, if you are traveling alone, you’ll be put in a room with another solo traveler of the same gender. But if you want to stay in a room alone, you’ll have to pay a bit extra for a “single room supplement.”
• Be careful with the size of your bag or backpack. Just as with aircrafts, buses, boats, or trains, you’ll probably have a weight limit (about 20 kg) for the bag you bring on the tour.
• Plan ahead for your passport or visas. The entire process of getting a passport or visa is normally done by the travelers themselves and not by the company that organizes the tour. But as I mentioned, one benefit of going with a tour is that it’s easier to get a visa than if you were going alone.

A super quick summary

The best rated tour companies for adventurous, low-maintenance travelers: G Adventures and Intrepid

The top rated tour company for single or solo travelers that want to party and meet people from around the world: Contiki

The best tour company for people looking for trips to uncommon, off-the-beaten-path destinations: Young Pioneer Tours

The best tours website for travelers who want to see all the tour packages and excursions options in a single place: TourRadar

The best tour company for travelers that prioritize luxury and comfort: Trafalgar

Well, that’s it. You can have a great trip as part of a tour group or on your own. Really, the important thing is TO TRAVEL!!!

Also check out:

3 Best International Tour Companies for Adventure Travel

5 Best Group Tour Companies for Young Solo Single Travelers

5 Best Websites to Book Tours, Tickets & Attractions Around the World

Planning your next trip?

 Already reserved your hotel or hostel? If not, our article with The 6 Best and Cheapest Websites to Find & Reserve Accommodation can help you out. You’ll also find some promotions and discount codes .

 Still haven’t booked your plane ticket and want to save big? Take a look at our page with 16 Tips to Save on Flights where you’ll also find the 4 best websites to buy your plane tickets. 

And finally, will you need to rent a car during your trip? Then surely our page with The 5 Best and Cheapest Websites to Compare and Rent Cars Around the World will help you choose the best rental car and find a good deal.

16 Responses

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Global IT outage: What to do if your travel plans are disrupted - as some passengers told 'complete nonsense' by companies

Travel expert simon calder offers his advice for passengers affected after a second day of disruption..

By Niamh Lynch, News reporter @niamhielynch

Saturday 20 July 2024 15:11, UK

Travellers around the world are facing a second day of chaos in the aftermath of Friday's global IT outage. 

Here, Sky News looks at what you can do if you're affected by the disruption .

Air passengers

Friday was meant to be one of the busiest days of the summer as families jetted off on holidays at the end of the school year.

But more than 300 flights to and from the UK were cancelled, with many more suffering significant delays, while others reported lost baggage.

The bad news is that as the global IT outage was an extraordinary circumstance, compensation is not payable for flight delays or cancellations.

Travel journalist Simon Calder told Sky News: "Unfortunately, if your flight is cancelled, then you don't automatically get priority on the next one.

"What happens is that the airline gives priority to people already booked on the flights which are going, and then you have to kind of scramble around for the few remaining seats. And this weekend, there aren't many of those."

But Mr Calder assured passengers that "it's very clear what the rules are".

He added: "I'm hearing from [people] in various parts of the world being told various things by various companies, including, 'Oh, well, we haven't got another flight for three days, so you're just going to have to wait'.

"That's complete nonsense. Under air passenger rights rules within Europe, if your flights are cancelled, then the airline has to get you to your destination as soon as possible.

"If that means the airline has to spend hundreds of pounds buying a seat on a rival airline, well, that's just tough. That's what the rules say."

However the global nature of the IT outage means it may be difficult to get airlines to abide by the rules.

The travel expert said package holiday companies give travellers more protection than "a DIY trip".

"If you're on a package holiday, you have rock solid consumer protection," he added.

"The organisers, the airline has to get to [the] destination as soon as possible. If they really have pulled the plug and said, 'okay, your trip's cancelled', well, I'm glad to say that there are still - even at this late stage - plenty of holidays around.

"So [the passenger] will be able to book a different holiday, hopefully to the same destination with a different provider. Going to see a good travel agent would be a very good way to sort that out."

Read more: Who will pay for worst IT outage the world has seen Charts show when outages peaked across services IT outage: The risks of complexity

If your package holiday is curtailed, and resulted in you missing a day or two of the trip, Mr Calder says: "You should be entitled to get a proportion of the cost of your holiday back because, there you were in Birmingham when you were hoping to be in Benidorm."

But airlines do have a duty to take care of passengers caught up in the chaos.

Mr Calder said airlines should provide vouchers for hotels and food but if they don't, passengers should pay and claim back with an itemised receipt.

He offered an important tip for the receipts, saying: "They don't want to see any alcohol on that meal bill, thank you very much."

Follow Sky News on WhatsApp

Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News

Rail passengers

While most trains are running across the country, there have been short-notice changes and cancellations.

Refunds and compensation are due once a train is late. Most operators will issue compensation for a 15-minute delay, others 30 minutes.

If your journey is cancelled, you are entitled to a full refund.

Customers have to get a claim submitted within 28 days. Keep the journey ticket to send it in as proof.

This is a limited version of the story so unfortunately this content is not available. Open the full version

Crossings at the Port of Dover

Port of Dover authorities said on Saturday it was dealing with "hundreds of displaced" airport passengers and it had a 30-minute processing time just after 11am.

The processing time had been 60 minutes earlier this morning.

It advised customers to have a booking for the crossing before arriving.

The authorities also asked customers to have their documents ready to ensure "the quickest possible processing time through border controls and check-in".

What The Travel Corporation Sale Means for Tour Operators and Travel Agencies

Dennis Schaal , Skift

July 17th, 2024 at 5:19 PM EDT

If the deal goes through, Apollo might merge some of The Travel Corporation's brands, or pair them with other assets the private equity firm owns.

Dennis Schaal

Expect more private equity deals in the tour operator and travel agency sectors.

That was the view of a source familiar with The Travel Corporation’s operations in the wake of news it would be acquired by Apollo Global Management . The source added that multiple private equity firms had also expressed interest in the Travel Corporation.

“And one of the themes all of these PE guys are talking about is the next generation of tour operators, which of course, are digital natives and connected from a data perspective,” the source said, who predicted that there will be plenty of private equity deals to come in these areas.

Travel agencies with a luxury clientele are attractive targets post-Covid, the source added.

Not A Fire Sale

The Travel Corporation is a family owned business and one factor driving the sale was that there was no heir apparent, the source said.

“We know globally that some of the old school tour operators have seen growth slow, but by no means was the business [TTC] in a terrible place. The business was in a strong place,” the source said.

The source didn’t comment on the value of the deal but wouldn’t characterize it as a “fire sale.”

The Tollman family opted to retain ownership of the Red Carnation Hotel Collection, which generated a big chunk of the group’s profits, but well under 50%, the source added.

What Apollo Might Do

“I imagine one of the things Apollo is thinking is in line with what all the other VC firms are doing,” the source said. “Can you take these traditional businesses, put in a better technology stack, which both potentially reduces the cost of customer acquisition, and increases operating margin. And then all of a sudden, you take a business that has OK margins, and turn it into a business that has pretty good margins.”

The source predicted that Apollo might consolidate some of The Travel Corporation brands — it owns 18 brands — and/or merge them with other Apollo assets. Over the years, Apollo has owned or invested in the Venetian Las Vegas, Great Wolf Resorts, American Express Global Business Travel, Oceania Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line, Caesars Entertainment, Diamond Resorts, Expedia and Atlas Air, among other holdings.

World Travel Holdings Co-CEO Chimes In

Brett Tollman, CEO of The Travel Corporation, declined to comment on the deal.

But another CEO of a major family owned business in travel, Jeff Tolkin, the co-CEO of World Travel Holdings , one of the largest cruise and vacation sellers in the U.S., spoke to Skift Wednesday about the implications of the Apollo-The Travel Corporation deal.

“As for the future of family owned businesses, I don’t think this portends anything but a bright future because this deal clearly evidences a successful conclusion for the Tollman assets sold,” Tolkin said.

Tolkin, who said he didn’t know the sale price of The Travel Corporation deal, added he doesn’t believe there will be many similar deals for acquisitions of family owned tour operators because there aren’t many big ones left.

Tauck’s Take on The Travel Corporation Sale

Tauck is one of the few large family owned tour operators that remain, and the company has been public about not being for sale, the source familiar with The Travel Corporations’ operations said.

Tauck CEO Dan Mahar confirmed that the company is not for sale, adding: “Every family and every family business is unique and one transaction does not represent a broader trend.”

He said Tauck is “thriving” as it approaches the beginning of its second century in business, adding that the company has “zero debt and robust family-capital to power our new strategic plan and [we] require no outside funding.”

“We love what we do,” Mahar said. “We are in great businesses, serving a growing market with a strong outlook in the decades ahead. Our guests are engaged with our brand and more loyal than ever. Our team is exceptionally strong and engaged by our business purpose and opportunity. We have respectful, deep relationship with partners around the world and we are united to bring the very best experience to our guests.”

Mahar added that the Tauck family is deeply engaged and has a strong governance system with involvement of multiple generations of the Tauck family, and all are united for the long term.”

Tolkin’s Take on Private Equity

Tolkin said the sale of The Travel Corporation would have no impact on World Travel Holdings.

Family owned travel agencies could be acquisition targets, though, Tolkin said.

“Private equity firms often use a rollup strategy or increase profitability in other ways,” Tolkin said. “Travel agencies are clearly here to stay and a growth sector in the travel business.”

He added: “The underlying fundamentals are there.”

Tolkin said family owned businesses are “the backbone of the American economy. Private equity is one exit strategy that many family owned businesses eventually employ. This is a natural progression where both sides win.”

Note: This story has been updated to add comments from Tauck CEO Dan Mahar.

The Daily Newsletter

Our daily coverage of the global travel industry. Written by editors and analysts from across Skift’s brands.

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Tags: adventure tourism , apollo , family businesses , private equity , the travel corporation , tour operators , world travel holdings , wth

Photo credit: A man on a Trafalgar tour. The Travel Corporation owns 18 brands, including Trafalgar. Trafalgar/Youtube

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Major US carriers restore some flight operations amid global cyber outage

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Microsoft says about 8.5 million of its devices affected by CrowdStrike-related outage

CrowdStrike helped develop a solution that will help Microsoft's Azure infrastructure accelerate a fix, Microsoft said.

Mass IT outage: here's a list of companies and operations affected

• A huge global IT outage is disrupting flights, banks, retailers, and media outlets.
• The widespread disruptions have been linked to an issue with the cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike.
• Operations affected include airlines in the US and Europe, supermarkets, and some 911 lines.

A mass IT outage has hit flights, banks, retailers, and media outlets around the world.

The issues appear to be linked to the cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike .

Microsoft also acknowledged the issue in an X update early Friday, writing, "Our services are still seeing continuous improvements while we continue to take mitigation actions."

Here are some of the companies and operations affected.

Numerous airlines grounded flights early Friday morning, including the big three US carriers: United Airlines, Delta Air Lines, and American Airlines. In statements, they all cited technology issues.

Delta and American had both canceled their ground stops by 7 a.m. ET.

A United spokesperson told Business Insider that it was holding all aircraft at their departure airports while it works to restore systems. "Flights already airborne are continuing to their destinations," they added.

American has blamed the issues on CrowdStrike, saying they were because of a "technical issue with Crowdstrike that is impacting multiple carriers," according to BBC News.

The budget airlines Frontier, Allegiant, and Spirit also issued ground stops which were later canceled.

Frontier's was issued on Thursday night. "Flight operations are currently being impacted by a major Microsoft technical outage," it said in a statement.

Spirit said it was unable to rebook affected customers because of the outage.

Disruption also extended to Europe. The continent's largest airline, Ryanair, advised passengers to arrive early as the outage caused "disruption across the network."

KLM also said it had to "largely suspend operations" as the outage made "flight handling impossible."

British Airways, Wizz Air, Turkish Airlines, Eurowings, Lufthansa, and Qantas were also among those who said they were affected.

According to a Facebook post from Alaska State Troopers , emergency lines in the state are also affected.

The post said: "Due to a nationwide technology-related outage, many 911 and non-emergency call centers are not working correctly across the State of Alaska."

"We appreciate your patience and will update you when we know more," the statement added.

The major UK airports Heathrow, Gatwick, and Luton have reported issues, with some warning of delays and disruption.

Related stories

An X post from Gatwick Express , a train service for the airport, said the company was unable to access driver diagrams at certain locations, "leading to potential short-notice cancelations, particularly on the Thameslink and Great Northern networks."

A spokesperson for Belfast International Airport confirmed to BI that whiteboards were being used to handwrite flight information before systems were later restored. Whiteboards were also used at Singapore Changi Airport.

Hospitals and doctors' surgeries

Several hospitals and doctors' practices appear to have been affected by the outage.

In the UK, the NHS' EMIS system, which doctors use to book appointments, view patient notes, order prescriptions, and make referrals, appears to be having issues .

A spokesperson for the NHS told BI in a statement: "The NHS is aware of a global IT outage and an issue with EMIS, an appointment and patient record system, which is causing disruption in the majority of GP practices."

They said that long-standing measures were in place to manage disruption and that there was no known impact on 999 or emergency services, so people should use these services as normal.

"Patients should attend appointments unless told otherwise and only contact their GP if it's urgent, and otherwise please use 111 online or call 111," they added.

Two German hospitals canceled elective operations scheduled for Friday, Reuters reported.

NYCT Subway

Commuters in New York City and DC may also face delays Friday morning.

In an X post, the NYCT subway said: "Train arrival information is unavailable for A/B/C/D/E/F/G/J/M/N/Q/R/Z/Rockaway Park Shuttle/Franklin Av Shuttle due to a worldwide technical outage. Train service is unaffected."

The post said the tech outage also impacted Subway officials' ability to see train locations.

Broadcasters

Sky News also appears to have been hit by the outage. The UK news channel has been showing archive footage and briefly displaying an error message.

The news site appears to be up and running at the time of writing.

London Stock Exchange

The London Stock Exchange's website was also experiencing issues.

"RNS news service is currently experiencing a third-party global technical issue, preventing news from being published on www.londonstockexchange.com ," the company said in a statement.

"Technical teams are working to restore the service. Other services across the group, including London Stock Exchange, continue to operate as normal," it continued.

Retailers and fast-food giants

Bloomberg reported that McDonald's Japan suspended about a third of its stores in the country on Friday. The issue was with the stores' cash registers, the report said.

The grocery-store chain Woolworths told BI that some stores had "been impacted as a result of the global IT issue." All but six stores were open for business, but some had fewer functioning checkouts.

Delivery delays

FedEx and UPS are warning of delivery delays because of the outage.

In a statement on the company's website , FedEx said it was experiencing "substantial disruptions throughout our networks due to a global IT outage experienced by a third-party software vendor." The company said parcels due to be delivered on Friday might face delays.

A UPS spokesperson told BI that it continues to operate effectively but there may be some service delays due to third-party outage "impacting some UPS computer systems in the U.S. and Europe."

Some US state driver services are down

Drivers in some states are unable to access services because of the outage.

Georgia's Department of Driver Services posted on X that "due to the global Microsoft/Crowdstrike outage, DDS services are unavailable at this time."

Tennessee's Department of Safety and Homeland Security said some Driver Services Centers may not be able to process transactions, according to a post on X.

North Carolina's Department of Motor Vehicles driver license and plate agencies are also impacted and unable to assist customers, according to a CNN report.

Bloomberg reported that at the Ocean Park Marriott in Hong Kong, staff were using pen and paper to check guests in and said the outage was affecting their systems globally.

Marriott International later told CNN in a statement that "certain hotel systems" have been affected.

"We are actively working with our vendors to resolve issues that have impacted certain hotel systems," the company said in a statement to the publication. "We apologize for any inconvenience that guests may experience."

Watch: Global computer glitch grounds flights, knocks out 911

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Europe Tour Companies

List of europe travel companies & tour operators with 259087 reviews.

Expat Explore Travel

• Excellent - 4,516 reviews for Europe tours

What an amazing trip! I was able to see a lot more of Ireland than expected. I would definitely recommend this tour package.

The Expat Explore tour itself was very good but TourRadar.com WAS A NIGHTMARE!!! I would NEVER book through tour radar again. Terrible website, terrible app, customer service tried to help but could not. No information given about the tour Itinerary until I left my country. I very much thought that I had been scammed.

• Excellent - 5,670 reviews for Europe tours

Rianna did an amazing job at making this trip run smoothly and fun. She's sensational at the work she does, from makeing everyone feel included, to putting together a detailed day sheet so everyone understands what's happening on each day.

Ri is an exceptional trip manager. She consistently maintains a positive and approachable demeanour. Her dedication to organisation ensures everything runs smoothly. Ri goes out of her way to make things fun and engaging for everyone, whether it's organising games on the coach to keep us entertained during travel or providing checklists to help us make the most of each destination. I can't recommend anyone more highly for this role than Ri.

Europamundo

• Good - 3,266 reviews for Europe tours

I LOVE IT! JULIANNA, LINUS, SOFIA AND RAFA WERE GREAT GUIDES. HOTELS ARE OKAY. THE ONLY THING I REGREAT IS NOT BUYING THE TICKETS FOR THE PALACE IN PARIS, IT WAS SOLD OUT WHEN WE GOT THERE. ALSO, I SUGGEST GIVING MORE TIME AT SANTIAGO BERNABEO STADIUM TO TOURIST, MORE TIME IN SARAGOZA, BARCELONA AND STRASBOURG. LESS TIME IN PARKS AND POBLET. OVERALL IS EXCELLENT SERVICE; MY LAST SUGGESTION IS THAT GUIDES TAKE PICTURES OF THE GROUP TOGETHER AND MAY HE SUGGEST GETTING CLOSER WITH OTHERS. I FELT LIKE EACH FAMILY WALKED ALONE IN FREE TIME.

My trip was beautiful. Thanks to the Europando team that makes it all happened.

• Excellent - 918 reviews for Europe tours

Amanda is an excellent tour manager ! Everything done perfectly ! Greg also a superb driver of that very large bus !

Serkan was a wonderful tour guide and Declan was a rock star driver. With two kids (youngest is 5) I was worried about the trip. However, my daughter was well behaved and everyone said she was a delight. The tour guide even let her assist which helped keep her busy. I highly recommend this trip and if you are lucky enough to have Serkan you will have a great time guaranteed!

• Excellent - 147 reviews for Europe tours

I didn't get to finish my comment that the hotel in Athens did not have any rooms with two beds in it. Not everyone who travels together is a couple. I was traveling with my sister and we haven't shared a bed since I was eight years old. We made it work, but we weren't too happy about it.

Our trip gave us a great sampling of Athens and two islands, Mykonos and Santorini. However, those two islands are very touristy, and if I ever went back, I would probably visit islands that were not so filled with tourists. We had excellent connections every time we were supposed to be picked up by a Car Service. And each tour guide was knowledgeable and very interesting. The one tour that was a little long was the one that began with climbing a volcano in the early afternoon, and ending later that evening to see the sunset from Oia. Every hotel that we were in was very nice.. My one small complaint was that I requested two beds for each hotel we were in.

Italy on a Budget Tours

• Excellent - 378 reviews for Europe tours

Giovanni was such a fantastic guide. Got to see the highlights of Sorrento, Capri and Amalfi in a very easy way with an amazing group of people. Highly recommend.

This was the perfect blend of independent and guided. We had the opportunity to do what we wanted the first couple days, then kick back and enjoy the ride the last two days. We arrived in the afternoon on Day 1 so had time to enjoy the hostel's rooftop pool before meeting our guide for a walking tour of Florence in the evening. The YellowSquare Hostel was fantastic - they offer so many activities and events that you could go there with no plans and find plenty to do. Our tour guide, Marie from Italy on a Budget tours, was fantastic. We were the only group scheduled for the walking tour, so we got a very personalized experience with lots of recommendations for places to eat and local knowledge, which we took advantage of during our free day in the city. The winetasting day was also fantastic and I enjoyed the variety of wines and scenery between both vineyards. Cinque Terre was absolutely beautiful. The only thing I would have changed would have been to spend more time in one of the towns instead of an hour or less in each. It's a long day of train travel. If we'd had more time in Manarola or Vernazza, I would have gone swimming or kayaking. I hope to go back to Florence some day and spend even more time there!

G Adventures

• Excellent - 19,232 reviews for Europe tours

I enjoyed every minute of the daily walks, great company and well organised thank you.

The sailing experience was pretty incredible! There was a little technical problem with the boat on the first couple of days which delayed our trip but the crew and the skipper kept a nice vibe so overall it was a really great experience and everything else run smoothly. Amazing views, great restaurants and it was very interesting to learn more about sailing.

• Excellent - 1,945 reviews for Europe tours

We chose this as our teens’ first overseas exposure. We couldn’t be more pleased. Trafalgar provides a great trip (this is my second trip with them) and our tour guide, Giuseppe, was tops. He provided so much valuable information, even while riding between cities. Of course we could have spent more time in each of the cities, especially Florence, but it is a great overview for people who haven’t been to Italy before.

good, some meals were poor, excursions too expensive for what they were, rooms not aired out and were hot and stuffy when arrived, some of the hotels kept turning off the air conditioning even when the rooms were too hot to sleep, ie were 24 degrees at night, all hotels should know the ideal temperatures to sallow sleep, When we complained they tried to fob you off by saying the air con was not working, when the truth wa they controlled it by a timer and were turning it off

Choose Balkans

• Excellent - 333 reviews for Europe tours

Itinerary and vehicle excellent, guide knowledgable and friendly, accommodation 3 star as promised, breakfast OK but not provided on two occasions, and pre trip advice poor and inadequate. Perhaps there was digital information I missed but what I was was sent included a totally inadequate map that was difficult to relate to the written advice provided. We would not recommend TourRadar based on our experience.

We had an absolutely brilliant time and would highly recommend the trip. Our tour guide was Ilir who made the trip so special. He was very kind, knowledgeable and attentive, and we thoroughly enjoyed his company. The journey was comfortable with good stops and the places we visited were really beautiful.

Intrepid Travel

• Excellent - 11,769 reviews for Europe tours

Tour guide Sergi was great, really patient, helped where he could and really genuinely tried to ensure everyone was having an amazing time. However, I felt the tour itself was way overpriced for what it was. I’m used to group tours having extras/experiences and felt this was just travel (all public), accommodation and the guide. I’ve paid have the price for group tours in Europe with same duration but multiple extras/activities. I also felt the accommodations were average, some above some below so it wasn’t as if that made up for it. I really do not know where the $7k went which is disappointing. I’m on my 7th group tour now and all others have made me feel I got real value for money.

This was on my bucket list and it has exceeded my expectations,loved every minute of it and it was all down to our amazing skipper .

• Excellent - 355 reviews for Europe tours

This cruise exceeded all expectations. The choice of destinations was excellent. The guided tours were extremely well judged and well led. The evening entertainments were delightful. Everything ran like clockwork. We were always kept very well informed of every event in the schedule. The cruise leader was superbly good natured, good humoured and wise in judging our needs and wishes. And the staff were unfailingly efficient, considerate and friendly. And the boat itself was stylish, comfortable and very well equipped. Perfect!

We had an enjoyable experience

Dorak Tours

• Excellent - 53 reviews for Europe tours

This tour was absolutely wonderful! Our guide Sinan had so much knowledge of Türkiye and taught us to love his country as much as he did. The stops on the tour were excellent and I really felt like we saw so much of the country. With all the food inclusions and the wonderful hotels, this tour was incredible value for money and an overall perfect trip.

Fantastic tour of the sites of Istanbul and Cappadocia. Our guide Yasemin was exceptional. She was very knowledgeable and ensured everything went smoothly. Would highly recommend

Insight Vacations

• Excellent - 648 reviews for Europe tours

BEWARE! This is not an Insight Vacation Tour. Insight subcontracts this tour to Katarina Lines. That said, there is zero Insight presence on this tour. Not only did our boat get changed, sixty percent of the guests on this boat were booked through other travel agencies. Whatever quality we were expecting was diminshed by Katarina Lines need to fill seats. The onboard TD, self-titled tour designer, helped coordinate our arrivals and departures from different ports of call, but did little to inform us of the local history or tour sites. The local guides were average, ranging from a 20 minute introduction on Hvar to a general overview of Dubrovnik. Most days consisted of free time. Again, no Insight presence. Problems on the ship ranged from faulty WiFi on the sun deck to no internet service between midmignt and 0700, the coffee machine being turned off after meals, and other simple ammenities one would expect through out the day to name a few. The meals were repeatative, especially last's night dinner at breakfast. Although the ship itself was plesant, when stacked up against other ships in the harbor, it paled in comparison. Do yourself a favor, find another tour.

The tour with the sites that we visited was great. Alison, out tour director, was wonderful, very knowledgeable. Arthur, our bus driver was also great. Our one day tour guide and bus driver, Ann, was also great. I was not so impressed with the breakfast menu of cooked food. It was the same at every hotel. They need to change up the menu.

• Excellent - 431 reviews for Europe tours

Great overview of Turkey highlights. Good hotels

The coordination was excellent between gotours and Fez Travel, had a nice experience

Epos Travel & Tours

• Excellent - 44 reviews for Europe tours

My family and I enjoyed our time in Greece. The small tour group was new to us and was outstanding! We spent our days with flexible arrangements, such as on a hot day we moved an event to a cooler time. The small group also allowed us to go to more intimate/interesting hotels and restaurants. Dionysus our guide was friendly and informative.

This 10 day tour was excellent plus plus at least 10 out of 10 Great variety of accommodation,historic sites,food plus many more special activities created by our 2 special guides

List your company on TourRadar

What we know about CrowdStrike’s update fail that’s causing global outages and travel chaos

A faulty software update issued by security giant CrowdStrike has resulted in a massive overnight outage that’s affected Windows computers around the world , disrupting businesses, airports, train stations, banks, broadcasters and the healthcare sector.

CrowdStrike said the outage was not caused by a cyberattack, but was the result of a “defect” in a software update for its flagship security product, Falcon Sensor. The defect caused any Windows computers that Falcon is installed on to crash without fully loading.

“The issue has been identified, isolated and a fix has been deployed,” said CrowdStrike in a statement on Friday . Some businesses and organizations are beginning to recover, but many expect the outages to drag on into the weekend or next week given the complexity of the fix. CrowdStrike CEO George Kurtz told NBC News that it may take “some time for some systems that just automatically won’t recover.” In a later tweet , Kurtz apologized for the disruption.

Here’s everything you need to know about the outages.

What happened?

Late Thursday into Friday, reports began to emerge of IT problems wherein Windows computers were getting stuck with the infamous “blue screen of death” — a bright blue error screen with a message that displays when Windows encounters a critical failure, crashes or cannot load.

The outages were first noticed in Australia early on Friday, and reports quickly came in from the rest of Asia and Europe as the regions began their day, as well as the United States.

Within a short time, CrowdStrike confirmed that a software update for Falcon had malfunctioned and was causing Windows computers that had the software installed to crash. Falcon lets CrowdStrike remotely analyze and check for malicious threats and malware on installed computers.

At around the same time, Microsoft reported a significant outage at one of its most used Azure cloud regions covering much of the central United States. A spokesperson for Microsoft told TechCrunch that its outage was unrelated to CrowdStrike’s incident .

Around Friday noon (Eastern time), Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella posted on X saying the company is aware of the CrowdStrike botched update and is “working closely with CrowdStrike and across the industry to provide customers technical guidance and support to safely bring their systems back online.”

What is CrowdStrike and what does Falcon Sensor do?

CrowdStrike, founded in 2011, has quickly grown into a cybersecurity giant. Today the company provides software and services to 29,000 corporate customers, including around half of Fortune 500 companies, 43 out of 50 U.S. states and eight out of the top 10 tech firms, according to its website .

The company’s cybersecurity software, Falcon, is used by enterprises to manage security on millions of computers around the world. These businesses include large corporations, hospitals, transportation hubs and government departments. Most consumer devices do not run Falcon and are unaffected by this outage.

One of the company’s biggest recent claims to fame was when it caught a group of Russian government hackers breaking into the Democratic National Committee ahead of the 2016 U.S. presidential election. CrowdStrike is also known for using memorable animal-themed names for the hacking groups it tracks based on their nationality, such as: Fancy Bear , believed to be part of Russia’s General Staff Main Intelligence Directorate, or GRU; Cozy Bear , believed to be part of Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service, or SVR; Gothic Panda , believed to be a Chinese government group; and Charming Kitten , believed to be an Iranian state-backed group. The company even makes action figures to represent these groups, which it sells as swag .

CrowdStrike is so big it’s one of the sponsors of the Mercedes F1 team , and this year even aired a Super Bowl ad — a first for a cybersecurity company. 

Who are the outages affecting?

Practically anyone who during their everyday life interacts with a computer system running software from CrowdStrike is affected, even if the computer isn’t theirs. 

These devices include the cash registers at grocery stores, departure boards at airports and train stations, school computers, your work-issued laptops and desktops, airport check-in systems, airlines’ own ticketing and scheduling platforms, healthcare networks and many more. Because CrowdStrike’s software is so ubiquitous, the outages are causing chaos around the world in a variety of ways. A single affected Windows computer in a fleet of systems could be enough to disrupt the network. 

TechCrunch reporters around the world are seeing and experiencing outages, including at points of travel, doctors’ offices and online. Early on Friday, the Federal Aviation Administration put in effect a ground stop, effectively grounding flights across the United States, citing the disruption. It looks like so far the national Amtrak rail network is functioning as normal. 

What is the U.S. government doing so far?

Given that the problem stems from a company, there isn’t much that the U.S. federal government can do. According to a pool report, President Biden was briefed on the CrowdStrike outage, and “his team is in touch with CrowdStrike and impacted entities.” That’s in large part because the federal government is a customer of CrowdStrike and also affected.

Several federal agencies are affected by the incident, including the Department of Education , and Social Security Administration, which said Friday that it closed its offices as a result of the outage.

The pool report said Biden’s team is “engaged across the interagency to get sector by sector updates throughout the day and is standing by to provide assistance as needed.” 

In a separate tweet, Homeland Security said it was working with its U.S. cybersecurity agency CISA, CrowdStrike and Microsoft — as well as its federal, state, local and critical infrastructure partners — to “fully assess and address system outages.”

There will no doubt be questions for CrowdStrike (and to some extent Microsoft, whose unrelated outage also caused disruption overnight for its customers) from government and congressional investigators. 

For now, the immediate focus will be on the recovery of affected systems.

How do affected customers fix their Windows computers?

The major problem here is that CrowdStrike’s Falcon Sensor software malfunctioned, causing Windows machines to crash, and there’s no easy way to fix that. 

So far, CrowdStrike has issued a patch, and it has also detailed a workaround that could help affected systems function normally until it has a permanent solution. One option is for users to “reboot the [affected computer] to give it an opportunity to download the reverted channel file,” referring to the fixed file.

In a message to users , CrowdStrike detailed a few steps customers can take, one of which requires physical access to an affected system to remove the defective file. CrowdStrike says users should boot the computer into Safe Mode or Windows Recovery Environment, navigate to the CrowdStrike directory, and delete the faulty file “C-00000291*.sys.”

The wider problem with having to fix the file manually could be a major headache for companies and organizations with large numbers of computers, or Windows-powered servers in datacenters or locations that might be in another region, or an entirely different country.

CISA warns that malicious actors are ‘taking advantage’ of the outage

In a statement on Friday, CISA attributed the outages to the faulty CrowdStrike update and that the issue was not due to a cyberattack. CISA said that it was “working closely with CrowdStrike and federal, state, local, tribal and territorial partners, as well as critical infrastructure and international partners to assess impacts and support remediation efforts.”

CISA did note, however, that it has “observed threat actors taking advantage of this incident for phishing and other malicious activity.” The cybersecurity agency did not provide more specifics, but warned organizations to stay vigilant.

Malicious actors can and will exploit confusion and chaos to carry out cyberattacks on their own. Rachel Tobac, a social engineering expert and founder of cybersecurity firm SocialProof Security, said in a series of posts on X to “verify people are who they say they are before taking sensitive actions.”

“Criminals will attempt to use this IT outage to pretend to be IT to you or you to IT to steal access, passwords, codes, etc.,” Tobac said.

What do we know about misinformation so far?

It’s easy to understand why some might have thought that this outage was a cyberattack. Sudden outages, blue screens at airports, office computers filled with error messages, and chaos and confusion. As you might expect, a fair amount of misinformation is already flying around , even as social media sites incorrectly flag trending topics like “cyberattack.”

Remember to check official sources of news and information, and if something seems too good to be true, it might just well be.

TechCrunch will keep this report updated throughout the day.

TechCrunch’s Ram Iyer contributed reporting.

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