Why You Should Book a Day Tour Wherever You Go

I remember walking up to the Hungarian Parliament building with the rest of my fellow tourists that had booked a Cityrama Day Tour. We bypassed the line that had wound itself around the building and used another entrance off to the side. We essentially saved at least an hour or two of our precious time in Budapest by booking this day-long tour. 

If you’re a frequent traveler, you know that in many instances time is worth much more than money. And when it came down to it, between all of the sights we saw and the information we learned from our tour guide, we weren’t spending that much more to have our own personal history professor, chauffeur, and event manager (all in one!) at our beck and call. Ever since that trip, I’ve become a firm believer in booking at least a day tour during my international trips and I’m sharing the many reasons why you should book a day tour wherever you go.

1. A day tour can help you avoid the lines at popular tourist destinations, and get you in places that most people cannot!

Like I said above, we were able to skip the long line at the Hungarian Parliament building and go right on in. But did you know that many tours can get you into places that a lone traveler would not be allowed to visit? We were able to get into the grounds of the house where they shot the gazebo scenes for The Sound of Music while we were in Salzburg – a place where most tourists are not allowed in.

2. While you may be paying a little extra for the tour guide (and you shouldn’t forget to tip!) you usually end up saving on the tickets for those destinations you visit on the tour.

For all that we saw that day in Budapest, between the tickets to get into the sites and the transportation to and from each location, having a tour guide only cost us about $10 per ticket. We did tip and we know that the tour company gets a discount on the tickets to places like the parliament building. But even with that, what a deal! 

3. You don’t have to worry about buying or scheduling visits to tourist sites. The tour guide/company takes care of everything for you!

We didn’t have to wait at the ticket booths or try to figure out where these spots fit into our schedule or even how to get there because all of this was already taken care of for us. 

4. You’ll learn more since you have someone with you giving you the history and importance of monuments, museums, etc. 

We particularly loved our tour guide, Peter, when we took the Sound of Music Tour in Salzburg. Not only was he knowledgeable about the film, but he also gave us a history lesson on the area, as well as some very funny stories. Even 11 years later, we still talk about him!

5. You have built-in transportation, taking you from hot spot to hot spot. 

I’ve mentioned this above but we didn’t have to pay for cabs or figure out the subway or bus system to get to the sites that weren’t close to our hotel. Most tours will pick you up at your hotel or a major bus station. 

6. You can ask your tour guide questions, and usually, they’ll be happy to give you suggestions for how you spend your time.

I’m a planner so I always have a list of places, restaurants, and shops to visit that I’ve researched for my trips. But if I get the chance I will ask my tour guide, who is usually a local, about some of those places on my list and sometimes they’ll tell me that I’ve found some must-dos while other times they’ll offer suggestions for alternatives.

7. You’ll meet other travel enthusiasts – and some of them have some amazing stories to share!

I know I shared this story in my Budapest Travel Guide, but during our tour of the Parliament building, we met Steve Scholly and his son Les. Steve grew up in Budapest. In 1954, when he was just a teenager, the communists took over the city and so he decided to escape from Hungary. He told us that he crossed one of the bridges over the Danube on foot and about a mile away from the bridge he heard a huge explosion. He turned around to see that the bridge he had just crossed had been demolished by the communists. 

This 2011 trip was his first time back to his hometown since he had escaped to Canada all those years ago. He hadn’t seen his sister or the rest of his family that he had left behind in 57 years! 

8. You have a built-in photographer in your fellow tourists so you can grab those family shots. Don’t forget to return the favor. 

I love taking photos, but it can be hard to get a shot of the whole family or group of friends you’re traveling with. When you take a day tour you can feel free to ask some of the other tourists or the tour guide to grab some shots of all of you so you can save those memories you made while on your tour.

Have you taken a day tour? If you haven’t what’s holding you back?