When it comes to traveling, well-planned trips are ones that effectively incorporate the ‘when’, the ‘where’, and the ‘how’ elements (together with, of course, the price). However, because travelers (from different backgrounds) have different preferences, it is almost an impossible task to make those three elements ideal for everyone. A wonderful trip for one person might just be an average, or even unpleasant, experience for another. This reality adds great value to independent travel (or solo travel) – the personal experience in which everything can be exactly the way you wish it to be. The role of great service and assistance from high-quality tour operators are crucial in this type of travel.
Independent travel is not lonely at all
Of the reasons travelers hesitate going on trips solo, the fear of the feeling lonely is the most common. Many believe that it is impossible to have fun without being surrounded by people. The truth is, when traveling alone, solo travelers hardly ever feel alone. Solo travel hubs such as like South East Asia, Eastern Europe and Australia give backpackers a chance to meet so many others. These travelers would actually have to try quite hard if they want to avoid seeing those that are in the same situations. This provides a wonderful unusual experience that would be hard to have when being with a large group. Locals would also feel more comfortable interacting with solo traveler than with a large group. Furthermore, because some activities are much better enjoyed when being in a group, high quality tour operators do allow solo travelers to join their groups of travelers occasionally. This is entirely based on the travelers’ wish, thus their ‘independent’ experience is not going to be impacted. Tour guides are available for solo travelers as well at good tour operators.
Why you should choose it
Remember that great feeling when you said something quite unusual but someone agrees with you? That is the feeling you are going to have when running into other solo travelers on your independent journeys. It is the experience like no other, meeting up with someone with the same interest in a new place and maybe even becoming each other travel partners. Traveling alone also means that you have more motivation to go outside of your room to experience the place, eat the food and meet the locals which helps you to learn and experience more. When traveling in a group, some of your concerns are given to the other member and as a result, your experience may also be impacted by their interests and preferences. That is not the case when it comes to independent travel where all the activities, services and people you meet are absolutely based on your wish.
The importance of tour operators
Travelers’ satisfaction about a trip is usually the result of making sure the ‘when’, the ‘where’ and the ‘how’ of the trip being exactly how they expect based on their purposes and preferences. This task becomes very challenging for travelers if they decide to organize their trips individually, using the available tools such as online booking or phone booking. Most of the time, though booked and arranged, the destinations and services (i.e., rooms, restaurants, attractions) are very much different from what they imagine thus can potentially impact (or even ruin) the experience. The main function of all tour operators is to arrange and organize the trips ahead of time, to make sure everything throughout the trips is ready and to leave the travelers with no concerns.
Independent traveling is becoming increasingly popular with the development and convenience of the modern tools. However, this type of travel has very little to do with tour operators and this reality comes from both the tour operators and the independent travelers. Tour operators prefer to have large groups of guests every tour because they bring in more revenues and save time while independent travelers, who enjoy the freedom of being on their own, hesitate using the service from tour operators because they assume that their trip schedule needs to be based on the pre-designed packages.
Independent travel with Vietnamstay travel
There is one specific kind of tour operator that is especially useful for independent traveler: tailor-made (or customized) tour operator. The trips from these tour operators are designed based on thorough discussions and advising between the tour operators and the solo travelers. Unlike pre-designed packages, these tours feature destinations, services, transportations, etc. based entirely on what the travelers personally want. This allows them to have total control of their trips and enjoy all the activities they wish, guaranteeing the highest satisfaction.
Vietnamstay is a tailor-made tour operator based in Hanoi, Vietnam. We offer customized tours to great destinations in Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand and Myanmar. Besides serving large groups, we very much appreciate our solo travelers. We believe this type of traveling has a lot of potential and encourage our guests to experience it with us. We also break the norms by providing our independent travelers with tour guide services based on requirements. For activities that are better enjoyed when being with others, solo travelers can share their time with Vietnamstay’s small groups on customized tours. Of course, their privacy and independent travel experience is maintained. We consider our private tours as the best option for independent traveling, wishing to bring you the best possible experience. Please click here for more details about our customized tours.