Are You Traveling the Wrong Way?
Your coworker went on a Caribbean cruise and came back raving about it, and your first thought was:
Absolutely not. Stuck on a ship with thousands of people? Hard pass.
Meanwhile, your neighbor swears by escorted tours because they don’t want to think about logistics for one single second. And honestly? That sounds kind of nice.
Then there’s your friend who wanders around Europe with a loosely planned itinerary and Google Maps, stopping whenever something looks interesting. That sounds pretty great too… although maybe a little stressful.
Here’s the thing: there’s no one “right” way to travel.
When we start planning a vacation, we usually think about where we want to go first. Then we think about hotels, dates, flights, budget, and everything else.
But there’s another question I think is just as important:
How do you actually like to travel?
And no, you don’t have to decide that you’re officially a “cruise person” or a “tour person” and stick with it forever.
You might absolutely love a Mediterranean cruise but want to explore Italy on a custom itinerary. You might usually prefer traveling independently but decide that Vietnam is one place where you’d rather join an escorted group.
It can change from trip to trip—and it should!
A lot depends on the destination, your budget, who you’re traveling with, and what you want this particular vacation to feel like.
So, which travel style sounds most like you?
CRUISING
And remember, “cruise” can mean a lot of things. There are huge resort-style ships, smaller ships, river cruises, expedition cruises, and plenty in between.
Cruising might be a great fit if you:
→ Love the idea of unpacking once and waking up somewhere new.
→ Want your accommodations, dining, transportation, and entertainment bundled together.
→ Enjoy meeting other travelers along the way.
→ Want to see several destinations without constantly packing, checking out, and moving hotels.
CUSTOM ITINERARIES
This is probably what most people picture when they think about traveling independently—but “independent” doesn’t have to mean figuring everything out yourself.
You can have a thoughtfully planned itinerary and still have plenty of room to explore.
This style might be for you if you:
→ Want the flexibility to detour, sleep in, change plans, or spend three hours at a café because you feel like it.
→ Prefer boutique hotels, vacation rentals, or unique properties.
→ Like experiencing a destination at your own pace.
→ Want a solid plan in place without feeling like every minute of your vacation is scheduled.
GUIDED TOURS
Guided or escorted tours can be a great middle ground. You get the structure and convenience of having the details handled, but you’re still right there experiencing the destination.
You might love this style if you:
→ Want an expert leading the way.
→ Enjoy learning about the history, food, people, and culture of a destination.
→ Want to see a lot without figuring out every train, transfer, ticket, and reservation yourself.
→ Like the idea of traveling with a group of people who are there for the same reason you are.
Still not sure?
Try this:
“I do not want to think about a single thing.”
Cruise or guided tour. Let someone else handle the details.
“I want to wander around until I find a café I didn’t even know existed.”
A custom itinerary is probably calling your name.
“I want to see everything worth seeing. I just don’t want to figure out how to do it.”
Take the guided tour.
And if you read all three and thought, Well… parts of all of those sound good, that’s completely normal.
You don’t need to choose one travel style for the rest of your life. You just need to figure out which one makes sense for this trip.
If you’re still stuck, you know where to find me. Contact me now!
P.S. One of my favorite parts of planning travel is helping clients figure out how they want to experience a destination—not just where they want to go. Sometimes the trip you thought you wanted looks completely different once we start talking through the options. And that’s part of the fun.