Guided tours, self guided,orbiting a cab driver for the day

Finding my own way around has always appealed to me, especially since most destinations have more to offer than conventional tourist attractions. I welcome the sights, but like to see the reality of a location as well. however, I have discovered that taking a tourist bus around a resort or area for one day can be extremely advantageous. This provides me with a decent topographical picture of the locality, so I am then able to find my way around much better during the coming days. I was staying in Blanes in Spain a few years ago and decided to take the train to Barcelona for a day. I decided not to bother with a guided tour, but as a result I simply wandered around blindly for most of the day and saw very little of interest. I still enjoyed the day out, but missed a great deal of the city. The cost of a ticket would have proven far more worthwhile.

I took many tours while living in the usa. I never like that we would go to a spot and in 5 minutes. had to leave to get to the next place. They always followed the schedule to close. i think tours should decide by the fun time people are having.. take care there...

I am an independent traveler and I prefer to guide myself. It is cheaper that way and I have a map to follow in the travel guide book I have brought along for trip. I have the sights worth seeing listed in that same book. Sometimes I take a tour like I had to in order to see Kangaroo Island. I arrived a couple of days before my tour began. My first evening I went out on a penguin watching walk. Then I heard a talk about penguin conservation. The tour lasted two full days. We visited the kangaroos, saw possums, looked at seals on a beach and viewed Admiral's Arch. It was such a lovely couple of days. I went on a walking trip with a guide at Tikal National Park. In the previous days I had walked past details and not noticed anything. The guide showed a huge spider and its large hole. He said things about several native trees and plants. He showed us the Mayan ruins. I also took the sunrise walking tour which left in darkness and let me see the sunrise from the top of a Mayan temple. It is a good idea to hire a taxi driver for a tour in a cheap place.