Artsy Traveler

The Joys of Exploring the World with Small Group Tours by Guest Poster Julie H. Ferguson

Last updated on October 26th, 2022 at 06:20 pm

The cover photo for this post shows the participants of Julie’s small group tour of Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe, with “favorite uncle” Thulani in front. Participants were from Australia, Switzerland, France, Holland, and Germany, with Julie being the sole Canadian (fourth from left).

Why I Recommend Small Group Tours

Many years ago, I went on a couple of regular sightseeing tours of local sites, which meant thirty-plus tourists. It was hopeless! Often, I couldn’t hear the guide or get close enough to the exhibits or even ask questions.

Small group tours are very different! I recommend them in these circumstances:

• When you visit art museums and historic sites
• When you have limited time in a location and want to see the highlights
• When you travel in countries for an extended time where renting a car is unwise or destinations are unsafe to explore alone

Exploring Art Museums and Historic Sites

I learned the benefits of taking small group or private tours in art museums and historic sites the hard way. When my husband was alive, we toured Notre Dame in Paris in twenty minutes. This was not enough time for me, but he didn’t want to join any type of guided tour. As a result, we missed a lot!

Memorable Tours

A decade after that visit to Paris, I was eager to explore the Vatican Museums and told James how much we would gain from having a private guide. He finally agreed to try it mainly because we could jump the tedious entry lines. For five hours, our Italian guide from The Metropolitan Museum in New York thrilled us. James had to admit it was an incredible way to get the most out of the visit! After that, we often hired private guides and took many small-group day tours.

At the Prado in Madrid, we were two of five guests of a PhD in art history. At the Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca, one of only four mosques open to non-Muslims, a committee member who managed the building project showed my group around.

I also gained much from a hands-on photography workshop on the Isle of Arran with a professional. One of my favorite solo experiences was a one-on-one, day-long cooking school with an international chef in Fez, Morocco, that cost less than $80 CAD.

For another perspective on taking cooking classes while traveling, check out Take a Cooking Class in Paris by Guest Poster Liz Reding and a post I wrote called Cooking Class in Rome with InRome Cooking.

Choosing Small Group and Private Day Tours

When I arrive with or without a car in a safe city for the first time, I often take a small group tour to get orientated.

On a free day in Windhoek, the capital of Namibia, I spent a morning with a local university student visiting health clinics and schools.

While on a recent trip to Portugal, I took a ten-hour private tour of the Douro Valley that included port tastings, a three-course lunch in a chateau, and a short boat cruise. My driver frequently stopped so I could take photos. He also passed me over to the experts at each location and told me about the region as he drove.

Where to Find Small Group Day Tours

I seek tours that focus on history, art, and photography run by reputable companies. Sometimes, I find tours by researching online or by asking the advice of hotel concierges. When I wanted to visit textile factories in Delhi, the concierge wove all three of my interests into one marvelous day.

Yes, I pay a premium to enjoy these private or small group tours, but the value they provide is enormously worth the cost. They quadruple my enjoyment of art museums, castles, cathedrals, and cuisine.

I see much more than I could alone, my understanding and appreciation of the location soars, and I support the local economy.

Taking Extended Small Group Tours

Although I was an experienced solo traveler, after James died, I wanted to dig deeper into my A-list which included remoter regions where solo travel was challenging or downright unsafe.

I suspected that extended small group tours with twelve or fewer tourists would work for me, but I had concerns. Would I like my travel companions? Would I be the oldest? Would I get enough vital alone-time?

My First Extended Small Group Tour

My first experience on an extended small group tour was on a Majestic Line cruise of the Scottish Inner Hebrides. A micro-cruise in a converted Irish trawler meant I was trapped with twelve passengers for a week. I needn’t have worried. Everyone was respectful of others’ time, the captain listened to our pleas for unscheduled adventures, and the gourmet food was divine. Small vessels can reach places that bigger ships cannot, which meant I enjoyed wonderful shore excursions accompanied by a local expert.

Favorite Benefits of Small Group Tours

Who takes small group tours? What is the transportation? What about transfers and baggage? These are all good questions, and the answers provide more reasons why I prefer small group tours.

Small Group Tour Participants

I find people who travel with extended small-group tours are well-educated, gracious, helpful, and fun. Almost all are well traveled, with the majority being retirees, often from different countries. Sixty to eighty percent are solo and most are female. I’m still in contact with friends I’ve made from around the world.

Transportation on Small Group Tours

Every extended tour I’ve done has used modern Mercedes Sprinter vans with fourteen seats. These vehicles have good air-conditioning, coolers for water (and gin!), and USB ports for charging cameras and laptops. In Africa, the all-terrain Sprinters easily handle the bad roads and trails in game parks.

During my last three-week safari, our Sprinter had two flat tires and a fuel leak (not unusual) that were all repaired on site by our amazing tour leader who was also our guide, expert ranger, driver, navigator, picnic chef, and favorite uncle.

Access to Help

A significant bonus of taking a small group tour is access to help and on-call problem solving whenever I need it. I also appreciate having my baggage transported, my airport transfers organized, and accommodation in clean, well-run hotels.

Recommended Small Group Tour Companies

My two recommended tour companies are Explore! in the UK and Bestway Tours in Canada, which have focussed inventories of worldwide trips, often categorized into activity levels. These tour companies choose locally owned and regularly assessed hotels. I have visited China, India, and sub-Saharan African countries, among others, with them on many long tours and safaris.

Conclusion

If you’re not sure you’ll enjoy small group tours, I suggest trying a couple of half-day or full-day tours to see if you gain pleasure from them. I’m certain you will. While you likely won’t experience in an hour or two the friendships that accrue from longer tours, you’ll get a good idea if small group tours are for you. Then, perhaps, you’ll decide to take some extended tours.

Safe travels!

 © Photos by Pharos (Julie H. Ferguson) © Julie H. Ferguson 2022

Read about Julie H. Ferguson on the Artsy Traveler Guest Posters page.

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I’m a big fan of small group tours and have enjoyed them in New Zealand, Australia, and Iceland. Here is a post about my small group tour around Iceland:

• Iceland in February : An Eight-Day Ring Road Tour

Have you taken small group tours? What did you think? Share your stories about the joys (and otherwise) of small group sightseeing.