Before working for a tour company I had a few perceptions of what it is like to travel by bus or in a group. I know some past clients have shared similar thoughts so I wanted to take this opportunity to address some of them in our blog!

-Jacqueline Skinner, Operations Coordinator

 

Comfort:

After almost three years with Target Tours I have done a variety of different bus tours from short day trips to long multi-day tours with full days of driving.  As a tall girl (I’m almost 6″ foot tall) sitting for long periods of time in a cramped spot is always a concern of mine. I know many clients share that concern. The good news is that on our tours the bus stops every 2 -3 hours so you can stretch your legs and walk around. It’s a huge help. When the bus stops I would get out, even if I didn’t need to, to use the washroom, buy something, or even just to walk around the bus a few times. This helped stretch out my legs and I would feel a lot better and energized for the next portion of the trip.

While the seat pitch on the bus is larger than most airlines it’s still not huge. To alleviate discomfort with that I wear compression socks to improve circulation while sitting on the bus. Many people wear them on long flights but they can help on the bus to improve circulation when you are sitting in one position for longer periods of time.

Another option if you find yourself getting cramped on the bus is to request a seat in the aisle so you can stretch out a bit more. Generally, this is no issue for us to accommodate. We recommend that you sit near the back of the bus though if you plan to do this so that the Tour Director doesn’t trip when he or she is travelling up and down the aisle of the bus.

Boredom:

Everyone, and I mean everyone, thinks they are going to get bored on the bus before their first bus tour. Let me be the first then to tell you, you will rarely be bored!

Our Tour Directors are trained to entertain you, be it with jokes, stories, games, trivia, bingo, or movies. We always allow for down time too because it can be wonderful just to watch the scenery go by but you’ll be surprised with how fast the days go when you are kept busy with stops and activities. For example, on my first tour to New York I brought my Ipod and three books thinking I was going to read them all during the trip. While I did pull out my iPod during the downtime to have a snooze I never cracked my books once! Seriously, you won’t be bored. Don’t over pack things to stay entertained or you will be stuck lugging them with you.

Motion sickness: 

I always knew I suffered from motion sickness in vehicles. I’ve suffered from that since I was a child during car rides. What I didn’t know was that I also suffered from motion sickness at sea. I learned that when I signed up for a 6-month contract to work on a cruise ship. Since I was committed to the job when I boarded the ship I needed to find a way to deal with motion sickness, and fast. What I learned was I only felt ill when the seas were higher than 5 ft waves (not that high, but high enough that you can feel the ship rock back and forth gradually). I also knew I felt ill during a very specific time of day. Normally after breakfast until 2 pm.

As I was working, going to my cabin to lay down was never an option, I just had to tough it out. So I started testing different foods and how they would help me. I discovered that foods like rice and bread that were bland in flavour filled and calmed my stomach. Green apples and ginger ale also helped, but only if I consumed them before I anticipated being ill. Those two foods rarely helped while I was ill. I also discovered that when I was tired I always felt worse. To alleviate this, before a sea day I would do my best to get a full nights sleep and then have coffee in the morning to stay alert. This was often what made the biggest difference for me. All these tricks I have found have been very helpful on the motorcoach as well.

I have been on a cruise since I lost my sea legs and my motion sickness has returned. In this circumstance, I tried medicinal aids such as the patches you wear behind your ear which were very effective and I was up walking around the ship in rough seas with no issue. I have also used these patches on the motorcoach and found that I was able to travel with no issue.*

For clients who know they get motion sick please let us know more than a week before the tour and we can assign seats in the 3rd to 5th rows of the bus where there is the least movement. We can never promise that you won’t get sick but we will do our best to make you as comfortable as possible if it does occur.

*Before trying medicinal aids for motion sickness please consult with a doctor or pharmacist to make sure they are the best choice for you. This blog is only an example of a staff’s experience and does not act as a recommendation for any medication. We always suggest you consult a doctor to find the best-suited solution for you. 

Herd of Sheep:

I can’t help but roll my eyes when I hear this one. The only people who call group travel “a bunch of sheep being herded on and off a bus” have clearly never been on a GOOD group tour. While some days can be busy with activities by no means is your ability to make your trip “yours” taken away. For example, our two most popular trips, New York City and Bermuda Cruise, are structured so that you can spend as much or as little time with the group as you please as we only provide the option of one group activity during the three days at the destination. Even the group meals on the cruise ship are optional, spend time with the group or have your own special meal independently. We believe it’s your vacation so you should be able to enjoy it your way.

Some of our trips are a little more extensively planned such as our Nashville & Branson tour or the land portion of our Tuscany Highlights tour but that is in order to make sure you visit the most important sites. Even on these tours the visits are not enforced if you need a break. We are even offering smaller group tours now which can allow for more choice during a trip and more personal attention from the Tour Directors and Guides.

Price:

For Target Tours, it’s all about value. We won’t put a tour out there unless we think it has good value and we wouldn’t pay for it ourselves. When you see a price consider the inclusions: transportation, hotels, activities, meals, Tour Director and more. Sometimes we encourage folks who challenge our prices to price out a tour if they were to do it themselves with the same quality of attractions and accommodations. We are rarely beaten. Just know when you are considering us and our prices, it’s all about value. We want every client to return from a trip saying that they know that they got what they paid for. And to date, we’re happy to say that is the feedback we receive!

Making New Friends:

We hope you like people, because if you don’t you may not enjoy group travel. By no means are you around people all the time, but I cannot tell you how much fun it can be to have travel companions with you on a trip. It’s like a built-in group of like-minded people who you can spend as much or as little time with as you want. Everyone shares stories, watches out for one another, and shares travel tips or tricks. It’s often a mixed bag of experiences too so if you’re going on a cruise and it’s your first you have more than just the Tour Director as your resource. Group dinners are often a barrel of laughs and everyone makes lasting memories wit the help of their new found travel friends. We cannot tell you how many tours return and people are in tears and exchanging hugs because they have bonded so well with the group. We have several clients who continue to travel with others that they have met on a Target Tours trip year after year. THAT is why we do what we do! 🙂

Stress-Free:

This is the best part. You don’t have to do a thing to plan your trip except show up the day of the trip!

Okay, that’s a little bit of an exaggeration. You do have to book the trip, pack, and maybe plan a few activities during the trip if you want, but really, other than that, we take care of everything else! For a lot of people the biggest draw is that they do not have to drive. We get it, road trips have a certain allure and are often a lot of fun. But after you have done several with your family or friends, boy, is it nice to not be the driver! Just sit back and relax. You also don’t have to worry about booking the hotel, finding seats at a theatre, or arranging a tour of the city, we take care of all of that. During the trip if you have an issue all you have to do is go to the Tour Director and they will help you resolve it. Don’t know the area? Ask your Tour Director and they will give you suggestions OR you can join them for the day to visit the sites. We do everything we can to take the stress out of your vacation.

So to cap off: If you like your vacations to be stress-free, you enjoy meeting new people, you want to get a good deal on your trip, and you want to have fun, choose Target Tours! Hopefully, this post has helped convince you that this is the best way to travel for you.

If you ever have further questions about group travel and want to speak to one of our staff or even a past client, please contact us at [email protected] or call Toll Free 1-877-214-5367. We’re happy to help!