Escorted & Package Tours

Before you start your search for the lowest airfare, you may want to consider booking your flight as part of a travel package. Package tours are not the same thing as escorted tours. They are simply a way to buy the airfare, accommodations, and other elements of your trip (such as car rentals, airport transfers, and sometimes even activities) at the same time and often at discounted prices.

One good source of package deals is the airlines themselves. Most major airlines offer air/land packages, including American Airlines Vacations (tel. 800/321-2121; www.aavacations.com), Continental Airlines Vacations (tel. 800/301-3800; www.covacations.com), Delta Vacations (tel. 800/221-6666; www.deltavacations.com), and United Vacations (tel. 888/854-3899; www.unitedvacations.com). Several big online travel agencies -- Expedia, Travelocity, Orbitz, Site59.com, and LastMinuteTravel.com -- also do a brisk business in packages.

Travel packages are also listed in the travel section of your local Sunday newspaper. Or check ads in the national travel magazines such as Arthur Frommer's Budget Travel, Travel+Leisure, National Geographic Traveler, and Condé Nast Traveler.

Before you invest in a package tour, get some answers. Find out about the cancellation policy: Can you get your money back? Is a deposit required? Ask about the accommodations choices and prices for each. Then look up the hotels' reviews in a Frommer's guide and check rates online for your specific dates of travel. Also find out what types of rooms are offered. Finally, look for hidden expenses. Ask whether airport departure fees and taxes, for example, are included in the total cost -- they rarely are.

Escorted General-Interest Tours

Escorted tours are structured group tours, with a group leader. The price usually includes everything from airfare to hotels, meals, tours, admission costs, and local transportation.

Many people derive a certain ease and security from escorted trips. Escorted tours -- whether by bus, train, or boat -- let travelers sit back and enjoy their trip without having to spend lots of time behind the wheel or worrying about details. You know your costs upfront, and there are few surprises. Escorted tours can take you to the maximum number of sights in the minimum amount of time with the least amount of hassle -- you don't have to sweat over the plotting and planning of a vacation schedule. They're particularly convenient for people with limited mobility. They can also be a great way to make new friends.

On the downside, an escorted tour often requires a big deposit upfront, and lodging and dining choices are predetermined. You'll get little opportunity for serendipitous interactions with locals. The tours can be jampacked with activities, leaving little room for individual sightseeing, whim, or adventure -- plus they often focus only on the heavily touristed sites, so you miss out on the lesser-known gems.

Before you invest in an escorted tour, request a complete schedule of the trip to find out how much sightseeing is planned and whether you'll have enough time to relax or wander solo. Also ask about the cancellation policy: Is a deposit required? Can they cancel the trip if they don't get enough people? Do you get a refund if they cancel? If you cancel? How late can you cancel if you are unable to go? When do you pay in full? Note: If you choose an escorted tour, think strongly about purchasing trip-cancellation insurance, especially if the tour operator asks you to pay in advance.

The size of the group is also important to know upfront. Generally, the smaller the group, the more flexible the itinerary, and the less time you'll spend waiting for people to get on and off the bus. Find out the demographics of the group as well. What is the age range? What is the gender breakdown? Is this mostly a trip for couples or singles?

Discuss what is included in the price. You may have to pay for transportation to and from the airport. A box lunch may be included in an excursion, but drinks might cost extra. Tips may not be included. Find out if you will be charged if you decide to opt out of certain activities or meals. Finally, if you plan to travel alone, you'll need to know if you'll be charged a single supplement or if the company can match you up with a roommate.

Special-Interest Trips

Whatever your personal interests may be, Atlanta has enough to keep you busy on mini-tours you create yourself. Got a hankering for some history, Southern style? Get started at the Atlanta History Center for a primer on the birth of this grand city and the events that followed, including Sherman's visit during the Civil War that left Atlanta in ashes. The on-site Atlanta History Museum provides a great overview and permanent exhibits, including one on Georgia golfing legend Bobby Jones. The center recently opened a new $10-million wing highlighting the 1996 Olympic Games hosted in this city. Other exhibits include those on Southern folk art and the Civil War. A number of historic homes on the property are also available to tour, including the restored Swan House, offering a glimpse of southern gentry of the 1930s.

Civil War interests are easy to satisfy in Atlanta. From the Cyclorama's 42-foot-high cylindrical oil painting depicting the Battle of Atlanta to the scores of Confederate and Union soldiers buried at Oakland Cemetery, Atlanta has done well to preserve history from that period of time. While not everyone who visits Atlanta is a Gone with the Wind fan, those who are will have no trouble filling their days perusing memorabilia and walking in the footsteps of the infamous novel's author, Margaret Mitchell. What you won't find is Tara -- it didn't actually exist -- or the gravesites of Scarlett and Rhett -- they didn't either. But what did exist, and still does, is "the dump," Mitchell's apartment where she wrote the book, now adjacent to the Margaret Mitchell House & Museum.

Atlanta is brimming with sights tied to African-American history, the civil rights movement, and Martin Luther King, Jr. From the Sweet Auburn neighborhood and King's childhood home to the Ebenezer Baptist Church, where King was ordained at age 18, you can spend a lot of time tracing Atlanta's role in this turning point in American history. Coretta Scott King was recently interred alongside her husband in a marble crypt in the center of a reflecting pool at the King Center. And King's papers will soon be available for the public to view, as they are now the property of Atlanta's Morehouse College.