Escorted & Package Tours

Packages for the Independent Traveler

Package tours 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 -- kind of like one-stop shopping.

One good source of package deals is the airlines themselves. Most major airlines offer air/land packages, including Air Canada, which offers an array of package deals specially tailored to trim the costs of your vacation. Collectively, these packages come under the title "Air Canada Vacations." This term covers a whole series of travel bargains ranging from city packages to fly/drive tours, escorted tours, motor-home travel, and ski holidays. For details, pick up the brochure from an Air Canada office, or visit www.aircanadavacations.com.

Other airlines offer Canadian package holidays, including American Airlines Vacations (tel. 800/321-2121; www.aavacations.com), Delta Vacations (tel. 800/221-6666; www.deltavacations.com), Continental Airlines Vacations (tel. 800/301-3800; www.coolvacations.com), and United Vacations (tel. 888/854-3899; www.unitedvacations.com).

Several big online travel agencies -- Expedia.com, Travelocity, Orbitz, Site59, and Lastminute.com -- also do a brisk business in packages. If you're unsure about the pedigree of a smaller packager, check with the Better Business Bureau in the city where the company is based, or go online to www.bbb.org. If a packager won't tell you where it's based, don't fly with them.

Before you invest in a package tour, get some answers. Ask about the accommodation choices and prices for each. You'll also want to find out what type of room you get. If you need a certain type of room, ask for it; don't take whatever is thrown your way.

Finally, look for hidden expenses. Ask whether airport departure fees and taxes, for example, are included in the total cost. And remember that, with a package tour, you'll likely have to pay most of the costs up front in one lump sum.

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.

These tours can take you to the maximum number of sights in the minimum amount of time with the least amount of hassle, and are particularly convenient for people with limited mobility. On the downside, an escorted tour often requires a big deposit up front, lodging and dining choices are predetermined, and you'll get little opportunity for individual sightseeing or interacting with locals.

Before you invest in an escorted tour, ask about the cancellation policy and think strongly about purchasing trip-cancellation insurance. Also get a complete schedule of the trip, and inquire about the size of the group, the demographics (age, gender breakdown, singles or couples, and so on) of the tour, and discuss what is -- and is not -- included in the price. Ask about the accommodation choices and prices for each. And, finally, if you plan to travel alone, you'll need to know if a single supplement will be charged and if the company can match you up with a roommate.

Tour Operators--Collette Tours, 62 Middle St., Pawtucket, RI 02860 (tel. 800/340-5158; www.collettevacations.com), offers a wide variety of escorted trips by bus and train, including several in the Pacific Northwest and the Rockies. Order any of Collette's tour brochures by phone or on their website.

Brewster Transportation and Tours, P.O. Box 1140, Banff, Alberta T0L 0C0 (tel. 800/661-1152; www.brewster.ca), offers a wide variety of tours throughout Canada, both escorted and independent. Their offerings include motor-coach and train excursions, ski and other winter vacations, city and resort combination packages, chartered day tours by bus, and independent driving tours. Highlights include a visit to the Columbia Icefield in Jasper National Park; many packages in the Rockies include stays at guest ranches.

Travel by train lets you see the Rockies as you never would in a bus or behind the wheel of a car. The Rocky Mountaineer Vacations, 1150 Station St., 1st Floor, Vancouver, BC V6A 2X7 (tel. 877/460-3200; www.rockymountaineer.com), bills its Rocky Mountaineer as "The Most Spectacular Train Trip in the World." During daylight hours between mid-April and mid-October, this sleek blue-and-white train winds past foaming waterfalls, ancient glaciers, towering snowcapped peaks, and roaring mountain streams. The Rocky Mountaineer gives you the options of traveling east from Vancouver; traveling west from Jasper, Calgary, or Banff; or taking round-trips. There's also a tour offering a VIA Rail connection from Toronto, or packages that include links to the Inside Passage from Prince Rupert to Victoria. Tours range from 2 to 12 days, with stays in both the mountains and cities.

John Steel Railtours (tel. 800/988-5778; www.johnsteel.com) offers both escorted and independent tour packages, many through the Rockies and the west and a few in other regions, which combine train and other forms of travel. VIA Rail and BC Rail operate the train portions of John Steel tours. Packages run from 5 to 12 days, at all times of year, depending on the route, and combine stays in major cities and national parks.