Escorted & Package Tours

Packages Tours for the Independent Traveler

Before you start your search for the lowest airfare, you may want to consider booking your flight as part of a travel package such as an escorted tour or a package tour. What you lose in adventure, you'll gain in time and money saved on accommodations, and maybe even food and entertainment, along with your flight.

Package tours are not the same thing as escorted tours. With a package tour, you travel independently but pay a group rate. Packages usually include airfare, a choice of hotels, and car rentals, and packagers often offer several options at different prices. In many cases, a package that includes airfare, hotel, and transportation to and from the airport will cost you less than just the hotel alone would have, had you booked it yourself. That's because packages are sold in bulk to tour operators -- who resell them to the public at a cost that drastically undercuts standard rates.

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), Delta Vacations (tel. 800/221-6666; www.deltavacations.com), US Airways Vacations (tel. 800/455-0123; www.usairwaysvacations.com), Continental Airlines Vacations (tel. 800/301-3800; www.covacations.com), and United Vacations (tel. 888/854-3899; www.unitedvacations.com).

Vacation Together (tel. 800/839-9851; www.vacationtogether.com) allows you to search for and book packages offered by a number of tour operators and airlines. The United States Tour Operators Association (tel. 212/599-6599; www.ustoa.com) has a search engine that allows you to look for operators that offer packages to a specific destination. Travel packages are also listed in the travel section of your local Sunday newspaper. Liberty Travel (tel. 888/271-1584; www.libertytravel.com), one of the biggest packagers in the Northeast, often runs full-page ads in Sunday papers. Or check ads in national travel magazines such as Arthur Frommer's Budget Travel Magazine, Travel & Leisure, National Geographic Traveler, and Condé Nast Traveler.

Package tours can vary by leaps and bounds. Some offer a better class of hotels than others. Some offer the same hotels for lower prices. Some offer flights on scheduled airlines, while others book charters. Some limit your choice of accommodations and travel days. You are often required to make a large payment up front. On the plus side, packages can save you money, offering group prices but allowing for independent travel. Some even let you add on a few guided excursions or escorted day trips (also at prices lower than if you booked them yourself) without booking an entirely escorted tour.

Before you invest in a package tour, get some answers. Ask about the accommodations choices and prices for each. Then look up the hotels' reviews in a Frommer's guide and check their rates online for your specific dates of travel. 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. Request a nonsmoking room, a room with a view, or whatever you fancy.

Finally, look for hidden expenses. Ask whether airport departure fees and taxes, for example, are included in the total cost.

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, motor coach, 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 up front, 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. Escorted tours are 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 up front, and lodging and dining choices are predetermined. You'll get little opportunity for serendipitous interactions with locals. The tours can be jam-packed with activities, leaving little room for individual sightseeing, whim, or adventure -- plus they also often focus only on the heavily touristed sites, so you miss out on the lesser-known gems.

Before you invest in an escorted tour, 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 up front.

You'll want to get a complete schedule of the trip to find out how much sightseeing is planned each day and whether enough time has been allotted for relaxing or wandering solo.

The size of the group is also important to know up front. 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 a trip mostly 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 a single supplement will be charged and if the company can match you up with a roommate.

Visit Italy Tours, 9841 Airport Blvd., Suite 1424, Los Angeles, CA 90045 (tel. 310/649-9080 or 800/255-3537), offers a popular 9-day, 7-night tour called "Sunny Sicily." It focuses on the grandest of the island's archaeological sites, including Segesta, Erice, Syracuse, Piazza Armerina, and Agrigento, and also visits volcanic Mount Etna, the fishing village of Trapani, and the beach resort of Taormina. Stops are also scheduled in Palermo and Montreale. Other tours are available, including a 15-day tour, "Archaeological Sicily," and a 9-day tour, "Sicilian Carousel," that focuses on such towns and villages as Syracuse, Ragusa, Cefalù, and Piazza Armerina.

One of the biggest escorted-tour operators is Perillo Tours (tel. 800/431-1515; www.perillotours.com). Since it was founded in 1945, it has sent more than a million travelers to Italy. Perillo's tours cost much less than you'd spend if you arranged a comparable trip yourself. Accommodations are in first-class hotels, and guides tend to be well qualified. Tours in Sicily also include time in southern Italy, including 3 nights in Rome and 3 nights in Sorrento. The swing through Sicily itself, part of a larger tour, usually takes in 2 nights in Palermo, 1 night in Agrigento, and 3 nights in Taormina.

Globus and Cosmos Tours, working jointly, comprise one of Perillo's top competitors. Globus (tel. 800/338-7092; www.globusandcosmos.com) also offers a 14-day grand tour of Italy and Sicily. Cosmos (tel. 800/276-1241), the budget branch of Globus, sells the same itineraries. These tours must be booked through a travel agent and not directly.

Yet another option is Insight Vacations (tel. 800/582-8380; www.insightvacations.com), which features art tours. Its 10-day tour of Italy and Sicily includes stopovers at the seaside resort of Taormina and visits to the temples at Agrigento and the art treasures of Palermo.

For a luxury tour, consider Abercrombie & Kent (tel. 800/554-7016 or 630/954-2944; www.abercrombiekent.com). Its 12-day tour of southern Italy includes Palermo, Agrigento, Piazza Armerina, Syracuse, and Taormina, with the option of adding a few nights in Rome to the itinerary.

Special-Interest Trips

For many visitors, a themed tour is the best way to explore the island.

For those who'd like to cycle along volcanic craters and rugged coastlines in sight of Greek ruins, an intriguing 8-day biking tour is offered by VBT Bicycling Vacations (tel. 800/BIKE-TOUR; www.vbt.com). It costs from $1,995 per person, including accommodations (airfare not included). Bike trips circle the craters of Mount Etna and go to Taormina and on to some of the Aeolian Islands, including Lipari and Salina.

Backroads (tel. 800/462-2848 or 510/527-1555; www.backroads.com), runs a 6-day biking and walking trip through Sicily that incorporates a boat ride to the Aeolian island of Panarea. It even offers a family version of this trip that's suitable for children as young as 9 years old. Both trips are around $3,700 per person (land costs only), double occupancy.

Butterfield & Robinson (tel. 866/551-9090 or 416/864-1354; www.butterfield.com) operates a ship-based tour that takes in Sicily and the Aeolian Islands by 32-passenger private yacht. Days bring opportunities for hiking, swimming, snorkeling, and diving. The 8-day tour starts at $8,450 per person (airfare not included).

Smithsonian Journeys (tel. 877/338-8687; www.smithsonianjourneys.org) features educational travel with guides who are experts in their fields. An 11-day "Legacy of Sicily" tour explores the island in great depth, visiting Palermo, Segesta, Selinunte, Agrigento, Piazza Armerina, Catania, and Taormina.

Academic Tours (tel. 800/875-9171 or 718/417-8782; www.academictours.com) is a real Sicilian specialist. It offers the best archaeological tours of Sicily, visiting such ancient cities and sites as Segesta, Erice, Selinunte, Piazza Armerina, Noto, and Syracuse. Typical prices for land arrangements are $2,000 to $2,200 in a double room for a 15-day tour.

To Grandmother's House We Go (tel. 718/768-4662; www.tograndmothershousewego.com) features cooking and cultural tours of Sicily. Cooking classes concentrate on simple, delicious food, and no more than 12 people participate at one time. The tour comprises not only food, but also historical sights as well as living history -- that is, the shops of artisans, a winery, a tuna fishery, and more. The cost is $2,500 per person, excluding airfare.