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When you are planning your vacation, how do you decide between a land tour and a cruise? If you have a tendency for seasickness, panic if you are in the open sea, or harbor a deep fear of being on a sinking ship, a cruise wouldn’t be the best choice for you. But what are the other factors to take into consideration?
Sea cruises are in fact very popular and can be compared to being on a floating hotel which takes you on a non-stop whirlwind tour of coastal towns and ports. These huge ships offer a rich variety of sports facilities, swimming pools, and often a luxury spa for pampering beauty treatments. Additionally the entertainment is second to none and many top class cruises offer workshops, concerts, plays, plus live music in the evenings. Cruises can be considered as an all inclusive vacation as all meals and snacks are included in the overall price.
With the exception of transatlantic crossings (where you are ship bound for 7 or more days) you will get to visit some out of the way coastal locations and some which can be experienced very differently from a ship, such as a Panama Canal cruise.
However before you rush to book your sea cruise, bear in mind that:
- You have a limited time at the towns you visit – normally during daylight hours.
- You can only visit places close to the coast where you are cruising.
- Your cabin accommodation is likely to be basic and much smaller than a hotel room.
- You will be charged for extras which may include soft drinks, alcohol, spa treatments, island excursions and gratuities. These can mount up if you’re not careful, making for an expensive break.
It’s fair to say that land tours offer much more flexibility than a sea cruise. As with a sea cruise, a land tour enables you to visit plenty of locations, but allows you to visit landlocked countries and cities far from the coast. You could visit Paris by night or wander languidly through Madrid in the summer, which are two locations never seen on the itinerary of a sea cruise.
You may also travel by plane, coach or train between your destinations, and in some instances this all adds to the thrill of the tour – land tours in Switzerland may include a trip across the Alps on the Bernina Express, the famous winding, mountain railway.
Several of your overnight stops will be in different hotels as you carry on your journey, allowing you to experience the delights of different hospitality in different cities and even in different countries if you have gone cross-border.
A great, well organized land tour is one that provides a good balance between guided tours and your free time so that you can go off and explore the location you are staying in. You certainly won’t be cooped up in a cabin every night out at sea. You are free to stretch your wings and visit the towns to see them in their nighttime glory. On some evenings, you may dine with your tour group and on others you will be free to dine at a restaurant of your choice. Either way, you will be tickling your taste buds with new dishes in completely different restaurants on each step of your travels.
With regard to budget, a land tour package will clearly state which meals are included, so while you won’t have an all-inclusive vacation, you know in advance what you have prepaid for.
The flexibility of a land tour is what attracts many clients to book them time and time again – that and the fact that they know they will never have to worry about taking seasickness prevention tablets!