In this section, we’ve added companies that provide a decent range of shorter tours (<3 days).

Free Tours

Usually, these tours are not completely free unless you are really stingy or completely dissatisfied. You don’t pay for the tour up front, but you should tip the guide what you think it’s worth. We’ve taken a few of these over the years,  including a free bike tour in Sofia, which was fabulous.

GURUWALKS is one of the best platforms for finding “FREE’ or “Pay-As-You-Wish’ tours. 

Saigon Hotpot also runs fantastic free tours in HCMC.

Paid Tours

Want to know my dirty little secret?  I often search for guided tours and then use those to develop a route we can follow independently. But having taken a few ‘proper’ tours over the years, I acknowledge we miss out on a lot of inside expert knowledge that way.

The following links ARE NOT to individual tours but to reputable platforms that host a multitude of offerings. So, as always, do your due diligence before forking over your cash.

Viator– These guys have probably the most extensive range of tours (over 300 000 worldwide.) What I like about their site are the comprehensive filters that allow you to drill down to the exact length, timing, theme, and pricing to fit your itinerary and budget. And they have a ‘lowest price guarantee.’

Get Your Guide – Not quite as many tours as Viator, but what is on offer tends to be a bit more niche. (And often not on Viator)

So I think it’s worth checking both sites to understand the full range of what’s available.

While we are predominantly independent travelers and thrive on planning and executing adventures exactly as we want, we have taken several tours over the years.

Before taking up permanent travel, we took

• A fab bicycle and camping tour in NZ on a big blue bus with Magic Kiwi.
• A trip around northern India with Intrepid, and
• A Moroccan adventure with Imaginative Traveller.

Since 2010, we’ve jumped on board:

• A fantastic private trip through Western Sichuan and Tibet with Road To Tibet
• An overland tour through Africa with African Trails (sadly no longer in business), and
• A three-week tour around Bangladesh with Orient Eco Tours.

Those last three solved some logistical problems for us – security, access to the destination, or a lack of infrastructure for independent travel.

However, we realize not everyone has the time, patience, or skills to plan their tour and that many of you WANT the expertise availed by taking a guided tour. So here are a couple of booking platforms that provide a huge range of holidays for every taste and budget.

As well as short tours, Viator provides access to thousands of extended tours. The comprehensive filters allow you to drill down to the exact length, timing, theme, and pricing to fit your itinerary and budget. And they have a ‘lowest price guarantee.’

Get Your Guide – also offers a nice selection of multi-day tours. And like its short tours, what’s offered tends to be a bit more niche.  – (Picture a private sailing tour in the Aeolian Islands.)

Tour Radar is another platform presenting thousands of tours worldwide. Unlike the previous two, it’s easy to find offers from your favorites like GAdventures, Intrepid, and Trafalgar.

Gone are the days you MUST line up with the Hoi Polloi to get into museums, attractions, and performances. Many venues now have an option to book timed entry or VIP tickets so you can skip the queues. In fact, for many popular sites, timed tickets are now mandatory.

• Viator – I tested out the prices on offer through Viator against the venue itself and found their  ‘lowest price guarantee.’ pretty accurate. A 1-day, 1–park mid-week adult ticket for Disney Paris was 6 USD cheaper through Viator.
• Get Your Guide offers timed entry tickets and skip-the-queue options on hundreds of popular venues. In my test examples, prices were similar to Viator and the same or cheaper than the venue itself.
• Tiqets – partners with almost 4000 venue partners worldwide and has tickets for everyone. Museums, amusement parks, historical sites, and more at exceptional prices.

You might have gathered by now that we like to slow travel and leisurely to explore destinations. We prefer to explore one museum or gallery per day over two weeks, over trying to cram everything into a few days.

However, a City Pass is the way to go if you have limited time and want to tick off more than a few destinations with entry fees.

You can save hundreds if you get organized and have some stamina.

Go City – offers excellent value city passes, which include bucket list attractions, top tours, and plenty of hidden gems – all of which are handpicked by their local experts. You can say goodbye to multiple entry fees and paper tickets. You pay one price for one pass and receive everything you need right there on your phone. The best thing is you can easily discern how much you can save before you buy the pass by building itineraries on their site. For example, their 3-day inclusive pass for Paris for 114 euros can save over 175 euros!

Sporting events, concerts, and theatrical performances can make your trip unforgettable.

Some experiences require their own category.

Eat With offers unforgettable, immersive culinary experiences at home and abroad, led by passionate hosts and chefs. Food tours, dining experiences, and cooking classes in hundreds of destinations around the world.