9 reasons why you shouldn’t rule out an escorted tour
If you’ve never taken an escorted tour before, now’s the time to give them the consideration they deserve — and we've found the best ones to try
Just as the reputation of cruises has evolved over the past decade or so, becoming more fashionable and less fusty, so too have escorted tours. Forget enormous coach tours and crowds following bright umbrellas through the likes of Venice — these days, escorted tours have become far more refined and much more exciting.
An escorted tour is a holiday that’s planned for you, from the flights to the hotels to the activities. You’ll find they have set departure dates, and you’ll travel with other people following the same itinerary. The size of your group will depend on the trip, but it might be much smaller than you think, sometimes with just a handful of others joining the adventure, like an escorted tour in Italy for just eight guests. And while you’re all following the same itinerary and staying in the same hotels, just like a cruise, there will be some degree of freedom with free days planned to spend as you wish.
Escorted tours can be tempting value because they often include excursions and meals and unlock experiences you ordinarily wouldn’t be able to access, such as meeting experts or celebrity guests. But there are so many more reasons to consider an escorted tour. Here, we explain why escorted tours have quickly become Good Housekeeping’s preferred way of exploring the world.
Relax — all the planning is done for you
So you’ve decided you want to travel to the Azores, Italy, or Morocco. Now what? Planning what you'll do and where to go when you're there can be time-consuming — particularly if it's somewhere you're visiting for the first time.
Choosing an escorted tour takes all the hard work out of planning how you’ll spend your days. Escorted tours typically follow tried and tested routes, often led by local guides, and make sure that you get a good blend of hitting the unmissable sights but also see some under-the-radar locations. It's not just the itinerary that's taken care of. It's the timings and logistics, too.
Good Housekeeping’s escorted tour to Italy and Switzerland includes a ride on the Bernina Express, an excursion of Varenna, and a tour of Lake Como, but as it’s an escorted tour, you don’t have to worry about what the train timetable is, where you’ll stop, or how you’ll get to the station – everything is taken care of, leaving you to relax and enjoy the experiences.
There are small group escorted tours, too
Joining an escorted tour doesn’t mean travelling en masse with hordes of other holidaymakers. On our fantastic six-day foodie trip to Italy, you’ll travel with no more than seven other guests. You’ll visit Bologna, Parma, and Modena on this trip, travelling with your group in pre-arranged transfers. You’ll experience some fantastic shared moments, including a cooking class with an Italian chef and a walking tour of Bologna.
With your group, you'll visit a local Parmesan factory, a balsamic vineyard, and a family-run Parma ham producer with the chance to taste these delectable products for yourself. There's free time to spend in pretty Modena, whether you visit the duomo or if the glamour of the Ferrari and Lamborghini museums appeal. Modena is also the former home of opera legend Luciano Pavarotti, where you can see memorabilia, including letters, photos, and costumes.
You'll get expert insight
A real plus of an escorted tour is the chance to learn more about a place than you might on a self-guided holiday. That’s because you can find escorted tours led by true experts in their field — an opportunity that can't be replicated if you travel independently.
Fly to beautiful Madeira on an escorted tour in May 2024 for the colourful Madiera Flower Festival, and you'll have the chance to meet gardening expert Frances Tophill during a private Q&A session. Frances will also join you at the Flower Parade and the Quinta do Arco garden.
And in true escorted tour style, plenty of other experiences are included in the trip, including a walking tour of Funchal, wine tasting at a local vineyard, and rum tasting in Porto da Cruz.
You’ll have the chance to make new friends
On Good Housekeeping Holidays’ escorted tour to Jordan, you’ll travel with a group of women, feeling a sense of community and making new friends as you explore this fascinating country. There are plenty of chances to meet local women and learn more about what life is like for them, including a female shepherd in Petra and traditional henna artists.
Over eight days, you’ll stay in four different locations and visit the city of Amman, the Wadi Rum desert, and the incredible buildings and carvings of Petra. At the end of the trip, you'll float effortlessly on the surface of the Dead Sea. It's all perfectly and meticulously planned for you and includes all your travel arrangements – a great benefit of joining an escorted tour for this type of adventure. By the end, you’ll have bonded over incredible shared experiences with your fellow travellers and new friends.
You’ll still have time by yourself
If you value time spent alone or as a couple, an escorted tour still might work for you. On our escorted tour in the Azores, there are lots of well-planned guided tours to make sure you see the unmissable highlights, but there are days or afternoons to spend as you wish, whether you want to take a whale-watching tour or a quiet hike across these blissfully beautiful islands.
On this escorted tour, evenings are typically free to spend how you choose, whether with your travel companion or others — it's up to you how sociable you want to be.
It's the perfect way to travel solo
We can’t always convince our loved ones to join us on the adventures we want to have. If you want to learn how to make authentic Sicilian pasta, sleep in the Hotel of Ice in Transylvania, or travel to mysterious Petra with like-minded women, an escorted tour is a perfect solution when faced with the prospect of travelling solo.
You’ll get to share some experiences with other holidaymakers and feel reassured about not being alone on your adventure.
They’re not all long or overseas
If you associate escorted tours with being long trips away on foreign shores, perhaps you’ll be surprised that some escorted tours only last a few days and can be an excellent way to enjoy a staycation. For example, you can take a short, escorted tour to Northumberland and witness starry skies with astronomer Richard Darn.
On your first night, you'll have dinner with Richard and the rest of your group before heading to the Battlesteads Observatory for a private visit (another benefit of joining an escorted tour!) and learn how to use the professional-grade telescopes to get the best possible views of the cosmos. The following day is well-planned: a coach tour to Hadrian’s Wall and a private tour of a local microbrewery before a second full tour of the Kielder Observatory.
There's lots included
You may be pleasantly surprised if you compare what’s included in the price of an escorted tour with what you'd pay if you planned it all independently. There are often plenty of meals included in escorted tours, transfers to and from the airport, and entry to the attractions you’ll visit along the way — all things that may usually come at an extra cost.
On our eight-day Finnish Lapland escorted tour, breakfast and dinner are included every day, along with a scenic snowmobile safari, husky safari, snowshoe walk, reindeer safari, and ice-fishing excursion. Even the cold weather clothing is provided, seriously minimising what you spend before you depart and what you’ll spend once you’re there.
They can be luxurious and exclusive
On an eight-day escorted tour to Malta, stay at one of the island’s best hotels – the AX The Victoria Hotel – with plenty of free time factored into the itinerary to help make the most of the facilities, including a splendid rooftop pool and a beautiful spa. Your days spent out and about are meticulously planned and include plenty of indulgent experiences, including a chocolate liquor tasting.
Tours of Gozo with a local lunch, Valletta with a pastizzi pastry tasting, plus visits to Mdina and the Three Cities are all taken care of and completely stress-free.
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