What is Self Guided?
Here is a narrative picture: what if you could go on an inexpensive tour and didn’t have plan any of the routes? Where all the lodging was taken care of and you had a choice of hotels, where meals were taken care of, and most important you didn’t have to carry your luggage from place to place. On top of that, what if you could go any date you wanted – a date that worked for your schedule and family? What if you didn’t want to be part of a group of strangers with different abilities and interests than your own – wouldn’t that be even better still? Guess what, you have found self-guided travel!Self guided biking and walking can be characterized by the following benefits:
Flexible – durations can be modified to meet a clients time available, hotels are available for many budgets, often in combination, no minimum participation so no threat of cancellation by the operator,
Affordable – prices are amazing by comparison to most group guided offers, yet worth the extra it might cost over doing it all yourself in a self-contained concept.
Supported – most operators proposing this program do also provide baggage transfers, emergency support, orientations, transfers, and add on services. Often, these support services are extremely beneficial because they are founded on expert knowledge of the region, and therefore a very reliable source for finding and offering unique properties, routes, and visits.
Off the beaten path – many of the tours follow famous cycling routes and can be quiet at times and busy at others, but the cycling is always on bicycle friendly routes. Routes are well chosen and occasionally on very small routes and naturally provide for lots of interaction with the locals.
The all-important question for many people might be “how much is this going to cost?” Well, this can vary based upon your level of accommodations and duration of trip. Self-guided travel can average in the $900-1250 range per person for a 7-night trip. This might compare to a some guided trips averaging $2800 and up, or as cheap as you can go self-contained at $350 and a good tent!
