Travel hack: should I book a tour or DIY it?

When I’m researching for Lonely Planet’s guidebooks, especially when planning day trips, I’m constantly aware that time is my most limited resource. It’s not only the time I spend getting to and from my intended destination but also the time I spend planning the trip, which is usually one of a dozen I’m juggling. So if there’s an easier way to do things – as long as it doesn’t devastate my budget – it’s in my best interest to take it, even if that means boarding a very unsexy group tour.

Travelers eyeing challenging day trips – like visiting the ruins of Pompeii from Rome or cruising Halong Bay – may be batting around the same essential dilemma: should I splurge for a guided experience or garner some grit and try to get there on my own? Granted, some experiences require mandatory guides, like hiking a volcano in Central America. For more tame day trips, like a visit to a second city or an excursion to the beach, there is usually some way to get there by rental car or public transit.

Beyond budget and time constraints, which will be entirely personal, travelers should consider a few other factors when deciding between a DIY trip and a guided tour.

What are the pain points of getting there on your own?

You may save some money to go on your own, but you may be caught in the lurch if you rely on infrequent public transportation or are going somewhere with limited parking. If you are taking a bus or train, you give up a lot of flexibility and may have to cut your exploring time short or risk missing the last departure. Driving in your own car (or a rental) solves this problem, but you might also lose valuable time looking for a parking spot if it’s a small and busy place. 

When you go with a guided tour, many of these problems are nonissues because the tour will drop you off and pick you up right where you need to be, so you can leave the logistics to the people who are already familiar with the location. If you find that there are a lot of train departures and well-developed tourism infrastructure, DIY could be the way to go.

How much context do you need at the destination?

This comes down to each traveler’s appetite for history and the destination you’re visiting. If your destination is a beach or a picturesque village, having a guide is nice but not always necessary if you’re content to simply enjoy the scenery and do a bit of solo exploration. 

However, visiting historical sights like castles, battlegrounds and ancient ruins can be enhanced tenfold by a good tour guide – but don’t forget to check the reviews! If you’re a plaquemaxxer like myself – aka someone who can’t walk by an informational sign without reading it – this might be enough on a DIY trip, but there’s no guarantee that there will be an English translation, and you can’t exactly ask a plaque questions.

Planning the perfect trip itinerary is very personal, and it all comes down to priorities and what you're looking to get out of it – whether that means challenging yourself to navigate public transit in a foreign language or letting your executive function take a back seat so you can enjoy the simplicity of a beautiful view or engage more deeply with history.