Beware Dear Solo Travelers

There are now tourist companies of gazillion now floating across the world wide web. Most travelers want to escape at the lowest possible price and go directly to "cheaperosity.com" before they narrow the destination of their dreamy deluxe list! This can lead to disaster or at least, wasting time and money in a place that will frustrate you. You're ignorant, but you're Google's tour operators. More than 1200 appear. You choose "Yak on a Budget Travel", because they are cheap dirt and send them a deposit from PayPal. Five months later, no one will pick you up at the airport on arrival. Outside, Kathmandu attacks your senses, but you can take a taxi to your two-star hotel on the edge of a youth hostel. No breakfast, bad bed. Your guides are subpar with thick accents. You get half-day tours a day instead of full days as promised in trucks without air conditioning. In every famous site, the guide says, "I need money now for admission fees." The story continues for 8 days of frustration as you watch other tour groups cheerfully out of the luxury coaches and head to the front lines for the best points of excellence.

A Gentle Reminder Dear Travel - Do your research on the credentials of tour operators first! Choose one with a track record of reliability. What? Carefully read their company file. Is the parent company or is it provided by a travel agent who does not want to bear the expenses or responsibility of being the manager? Is it a cheesy Web site with blocks of templates to cut and paste into your contact details, look like something designed by a teenager? Be very careful if the images are inserted instead of the real people who have already traveled with this company.

Ask how long the tour operator was at work. A year or less, I was running. Are they fully licensed and enslaved? Do they have an IATA license and other credentials? Any reports to the Better Business Bureau are a huge red mark. Search for reviews on Google. If there is an emergency, does the company have insurance to protect you? Understand that countless tour operators go out of business every year. What protection do you have if you pay for the entire trip and close the shop a week before you leave?

Consider companies that successfully sent collections around the world for a long time. Look for frequent travelers. Check out their website to feel the passion and integrity that comes from their information. Note that they use non-securities photos that show real people on their travels. Take a look at hundreds of happy testimonials, each one honest and trustworthy. Invest the time in searching for who you will book with. Look for a company that delivers what you promised. After all, your investment is in an exciting adventure to provide you with memories forever.