Research, Compare, and Select the Best Tour Operator by Knowing the Right Questions To Ask.

It is summer vacation planning time again and knowing how to find and vet the best options is an important step. Following are Ten Tips to take you from research to R&R as you strategize when and where to spend precious vacation time and dollars.

“A little time and energy spent on the front end helps ensure the vacation of your dreams. “The planning process should be a fun part of the overall experience,”” says Dan Austin, owner of Austin-Lehman Adventures (ALA), named the World’’s Best Tour Operator by the readers of Travel + Leisure magazine for the past two consecutive years.

To help guide you through the maze of vacation options, the tour experts at Austin-Lehman Adventures offer these useful tips when starting the trip planning process:

#1 Build Files Organize brochures, maps, notes from conversations to website links.

#2 Google is Your Friend! 96% of all travel research is now done online. Use “long tail” search terms to hone in on your questions such as: “Best family adventure vacation to Yellowstone.” Bookmark the better sites you visit. 

#3 Shop for Information off-line Pick up travel magazines and regional guides reflecting your interests. Talk to friends and co-workers. Visit your local travel counselor for input.

#4 Create a bucket list Create a list of dream destinations and activities; cut it to a short list. Use logic. Is Mexico too hot in summer? Maybe. Then consider fall travel. Keep track of your thinking and why.

#5 Who Gets Your Business? Seek tour operators specializing in the kinds of vacations on your short list. Again, Google is your friend. For example, search for “best bike tour operator in Italy” and note results. Pour through travel magazines that often list the “best of the best” in special annual editions. Look for them online. In the end you will have created a list of operators that best match your short list of destinations and activities.