You may be envisioning a bus filled with obnoxious tourists with a boring guide on the microphone drawling on while no one pays attention. Every day is long and rushed with poor meal choices and comically bad hotels. Movies have certainly led us to believe that this is what to expect, but the group travel space has evolved past these painful stereotypes.

Here's what to expect for your Collette tour, regardless of destination or travel style.

Seeing the Highlights:

Through feedback from travelers and research by expert product designers, Collette makes sure you hit a curated list of highlights in every destination. Long gone is the packed itinerary spending just a few minutes at each photo stop only to rush you to the next. Enjoy your time and feel confident that Collette has selected the best attractions to include.

Balanced Time:

Not sure if you want to spend all your time with a busload of new friends? Collette itineraries are designed to give a good balance of structured time and free time. This allows you to make plans to visit other museums and attractions not included on the tour, go try a restaurant or food market, or relax at the hotel on your own. Hate making those kinds of decisions? Your Tour Manager is your 24/7 concierge and will help with suggestions and might also coordinate things for the group to do together if you are feeling extroverted.

Local Culture:

What's the best way to connect with a destination? Mingling with the locals! Collette strives to include visits with locals in destinations so that you are not only learning the history of the region, but also what living in it is like today. There are a variety of experiences worldwide that will enhance your tour. Everything on the itinerary is chosen with a purpose, so if you want to delve into local cuisine then choose the more adventurous options on the menu at dinner. Chat with the local guide during a coffee break about how the city has changed in their lifetime. Even tours in your own backyard will highlight the regional differences in a country you already know!

Expert Leadership:

Your Tour Manager is there to take care of all the details. That's why they are more than just guides! You don't have to figure out how to drive anywhere or what time to leave; someone else is handling all the stressful bits of traveling allowing you to focus on enjoying yourself! From the moment they send a pre-tour email, you have a connection with a regional expert who will troubleshoot problems and help you make the most of your trip while also entertaining and educating you with lively commentary and local insights to only enhance your time in the destination even further.

New Friendships:

Sharing experiences with other people brings us closer together, sparks conversation, and creates lasting memories. Every tour, we see travelers nervously enter the welcome briefing and shyly introduce themselves or make their spouse or friend do all the talking. Fast forward two days later and everyone is laughing together over dinner and spending free time together. It makes it hard to say goodbye when the tour comes to an end! 

Hopefully this list has helped to quell any uncertainty you had about tours or has convinced you that group travel is worth trying! Collette is with you from start to finish, and what better way to get started than with a small group tour?

Shake Up Your Perspective on Small Group Tours

Comfy seats, a friendly, reliable driver, room to store some stuff and spread out: These are a few of our favorite things. We love a coach. But like every mode of transportation, coaches have their limits. Due to their size, they can’t get you down some of the world’s roads less traveled. And sometimes the road less traveled isn’t a road at all: maybe it’s a dirt path or a body of water.

On Collette’s small group Explorations tours, travelers still usually utilize coaches (unless you’re on the Switzerland: Hidden Trails & Majestic Peaks tour, which is an active journey by train!), but they also spend time stepping into those special corners of the world that a bus just can’t reach. And when they do, they come home with special stories enriched by trekking across places unknown.

Here are some examples of unique perspectives you’ll find beyond the coach on some of their small group tours:

Zodiacs in Iceland

Iceland is an ethereal wonderland. And sure, you can get postcard-perfect images of its landscapes no matter your vantage point. But there’s something thrilling about stepping off the sidelines and jumping into those landscapes. On the Icelandic Adventure small group tour, you’ll bundle up and get into that thermal gear for a whale watching cruise on Skjálfandi Bay. You literally cannot get any closer than this to whales in northern Iceland. Aboard your specialized rigid inflatable boat, you just might catch a glimpse of the humpback, minke, fin or harbor porpoise, and possibly the orca or giant blue whales that frequent these waters.

Treks by Foot in Ireland

The seemingly endless rolling green hills, the stunning seaside cliffs, and stately castles come together to create the vibe you may think of when someone mentions Ireland, but there’s so much more to experience on the Emerald Isle. And the people who call Ireland home are going to be the ones to show it to you. On The Best of Ireland small group tour, you’ll begin by getting to know Dublin on a walking tour. This tour is led by a local expert from the group Secret Street Tours, a non-profit that trains citizens formerly affected by homelessness to be guides in their own city. Instead of a panoramic city tour, you’ll hit the pavement and see the city through their eyes. You’ll gain insight into their life story as you discover Dublin’s Liberties district. When you get to Galway, you’ll explore by foot and awaken all your senses. Link up with a local foodie who will teach you all about the local culinary scene and how Galway’s cuisine breaks the stereotype of traditional Irish food during a walking food tour.

Safari Boats and Tender Boats in Southern Africa

Going on safari is the definition of journeying beyond the coach, right? You’re spending your days hopping into a 4x4 and journeying across the plains and woodlands searching for lions, leopards, elephants, and the other unique game animals of Africa. But what about hippos? Crocodiles? Aquatic birds? Enter the new Wilderness of Southern Africa: Safari by Land & Water small group tour. After several days of setting out on safari by land, you’ll set off on a cruise for 3 nights on a privately chartered safari boat on the stunning Lake Kariba, which is teeming with birdlife and game species. You’ll have limited access to technology out here, which is a refreshing opportunity to revel in nature: Float along the still waters and search for the wildlife that calls it home. You’ll also have a front row seat to watching stunning sunsets bouncing like a mirror off the water. During your 3-day stint on the lake, you’ll also get a chance to hop into a smaller tender boat, giving you the chance to cruise the channels off the lake!

Are you ready to explore beyond the plane, train, and automobile? Get in touch with your Direct Travel Advisor to find your next small group Explorations tour with Collette.