travelBulletin spoke with Chip Popescu, managing director of Eastern Eurotours & Mediterranean Holidays, on the benefits of opting for a small group tour.
1 Personalisation: Small group tours allow passengers to have more interaction with the tour leader, meaning an operator to provide a more personalised service. Guests can ask more questions and the leader can provide more of the information that they are interested in.
2 Like-minded travellers: At the core of many small group tours is a theme or interest. Whether it’s zoning in on classical music, architecture from the Baroque era or satisfying a passion for food and wine, special interest tours attract travellers who are looking for similar things. This can help provide a deeper travel experience as travellers spend time delving into the topic they are passionate about, accompanied by people that have shared interests.
3 More time: A compact size means the group can be moved much faster from one place to another, leaving more time to dig up the intricacies of a destination. It also opens up transport options other than a coach, allowing the group to be more agile.
4 Local Engagement: Travellers can see the area from a local’s perspective by moving in small groups because there can be more opportunities to engage with the people. Venturing through the backstreets on a bike or learning a region’s dances accompanied a by crowd of 40 just doesn’t have the same feel.
5 Variety: Particularly when travelling to more remote, smaller towns, not all hotels or restaurants can cater for a coach-full of travellers. Moving around in teams of 20 or less may unlock the opportunity to sleep in lesser-known unique hotels or provide the chance to be immersed in the culinary culture with a cooking class.
