I am currently returning from a trip to Lisbon and Brazil where I participated in organized tours and also planned my own itinerary. In this article, I will talk to you about this experience.
Review of an organized trip to Brazil and Portugal.
Trip to Portugal
During my stay in Portugal in Lisbon, I lived in a youth hostel for 3 days. What I really appreciated about this youth hostel was that there were organized tours for about ten euros each day. The night in this hostel only cost me 15 euros. The evening meal with some drinks was another 10 euros.
I spent 35 euros per day for:
- An organized tour including transportation.
- The night in the youth hostel and unlimited breakfast.
- 3 drinks and the evening meal at will.
I felt like I was on an all-inclusive vacation where I had nothing else to pay for.
Under these conditions, I could organize my day as I wanted if I wanted to do what I wanted and be free while traveling cheaply.
For example, I was able to go to Sintra and watch the sunset at the westernmost point of the European continent for 10 euros on an organized tour, whereas it costs 12 euros by transport. I was able to enjoy a day of visiting Belem without time constraints by going on my own.
The downside of the tour: The time is limited at each place we went to.
I could have gone there on my own and taken my time.
The upside of the tour: The trip is easier, they take us from one place to another.
I had the choice for my itinerary and could do as I wished. When traveling alone, it is easier to meet and make friends with people by doing accompanied tours.
There is a guide who accompanies you and tells you the history of the place you are going to.
Trip to Brazil
During my stay in Brazil where I stayed for a week, I went to two places: Rio de Janeiro and Ilha Grande.
I participated in an accompanied tour which was very expensive: about 50 euros for 5 to 6 hours. During this tour, we visited the main tourist spots such as the statue of Christ the Redeemer or Sugarloaf Mountain in Rio de Janeiro.
The tour included:
- Entrance tickets to the two main tourist spots (Christ and Sugarloaf).
- Visits to certain neighborhoods of Rio.
- Transportation from one point to another.
The negative points:
- The price was a bit expensive.
- The time was limited at each place.
The positive points:
- You don’t have to worry about transportation.
- It allowed me to meet other travelers and make contacts.
If I were not traveling alone and was sure the weather would be sunny every day, I would have gone on my own. It would cost you less than 40 euros whereas I paid over 50 euros.
It is always cheaper to organize by yourself but if you want to make life easier, just pay 10 to 20% more.
My opinion:
I like to do both when the price is not excessive. I even sometimes recommend using hotel services to save time such as transportation.
Get some basic information about the price of the places you will visit and see if it is beneficial for you to take an organized tour or do it yourself.
The equation is simple, if you want to save time, you will spend money and if you want to save money, you will lose time. “Time is money” as they say.
And you? Do you prefer to take a trip with organized tours or do everything yourself?
