Pros and Cons of Tour Packages

One of the things that I see to it that I do before leaving Puerto Princesa is to have the underground river tour, one of the New 7 Wonders of Nature. Days before my trip, I was contemplating whether to do it on my own or to avail of the tour package offered by the pension house that I'll be staying in. At the end, I decided to take the tour package.

If you'll ask me if the P1,400 is worth it, yes it is considering the time I saved plus the convenience. 

Here's what I think about tour packages (this is base from my recent Palawan trip and some past experiences):

Pros

• Convenient: you don't have to think of the itinerary yourself. Everything is prepared for you, from food (depends on the tour package) to itinerary. So basically, you simply just have to pack your stuff, prepare yourself, and join the group.

• Can sometimes be economical: there are tour packages that let you save more. With the booming tourism industry, travel agencies are giving generous offers to travelers who will be traveling in big groups. 

• Meeting more people: if you travel solo and join a tour group then you're most likely to meet more people. During the underground river tour, I've met these amazing people who didn't make me feel like I'm alone ;)

Well, for me, it's more on the convenience part as I still have to work after the tour (yes, the workaholic in me). 

Cons

• Fixed Schedule: one thing that I don't like with tour packages (except for the Ilocos tour we had months ago) is the fixed schedule. You can't stay longer in one place because you're following a schedule and it can be pretty frustrating. 

• You go where the group goes: no matter how you hate going to zoos, you can't skip it unless you  want to bore yourself in the van simply because it's part of the itinerary. 

• Spontaneity is inexistent: compared to DIY trips, tour packages can be boring at times. You can't change routes or your itinerary. There's no freedom and for spontaneous travelers, this can be a bit irritating. 

So that's it! I'm not really a fan of tour packages but whenever I find myself too busy to plan the trip on my  own, I don't hesitate to sign up for one.

How about you? 

What are your thoughts on tour packages?