Keeping Your Travel Company Honest

You don't always know what your signing up for when you book through a low-cost student travel company. Here are the top 5 questions you should always ask your tour operator to ensure you get what you pay for.

(1) What is actually included in the price?

Some tour companies offer incredibly low per day prices but actually don’t include anything except a bus ticket and so-so hostel reservation. This means their guests get to the destination for a cheap price but end up spending incredibly high prices on the “optional” activities the tour company offers once there. Just be aware that most travel that cart around groups of 50+ guests in the back of a bus are receiving 15-25 percent commissions on optional activities they sell to their guests.

(2) What role does the guide play?

For many student travel companies, the tour guide is a non-native whose main role is to lead the group into pre-selected shops, restaurants and bars for commissions and kickbacks.

It’s important to know whether the guide is knowledgeable about local history and culture, how much time they will be with the group, the focus of the sightseeing and activities they feature, and their qualification (education, experience, fluency in local language).

(3) How large will the tour group be?

Group size will change how you experience a destination. When you travel amongst 50 Americans, it’s virtually impossible to escape your cultural bubble and experience the local culture and people. Not only are you limited in where you can actually go (forget mom-and-pop restaurants and hole-in-the-wall guest houses), you will create an disturbance to the local scene anywhere you go. Some people prefer large group bus travel, while others prefer to travel in small groups.

(4) What are the hotels like?

When you sign up for a tour, your hotel will vary enormously in quality. Always check out the facilities online (HostelWorld is a great resource) before booking to know what is included in “continental breakfast,” whether you have a private ensuite room or a 20-person mixed dorm with shared bathroom, and how close you are to the activities and sightseeing you want to do during your trip. Oftentimes, travel companies will seclude their guests in remote accommodations so they can control what they do and don’t do.

(5) Can I see some guest testimonials?

The best way to see if a travel company is doing their job is guest testimonials and written tour evaluations. Request that they email you proof that their trips are resulting in satisfied guests.

The SnoworSand Difference:

SnoworSand offers trips at the lower end of the pricing spectrum. However, our goal is provide top-quality experiences normally reserved for those with extra cash to spend. Our standard spring break, fall break and long weekend trips cost less than $100 per day and include a full time local expert to make sure every guest has an incredible time. That means when you join us for spring break morocco or Greek Island Hopping, your local guide is knowledgeable about history and culture and is always fluent in the local language. We use small groups of 12 or fewer people and our hotels, guest houses and hostels are always double checked for quality-clean, friendly, good location, and welcoming atmosphere.