When you’re visiting a major tourism destination — especially if it’s your first time — it’s only natural that you want some expert insight and guidance. After all, you may not know the destination well, and it’s important to make the most of your hard-earned vacation time to see the top sights and have the most memorable experiences. That’s why a lot of people sign up for sightseeing tours, city tours and tour packages when they travel abroad. But should you buy sightseeing tours before or during your vacation?
My recent trip to Buenos Aires, Argentina provided me with a stark reminder of the advantages of booking ahead. I’ve visited this South American hotspot several times over the past couple of decades (it was actually the first place where I took a South America vacation, way back in 1989). I’d already seen the big tourist attractions and know the city pretty well. So I decided to mix things up a bit, and arranged some of my trip with Borello Travel & Tours, a New York -based travel company that specializes in Latin America, and then sign up for some additional tours with local operators once I was on site in Buenos Aires.
Well, things didn’t always turn out well with the plans I made after I was there.
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First, one local Buenos Aires tour operator took two days to respond to my email request about a tour. By then, I’d already made other plans and couldn’t join their tour. Another local tour operator cancelled the day before my scheduled Evita tour because their tour guide “got sick.” Another cancelled because they didn’t have enough people in the tour group.
But guess what: Every single tour and activity that I’d arranged ahead of time — through Borello Travel & Tours — happened just as as planned. Perfectly. The guides were great, the hotels were stellar, the tours were fascinating, the experiences were fun and enriching. I especially enjoyed the street art tour and also the Argentine Experience, which is a dining event that (in addition to serving great food) teaches you about Argentinian culture and people. In addition, Borello set me up with three great hotels (all of which I’m reviewing here).
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The other advantages that you get when you book with a reputable tour company ahead of time:
• They can offer insider advice. Rather than just a cookie-cutter tour chosen from a Website, tour companies like Borello Travel & Tours can actually advise you about the best possible experiences, tours and hotels. They’re experts on the destination and know it inside and out — and since Borello is based in the USA, they also understand the specific interests and needs of travelers from North America.
• They can tailor to your budget and interests. You don’t need to wade through tons of poorly written Websites when you have an actual human who’s listening to your questions and concerns, and they can recommend the best options to fit those needs. For example, when I told Sandra Borello, president of Borello Travel & Tours, about my interest in art, she immediately suggested the perfect street art tour.
• They’ll be there to prevent problems. When I booked a tour from some random company online, no one was on my side to help me prevent cancellations, tour guide no-shows or other issues. For the components I planned ahead of time with Borello Travel & Tours, I had someone overseeing every detail, and they could prevent any complications or unpleasant surprises. It was like having someone on my team, watching out for me as I enjoy the perfect Argentina vacation.
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So my recommendation to you: If you’re looking for reliability and dependability, book your tours — or even an entire vacation package, with multiple tours and destinations — ahead of time. That’s what happened when I arranged my best Argentina travel experiences through Borello Travel & Tours. And you can certainly enjoy your vacation more when everything happens flawlessly.
HOW I BOOKED IT: Borello Travel & Tours puts together customized and group tours to Buenos Aires, which include extremely good room rates at various hotels, based on your taste and budget.
HOW I GOT TO BUENOS AIRES: I flew United Airlines, on the amazing new United Polaris business class service, which is now available on nonstop flights between Newark and Buenos Aires.
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