Among baby boomers, the desire to seek out rich, meaningful life experiences is a marker of vitality and enthusiasm for life. But how does one balance the desire for adventure against the relative scarcity of vacation time? Many feel an internal pressure to make the most of these precious weeks, to create lasting memories while immersed in a one-of-a-kind vacation.  For these adventure seekers, guided tours offer the ultimate baby boomer vacation. Here are 5 great reasons to choose a guided tour for your next vacation.
1.   Time
Time spent planning, time spent researching, time spent traveling between destinations, time spent navigating unfamiliar cities. A guided tour with a reputable tour company can allow you to see so much more than independent travel. Routes and destinations have been worked out precisely to maximize your sightseeing and leisure time.
2.   Comfort and Safety
Traveling to a new city or country usually involves a certain level of nervousness and, for some, anxiety. In a new country where you don’t speak the language, this feeling is compounded. A tour guide who is familiar with the local customs, language and culture will provide you with a sense of comfort and will also keep the group in safe areas, avoiding potentially dangerous ones.
3.   Sociability
Meeting like-minded travelers and experiencing new cities or countries together is one of the great pleasures of guided tours. Extroverts will enjoy the energy of a shared experience while introverts need not feel the pressure of meeting people on their own.
4.   In-Depth Knowledge
With an experienced tour guide, you will not only have the benefit of in-depth knowledge, but will also gain access to special events, exhibits and sites that only an experienced guide will know of. You can stroll through the various sites without flipping through a guidebook, and need only listen to absorb the history and details of what you are seeing.
5.   The Details
Let’s face it. The least enjoyable facet of a vacation is managing the myriad of details which it requires. In a guided tour, all the details – how to exchange money, where to stay, how long to stay, how to get around, what to see, what to eat – these will all be managed for you. In addition, any snafus will be addressed and handled by the guided tour company.
Here is what one of our customers had to say about her guided tour experience:
 My daughter Erin and I had the chance to visit Beijing this past May.  Once again, Diane came through!  We had a personal tour guide and driver to help us through the language and cultural differences in China.  Our guide, Linda, was truly wonderful – she helped decipher, bargain and recommend!  Since it was a personal tour we also had some flexibility in scheduling. This allowed us to avoid crowds at some of the venues.  We were able to see two parts of the Great Wall: The Badaling and less touristy Mutianyu.  The Great Wall was magnificent!!  The entire trip could not have gone smoother.  Thanks again for making this once in a lifetime trip possible.
If you’d like to learn more about guided tours, please give me a call. I have favorites around the world that I’d love to tell you about. Or if you’d like to do a bit more reading, the following are guided tour companies I regularly recommend;