Organized tours a convenient, hassle-free way to discover other countries

Bonnie Gutner

Q. What advice do you give inexperienced travelers going overseas?

A. We normally encourage them to take an organized tour so they won't have to stand in line at a museum, for instance — their tickets will all be taken care of for them. They won't have to worry about driving in a foreign country or finding parking, or how to find a place. Then, when they fall in love with a place, they can go back next time on their own; they know what it's like and what they want to see.

Q. Aren't Americans a little resistant to tours?

A. Tours are not a dirty word, although people have it locked in their mind that they don't want to be on a tour. There are all kinds of tours — not all tours are mass deals with 45 people crammed on a big bus. You can do small van tours or even private tours. Private tours can be done quite economically if you've got two or three couples who want to go together. I've done tours like that myself and it's great; they will do exactly what you want. You have your own car and driver and the tickets to whatever attraction you're going to see are all arranged ahead of time for you so you can concentrate on sightseeing and enjoy where you are.

Q. Other tips for new travelers?

A. One thing I tell my clients is that if they have the luxury of choosing when to travel, I always suggest they go in the off-season — not necessarily in the dead of winter, but go to the middle of spring, April or early May or the early fall. That way you avoid the crowds and long lines and a lot of things that make travel a bit of an irritant. Many people don't realize that all of France closes down in the month of August — they're all in Italy and London, which means you don't want to go there at that time, either. Unfortunately, worldwide, summer is the time when most people travel.

Another issue is being prepared with the right papers. We always check to make sure they have a valid passport, we find out if they need to obtain a visa. People who are not sophisticated about travel can get into trouble because they don't realize the rules of other country — for example, they buy a nonrefundable ticket and tour, and they get there and they need a visa and don't have one. Then they're stuck.

Q. What can a travel agent do that the Internet can't?

A. Let's start with pricing. That's on everyone's minds. If we quote people what the airlines would charge they're usually pretty shocked. But as travel agents, we're able to deal with a lot of discounters and consolidators, some of which work only with travel agents and don't work with the public. So we can get fares for our clients that are certainly less than the airlines charge and in some cases less than what the Internet charges. The other thing is experience: We have lots of ideas, we've gone lots of places.

If you're a travel agent who would like to be interviewed for this column, reach travel editor Wanda Adams at 535-2412 or wadams@honoluluadvertiser.com. Ask an Agent is published the third Sunday of each month.