The difference between

The difference between.............

We’ve had a few people ask us lately to tell them the differences between our tours and mass market tours.

Clearly our tours are designed for single people and solo travelers but other differences are equally important.

They also asked why we choose the upmarket Crystal Cruises for most of our cruise tours as opposed to mass market cruise lines. These particular mass market coach operators and cruise lines are all well respected and offer a good product for their market. We often use them for our individual clients but wanted to take a moment to list some of the differences with our Singles Travel Connections group tours, both land based and cruise tours, so you are in a better position to know whether what we offer is right for you or not.

First of all, please remember that our groups are always small – generally not more than 12-15 people with the exception of our cruise tours where we can take a few more people.

We will NEVER EVER run tours with 45-50 people. This is a normal figure for the mass market coach operators and in fact the ONLY way they can keep their costs down. So our costs will always have to be higher than a mass market coach operator but will never more expensive than if you tried to do the same the trip alone. Plus, ……you have the added security of traveling with a group, having a tour escort and professional guides and making new friends along the way.

It’s not possible to compare all of our different trips in one reading, so I'll generalise some of the differences below and if you have any queries about any particular trip let me know … I’d be happy answer you.

Our tours	Advantages	Their tours
Small groups – Average size 15 passengers	Feels like traveling with a group of friends Really get to know your traveling companions	Average size 40 – 50 passengers
Groups are escorted subject to minimum of 10	An escort from our office together with a professional guide for the duration of the tour plus local guides for each destination means all details are taken care of, allowing you to enjoy every moment of your well earned holiday	Groups are cancelled if they do not reach minimum number – generally around 28 unless you choose one of their ‘guaranteed’ departure dates.
Smaller hotels where possible	Traditional hotels of the region we visit generally in smaller villages	Large hotels catering only to large tour groups and parking for large tour buses
Longer stays at each destination	Get to know the place you are visiting	Generally lots of overnight stays with some 2 & occasional 3 night stops
Short day trips to nearby attractions	Need to unpack less and explore the attractions/towns for longer	Longer traveling days incorporate attractions en-route to next overnight stop
Single rooms	Guaranteed!	Costs based on twin share with single supplement
Relaxed time at each sightseeing attraction	We leave when the group are ready, not when the guide says 10 minutes are up	Numbers and costs restrict the amount of time these operators will pay their guides for local sightseeing
Meals at traditional local restaurants	Eat with the locals and experience small trattorias and traditional brasseries	Use restaurants/hotels catering for large groups for the included meals and for other not included meals you are ‘on your own’
Include villages and out of the way attractions as well as major ‘must see’ attractions	Places you’d visit if you had lots of time and knowledge traveling on your own	Mainstream attractions/towns
Impromptu stops	Linger over a coffee or wine or picnic under the vines – these are memories that make a holiday	Rigid time schedules for each day will not allow impromptu stops
Make acquaintances via email or phone before the trip begins	Get to know your traveling companions before you leave and share the excitement of the upcoming holiday	Meet your tour director and fellow traveling companions on the first night of the trip

Our cruise/tours with Crystal	Advantages	General mass market cruise line
Single staterooms	A private retreat is welcome after all the onboard activities during the day	Up to 200% cost for a single room makes many lines price prohibitive
Egyptian cotton sheets, Frette bathrobes, quality bath products, pillow top mattress and choice of pillows in. beautifully appointed cabins	No shortcuts on making sure every tiny detail is perfect and you’ll feel as if you’ve lived like royalty for your entire cruise	Cabins are sometimes larger but provide standard amenities and bedding
Non alcoholic drinks complimentary	Throughout the ship at any time including a fully stocked and replenished bar fridge in your cabin	Prices vary but always come at a cost generally $US3 per soft drink
Duty free alcohol not discouraged from being brought on board	Your cabin is stocked with glasses, ice bucket etc	Often confiscated at the gangway when boarding the ship
Water provided complimentary during shore excursions and at the gangway when going ashore		Available at a cost
Specialty coffees available in the bistro complimentary		Available at a cost
Room service complimentary 24 hours per day		Often available at a cost and often limited hours
Specialty restaurants complimentary	Even the wonderful Nobu inspired restaurant is complimentary	Available at a cost
Dining preferences catered for	Give 24 hours notice for Peking Duck and it’s served at your table next night . Just ask and it happens on board this line!	Limited options for special requests. These are often only supplied in specialty restaurants and come with a cost
Cocktail parties complimentary	Including top shelf drinks, champagne and canapés several times each cruise	Generally 1 or 2 provided per cruise with limited wine, beer & canapés offered
Sailaway champagne complimentary	Served over lunch on embarkation and again during sailaway. Free of charge.	Sailaway drinks at a price – often $US12 per glass including the souvenir glass
Dance hosts on board	Single ladies never have to sit out a dance if they don’t want to	Available on some lines for cruises normally over 10 days. Not available on shorter duration cruises
Language classes complimentary
Yamaha keyboard classes complimentary
Enrichment programmes complimentary
Computer learning complimentary
Digital photography classes complimentary

So…… if you think that what we offer is what you want, email us now to make a reservation. We know it’s not for everyone. Some people prefer large group tours and don’t mind if there’s no singles traveling with them. Some people prefer to ‘tick off’ lots of cities on a tour just to say ‘I’ve been there’. For some people, price is everything and it doesn’t matter if they are staying at hotels miles from anywhere…after all they can still say ‘I’ve been there’.

But we prefer to experience more traditional places, linger longer and ‘smell the roses’. We like to meet the locals and learn how people work, eat and play.

We prefer to get to know our traveling companions before we leave home and have someone to really share the excitement of the trip before we go, and perhaps more importantly, after we come home.

We’re doing what we know is right for us and the testimonials from our past passengers suggest we’ve got it right for them too!

Details of all our trips are on our website.

To contact us
Destination World Travel
P O Box 2040
South Plympton South Australia 5038
Australia

Phone: 08-8293-6988 Outside of Australia telephone 61 8 8293 6988
Fax: 08-8293-5988 Outside of Australia fax 61 8 8293 5988

Email: destinationworld@internode.on.net

Lic. TTA 156054