Nidhi Iyer and two of her friends are planning a trip to the United Kingdom in April. This is the first time that the girls from Bangalore will be travelling aboard on their own. The girls have a few cities in mind that they want travel to on their holiday.

They are contemplating on whether they should opt for an escorted tour or a Free Individual Travelers (FIT) package. Since it is the first time that they are travelling on their own, they have been advised to go for the former. But that means doing away with flexibility.

Escorted tours are normally conducted by a tour director who takes care of all services from beginning to end of the tour. Escorted tours normally include flights, hotels, transportation, transfers to the airport/hotel, most meals and sightseeing. Escorted tours are typically conducted by motor coach and other specified mode of transportation. They can be fast-paced, with no more than two nights spent in each location, or more leisurely, with more time spent overnight at each locale.

“This sort of travel package is for the budget and safety conscious. Since you travel in a group of about 45 people, you do not have to worry about getting lost. It is also more affordable as the tour operator gets everything at discounted rates since they are booking an entire group", explains Karan Anand, head relations at Cox and Kings (India).

He also says that these tour packages since they cater to Indians, includes Indian food, which is a rather important need for Indian travelers even when they go abroad. But if you want to try out the local cuisine you can. But remember, you have already paid for everything including the meals that you have during the tour. So if you do plan on eating out it will be at your own expense as the pre-booked meals are not refundable as it is already factored in.

But the glitch is that the itinerary is rather rigid. The entire trip is pre-planned as per the tour operator. When and where and how you visit what in that particular place is decided by them, you cannot venture out on your own. You cannot even choose your own dates as to when you want to travel and what you want to see. The tour operators have specific blocks for each tour.

For example, SOTC at the moment only one block open for its Summer England, Ireland and Scotland tour and it is a nine day tour. The block is for the end of the month.

So Nidhi and the girls, do take the escorted tour, they can only travel on those days and cannot choose their own dates.

The tours can be rather hectic too. The tour operators try and pack in as much as they can in whatever time that they have. This means that you will be on the go most of the time, with no more than a day or two spent in a particular city. The six day British tour covers England, Scotland and Wales and stops across quite a bit of cities.

“Families exploring international destinations for the first time prefer to be a part of the group tours. This gives them a sense of confidence and security while traveling abroad. Senior citizens and single women also opt for group tours", says Frederick Divecha, Head Tour Operating B2C Kuoni India.

While on the other hand, on an FIT you have complete freedom as to where you go and when you want to go. It is an itinerary that is individually constructed and does not involve a package tour.

“Repeat travelers or evolved customers also seek to explore unique destinations at their own pace instead of being a part of the group", says Divecha.

“These are best suited for those above 30 years of age and want the trip to be according to their needs can opt for", adds Anand.

All you have to do is give the tour operator the cities that you want to visit, your dates, the kind of hotels you would want to stay at and so on and the operator will do the needful.

Nidhi and the girls plan on going to London, Manchester, Glastonbury, Isle of Man, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen and the Shetland Islands. They plan on travelling between 1 to 15 of April and are looking at staying in three star hotels. The tour operator will book flight tickets for them and process their visas and book them into hotels in these cities according to the dates that they will provide them. If they want, the operator will help them out with appropriate mode of transport for them to travel during their holiday. The tour operator will book everything for you according to the budget that you have.

However, all of this flexibility comes at a price tag. FIT cost anywhere between 15-25% more than escorted tours. But here you will only have to pay according to your consumption, unlike group travel where everyone needs to bear the equal cost.

And since you will be travelling on your without a tour guide, make sure you have done your homework properly. Not only will you get lost in an unknown place but getting lost will mean spending more to find your way out. However, one can arrange for a vehicle including the services of a guide or a driver-cum-guide.