Discount airfare to brazil

We asked you to share what you have learned about choosing the most desirable tour company with which to travel.

What are the deciding factors you look for in the brochures? What questions do you ask the tour company representative or your travel agent? Red flags--have you learned any lessons the hard way and now have a specific concern that must be satisfied before you're comfortable signing up for a tour? Do you have a particular philosophy regarding taking tours?

Following are several readers' responses. If you have something to add, write to Choosing a Tour, c/o ITN, 2120 28th St., Sacramento, CA 95818, or e-mail editor@intltravelnews.com (please include your surface-mail address).

You also may want to write in on Reserving a Room and Choosing a Cruise, responses to which will be printed in upcoming issues.

Many years ago I took my first trip with a travel company (which shall remained unnamed) and learned some hard lessons. It was a frustrating and expensive process, but it did pave the way for many other successful trips with very few unpleasant surprises.

As a single female traveler, I initially ask the tour operator questions on three subjects.

1. Is there a single supplement? If so, do you have a roommate-matching service? If so, is there a discount if I'm willing to share but you don't find me a roommate? (On my first trip, the single supplement was not mentioned in the catalog and I was billed an extra $500.)

2. Is internal airfare included? If not, exactly how much is it? (Again, on the first trip' I was asked to buy two air passes at $250 ,each, even though we were only flying one leg in each country. I did convince them that two one-way tickets would be much less expensive.)

3. Do you use tier pricing and how much is it? (This is usually spelled out in the catalog. Many small-group and special-trip companies use this policy if they do not fill their trips, but it can certainly wreak havoc with a travel budget--and someone will generally assure you that they do fill the trips. There are small-group companies that do not add this surcharge.)

You can imagine my shock when my $2,500 trip to Patagonia ended up costing close to $4,000 not including International airfare. They had forgotten to mention the internal air, they did not fill the trip and the promised roommate never materialized.

I learned of the nonexistent roommate and the tier charge when it was too late to cancel, and the single supplement was huge (particularly since I was in a tent for half the trip). They also booked the most expensive rooms available in the hotels we did stay in. I never traveled with or recommended that tour group again.

In addition to the above, I get answers to the following.

* What is the number of meals that are included? Is it a country where finding food is easy and inexpensive or one where meals might be difficult to come by? Is this a country where I can speak the language in case I need to order my own food?

* Will we be staying in big hotels?

* Are there a lot of optional tours, and what do they cost? (I like to hike and need to be busy, but I am distressed when the trip price is kept artificially low and, in order to do anything, I have to pay for optional tours.)

* How much time will we spend moving from place to place? Will I spend more time on a bus or van than I will in actually doing things? (Sometimes it's better to pay slightly more for a trip and fly than it is to spend eight hours on the road in a vehicle.) On the other hand, will we fly around too much, wasting a lot of time sitting in airports?

* How big is the group? (More than 18 companions are too many for me.) How old are the group members?

* What are the guides like? (A good guide can make a mediocre trip outstanding; a bad one can ruin even the best trip. Also, I much prefer local guides to those who travel with the group from the U.S. Not only does the latter add to the cost of the trip, but I find that U.S. guides can be tired and somewhat jaded.)

The biggest red flags for me are the following:

* a lack of response or a slow response from a company I have called or e-mailed;

* poorly trained phone agents who don't listen or can't answer simple questions;

* being put on hold for more than five minutes;

* not receiving promised materials, and

* the above-mentioned hidden charges.

I could probably go on, for at least another 10 pages, but this is quite enough.

For pitfall-free travel,

ELLEN G. JACOBSON

LITTLETON, CO

In order, these are the steps I take in choosing a tour.

1. First, and most importantly, I choose the destination and the appropriate time frame that fit my desires.

2. I check the actual itinerary and cost.

3. I check the details, e.g., the number of nights per stop, the number of meals included, the number of participants (limit?) and the single-rate policy (i.e., any shares?). I ask if the trip has a tour escort who travels the entire itinerary.

4. I determine if the company has a good reputation. Have I traveled with them before? Who is the actual operator?

Nothing is perfect. If the things that are important to you are a good fit, it probably will be an enjoyable trip. It's worth taking a chance, and you might learn something new about travel!

Over the years, I've used over two dozen different travel companies --usually chosen simply on the basis of destination, time frame and cost. Quite honestly, I've never had a bad experience. Certainly there are places that I've enjoyed less than others, but that is a personal preference and not the fault of the tour company.

I've also traveled extensively over seas on my own. I prefer tours. This is because ...

* there is access to places and experiences not otherwise available;

* the tour escort takes care of problems and special arrangements;

* transportation is usually provided, and

* someone else carries my suitcase!

MIRIAM BURRIS

AURORA, CO

I have basically relied on two tour companies, Grand Circle Travel (800/221-2610 or www.gct.com) and Overseas Adventure Travel (800/955-1925 or www.oattraveLcom). I have found both companies to be reliable.

More importantly, their guides are from the countries the tour is visiting and they are very well trained and knowledgeable. I did not realize how important this was until I traveled With a different company to Mongolia and the guide (who had traveled in many other countries) was from Canada. He copied notes from a guidebook which he then read to us, he could not speak the language, he did not know the customs and he gave us misinformation.

The next time I choose a tour, I will definitely look into who will be guiding the trip, where that person is from, etc.

LORNA TJADEN

Wow! ITN has certainly chosen MY topic to ask about. I have taken many, many escorted tours in the past 10 years.

Of course, I choose the country or countries first.

Second, I make sure the tour is within my budget--usually as far under $3,000 for two weeks as possible, That must include everything: air, meals, insurance, local transportation, taxes, fees, tips and souvenirs. (Except for my next trip, it has always worked!)

I never use a travel agent. The one and only time I was forced to use one, it turned out that I was the only single in a group of 49 people. Every time we had time on our own, 48 people disappeared. It was most annoying. The group was much too big, to begin with. I got none of this information before I landed in Vienna--no time to find out! No more agents.

I always ask if the company will provide a partner for a single. Since very few do, it has become a real hassle to travel these days. I will not pay a single supplement under any condition, especially for something I don't want to do: travel alone.

Before I choose trip dates, I check the weather for each country for various times of year.

I never travel in the summer because I believe that time is for students and teachers. It is usually quite crowded.

One must read the brochure VERY carefully to determine whether or not air is included. How about the number of meals offered? Will added local tours create a financial burden? How much touring is already included? Does the itinerary state that sites will be "seen" or "visited"?

My first group tour taught me how to read brochures carefully. I was a novice and ended up in Scandinavia in mid-October. After arrival, I found out that everything--museums, palaces, parks, etc.--closed the first week of September. Ours was the only bus in any parking lot.

I travel to the place I want, at the price I want, at the time I want, regardless of which company I use. Of course, ITN, by offering tour critiques, is often a help in my making decisions.

I have used Adventures Abroad (800/665-3998 or www.adventuresabroad.com) and smarTours (800/ 337-7773 or www.smartours.net) three times each, among many others. Personal recommendations also help with travel decisions.