COACH TOURING TERMINOLOGY
Over our last 25 years of selling Ireland coach tours, we know that many people book a coach tour without fully understanding exactly what they are buying – that is, what’s included and what’s not as well as what’s in the fine print!
Coach operators’ words and terminology to describe inclusions/exclusions vary enormously. This can result in unexpected and substantial, added costs to your tour as well as your pocket!!
These expenses usually only come to light when you are on the actual tour, which makes it impossible for you to avoid them.
Following is an explanation and definitions of coach tour terminology so that you can make an informed choice and avoid any costly or unpleasant surprises on your holiday.
Two of the most important, but very often the most overlooked terms, in coach touring terminology are GUARANTEED DEPARTURES and OPTIONAL EXTRAS. If you do not fully understand these terms and the conditions behind them, it could add significantly to the overall cost of your trip.
GUARANTEED DEPARTURES
This area of coach touring terminology can be quite confusing and as a result it is often overlooked when it comes to booking your coach tour. It is, however, one of the most important terms and one that you should fully understand before you commit.
This aspect of your trip has the potential to cause the most stress, inconvenience and in many cases, significant (non refundable) expenses.
It is of particular relevance to Australians coach touring in Ireland. Let us explain..
Australians, by and large, visit Ireland as an adjunct to a broader, more extensive trip around Britain and/or Europe. Usually tours are already committed to and prepaid with a variety of other travel arrangements, in other destinations, which will fit in either before or after the Ireland coach tour.
The last thing you need, around 60 days out from your scheduled departure, is a call informing you that your tour booked has been cancelled.
All coach tour companies reserve the right to cancel a coach tour that is not listed as a GUARANTEED DEPARTURE. The main reason for such a cancellation would usually be due to the tour failing to attract the minimum required number of participants to operate successfully.
In the event of a cancellation of your tour, the only obligation of the tour operator is to either provide you with a full refund of any monies paid to them for the tour cancelled or to offer you an alternative tour from their programme.
The alternative tour options offered invariably operate on different dates to your original choice; making it all the more difficult to fit around your other prearranged plans. To take up the alternative tour options you will usually have to amend your other arrangements either side of your Ireland visit.
Any expenses associated with those changes such as flight amendments/cancellations, accommodation etc. are the sole responsibility of you, the traveller not the tour operator!!
A full refund of the money paid to the tour company is small recompense for the total upheaval of your trip and will, in no way, compensate for the upset and expense caused by the cancellation.
There are two ways to reduce the possibility of cancelled tour departures affecting your next trip.
1) Focus your choice on operators that have the HIGHEST percentage of guaranteed departures in the particular category of tour that you are considering
2) Focus on the operators that have the broadest range of tour options in the category of tour that appeals to you. For example, a tour operator with multiple choices of 7 day tour programmes and a high percentage of guaranteed tour departures will be far less likely to cancel a departure.
In the unlikely event that they are forced to cancel a tour, you will generally find they have a suitable alternative because they have a broad selection of tours and departures. This minimises disruption to your other travel arrangements.
OPTIONAL EXTRAS
Our considered view is that the term ‘optional extras’ is a complete misnomer. If you speak to anybody that has coach toured in Europe they will confirm this view.
Just consider for a moment the following observations and the potential they have to impact heavily on your travel budget.
****** By its very nature a tour that offers optional extras reflects a tour with significant ‘gaps’ in its daily and nightly schedules…it simply has to for the optional extras to be taken up by tour participants
** Your driver/and or guide relies fairly heavily on the commissions earned from the sale of optional extras on coach tours. This is a liitle known fact but one that you should be aware of. It can often result in non-too-subtle sales pressure being applied in this area of your tour
***Having comprehensively analysed the complete range of Ireland tour programmes in great detail, our view is that when a tour does offer ‘optional extras’ you must budget to purchase most – if not all – of these items to bring the tour up to the standard of an ‘all inclusive’ tour.
***The average daily allowance for optional extras is $75 per person, per day.This is the figure determined by the tour operator’s themselves
AIRPORT TRANSFERS
ALL coach operators in Ireland offer free arrival and departure transfers at Dublin Airport. However there are restrictions on these transfers. You must arrive on the first day of your tour and depart on the last day of your tour —at certain times. Otherwise, you are obliged to make your own transfer arrangements at your own expense.
For example, if you arrive in Ireland a day (or days)before your tour starts and you leave a day (or days) after the tour officially ends you must arrange your own transfers.
GLOSSARY
The following is a summary of other commonly used (and commonly misunderstood) coach tour terminology
See
You will ‘see’ the attraction as you drive past. You will not stop and experience the attraction.
Orientation Tour
This is a drive-by in the coach, where places of interest are pointed out so that you can revisit and explore them in your free time (at your own expense)
Sightseeing tour
You will have a local guide who will take you on a tour of a city or particular site
Tonight’s recommendation – “join your Tour Director for an optional evening at…”
Basically means that your tour director will encourage you to join in an evening’s entertainment with the group by selling you an evening’s entertainment
Plenty of dining options at …
Dinner tonight is at your own expense.