There are three types of Travel planning:

 

1.You buy a pre-design package.

2.You go by yourself, plan everything according to reviews and guide books and are on your own.

3.You plan with a 2 Costa Rica travel expert your trip and put together your needs and wishes with his knowledge.

 

Now, let’s go over them and talk about the pros and cons:

 

1.Designed Packages:

 

Pros:

 

a. Most likely the pre-designed packages are cheaper. They are made with vendors that travel agents use a lot and by doing so they get great rates.

b. Most likely they are well planned. Other passengers bought the package first and mistakes came out.

c. Most likely they are very safe. The travel agents play it safe, always.

d. Most likely you are going to go on a group with a tour guide that knows everything about the place that you are visiting.

e. Sometimes is the only way to go to some area or place.

f. Tour groups not only get their own entrances without lines at a lot of places, they even get before the general public or can stay afterwards. (Not in CR National Parks, but it applies to some attractions here).

g. It might be that you are buying a pre-designed package and you are not going as a part of a group.

 

Cons:

 

a. You are not allowed to pick hotels, tours or even starting or dining times.

b. You really depend on the lotto of having a good tour operator and a good guide to have a great experience.

c. You are probably going as a part of a larger group and on sit in basis. This means that you have to accommodate to other passenger’s needs.

d. You are going on a schedule based tour. You cannot stay longer in the places you want to stay longer and definitely you cannot decide about the stops you do not want to do.

e. You cannot decide over the stops you want to do either.

f. Your food choices are only a few since they are usually included in the package.

g. If you are not going as a part of a group, still your driver and tour guides have pre-planned schedules. There is no budget for extra stops or extra drives.

h. You may end up in an endless shopping tour… When you don’t even enjoy shopping!

i. Every now and then you may end up in a forced march and depending on the guide you cannot be by yourself or go on your own pace.

 

2.You go by yourself, plan everything according to reviews and guide books and are on your own.

 

Pros:

 

a. Price: Most likely you are going to get great rates since hotels and tour operators will give you good prices for coming directly.

b. Complete freedom. You can come and go, you can visit what you want, you can stay as much as you like.

c. You can always pay for a tour or a tour guide to take you where you want to go if you feel you don’t know enough about the place, how to get there or simple information on nature, history, culture, etc.

d. You can change hotels, take another transport, etc. if, whatever you chose, didn’t fit you.

e. You can always ask the locals for information already on site.

f. If you have time to travel, (and I mean undefined unlimited time) you can make mistakes and in them, find great stuff.

 

Cons:

 

a. You don’t know what you don’t know… What I mean by that is you don’t realize you don’t know about certain places, restaurants, bars, or amazing stops that guides and travel people know about.

b. You don’t know what to look for, because you don’t know something “like that” exists there. Certain food, a place for writers, surfers, or whatever you like the most…

c. Reviews are made by people who knows as little as you do. Even the travel books are made by people who knows as little as you… or less. And worst! They claim they do know a lot!

d. Because you don’t know, you can make mistakes that will cost you hours or days of your precious vacation time… And go to places where you didn’t want to go or that totally disappoint you.

e. Locals don’t know the information either! And let me explain you why… They do not inspect hotels, restaurants, tours or facilities… They simply don’t! They do not dedicate to that! They don’t get paid to do that..: So, they will recommend what they have seen in their free time, and that can be as little as yours.

f. In travel, the road less taken is usually the ugly, the dangerous or the boring. Crowds go to the best places… like it or not.

g. You don’t know the real times between one place and next. If you are driving that can be trouble, if you are on a public bus, double trouble. If whoever wrote that review didn’t have to go on that different route, their timing can be really different.

h. It is unsafe. Period. You rent a car or go on a public bus, and don’t know the area or the language, you can get in trouble. You go on a private shuttle, you do not know who is taking you, and let’s not talk about extremes as armed robbery… No no! You do not know if you are paying the right price, or at what time is the best time to go to a place, etc.

 

3.Costume Made Tours

 

This is a balance between the other two.

 

You have the good of both. And some of the bad too.

 

You see… 2 Costa Rica Travel Experts get paid to go and try, go and sleep, go and eat… And yes, they get paid by the hotels, restaurants and so on, But the percentage is pretty much the same from one vendor to the next, and so, quality prevails.

 

Google, Trip Advisor, Cruise Critic and so on, are great inventions… But you wouldn’t practice a heart surgery on your daughter or boy just out of reading in Google how is it made right?

 

Well! That’s what we do with our vacations when we insist that a browser can provide a great vacation for us! It doesn’t! And it doesn’t because its travelers and not experts the ones who write the reviews… They don’t know either!

 

Let’s go over the pros and cons of 2 Costa Rica Costume Made Tours:

 

Pros:

 

a. Whatever you want in Costa Rica (Or even Nicaragua and Panama), can be done. It simply depends on time and price. Choices are almost unlimited.

b. You can take the reviews, and guide books and find what’s best and ask your 2 Costa Rica travel experts about them. Most likely he/she has already inspected them (Stayed there, tried the food, and lived the tour).

c. You can plan ahead your off times. You are completely independent from anyone else’s schedules. If already on site you can decide if you want to do or not, what you picked with your 2 Costa Rica.

d. You are independent and free. You can decide not to do anything or fill your vacation with activities. It is up to you.

e. You go on your budget. Either small budget or unlimited… Your budget will tell your 2 Costa Rica travel expert where the limits and the choices are.

f. 2 Costa Rica Travel Expert will tell you about things you don’t know can be done or can be experienced in the area you are going.

g. 2 Costa Rica 2 Costa Rica Travel Experts know places that usually only destined for tourism. Private guides know both, what is there for locals and what is there for tourists. And you can combine both easily.

h. You can have your own car, driven by a tour guide who knows the language, the road and what is he/she doing.

i. It is safe. You are independent but safe. There are 24/7 emergency numbers and you will never be misguided to a dangerous place, hotel or tour.

j. You are not alone in a country you don’t know. If a medical problem or an accident happens 2 Costa Rica is there to support with excellent medical backing.

k. 2 Costa Rica does not go to any hotel or have one single vehicle without insurances.

l. If something goes wrong you can always sue someone.

 

Cons:

 

(Hard to find)

 

a. Price. Not because it is more expensive, but because you kinda’ feel you want to do everything your travel expert is offering you.

b.Whatever choices you take or pay before doing the trip can be changed yes. But money will be lost.