The United States Tour Operators Association recently surveyed its members to find out how much money travelers save when buying a vacation package or tour over making the same arrangements on their own. Dollar savings during high season ranged from a low of $350 on a 10-night Europe river tour – or $35 a night; to $3,430 – or nearly $230 a day – on a 15-day Europe tour visiting several countries. The survey also found that travelers can reap savings up to an additional 40% by traveling during the low season.

Below are some sample tours and packages, along with the savings on each.

Europe Escorted Tours (With Air)
Examples of actual dollar savings buying an air-inclusive escorted tour to Europe range from a low of $350 on a 10-night Elbe River Tour (priced at $3,500), to a savings of $3,430 on a 15-day “Heart of Europe” tour visiting Holland, Belgium, Germany Austria, Italy, Switzerland, and France. If booked individually at rack rates, the “Heart of Europe” tour would cost $6,470.
Travelers would save another $500 by booking the Elbe River tour during low season, and an additional 16% on the “Heart of Europe” during low season.

In commenting on the savings, USTOA member Mike Kazlauskas of Image Tours notes, “The actual cost of a Europe tour at rack rates comes out to be much more than 40%, but it just sounds too unbelievable that it literally can cost double to go on your own instead of on an escorted tour.” Adds John Severini, President, Trafalgar Tours: “Basically, we provide a whole experience for the price of a hotel room.”

Europe Independent Package (With Air)
Independent travelers can save $367 on a 9-night “Imperial Cities Value Package” to Berlin, Prague, and Vienna, including air fare from New York (priced at $1,966), saving 25% more during low season.

Alaska Cruise Tour (With Air)
Closer to home, a 14-night “Escorted Heart of Alaska” cruise tour, priced at $5,248, including air fare from Los Angeles, saves travelers $869 over booking the components individually. Consumers save another 20% by traveling in the low season.

Hong Kong Package (With Air)
A five-day Hong Kong Shopping & Dining package with air fare from Los Angeles or San Francisco, which costs $400, would be $1,760 if booked individually, saving travelers $1,360. Low season savings would be an additional 30%.

India Tour (Airfare Additional)
Another example is a 9-night “India in Luxury” tour, offering a savings of $629 (priced at $5,050 plus air fare). Travelers save an additional 30% by going in low season.

USTOA member companies provide vacations for more than 10.7 million travelers annually. Members have met the travel industry’s highest standards, and all participate in the USTOA Travelers Assistance Program, which, among other things, includes protecting consumer payments up to $1 Million in case of default or bankruptcy.

For a listing of USTOA member companies and the destinations they serve, log onto www.ustoa.com or see your travel agent.

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