Types of Land Tours

The tour business is constantly changing and expanding to fit the newest travel trends, and tour companies can vary their focuses greatly, from whitewater rafting specialty tours to bus tours of the Napa Valley wine country.

Most tours, however, do fit into one of the following major categories.

Sightseeing/Bus Tours

Land tours of this variety are the most common type of organized tour. They almost always involve travel by motorcoach, overnight hotel lodging, and usually air transportation to the tour departure area. Sightseeing guides are the quintessential guides - the ones easily identifiable by their busload of tourists. Picture a dashing, blue-scarfed tour guide as she takes charge of the group, enlightens them on the history and geography of the area they are visiting, stopping for a quick photo or video shot, then whisks them off to a new destination.

As noted earlier, tour areas can take place virtually anywhere in the world, although the most likely travel areas for American tour companies are in North America. Popular destinations include national parks such as Yellowstone and the Grand Canyon; the Canadian Rockies; New England; and most large cities, such as New York and San Francisco.

Read an interview with a tour bus driver.

Shore Excursion Tours

Some tour companies are affiliated with or even run by cruise companies. Passenger ships like to offer their customers tours in the most interesting ports of call, and hire tour guides to give bus tours and narration of the nearby area. This arrangement is particularly popular in Alaska, where several cruise companies run affiliated tour companies in towns like Juneau and Valdez, and even run train tours to Denali National Park. Alaska tour positions are usually seasonal, enabling students to work in Alaska without interrupting their school schedules, although many student guides do end up taking some time off. Also, excursion operators enjoy the advantage of living in a more or less permanent location when guiding tours instead of being on the road most of the time.

Adventure/Sporting Tours

These types of tour companies have gained in popularity in recent years, many have begun to specialize in particular types of tours and special interest clientele. Some tour companies have begun to cater to a younger clientele with more active tours, and others are specializing in everything from "eco-tours" to whitewater rafting. There are even "women-only" tours.

Tours emphasizing the environment and unspoiled wilderness areas constitute a small but expanding niche in the tour industry. These companies offer both land and sea-going tours, and the most popular new destinations are Central America, the Amazon River, and Alaska. Seagoing companies sail small, yacht-style cruise ships to Alaska, British Columbia, South America, and various other wilderness destinations. These trips are very unlike the typical cruise trip, however. The ships usually hold only about 100 people and shun traditional cruise ship entertainment. An eco-tour company representative describes their mission:

"Our ships offer an intimate, naturalist educational style of cruising. There are no bands, discos, magicians, or casinos, just lots of sightseeing, hiking, and lectures on local ecology, botany, zoology, and history."

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