From Cook to the tourism industry
Tourism has entered the lives of all people on Earth, although the concept itself has a rather short history. Two years ago, it was 170 years since the day when a little-known temperance society activist Thomas Cook decided to overcome the fear of the residents of his town in England of the newly built railway. He inspired more than 100 members of the society with the idea of taking a ride to a neighboring city to participate in the promotion of temperance. Thus, the first tourist action was carried out.
Now Cook's name has become a household word, and his agency, still in existence today, is a symbol of the global tourism industry. There are so many tour operators now that making the right choice is extremely difficult. Yet there are criteria that should not be overlooked.
What do you expect from your vacation?
First, let's determine which class of tourist you belong to. Are you an enthusiast who enjoys overcoming the difficulties that come with 'travel into the unknown'? Or do you prefer a 'lazy vacation', where the main thing is that everything is predetermined and carefully arranged, as they say, 'a soft landing'? Or maybe you are an enthusiast ready for active recreation, but want it to be strictly planned.
Let's say right away - the first group rarely uses the services of travel agencies, preferring individual, independent vacations, also called wild vacations. We'll deal with the other two. If you have detailed arrangements with a travel agency, then immediately after the plane, without distractions, you devote yourself to the new impressions for which you actually flew.
The so-called 'lazy vacation' will cost more, but everything will be in full accordance with how you imagined it. This is true on one condition: if you have chosen the right tour operator. In this matter, you will have to make an effort. But it's better not to spare effort - you're not on vacation yet! If, for example, you plan to visit America, you cannot do without preparing copies of many documents. And it's better to choose agencies for which a U.S. visa is a routine matter.
Be vigilant!
In any choice, direct recommendations are the best help. These are your friends and acquaintances who were satisfied with their tour operator. It is desirable that they share your ideas about vacation.
Indirect signs are also not baseless. For example, a trick: look at the travel agency's website to see if there is a link to its own 'corner' on social networks. For example, on the VKontakte network. Can you go from this site to an independent page of reviews about contacts with this company? It's unlikely that a tour operator unsure of the high quality of its services would provide such an opportunity to clients.
There are other ways - find out how many years the company has been operating (to avoid falling for a fly-by-night), its rating. What the office looks like, whether it is in the center or on the outskirts, whether its employees have full information. Prices can also give clues. If the number of tours is small and they are cheaper than in large companies, or the amount is not precisely determined, you should be wary.
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