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The best tour operators in the world: 2023 Readers' Choice Awards

It’s been a challenging few years for tour operators but the names below are in it for the long haul (as well as the short and medium), honing itineraries and managing expectations. So who prepared your travel documents this year? Red Savannah and Black Tomato scored highest for first-hand knowledge, and Exodus Adventure Travels and Abercrombie & Kent for on-the-ground support. But when it came to all-round endeavour, Scott Dunn and The Turquoise Holiday Company were leaders of the pack. Both report a surge of interest in Asia, as well as multi-generational travel, solo adventures to Namibia, Bhutan and Mexico, and authentic experiences such as outback stations in Australia and bear lodges in Canada.

These are the best tour operators in the world, according to the 2023 Readers' Choice Awards . The scores below are percentages representing overall average levels of satisfaction.

The best general tour operators in the world 2023

15. Cox & Kings. Score 88.00

14. Hayes & Jarvis. Score 89.44

13. Carrier. Score 90.73

12. Simpson Travel. Score 91.48

11. Kuoni. Score 92.82

10. Mr & Mrs Smith. Score 93.29

9. Kensington Tours. Score 94.14

8. Audley Travel. Score 94.77

7. Original Travel. Score 95.44

6. Cazenove + Loyd. Score 95.92

5. The Ultimate Travel Company. Score 96.75

4. Abercrombie & Kent. Score 97.12

3. Elegant Resorts. Score 97.39

2. Red Savannah. Score 97.96

• The Turquoise Holiday Company. Score 98.42

The best travel specialists in the world 2023

15. Wild Frontiers. Score 94.81

14. Martin Randall Travel. Score 95.17

13. Intrepid Travel. Score 95.40

12. Wilderness. Score 96.54.

11. Inntravel. Score 96.88

10. Oxford Ski Company. Score 97.15

9. Kirker Holidays. Score 97.47

8. andBeyond. Score 97.61

7. Ampersand Travel. Score 97.65.

6. InsideJapan Tours. Score 97.79

5. Steppes Travel. Score 97.88

4. Black Tomato. Score 98.03

3. Exodus Adventure Travels. Score 98.15

2. Healing Holidays. Score 98.35

• Scott Dunn. Score 98.70

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The 10 Best Group Travel Tour Companies for 2024

Caroline Morse Teel

Caroline Morse Teel is the Executive Editor for SmarterTravel Media. Caroline has a passion for adventure travel and has hiked to the top of Mt. Kilimanjaro and the bottom of the Grand Canyon in pursuit of a good story. Follow her around the world on Instagram @TravelWithCaroline .

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For those truly epic, once-in-a-lifetime destinations, you want to leave your itinerary to the experts. Whether your dream is to see the Big Five on an African Safari, trek tall mountains, explore European cities, or something even wilder, a group tour is the easiest way to do it.

However, picking the wrong group tour company is the quickest way to ruin your trip. Make sure you choose a tour company that aligns with your goals and travel styles. Do you want an intimate group tour or do you prefer to make lots of new friends in a big group? Does the price line up with what you like (luxury vs. budget)? Is the itinerary going to all the places you want to see? 

We’ve done the research and found the very best group travel tour companies for 2024 for every type of traveler.

Best Overall Group Travel: Exodus Adventure Travels

With trips on every continent, Exodus Adventure Travels covers anywhere on this planet that you could possibly want to go, from popular destinations like the Amalfi Coast to well off-the-beaten-path adventures like Tajikistan. This award-winning group travel company boasts thousands of repeat customers who sign up for trips year after year (97% of past participants would recommend Exodus Adventure Travels to a friend). 

These small group tours operate with only around 8-16 people and always feature experienced local leaders who can give you a unique insight into your destination. Exodus Adventure Travels caters to any type of travel style, including trips broken down by type of activity (think walking, cycling, multi-adventure, winter, or cultural) as well as type of traveler (family, age group, etc.). There are curated collections (coastal, “away from it all”, European wilderness, and trips of a lifetime) to inspire you, as well as self-guided options for when you want all the benefits of a group tour planner without the actual group. Looking for that special safari? Exodus Aventure Travels just partners with the African Wildlife Foundation to create carefully curated luxury adventures that go above and beyond the standard safari. 

Exodus Adventure Travels tours work for almost any budget, with options that range from affordable to premium. 

Top Trip: Explore under-the-radar Europe by foot on Exodus Adventure Travels’ Lakes & Mountains of Slovenia walking tour .

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Best Adventure Group Travel: World Expeditions

World Expeditions has been taking adventurous travelers to remote locations all over the world ever since its first group trek through Nepal in 1975. Today, World Expeditions offers active itineraries on every continent. Intrepid travelers can opt for trips themed around mountaineering, rafting, cycling, hiking, and more. 

World Expeditions aims to leave communities and places where they operate tours better than they found them. Trips are created using the company’s Thoughtful Travel Charter as a guideline, which emphasizes respect for the environment, sustainability, having a positive impact on local communities, protecting wildlife, and more. 

World Expeditions’ trips are capped at just 16 people to provide a good experience for participants, and there are no single supplements for solo travelers willing to share a room with someone of the same gender. 

Top Trip: Summit Africa’s tallest mountain on a fully-supported trek up Kilimanjaro on World Expeditions’ eight day trip up the beautiful Lemosho Route . 

Best Budget Group Travel: G Adventures 

For travelers on a budget, G Adventures offers cheap group tours that make dream destinations accessible to nearly anyone. (Think: sailing the Galapagos for just $1,014 , criss-crossing India’s Golden Triangle for $799 , or spending 8 days in Bali for less than $749.)

G Adventures is one of the best tour companies for solo travelers as well, as most trips don’t have a single-supplement. You can choose to share a room with another G Adventures solo traveler, or pay extra to have your own space.

G Adventures keeps costs down by opting for cheaper hotels and local meals, and making certain activities optional (for an additional cost). Pick your travel style—options range from “basic” to more luxe tours run in partnership with National Geographic. Family tours, local living tours (featuring homestays), and wellness-focused tours are also available. 

Top Trip: G Adventures’ China Express trip is a great way to see the highlights of China if you’re short on both time and budget. 

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Best Educational Group Tours: EF Go Ahead Tours

When you really want to learn about a destination, consider a group trip with EF Go Ahead Tours . EF is the world’s largest private education company, and the Go Ahead Tours arm capitalizes on the company’s relationships with local educators, historians, and tour guides to create group trips that take you deep into a destination. 

These small group tours generally cap at 38 travelers, and feature unique educational experiences. For a bucket list trip, EF Go Ahead Tour’s special event tours are particularly enticing, as they offer behind-the-scenes access to tough-to-plan trips like Oktoberfest in Munich or Cherry Blossom season in Japan. 

Intimidated by solo travel? EF Go Ahead Tours is a great option for solo travelers, since it offers designated trips for solo travelers , where everyone is traveling alone, making it less intimidating.  

Top Trip: Bring the tastes of Italy home with you on EF Go Ahead Tours’ Food & Wine: Piedmont & Tuscany tour (operated in partnership with America’s Test Kitchen), where you’ll learn how to make local dishes. 

Best Responsible Group Travel: Intrepid Travel

Looking for a responsible group travel operator that focuses on bettering the communities and destinations they visit? Intrepid Travel is the world’s largest travel B Corporation, a certification for companies doing good. 

Intrepid Travel’s tours focus on sustainability, diversity, inclusion, and sustaining communities. The company has its own charity, The Intrepid Foundation , which has donated over 10 million dollars to over 160 community organizations. 

Intrepid Travel’s small group tours attract a wide range of travelers, but they are especially great for younger travelers, as they have a large number of trips designed for people aged 18-35 . (Other trips, including family-focused trips, are geared toward any age.)

Top Trip: Experience foodie trip of a lifetime Intrepid Travel’s South Korea Real Food Adventure , which includes time in three cities and an overnight temple stay.

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Best Private Group Travel: Kensington Tours

Whether your group consists of just two people or involves taking the entire extended family, Kensington Tours will take all the hassle of planning out of the equation. This private group operator creates personalized trips and itineraries tailored to your preferences, while their experts handle all the logistics and bookings. 

Plans are entirely flexible, and can even be changed while on the trip on a whim. Need some inspiration? Browse Kensington Tours’ travel ideas , to get some ideas for your next adventure. 

Top Trip: Sail around the stunning shores of Croatia and the Dalmation Islands on a private luxury catamaran on Kensington Tours’ fully customizable tour . 

Best Polar Group Travel: Chimu Adventures

Whether you’re headed north to the Artic or south to Antarctica, Chimu Adventures has the perfect polar group trip for you. Chimu Adventures has some of the most variety for polar trips, with options to fly, cruise, or a combination of both to get to your destination. For an ultra-unique Antarctica trip, Chimu Adventures offers cruises departing from Australia or New Zealand (most Antarctica trips depart from Argentina).

Chimu Adventures is one of the cheapest group trips to Antarctica, with rates starting under $6,000.

Top Trip: If you’re pressed for time (or simply don’t have the stomach for the Drake Passage), Chimu Adventures’ Antarctica Fly Cruise will get you to the ends of the earth quickly and smoothly.

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Best Group Tours for Solo Travelers: For the Love of Travel

Group tours can be a great way to meet new people, but they can sometimes skew on the older age range. If you’re between 25-39 and a solo traveler looking to meet new people, you’ll love For the Love of Travel . All participants on the trips are between 25-39, and according to the company, 80 percent are solo travelers—so you’ll make friends fast. Hoping to meet someone who will be more than just a friend on your next trip? Trips include a balanced number of “gal and guy spots” to ensure an even balance of genders within groups (and of course, non-binary genders are always welcome). 

For the Love of Travel offers weeklong (or longer) international trips as well as shorter weekender trips to closer destinations like Mexico or Costa Rica—perfect for people without a lot of vacation time.

Top Trip: Sleep in a glass igloo under the Northern Lights, go sledding with huskies, and warm up in traditional saunas on For the Love of Travel’s Lapland tour , already booking dates for 2024.

Best Biking Tours Group Travel: DuVine Cycling

Biking through the rolling hills of Italy or across the mountain roads of Chile sounds like a dream, but the logistics seem daunting (especially if you don’t want to haul all your own stuff from point-to-point). Enter: DuVine Cycling , a luxury small group tour company that specializes in bike trips. 

With trips across Europe, Latin America, Africa, Asia, and the United States, DuVine Cycling is a cyclist’s dream. Choose from all-biking trips or mix things up with a cycle and sail bike tour or a multi-sport adventure —no matter what, everything is included, from luxury boutique accommodations to top-quality name brand bikes. 

Top Trip: DuVine’s Holland Bike Tour promises “tulips, windmills, beer, and cheese”—what more could you need?

Best Luxury Group Travel: Abercrombie & Kent

Abercrombie & Kent has been delighting discerning travelers since 1962. Today, they take travelers on unforgettable adventures across over 100 different countries and all seven continents. Although Abercrombie & Kent’s trips are pricey, they encompass once-in-a-lifetime experiences like private jet tours around the world or luxury chartered cruises .

There are trips designed for solo travelers and families , and the small group journeys max out at around 14-18 guests.

Top Trip: Swim with whale sharks in the Philippines, feed proboscis monkeys in Malaysia, and photograph wild tigers in India on Abercrombie & Kent’s Wildlife & Nature: Around the World by Private Jet trip , already booking dates into 2024.

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We hand-pick everything we recommend and select items through testing and reviews. Some products are sent to us free of charge with no incentive to offer a favorable review. We offer our unbiased opinions and do not accept compensation to review products. All items are in stock and prices are accurate at the time of publication. If you buy something through our links, we may earn a commission.

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Europe Tour Companies

List of europe travel companies & tour operators with 259547 reviews.

• Excellent - 5,726 reviews for Europe tours

Amazing itinerary with an exceptional guide for this Discovery trip. Memories to last a life time! 👌🏼

Tour was good. Enjoyed the sheepdog experience immensely. But the trip manager slept with people on the tour which ruined the mood.

Expat Explore Travel

• Excellent - 4,681 reviews for Europe tours

Luke is an excellent, smart, funny, history driven guide! His knowledge and zest for the history of the UK and Ireland extensive and entertaining. I was astonished daily by his unending energy and the concern and care for all those in our group. I would highly recommend him for any tour and look forward to his continued secsesse!

Excellent tour, thoroughly enjoyed this.

Europamundo

• Good - 4,378 reviews for Europe tours

Itinerary was great!! Alba and Jorge did a great job, giving us all the information.

Excellent trip , well organised!

• Excellent - 404 reviews for Europe tours

Best part was the optional balloon trip .Worst part was the time pressure.

Upon arrival we changed the itinerary, instead of doing the first full day in Istanbul, what we did was a small tour in the morning and we started the bus circuit, if we had known in advance we would have flown directly to Ankara, avoiding 24 hours practically without stopping to travel. On the other hand, the circuit itself is made to make you spend money. During the bus tour we stopped in 4 places where we were supposed to see local things and the reality was that they gave us a 5' talk and took us to the store to buy, buy and more buy. In addition, we did not like that during the tour they included dinners and breakfasts because the lunches practically force you to eat where they have arranged. We have been to 2 or 3 roadside restaurants with inflated prices for tourists. It would be much better to include lunches and leave dinner to the traveler's choice, in order to get to know the local gastronomy. Otherwise everything was fine, good hotels and a very friendly guide.

Click Tours

• Good - 710 reviews for Europe tours

Overall I was very happy with the trip. I would strongly recommend choosing minimum 4 start hotel when staying in Athens. Both Santorini and Kalambaka are quite nice and hotels were excellent. Guides were excellent and the pickup and drop off were spot on.

So many issues and confusion. 1st, we were not on a Click Tour, nor a Tourradar tour. We were farmed out to Fantasia/Caranni tours. We had no idea until we landed in Rome and my name was on a paper attached to a what one would call a fence at baggage claim. We had no idea who these people were and why they had our names. We proceeded to the hotel. Tourradar charged us 3 times what a taxi would have cost us to our hotel. Don't book transfers with them, if you book at all. The hotels were not terrible, not great. Very low on amenities and most were far from city center costing lots of taxi rides if you wanted to go into town in any city on the tour. The Hotel St Martin in Rome, where we stayed 3 times in 10 days was right in the middle of a huge Muslim community. Not a racist statement, hear me out. There was little Italian food available without a long walk or a cab ride. But if you're into Halal middle eastern food, you'll love it. I didn't go to Italy too eat anything but italian. The tours were grueling and hot. It was August. So much walking and uphill much of the time. The busses were ok. Air conditioning is not a priority in Italy so it's never cold enough for any American. The schedules were given either the night before or the morning of. Very frustrating. No matter how many times we asked, we were met with, I'll get it to you when you need it. Really? The tours for not follow the exact Itinerary we booked, Grand Journey of Italy. We spent exactly 15 minutes in Naples. That was very disappointing. Some of the trip was amazing. Some of it terrible. The Vatican tour should come with a warning in Summer. 2 of our group passed out and were taken to the hospital. Out Vatican guide was horrible. She said, I'm not waiting for anyone so if you lag behind, I'm leaving you. She did and that's how our 2 members were left. We refused to go on until medical attention arrived. Mona was get name and she should not working there. She's a tyrant and nasty. I had to go to the bathroom and she told me I was hurting her schedule and to hurry up. I'm an adult, I'm not listening to such nonsense. The group was so mad at her for so many reasons. If you go on thr Vatican tour, take lots of water and a fan. It's so hot inside you can breathe. It ruined the tour for us. The best part of the trip was finishing in Sorrento. Views of Mount Vesuvius and a lovely hotel, the Grande Vesuvio. Just beware that there is no where to buy water or sundries without a 15 shuttle ride. Water bottle at the hotel were $8 each. Don't expect Romans to be nice to tourist unless they profit from it. Romans are very rude. The further south you go, the nicer the people get. But honestly, if you think you're going to have a single guide on this tour, You won't. You'll be passed from guide to different tour company many times. I do not recommend either Tourradar nor Click Tours. Find a better company. Oh and the free meals included are sub-par by anyone's standards. And FYI, you do not need any formal wear no matter what the itinerary tells you. We brought dressy clothes and never had occasion if wear them, sadly.

City of Sultans

• Excellent - 220 reviews for Europe tours

If you want to see main attractions in Turkey, it is a good tour. However, it was not well planned. Every day before you get to see the attraction listed, you are taken to pottery shop, jewelry store, wine store, etc. So out of 12 hours on Pamukkale tour, I actually spent only 2 hours there. Also, most tour guides bring you to attraction and then leave you to explore it yourself. I actually expected to have more historical and cultural explanations (tour) but only one guide in Ephesus (Barbaros) took as around the place and explained what we see. And since

Had a great experience touring with TourRadar! The guide was excellent in explaining the landmarks in English and the groups were small which was very helpful. Yagiz, one of the associates, was very responsive which I appreciated! If I were to go on another tour, I would research the hotels thoroughly / may be upgrade the hotels because some of them were very small to stay in. Overall a good experience and I would consider this company again.

Choose Balkans

• Excellent - 338 reviews for Europe tours

This was a great tour! We loved the hikes we did, especially Valbona pass and the hike into the mountains from our place in Valbona. Our guide, Albi, was fantastic. He was very knowledgeable, engaging, and did his best to make sure all of us had a good time. He shared information about the culture of the area, history, and was happy to answer all of our questions. The only thing that I wish had been different was the last day, which was a long day of bus, boat and van driving back to Tirana. Albi did his best to make it as painless as possible but it was a lot of sitting! Not sure anything could have been done differently though, given that we were in a remote part of the country. Administratively, I think communication from Choose Balkans coild have been better from the outset about the need to carry our packs the whole way. We didn’t have a problem with it, but we also didn’t know til after we signed up that this was required. I think a few people on our hike would have been happier had they known.

Our guide Albi was perfect! He was very informative, entertaining and attentive to different needs of the group. We had a great time in Theth and Valbona, and we made amazing friends with the group!

• Excellent - 153 reviews for Europe tours

While I enjoyed the opportunity to tour the different islands, It was time consuming and tiresome. The hotels chosen were subpar. The hotel in Santorini was billed as a 'beach hotel'. Not sure why when there was no beach view and the beach was at least 15 minutes away. We also had a major issue with that hotel. The tour company was able to obtain a partial refund but sadly.to say, it was not.enough.

Communication was poor when it came to transportation. Some days we got no communication, some days the transportation service had no idea what was going on. The hotels were small, the staff at some hotels were very friendly and informative and some were not. Two of the hotels upon arrival were not ready for our group. Outside of that it was awesome/beautiful.

Travel Zone

• Excellent - 541 reviews for Europe tours

Everything was incredible. I wish I had stayed longer in Greece. Dilimar knows very good Spanish and also the assistants knew Spanish.

Hotels were centrally located, the tours were nice & I met new people. Kudos to assistant Elias for helping me find my lost hat. I had a blast even though travelling solo. Thanks guys.

Flag Travel Holidays

• Excellent - 457 reviews for Europe tours

Wife and I did this tour as the first part of our honeymoon and absolutely loved it. It’s fast in each town, but very efficient to get you to everything in a small amount of time

Well planned and coordinated. Beautiful area to visit.

Penguin Travel

• Excellent - 518 reviews for Europe tours

Great, varied tBulgaria our with an excellent, knowledgeable tour guide Lubo. Good accommodation and good tour van. Despite intensive tours, plenty of free time

A fantastic trip, very well organised and conducted throughout. Great introduction walking tours in the cities. Guide Andrey was excellent and had everything running smoothly. Driver Bobby was also excellent in getting us around. Hotels were generally good, some were very good. Nice scenic journeys between cities. Good value for money and would recommend.

• Excellent - 1,966 reviews for Europe tours

Nice travel, good organization

Our trip was wonderful & the tour guide was professional Sasha was very organized also knew so much about Italy . Our driver Gianni was amazing he knows how to get the coach down narrow streets. The coach was clean & comfortable .

Overland Ireland - Small Gr…

• Excellent - 512 reviews for Europe tours

Would have liked to have done the Kayaking

We loved our whole tour experience. Our driver/guide was fantastic - kind, patient and well organized. The places we stayed in were very comfortable. Our guide regularly consulted us about itinerary choices and we enjoyed all the places we visited in Ireland. The weather cooperated most days and we were lucky to do biking and lots of hiking!

• Excellent - 434 reviews for Europe tours

Great trip. We especially enjoyed Ephesus and the balloons over Cappadoccia.

Fez Magic Carpet Travel with Mr. Goku Pamir was an amazing experience. He was professional, knowledgeable and understanding. Our group was able to add some places, thanks to him arranging it for us and adding a boat and House of Mother Mary for us. We even saw mulana Rumi's place and learned about Sufi dance , which is the best. He surprised our group with 4D theatre at the library of Celsius and showed us original Carpet, Silk, and Leather makers. Overall, it was a wonderful experience because he stopped at the best food places for breaks frequently and even gave us a small keychain as a reminder gift or souvenir besides the gifts Fez gives us. Fez travels offers wifi and charging ports in their bus which is a life saver. Hotels and places visited were all beautiful and I recommend visiting Turkeye with Mr. Goksu Pamir. Thanks.

Dorak Tours

• Excellent - 59 reviews for Europe tours

What a wonderful experience, our guide Ayhan Köpür was excellent, very knowledgeable and helpful, always looking after us.. I’ve been in tours with other companies but the hotels Dorak chose for us were outstanding in all the cities we stayed in.. excellent communication with the managers as well.. I would definitely use them again.. Thank you Dorak for our excellent Turkish tour

We arrived at the SAW airport ,the pick up was on time and transport comfortable.Amazing experience from our tour guide Andy being very knowledgeable and fantastic! She was energetic and happy for the duration of the tour. I hope we get to have another tour with her again soon because she was a wonderful. I got to see beautiful parts of Turkey and some dreamlike landscapes as well as the “healing waters of Pamukkale” and the ruins of ancient Hierapolis, the fairy chimneys of Cappadocea, the historical church sites and more many attraction! Definitely worth the money. I give this tour a 10/10 recommendation! We have stunning pictures that will pictures will stay as good memories forever.

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The 11 best online travel agencies in 2024

The top 11 online travel agencies.

• Booking.com
• Lastminute.com

Best online travel agencies for business travel

1. travelperk.

Main offerings and features:

• Huge travel inventory
• Flexible booking with FlexiPerk
• Safety alerts with TravelCare
• Integrated travel policy & approval flows
• Centralized invoicing
• Easy & real-time travel expense reports
• Carbon offsetting with GreenPerk
• 24/7 fast customer support in target 15s
• VAT reclaim
• Integration with 3rd party tools , such as expense management or HR software like Expensify and BambooHR

Save time and money on your business travel with TravelPerk

2. sap concur.

• Works with some of the biggest brands
• Easy tracking and reporting of expenses for expense reports
• Many connected apps, such as Uber and Airbnb for cars and hotels
• One solution for a variety of business travel spending

• Ample integrations
• Award-winning mobile app
• Employee-centric travel management

Best online travel agencies for leisure travel

4. booking.com.

• Intuitive booking tool and website
• Flight + Hotel booking for easily planning trips with no cross-referencing travel websites
• Simple car rental options and taxi hire
• Available in over 40 different languages and offers over half a million properties across 207 countries
• You can book experiences in your destination city to entertain you on your travels
• Genius rewards program

• Simple interface and booking tool
• Deals when making more than one booking
• 38 different languages and offers a 24-hour, multilingual customer support service
• Free cancellation within 24 hours of booking
• Millions of reviews to help make your decision

6. Lastminute.com

• Filter hotels according to budgets, star ratings, guest ratings, board types, and more
• ATOL protection on flight + hotel bundles
• Flash sales for last-minute deals
• Payment plans to spread out the cost of travel
• Extra entertainment booking for your trips, like theatrical productions and day trips
• Gift cards for gifting travel

• Expedia rewards for hotels, cars, and more
• Experienced support
• Compare cruise lines
• Big savings when booking flights, hotels, and car rentals
• Operates in nearly 70 countries and in over 35 different languages
• Luxury travel options

• Book hotels, flights, cars, and bundles
• 24/7 support
• Lower prices on the app
• Great last-minute deals for spontaneous travel

9. Bookmundi

• Flexible payment options with installations
• Best price guarantee so travelers get the best possible deals
• 24/7 customer support for bookings and any travel-related inquiries
• Offers over 10,000 tours across various adventure and cultural experiences worldwide

Best online travel agencies for flights

10. skyscanner.

• Super flexible booking filters
• Cheaper flights and hotels than other OTAs
• Price alerts for travel routes of interest
• Easy-to-use booking tool and UI
• Hundreds of location and currency options
• One-way, return, and multi-city travel options

11. Kiwi.com

• Simple flight booking tool
• Partnerships with Booking.com and Rentalcars.com
• Discover deals anywhere with the option to open up your search
• Easy-to-use app

How do online travel agencies work?

What are the advantages of booking through an online travel agency, access to comparison tools.

• Peer reviews to help you with your decisions
• Flexible cancellation policies
• All your travel in one place
• Local flights and deals

Rewards programs

Peer reviews, flexible cancellation.

Cancel anytime, anywhere. Get 80% of your money back.

One account for all of your travel needs, a local approach to global travel, wrapping up the best online travel agencies of 2024.

Simplify the way you do business travel today.

Make business travel simpler. Forever.

• See our platform in action . Trusted by thousands of companies worldwide, TravelPerk makes business travel simpler to manage with more flexibility, full control of spending with easy reporting, and options to offset your carbon footprint.
• Find hundreds of resources on all things business travel, from tips on traveling more sustainably, to advice on setting up a business travel policy, and managing your expenses. Our latest e-books and blog posts have you covered.
• Never miss another update. Stay in touch with us on social for the latest product releases, upcoming events, and articles fresh off the press.

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11 guided tour companies that offer trips around the world

For people who like traveling with like-minded people, guided tours can be the perfect way to see a new destination..

Like cruising and theme park vacations , guided tours aren’t for everyone. But for people who especially enjoy meeting (and traveling with) like-minded people on vacation, guided group tours can be the perfect way to see a new destination—and make some new friends along the way. 

Some guided tours are geared toward groups of a dozen or fewer, while others can accommodate 50 or more travelers. Most guided tours include accommodations and some meals. In all cases, the tour companies who operate group tours take most of the complicated planning out of the equation , leaving you to focus on simply enjoying your vacation. 

The best guided tour operators

If you’re ready to give tour groups a try, consider one of these guided tour operators that rank among the very best in the world. 

MAKE MEMORIES: Tours for everyone: 11 best companies for family vacations

Guided tour operator Tauck has been a leader in high-end group tours since its founding in 1925. Operating land-based group tours on all seven continents (as well as river tours in Europe and small-ship tours around the world), Tauck caters to families, couples, and solo travelers.

ACTIVE TRAVEL:   5 best senior adventures for travelers age 50+ The average size of a guided tour group with Tauck is 35 to 44 guests, though the group size may vary depending on the season and the nature of the tour. Travelers enjoy Tauck for its attention to detail and ease of planning. Prices for tours vary by location, type of tour, and season, but the average Tauck tour starts at around $4,000 and goes up from there for one room with two guests. 

2. Trafalgar

Taking groups on guided tours to destinations around the world since 1947, Trafalgar runs trips to nearly every corner of the planet except Antarctica. The mostly land-based guided tours are offered year-round, including to popular destinations like New Zealand and Africa. The number of guests on tours vary based on the destination. Africa tours are the smallest with a maximum of 20 guests, while the United States and Canada tours are the biggest with up to 52 guests. 

SENIOR TRAVELERS: 9 tour companies that cater to travelers over 50

In addition to its standard tours, Trafalgar also offers women-only tours . Other travelers who may enjoy Trafalgar are adventure travelers and foodies. Trafalgar tours start at just under $2,000 for one guest.

3. Collette

No travel company brand has been doing group trips longer than Collette , which has been in business since 1918. The group touring agency goes to all seven continents and has 179 different tour options. Its top tour destinations are Ireland, Italy, and Iceland. 

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Collette’s small group exploration tours allow for 14 to 24 people per tour, while its classic group tours can be up to 44 people. Collette primarily serves an older audience of travelers over 55. Tours with Collette start at just under $1,500 per person. 

4. Grand Circle Travel

Another popular group tour option for travelers over 50 is Grand Circle Travel , which has been in operation since 1958. Grand Circle’s variety of land-based tours and river cruises range in size from 24 to 47. Trips with Grand Circle start around $2,400 but vary based on the destination and season. 

5. Adventures by Disney

The luxury travel arm of Disney, Adventures by Disney is known for its focus on guided family tours . Since its founding in 2005, the company has continued to add new touring options with land- and river cruise-based adventures to destinations worldwide. Tours with Adventures by Disney can have upwards of 40 people, including kids under 10 years old. The tour company does offer some adult-only adventures as well. 

LEAVE THE PARENTS AT HOME:   9 skip-gen vacations grandparents and grandkids will love

One reason why travelers choose Adventures by Disney for family vacations is that they likely already partake in other Disney vacations and know the level of service Disney can provide. Adventures start at just under $2,100 for one person for a short two-night escape. 

6. G Adventures

Best known for its cheaper group tours that span the globe from Croatia to Tanzania, G Adventures was founded in 1990 as a way to bridge the divide between solo adventure travel and more mainstream travel. G Adventures focuses on small group trips; the number of travelers per group is typically between 10 to 15 participants. 

7. Intrepid Travel

Eco-conscious travelers will want to consider a group travel vacation with Intrepid Travel , which is known for its active stance on climate action and sustainable travel. Intrepid offers tours for families as well as more strenuous walking tours and cycling tours. Since 1989, Intrepid has been taking small group tours of about 10 people around the world from Bali to Antarctica. 

8. Backroads

Travelers with a more active lifestyle who want to take a group tour will want to look into Backroads , where hiking and biking tours are the main attraction. Backroads has been traveling around the world from famous U.S. national parks to the glaciers of Antarctica since 1979. Backroads offers more than 200 different tours, most of which have an average of 16 participants. Prices start around $2,500 per person. 

9. Classic Journeys

Luxury group tour operator Classic Journeys (founded in 1995) offers tours to destinations around the world, and are especially well tailored to travelers interested in wildlife or local food and drink. These small group tours are typically no larger than 12 guests. Land-based trips start around $3,300. 

10. Thomson Family Adventures

With a focus on family travel, Thomson Family Adventures has been operating group tours to more than a dozen destinations since 1998. These bucket-list-worthy trips are limited to no more than 25 people. Tours start at $3,190 per adult and teen and $2,990 per child. 

11. Road Scholar

Since 1975, Road Scholar has provided educational tours around the world for small groups of 12 participants or less. The trips are ideal for those who want to do a deep dive into a destination’s culture or be immersed in nature. These budget-friendly trips start around $750 per person. 

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Best Online Travel Agencies

Booking.com is our top choice for making your trip arrangements

Ligaya Malones is an editor, blogger, and freelance writer specializing in food and travel. Ligaya's work has appeared in publications including Lonely Planet and BRIDES.

Planning a trip can be easier through an online travel agency than if you handle each aspect of the planning separately. You can book hotels, air travel, rental cars, and more through a single site, and booking everything together sometimes results in discounts. By inputting a destination, a range of dates, and other preferences, you will see a list of options for each aspect of travel.

The best online travel agencies offer options from the largest number of airlines, hotels, car rental agencies, and more. Look for sites that offer discounts for combining reservations for different aspects of your trip. For example, the best sites will have lower rates if you book both plane tickets and a hotel through their services. The best sites also provide reviews from customers who actually have booked through the service. These are our top picks.

• Best Overall: Booking.com
• Best Budget: Skyscanner
• Best Price Predictor: Hopper
• Most Innovative: Kiwi.com
• Best for Eco-Conscious: Kind Traveler
• Best for Social Impact: I Like Local
• Best for Design-Forward Homestays: Plum Guide
• Our Top Picks
• Booking.com

Kind Traveler

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Final Verdict

Frequently asked questions, methodology, best overall : booking.com.

 Booking.com

This industry leader offers one of the most comprehensive trip planning platforms on the Internet.

Lots of options to choose from

Interface is easy to use

Numerous filters to customize your search

Tricky to tell whether changes/cancellations can be made with Booking.com or the vendor directly

Booking.com was founded in 1996 and has grown into an industry leader that stands out for being one of the most comprehensive trip planning platforms out there. From one website, you can compare and book accommodations, flights (including one-way and multi-city flights), sightseeing activities, and even airport taxis. The website lists more than 28 million accommodation options, from hotels, hostels, and B&Bs to vacation homes and luxury resorts—you can browse more choices per destination on Booking.com than other online travel agencies. The website also performs well on cost and typically returns lower-than-average prices for flights and hotels. 

Booking.com's interface is also easy to use. On the home page, search for a hotel by entering your chosen destination and dates. Then, use the extensive list of filters—such as price range and distance from the city center—to narrow the results down and find the best fit. You can also search for a specific hotel, or seek inspiration by clicking through options grouped by destination or property type or by topic such as the country’s best Michelin-starred hotel restaurants or the top cities for vegan travelers. The flights, car rental, and other tabs are just as intuitive. 

Best Budget : Skyscanner

 Skyscanner

You can compare prices across airlines, hotels, and car rentals.

Simple interface

Option to toggle searches between specific dates or by monthly calendars

Search Everywhere button is great for spontaneous planners

Extra clicks are required to make a final purchase

Must read fine print for changes/cancellations—may need to deal directly with the vendor

Ads on the sidebar can be distracting

Find deals on airfare, hotels, and car rentals with an aggregator site like Skyscanner , which uses a metasearch engine to compare prices from all online travel agencies and the airline, hotel, or car rental company in question. Run searches with fixed dates, opt to compare airfare prices month to month, or click “Cheapest Month.” Searches also include options for nearby airports or non-stop flights only. With hotel searches, you can choose to select only from properties with free cancellation, a cleanliness rating of 4.5/5 or higher, or 3- or 4-starred hotels only. Car rental searches include an option to select “return car to different location.”

Once you’ve found the best rate, click on the link to be redirected to the third-party site to make your booking. Feeling spontaneous? The Search Everywhere button on the homepage offers a list of the cheapest flight deals for destinations both locally and across the world—just plug in your departure airport first.

Best Price Predictor : Hopper

The company claims a 95 percent accuracy rate at predicting when flights and hotel rates will be cheapest.

Color-coded system makes it easy to determine cheapest days to buy

App is easy to use

Option to track flights and receive alerts when the best time to buy arises

Some have mentioned the app functions better as a research tool than a booking tool

Unclear whether Hopper will price match if you find a cheaper flight elsewhere

Hopper is a travel app available on iOS and Android that aims to help travelers save on airfare by usng historical data and their own algorithm to predict when flights will be cheapest. Just type in where and when you’d like to fly and Hopper will present you with a color-coded pricing calendar indicating how much tickets are likely to cost. (Green is the least expensive, then yellow, orange, and red for most expensive.) Hopper will also recommend you either buy now or wait, or you can choose to watch a trip and receive notifications on the best time to buy. In addition, the app has expanded to offer hotel and car rental price predictions, too.

Some newer features since the app’s inception in 2009 include an option to freeze a price for a limited time—for an extra fee—as well as exclusive app-only discounts. Hopper is free to download, and you can choose to book directly through the app, though some users mentioned they use Hopper as more of a research tool before booking directly with the airline or hotel. The company claims a 95 percent accuracy rate at predicting flight rates up to a year ahead.

Most Innovative : Kiwi.com

This metasearch engine scours the web to piece together the ideal itinerary using planes, trains, buses, and more.

Creative itineraries get you where you need to go, especially if you’ve got a multi-stop trip

Kiwi Guarantee offers rebooking or cancellation protections

Nomad option appeals to travelers with a lot of flexibility

Creative itineraries mean you may not fly out of the same airport you flew into

Kiwi Guarantee has an additional fee

Charges all-in-one fee for booking flights, trains, buses (though you can always purchase a la carte)

Travelers planning multi-city destinations and seeking a bargain, as well as those looking to take planes, trains, and automobiles to get there, might consider Kiwi . Kiwi is a metasearch engine that scours and pieces together itineraries from various airlines (even if they don’t have a codeshare agreement), considers multiple airports (even if your arrival airport is different from departure), and offers booking options, whether you’re looking at very specific dates or more general ones (up to 60 nights).

Some will find the ability to make multiple bookings for a particular trip more convenient than going at it manually several different times, though note that you must opt into the Kiwi Guarantee program to access rebooking and refund protections should your reservation change or be canceled. Kiwi’s Nomad option allows you to plug in a bunch of destinations you’d like to visit and the length of your intended stay, and the website will churn out the most affordable itineraries for review.

Best for Eco-Conscious : Kind Traveler

A give-and-get business model means booking accommodations with exclusive perks, a donation to environmental organizations, and more.

All participating hotels include a local give-back component

Exclusive savings and perks

Participating hotels are located in some of the most beautiful places in the world

Inventory is much smaller compared to other booking platforms

Some of the amenities mentioned are based on availability only

In 2022, Kind Traveler (an online trave agency focused on hotel bookings) announced an increase in environmentally and socially conscious hotels, charity donations, voluntourism opportunities, and additional perks like waived resort fees or a welcome amenity.

Unlock exclusive hotel rates and perks from participating Kind Traveler hotels with a minimum $10/night minimum donation to a local charity. For example, stay at the Six Senses Laamu in the Maldives and receive up to $33 off the nightly rate and perks such as a food and beverage credit and an Earth Lab or Alchemy Bar workshop when you make a donation to Manta Trust. The organization funds coastal research to protect the island nation’s large yet fragile population of reef mantas.

Select from more than 140 participating hotels from the Hawaiian Islands to Bozeman, Montana, and the Maldives. Charities include wildlife, human rights, arts, education, and environmental preservation organizations.

Best for Social Impact : I Like Local

Choose from a host of travel experiences with the peace of mind that 100 percent of the cost goes directly to local partners.

Social impact mission woven into organization’s business model

Immersive experiences led by local guides

Range of experiences offered

May not be best fit for those seeking upscale, luxury experiences and stays

Can’t sort experiences by a list of countries (though an interactive map is available)

No experiences outside of Africa and Asia

For an online travel agency with a booking platform designed to route dollars spent directly to the communities travelers intend to visit, consider I Like Local . Visit the website to browse a host of travel experiences in countries including Indonesia, Kenya, and Cambodia. Experiences include homestays and farmstays as well as wellness and culturally oriented experiences—from cooking and cycling tours to weaving classes.

To search for an experience, select from drop-down items like travel dates and experience categories, or view a global map and click on a country to view experiences that way.

The platform got its start in 2014 and has grown to 4,000 local hosts across nearly 20 countries. As a social impact organization, 100 percent of each booking fee goes to local hosts. To date, 16,000 travelers have booked with I Like Local.

Best for Design-Forward Homestays : Plum Guide

Browse and book seriously vetted, design-forward vacation homes.

Highly curated inventory of vacation rentals across the world

Design-forward

Thorough vetting process

Does not publish guest reviews

Other platforms have homes available across more destinations

When it comes to booking a vacation home, serviced apartment, or condo, travelers are spoiled for choice. Plum Guide is an online travel agency that specializes in accommodations—though not just any home makes its directory. The company claims that each potential home listed on its site must jump through 150 hoops to be included, from internet speed and mattress and pillow quality to the showers’ water pressure and the home’s proximity to dining, shopping, and attractions.

Search by a featured collection on the website such as “ pet-friendly homes ” or “one-of-a-kind homes in Palm Springs.” Scroll to the bottom of its homepage to view its top destinations, as well as a list of all destinations where Plum Guide homes are available, including Barbados, Mexico, Portugal, Switzerland, the U.S., and Turkey. Note: From the top right-hand corner of the site, use the dropdown menu to select currency of choice.

As long as you know what you value most out of your travel experience—such as affordability, social impact, or luxe accommodations—there’s an online travel agency to help plan your next trip. Be sure to read the fine print, as some agencies are third-party websites and not direct vendors. If you're not sure where to start, Booking.com is your best bet for a smooth user experience and hard-to-beat offers on flights, hotels, and other travel arrangements.

What Is the Biggest Travel Agency?

Our choice for best overall, Booking.com, is known as an industry leader with listings for all major hotels, airlines, car rental companies, and more. It boasts more choices for accommodations per destination than any other site, and we found its interface to be user-friendly.

Are Online Travel Agencies Worth It?

This depends on your needs and priorities. The best online travel agencies certainly can save time by booking everything all at once. However, if you're someone who is good at haggling and enjoys the details of planning a trip, you might be able to find better deals by reaching out to hotels or other destinations and speaking to someone personally.

Is It Cheaper to Book Online Than With a Travel Agent?

Not always. A travel agent you know and trust should have the experience and connections to find deals that can match or surpass what you'll find online. Additionally, if something goes wrong, travel agents provide you with an actual person you can use as an advocate to correct the problem . But if you don't have access to a good travel agent, online sites still provide plenty of ways to streamline planning and save money .

We considered dozens of online travel agencies and narrowed down the options based on user experience, volume and quality of inventory, unique offerings and specials, and customer reviews. We also assessed travel companies’ environmentally and socially conscious policies.

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The Best Aspen Restaurants: Fora’s Travel Guide

The Modern Travel Agency

https://www.foratravel.com/the-journal/aspen-restaurants

Image courtesy of The Little Nell

Aspen is known as one of the best ski resorts in the world , but if you needed one more reason to go, the Aspen restaurant scene is stellar.

“Hitting the slopes in Aspen is fantastic, but unwinding afterwards is an art form,” Fora Advisor Cindy Rhee said in her guide to the best luxury hotels in Aspen . “Aspen's après-ski scene is as legendary as the mountains themselves.”

We asked roughly a dozen Colorado- and USA-based Fora Advisors for their recommendations on the top Aspen restaurants. While this guide is not comprehensive — your Fora Advisor can offer far more recommendations tailored to your taste, not to mention top Aspen hotel recs. Consider this a nice appetizer, if you will, of the variety and quality you can expect from Aspen’s restaurant scene. 

If you need recommendations beyond the palette (like skiing, spa and outdoor activities) or help booking your Aspen vacation, reach out to a Fora Advisor . They’ll break down your best hotel options, offer expert itinerary suggestions and more. Plus, if you book a room at one of our travel partner’s properties, your advisor can unlock complimentary VIP perks to level up your stay.

Aspen restaurants recommended by Fora travel advisors

Despite the city’s relative remoteness and small size, Aspen’s restaurant scene packs a punch. “Aspen's small-town charm surprised me, especially considering the abundance of restaurants rivaling a big city,” Fora Advisor Tanima Mannan explained in her guide to the best hotel bars in Aspen . 

Below, you’ll find a few great Aspen restaurant recommendations. But keep in mind that there are plenty more options catering to all tastes and budgets. Again: For the full scoop, chat with a Fora Advisor .

White House Tavern

A step up from casual dining, White House Tavern serves classic American cuisine out of a historic Gold-Rush structure in Downtown Aspen. The menu is on the smaller side, and features a rotating lineup of classics along with creative appetizers. 

You’ll love the “elevated sandwiches, burgers, salads and craft cocktails in an intimate, 19th-century miner's cottage,” Fora Advisor Rachel Meyers said. 

Meat & Cheese

Just across the street, you’ll find the aptly named Meat & Cheese, a chic stop featuring artisanal fare and charcuterie boards, plus local wine, cocktails and craft beer. 

Rachel said Meat & Cheese has the “best sandwiches in town,” and Fora Advisor Claire Herzog said the Aspen restaurant is her absolute favorite. “They have this rotisserie chicken board — I know it sounds weird, but stick with me — that comes with perfectly juicy chicken, a fresh bright salad, crispy roasted potatoes and the most divine gravy/au jus concoction,” she said. “That, served with one of their margaritas, has to be my death-row meal.” 

Fora Advisor Schuyler Bailey recommended taking their DIY charcuterie trays to nearby Paepcke Park to enjoy the views of Aspen’s famous peaks.

Ajax Tavern at The Little Nell

On the other side of Downtown, next to the Silver Queen Gondola lift, you’ll find one of Aspen’s best spots for après-ski cocktails and a mix of elevated French and American cuisine. The restaurant belongs to The Little Nell, a world-class ski hotel and one of the most unique places to stay in Colorado , let alone Aspen.

“It's just impossible to skip their truffle fries,” Claire said. “In the winter, those paired with the grilled cheese and tomato soup for après ski is perfection. In the summer, sit outside on the patio with a frozen rosé.”

“For a luxurious breakfast experience,” Fora Advisor Regina Baranda Mier begins in her guide to things to do in Aspen in winter , “head to The Little Nell for a gourmet buffet or à la carte options in a refined setting with stunning mountain views.”

The Little Nell is a fantastic place to stay in Aspen, too. Plan and book your stay with a Fora Advisor to unlock Virtuoso perks, including complimentary daily breakfast — the same one mentioned by Regina above — and a $100 dining credit that can be put toward any of The Little Nell’s restaurants.

Fora Perks at The Little Nell:

$100 food / beverage credit, breakfast daily, complimentary air and concierge services, upgrade & extended check-in/out whenever possible.

Related article: The 12 Best Colorado Resorts for Families: Complete Guide

Clark’s Oyster Bar

Image courtesy of Clark's Oyster Bar - Aspen

Another Aspen restaurant that received a ton of love from the Fora Advisors we polled is Clark’s Oyster Bar.

“A moment for oysters, shoestring fries and a martini in the mountains,” Fora Advisor Schuyler Bailey described. “There's not much better.”

Martini happy hour is particularly inviting: “It's cozy, cute and the drinks are delicious — especially when they're half-off,” Fora Advisor Claire Herzog added.   

On the other hand, Fora Advisor Meredith Lerner notes in her guide to a family-friendly winter vacation in Aspen that Clarks “also has a kid-friendly menu featuring fish and chips, grilled cheese and other options sure to please young diners.”

Helmed by internationally renowned chef Nobu Matsuhisa, his namesake restaurant in Aspen boasts world-class Japanese cuisine. Sushi is the main draw, but the restaurant — which is housed in a 120-year-old building — serves a variety of seafood dishes.

“Being from a landlocked state, we Coloradans are very particular about our seafood,” Fora Advisor Nancy McLaughlin noted. “Since it travels far, it must be fresh.”

Fora Advisor Rachel Meyers added that travelers should “be sure to make reservations for dinner — Aspen restaurants book up quickly!”

Hotel Jerome: J-Bar & The Living Room

Image courtesy of Hotel Jerome, Auberge Resorts Collection

The Little Nell isn’t the only Aspen hotel with stellar dining options. Hotel Jerome’s J-Bar and The Living Room earned praise from every Fora Advisor we polled. J-Bar melds Gilded Age décor with an old Frontier saloon theme, with skilled mixologists serving high-end cocktails and a menu of elevated bar food. 

“The Living Room at the Hotel Jerome is a must for craft cocktails,” Fora Advisor Robert Love added 

Fora Advisor Claire Herzog agreed.

“Never miss the chicken noodle soup in Hotel Jerome's Living Room,” she said. “It cures all!”

The vibe at the Living Room is much more intimate than J-Bar, with sleek décor, moody lighting and handcrafted cocktails.

Notably, Hotel Jerome’s Lobby Bar shouldn’t be slept on, either. In her “ bougie millennial travel guide” to Aspen in summer , Fora Advisor Eileen Maralian describes the bar as “the place in Aspen to see and be seen, where everyone is always dressed to the nines.

Sidenote: Hotel Jerome, an Auberge Resorts Collection property (and member of Fora Reserve), is another one of our favorite places to stay in Aspen. If you book your stay with a Fora Advisor, you can expect complimentary VIP perks like dining credits and daily breakfast.

Fora Perks at Hotel Jerome, Auberge Resorts Collection:

$100 hotel / resort credit, breakfast daily, upgrade & extended check-in/out whenever possible.

Related article: 3 Days at Hotel Jerome, Auberge Resorts Collection

The Monarch Steak House

The Monarch Steak House is regarded as one of the top steakhouses in the city. The sophisticated-meets-rustic vibe matches the pedigree of the menu, which also features seafood, cocktails and craft beer.

“The best Tomahawk ribeye steak that I ever had was at The Monarch in Aspen,” Fora Advisor Robert Love said. “Pair that with a table-side Caesar salad and the olive oil cake for dessert: perfection!”

Betula passed the vibe check for Rachel Meyers and Schuyler Bailey, who both recommended the Aspen restaurant as a lively hangout. Betula features a unique blend of elevated French, South American and Caribbean flavors. But the menu also incorporates international culinary traditions.

Chat with a Fora Advisor to enjoy more Aspen restaurant recommendations 

There are more than a handful of amazing restaurants in Aspen. For more recommendations — including options catering to vegan, vegetarian and other diets — reach out to a Fora Advisor . They’ll help you find the right dining options for your taste and budget. Plus, if you need help booking a hotel, arranging transportation or anything else travel-related, they’re ready to assist.

Aspen dining FAQs

Here are a few answers to common questions Fora Advisors are asked about Aspen restaurants. Feel free to send your questions to an advisor directly, too — or check out our essential Aspen travel guide for more recs.

How expensive are Aspen restaurants? 

Aspen is an upscale —and somewhat secluded — resort town. Expect slightly over-average prices for fine and casual restaurants as compared to cities like Denver or Colorado Springs. 

What’s the oldest bar in Aspen?

The aforementioned J-Bar is the oldest bar in Aspen. The venue first opened its doors to guests in 1889, well before Aspen was known for its ski resorts.

Does Aspen have a nightlife?

Absolutely. Beyond the venues we mentioned above — including J-Bar and Cloud 9 — Aspen is quite lively after dark. A Fora Advisor can point you in the right direction for other great nightlife options, too. 

Can you drink in public in Aspen?

No. Both Aspen and the state of Colorado prohibit consuming alcohol in public, with exceptions for select events. 

Related article: When Is the Best Time to Go to New Orleans? Your Full Guide  

More Colorado travel inspiration

Check out more Colorado travel articles:

A Summer Guide to Visiting Aspen, Colorado

The 12 Best Places to Stay in Colorado: Cities, Hotels & More (foratravel.com)

The Best Time to Visit Colorado: Full Guide

The Best Colorado Bachelorette Party: 2023 Ideas & Resorts  

Where to Stay in Denver, Colorado: Your Full Guide  

Where to Stay in Vail, Colorado: Luxury Hotels & Boutique Ski Resorts  

Where to stay in Telluride: Your Full Guide

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Why A.I. is the Kevlar Your Travel Agency Needs

Photo: Ascannio / Shutterstock.com

A.I. technology has captured headlines for years now, with various industries experimenting with different uses. This begs the question: What role does artificial intelligence play in relationship-based businesses like travel agencies? In an industry built on human connection, does A.I even matter?

According to TRAVELSAVERS’ Christine Vincent and Travel Gurus’ Hidar Elmais – who spoke at TMP Calgary earlier this month – A.I. is already making a huge impact on how advisors run their businesses. Not only is the emerging technology useful, but it is on the path to becoming standard practice.   

“A.I. will never replace travel advisors,” said Vincent. “But travel advisors who use A.I. will replace travel advisors who don’t.”  

Vincent is the director of online strategies and consumer engagement at TRAVELSAVERS Canada. Being in a tech-focused role for a consortium has provided her a unique perspective on how A.I. tools can enhance the travel advisor business.   

Vincent’s A.I. breakout session covered the basics of ChatGPT, and explained the practical applications for travel advisors.

“[A.I.] is a versatile tool for content creation, communication, and more,” she told a room full of travel advisors. “I give it work I don’t like.”

Saving time with ChatGPT

An obvious way to use ChatGPT to enhance your business is marketing . The generative A.I. program can quickly (and effectively) create text for various purposes based on a prompt. The more detailed the prompt, the better the results (usually).

A less-obvious use is research. Vincent explained how ChatGPT uses information scoured from online, and therefore can be a great way to find specific information that you would otherwise find by using a search engine and manually going through results. This could be finding pet-friendly hotels in a city within certain distance from the airport, or looking up tours for foodies in a specific destination.

“Instead of you going to Google … just ask [ChatGPT],” she suggested. “You don’t have to sift through links.” Results are ready in seconds. 

Vincent warned that these results may be inaccurate and will need to be verified; however, you’ll still save time over a traditional Google search engine approach. 

Take SEO to the next level

The same qualities that make ChatGPT great for finding specific information within search parameters also make it perfect for improving your online optimization. ChatGPT knows what ranks well on search platforms and social media, and can generate text accordingly. 

For example, you could use ChatGPT to generate hashtags for a post about a current resort promotion, or you could use it to write copy for your website’s “About Us” page that will rank well for a specified niche.  

One could go one step further and ask ChatGPT to generate SEO-friendly text for other elements on a webpage, like meta description, meta key words, and the title. These are all elements that contribute to how high a website ranks on Google search results – a higher ranking means more users being directed to your brand.     

Work smarter, not harder

Many of Vincent’s tips boil down to working more efficiently, letting ChatGPT handle the menial tasks so you have more time for the work you enjoy doing.

For example, you can use it to summarize a long email from an unhappy client and then ask it to draft an appropriate response. You can write advertisement copy. You can even brainstorm with it, asking for post subject suggestions or key words to target for your niche.  

ChatGPT can also be used to give yourself an edge. Vincent suggested using it to profile the ideal client for a specified niche; this would allow you to concentrate your marketing efforts on people who fit the kind of travel you want to be selling. You could even use it to research competition, or generate email subject lines that won’t trigger spam filters.

How travel advisors are already finding success with A.I.

Hidar Elmais, founder of the Alberta-based award-winning agency Travel Gurus, has used ChatGPT to enhance his travel business.

Elmais followed Vincent’s presentation as a practical example of travel advisors using A.I. tools to “boost client communications.” He characterized it as “not the new Google,” but a complement to it – a powerful tool to take your business to the next level.

For Elmais, A.I. has been particularly helpful with new hires. In his experience, new agents struggle to write effective copy when dealing with clients. He asks all his new agents to use ChatGPT for communications, making sure they write prompts asking for a client-focused call to action.

Another area he’s found success with is using ChatGPT for social media. He noted that it’s a great tool for “objective feedback management”: in other words, using A.I. to draft professional responses on social media to comments. 

Elmais said travel advisors can start with ChatGPT 3, but recommended using 4 because it does more. Whether you are tech-savvy or not,  the reality is that A.I. is here, and advisors are already using it to better their business. 

Vincent ended the session with a warning for advisors: “[A.I.] is not going away.” 

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