Domestic travel

Not surprisingly, there's a great deal of interest in domestic US travel.  This NY times article highlights a few.

Courtesy of New York Times

Many of us have no problem hoping in our car or taking a flight within the US to explore a new area.  Why in the world would you want to book a tour to do this?  Here's some reasons:

 - Specialty tours: Bicycle or hiking tours come under this category.  By signing up with a tour company, they provide all the equipment as well as logistics to make the trip go smoothly.  The guide know the best routes and trails for your ability.

 - Ideas and access:  You can always book your own place but do you know the best locations, the essential highlights, the tourist traps to skip, the less known local favorites?  And of course with a guide, you'll learn so much more than you ever could on your own.

- COVID:  several operators now require that all participants be vaccinated or show a negative test result.  This gives you a higher degree of safety than exposing yourself to the unknown masses.

- Accommodations:  Many tour operators are booking up key hotels, meaning their availability might be limited (or more expensive) if booking it yourself. This is especially true at the National Parks.

- Luxury:  Spending some extra money and letting a tour operator take care of all the details, means less worrying about all the details for you.  And it means access to top notch experiences, accommodations, food and kindred spirits.

We've dealt with many of the operators mentioned in the article like:  Tauck,  Trafalgar,  National Geographic and Linblad,  American Queen Steamboat Company, Abercrombie  & Kent.   Each has their strengths and weaknesses and each appeals to a different client.