Escorted tours are a form of tourism in which travelers are escorted in a group to various destinations; they differ from a self-guided tour, where the tourist is not part of an organised group. [1] [2]
Escorted tours (in US English) are also known as guided tours.
Escorted tours are normally conducted by a tour director who takes care of all services from the beginning to the end of the tour. Escorted tours normally include accommodation, transport, meals and some sightseeing. Escorted tours are often conducted by motor coach and usually no more than three nights are spent in each location visited. They are usually fast-paced and prices include almost everything.[ citation needed ]
Escorted tours are a popular way to explore Canada, particularly in regions such as the Canadian Rockies and British Columbia. Many tours focus on national parks, remote landscapes, and adventure-based itineraries, often incorporating activities such as hiking, wildlife viewing, and cultural experiences. Operators typically use motor coaches or minibuses to transport travelers between key destinations like Banff National Park, Jasper National Park, and Vancouver Island.
Several well-known companies provide escorted tours in Canada, catering to different travel styles and budgets. Some focus on luxury experiences, while others offer adventure-style tours designed for younger travelers. Companies like Moose Travel Network provide multi-day guided tours emphasizing adventure travel guides, social experiences, and access to off-the-beaten-path locations.
Travel is the movement of people between distant geographical locations. Travel can be done by foot, bicycle, automobile, train, boat, bus, airplane, ship or other means, with or without luggage, and can be one way or round trip. Travel can also include relatively short stays between successive movements, as in the case of tourism.
Retrocognition, from the Latin retro meaning "backward, behind" and cognition meaning "knowing," describes "knowledge of a past event which could not have been learned or inferred by normal means." The term was coined by Frederic W. H. Myers.
Green Tortoise Adventure Travel is an American long-distance tour bus company founded by Gardner Kent in mid-1973 and based in San Francisco, California. It provides tours in North America, mostly within the United States. It operates a bus line and hostels in Seattle and San Francisco. The company caters particularly to backpackers, both from the U.S. and abroad.
The genre of travel literature or travelogue encompasses outdoor literature, guide books, nature writing, and travel memoirs.
Gray Line Worldwide is an international sightseeing company that consist of local sightseeing operators around the world. The company was founded in 1910 and operates worldwide through independent operators it calls "licensees" with a presence in most of the world's most popular sightseeing destinations. Gray Line does not provide sightseeing services directly, but rather provides its brand, promotional services and booking systems to licensees. Gray Line is also the largest direct supplier of destination services to online travel sellers, wholesalers and travel agents.
A guide book or travel guide is "a book of information about a place designed for the use of visitors or tourists". It will usually include information about sights, accommodation, restaurants, transportation, and activities. Maps of varying detail and historical and cultural information are often included. Different kinds of guide books exist, focusing on different aspects of travel, from adventure travel to relaxation, or aimed at travelers with different incomes, or focusing on sexual orientation or types of diet.
A tour guide (U.S.) or a tourist guide (European) is a person who provides assistance, and information on cultural, historical and contemporary heritage to people on organized sightseeing and individual clients at educational establishments, religious and historical sites such as; museums, and at various venues of tourist attraction resorts. Tour guides also take clients on outdoor guided trips. These trips include hiking, whitewater rafting, mountaineering, alpine climbing, rock climbing, ski and snowboarding in the backcountry, fishing, and biking.
PlanetSpace was a privately funded Chicago-based rocket and space travel project founded by Geoff Sheerin, CEO of the Canadian Arrow corporation. The owner was Dr. Chirinjeev Kathuria.
Adventures by Disney Travel Services, Inc. (ABD) provides group guided family vacations to various domestic and international destinations. The company is a subsidiary of Disney Experiences's Signature Experiences division. Disney experiences is a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company.
Coach USA, LLC is a holding company for various American transportation service providers providing scheduled intercity bus service, local and commuter bus transit, city sightseeing, tour, yellow school bus, and charter bus service across the United States and Canada. It is owned by the Renco Group.
A tour bus service is an escorted tour or bus service that takes visitors sightseeing, with routes around tourist attractions.
Christopher P. Baker is a professional travel writer and photographer, adventure motorcyclist, tour leader, and Cuba expert, and the 2008 Lowell Thomas Award 'Travel Journalist of the Year.' He is a contributor to magazines and other publications worldwide, and is the author of travel guidebooks for publishers such as Dorling Kindersley, Lonely Planet, Moon Publications, and National Geographic.
Artisans of Leisure is a luxury travel company offering private cultural tours in international destinations. The company offers tours in 70 countries on six continents.
Heritage trails are walking trails and driving routes in urban and rural settings that are identified by signage and guidebooks as relating to cultural heritage. The heritage might be architectural, or it can be associated with a person or historical or cultural event. In most cases it is in public space.
A walking tour usually refers to either
Brendan Sheerin is a British international tour guide, television personality, pantomime actor and author, who appeared on the reality TV show Coach Trip on Channel 4.
Tauck is an operator of guided tours and cruises and is based in Wilton, Connecticut. Founded in 1925, the company offers guided land journeys, small-ship ocean cruises, European river cruises, safaris, and family travel experiences. These tours take place in 70 countries and on all seven continents.
The American Bus Association (ABA) serves as a trade association for motorcoach operators and tour companies operating in the United States and Canada. With its headquarters situated in Washington, D.C., the association has a membership comprising approximately 1,000 companies engaged in bus operations or bus-based tours, alongside around 2,800 organizations representing the broader travel and tourism industry. Additionally, several hundred suppliers of buses and related products and services are affiliated with the ABA.
Group Voyagers, Inc. - also known as the "Globus family of brands", is a group of escorted tour, river cruise and independent travel package companies marketed worldwide. They include the brands Globus, Cosmos, Avalon WaterwaysArchived 2015-04-15 at the Wayback Machine Independent Traveler</ref>
Karen Berger is an American writer, long-distance backpacker, and speaker. She is the author of adventure narratives, guidebooks, instructional books, and essays about the U.S. national scenic and historic trails, worldwide trails, and hiking and backpacking skills and techniques.