If you have decided to book a trip to Nepal, you have made a great choice. It is a country rich in history and culture, has a whole host of UNESCO World Heritage Sites, and is a great place to go wildlife spotting. On top of this, it is home to the highest mountain in the world - Mount Everest - and the country offers lots of climbing and hiking trails, as well as a number of other adrenaline activities. With all of this on offer, it is easy to see why so many people choose to travel to Nepal every year.
As Nepal is such a popular choice with travellers today, many major tour companies are now selling a variety of package tours, claiming to show you the best of what the country has to offer. But do these tours really give you an insight into what Nepal is really like? Or are they just a way of making as much money from tourists as possible?
Local Nepal Tour Packages Are a Much Better Option for Travellers
When travellers are deciding on which Nepal tour packages to book, it is much better for them to opt for tours which are run by local tour operators, such as the ones listed on TripsPoint.com. There are many reasons why local tour operators rate more highly over the major tour companies. The main problem with the majority of the big tour companies is that they have not managed to catch up with changing trends in the travel world. Gone are the days when tourists were happy to sit on a coach with lots of other passengers, being ferried around all the main sights in a destination with only a short time at each to take some photos being they are on their way again. Nowadays, travellers want more meaningful experiences and to feel that their hard-earned cash is actually being well spent – which is where local tour operators come in.
Booking Local Nepal Tour Packages Can Save Money
The main factor when making the choice between local Nepal tour packages and packages sold through major tour companies is that vast amounts of money can be saved when booking the local tours. Major tour companies automatically include what could be called a ‘convenience charge’; this is a charge which is added onto packages to cover the agent booking everything for you, from the flights and accommodation to the in-country transportation and meals. Of course, there is essentially nothing wrong with this; the agents cannot book everything for free and their time also needs to be paid for. However, as local tour operators, like the ones using TripsPoint.com, do everything within their own country rather than from overseas, this helps to cut down costs dramatically. Local tour operators usually have long-standing relationships with the guides and drivers within the countries that they are operating, meaning they can arrange discounts which will reflect in the price travellers pay.
Another way local tour operators keep their prices for travellers down is by using websites and agents who allow them to register free of charge. Websites like TripsPoint do not charge tour operators to advertise on their sites, meaning that they are not having to increase the costs of their tours in order to recoup money for an advertising fee. This helps to keep trip costs to a minimum for travellers who are considering booking Nepal tour packages.
The Money Travellers Pay Goes Into the Local Communities Rather Than Lining the Pockets of Big Corporations
It is a well-known fact that if people buy something from a major company, the money they spend is more than likely heading towards the bank accounts of those at the top of the corporate food chain. The workers who actually put the graft into selling these products do not see very much of this profit. The same goes for tour companies. When people book Nepal tour packages through a major travel agent, the vast majority of the money goes towards the company itself rather than those who work hard for the company; while a lot of companies around the world are now trying to be more ethical, this is still largely how the system works.
However, when booking local Nepal tour packages, travellers are ensuring that a lot of what they pay is going back into the communities that they will be visiting on their trip. This is actually an incredibly important thing, especially when it comes to countries like Nepal. Nepal is known for being one of the poorest countries in the world, with 25% of people in the country living below the poverty line. While it has seen some economic growth in the past few years, a lot of local people still struggle day to day. This is why it is so important for more money to go into the communities themselves in order for this growth to continue.
As was mentioned in the previous point, TripsPoint does not charge local tour operators to join up and advertise their tours. While this has obvious advantages for travellers who want to keep their trip costs down, it is also massively beneficial to the local tour operators themselves. Not having to fork out money to pay to advertise and joining fees means that money that would otherwise go straight to big corporations can instead be invested in the local company. It can be used to hire more guides and drivers, to expand on their tour range, or to market themselves to the wider world. However they choose to spend the money they save, it is better for it to stay within the local tour company and community than for it to line the pockets of someone who is already rich.
Local Nepal Tour Packages Can Be Booked On Location
For many years, it has been believed that tour packages needed to be booked well in advance in order to get the best deals and secure a place. However, it seems that that trend is now changing. A survey conducted by Arival suggests that only one in four US travellers book all of their activities and tours before they set off on their vacation. The other three in four say that they book at least some proportion of their activities while in the country itself.
There are many reasons why travellers do this. The main reason is that it gives visitors more flexibility when planning their trip. Of course, many people think they know exactly what they want to do when they are organising their perfect trip. But we also all know that once we arrive at our destination we find out more about what is on offer there. We talk to people who have been travelling in the country for some time and have experienced things we did not know about, we meet local people who can give us insights into activities and places which are unknown to foreigners, and sometimes we just simply change our minds about what we wish to do when we are on our vacation.
For larger tour operators, this level of flexibility is not easy. They tend to buy excursion, accommodation and transport packages in bulk, and in order to get the biggest discounts, these have to be bought in advance. There is also the fact that major tour companies usually deal with large numbers of travellers on each specific trip, which requires a certain level of organisation, one which is much easier to arrange when travellers book tours and excursions pre-trip. This is why many of the big tour operators prefer you to book far in advance, giving massive discounts to those who do; otherwise, it can potentially be a logistical nightmare. However, this is not always in the interest of the travellers themselves, who may wish to be more spontaneous on their trip. So this is another important reason why booking local Nepal tour packages beat those of the major companies; it gives visitors the chance to be far more flexible and relaxed when arranging their holiday.
Travellers Get a More Personalised Service with Local Nepal Tour Packages
The vast majority of workers within the travel agent industry work towards specific targets. When it comes to the major tour operators, these targets are strictly enforced and travel agents will be expected to sell a certain amount of additional packages as well as the main vacation. Local tour operators, on the other hand, work to an entirely different principle. Their goal is to make sure that the customer receives exactly what they desire from their vacation. While there may be fixed itineraries for small group tours, when booking private Nepal tour packages, small amendments can be made to suit the client’s individual needs.
When travellers are actually on the local Nepal tours themselves, because there are usually just a few people taking the tour, the guides and drivers can make adjustments in order to make the tour more comfortable for their guests. This could be something as simple as making an extra stop along a journey for visitors to pick up snacks or to take a restroom break, something which would not be possible if travelling on a tour or excursion with a huge group of people when there is a strict schedule to adhere to.
There Is More Variety with Local Nepal Tour Packages
When it comes to Nepal tour packages, major companies think they have it covered. They believe that what tourists really want is to see the main highlights of their destination and then they will be satisfied. That is why so many tour operators arrange their trip packages based around the major tourist attractions and destinations. However, the travel industry is seeing a shift in the needs of tourists and what they expect from their dream vacation. As much as visitors want to see the highlights of the country they are travelling to, more and more people want to experience a different side to their chosen destination.
A survey by Arival was mentioned at a previous point. This same survey found that travellers, in particular, those aged from 18 to 34, now want to experience a variety of different tours when heading abroad. These include food tours, beer- and alcohol-related tours, art and history tours, and off-the-beaten-path and neighbourhood tours. Rather than sticking to the famous sights and attractions, the younger generation of tourists now needs more from their trips.
This is where local Nepal tour packages are far more highly recommended than those offered by the major tour companies. Let’s take TripsPoint.com as an example. Just a quick look at the website will show people that there are many tours available to suit all kinds of traveller.
Hiking is a hugely popular activity when visiting Nepal, and TripsPoint.com have many such tours to choose from. While many climbers yearn to ascend up Mount Everest – and TripsPoint offers quite a few Everest base camp tours – it is not in most people’s abilities to make such a climb. Because of this, TripsPoint.com offers a huge choice of hiking tours, including the Annapurna Base Camp trekking package, the Manaslu Circuit Trek and the Mardi Himal trek, to appeal to a wider group of travellers.
TripsPoint.com do not just offer hiking and climbing treks in Nepal, though. For those interested in learning more about the history and culture of the country, travellers can opt to take a city tour of Kathmandu, a Buddhist pilgrimage tour or a meditation journey, to name a few. There are also wildlife safaris and world heritage sites tours to choose from.
As you can see, the variety of tours available on TripsPoint.com offer travellers a plethora of cultural, historical and active tours with a range of durations. This means that travellers who book through TripsPoint.com can tailor the perfect itinerary for them, choosing the activities they want to do and leaving out any which do not appeal to them.
Local Tours Provide More of an Insight into Nepalese Culture
Major tour companies do not necessarily use guides and local companies to organise and run their tours. While they may need to liaise with locals with regards to accommodation, transportation and meals, it is not unusual for huge travel companies to use guides from western countries to lead their tours, especially ones which last for days and weeks. While there is certainly nothing wrong with this – and there is nothing to say that western tour guides who work in countries like Nepal do not know about the country – a lot of travellers do feel like they benefit more from having a guide who is a native to the country rather than someone from outside. Local guides in Nepal can enhance the travel experience massively. They will be able to explain local traditions and cultural aspects far better than any outsider could, they will know the best hours of the day to visit certain attractions, they will know how to navigate the local transportation, and they will also be able to let their guests know about all the cool places which foreigners may not discover when travelling by themselves.
In addition to this, when choosing local Nepal tour packages, travellers will often find themselves travelling as part of a smaller group – or even by themselves if they choose a private tour – rather than being herded around with a huge number of other travellers. This also gives them more chance to interact with the local guides who are leading them on their tours and to engage more with the people around them, leading to a better insight into Nepalese culture.
Airline Tickets Can Be Significantly Cheaper When Booked Separately
Now is a fantastic time for air travel. With so many airlines to choose from and new routes being released all the time, combined with the fact that more people than ever before are travelling internationally, airline tickets prices are now extremely competitive. So while it may seem tempting to pay for a flight as part of an inclusive package tour, travellers can save significant amounts of money by booking it separately. There is also the advantage of being able to choose the day and time when you fly. When booking a flight as part of Nepal tour packages, travellers will be given a specific date and time to fly, which is not always convenient when factoring in aspects such as getting to and from the airport and arrival time in Nepal. Booking your flight separately means travellers have the independence and freedom to set off and arrive when they like.
Booking Local Nepal Tour Packages Can Lead to a Trip of a Lifetime
As you can see, booking local Nepal tour packages can have significant advantages over booking through major tour companies before you have left home for your trip. Saving money may seem to be the obvious advantage when booking through local companies rather than the big corporations, but there are far more advantages which could be seen as more important.
Choosing local Nepal tour packages gives travellers the opportunity to engage with local people and learn more about their culture and way of life, making for a more satisfying and interesting travel experience. Not only that, but they help to contribute to the economy of the country rather than the CEOs back in the traveller’s home country. With the huge amount of Nepal tour packages on offer, it just makes more sense to book locally using TripsPoint booking platform that connects you with local tour providers rather than with the major western travel companies.
