February 03, 2010 14:22 in Travel Tips by john ::

The dilemma facing budget conscious seniors in travel, is where value really lies. Do you select an authentic life changing experience, quality service and support, or do you navigate your way through the confusion of discounted deals, driven first and foremost by a price war and marketing strategy rather than the experience.

The truth about many outback holiday offers is

• They can be heavily packaged and driven by incentives, discounting and commission
• Discounting and price wars depend mostly on the creation of volume, for success
• Tours are presented like a shopping list, crowded with features
• The shopping list becomes the stimulus for ticking off features (been there - done that), with little time afforded the underlying experience of being there
• Features become more orchestrated and themed to attract and capture volume
• A herding or conveyor belt syndrome befalls the travel participant.
• Volume leads to large coaches which can not access or deliver authentic back track experiences
• Operators will have you believing, 26 to 30 participants represents a "small group"
• The enjoyment or relevance of iconic features is impacted by invading crowds
• The willing participant has little to show for his/her discounted investment but the shopping list, the rush, possible "add-on" hidden costs and often bad experiences

Your niche tour operator is driven firstly by "the experience"

• You can enjoy the intellectual stimulation and interaction of a genuine small group environment (8 to 12 people)
• Your guides are enthusiastic naturalists able to relate readily, in detail, to the much smaller group.
• Your experience is afforded time.
• A "family" rather than herding mindset prevails, on tour.
• You enjoy authentic life changing experiences which also foster enduring friendships.
• You explore the back tracks and hidden secrets of Australia rather than queuing for an orchestrated experience.
• When you least expect it, in a remote "neck of the woods", a moment or experience will arrive which you can truly call your own.

Imagine adding value to your life by

• standing with a few friends on a remote cliff face plummeting 300m into the southern seas, then later exploring by boat the seacaves beneath these cliffs, discovering ledges filled with seal colonies, rafts of seabirds shearing across the waves and Albatross with their mighty wing spans cruising by, all on a Tasmanian Wilderness tour, or
• standing on a massive red sand ridge toasting the sunset as it fires up the massive dune and casts haunting shadows across the crest, the only sound to break the serene desert silence on this Corner Country Expedition, is a thousand strong fly past of screaching Corellas

There is certainly value in paying a little more for such enriching experiences.

Discounts apply to all Nature-Bound tours for Early Bird, Small Group and Loyalty bookings.

Review our current selection of small group extended journeys for your preferred Over 50's Adventures and enjoy the difference.

Come share the experiences with us. To discuss them in more detail, telephone (+61) 0407 126603, enquire online or email us today.

Other Blogs in this series on Over 50's Holidays and Tours can be viewed under "Travel advice for Singles", "At last some adventure", "The truth about health and wellbeing", and "How to choose the right tour".