The Reputation of the Tour Operator You should try and get recommendations from past participants of the operator you are thinking of signing on with. Again, you can use the AOL message boards for this or simply contact others who have used the company you are interested in. You can also check with travel agents, your local Better Business Bureau. The Refund Policy This is very important as you will want to know what will happen if you should have to cancel. Be sure to read this fine print very carefully and ask questions of anything you do not understand.
Many operators also offer additional cancellation and trip interruption insurance.
Before you purchase these be sure you review them carefully and perhaps even discuss them with your own insurance agent. I am sure we would like the flexibility of independent travel combined with the cost savings of group travel. However, that is pretty difficult. I often encourage people to take a tour the first time they plan to visit some distant foreign location, take good notes, and then go back on an independent tour to really spend some quality time at the places they fell in love with while they were on tour. Hopefully this information will be beneficial to you as you decide on group touring over independent travel.