Tips,Buying,Grand,Canyon,Bus,T travel,insurance Tips on Buying a Grand Canyon Bus Tour
Torres del Paine is among the biggest of Chiles national parks, occupying almost 600,000 acres (242,000 ha) of land in the south on the border with Argentina. It is also among the most important, receiving a significant proportion of domes Like any American, traveling occasionally is just what I love doing and I bet you share the same stuff with me. But traveling does not mean that you would be safe. Escaping from our job and other stressful activities is just something that w
The price of a Grand Canyon bus tour from Las Vegas is a moving target. The reason for this is the way operators market trips as all-inclusive. Some trip packages come with everything. Others are so basic that the most you can count on is a seat on the coach. To help you get the right deal, let's look at what constitutes a standard bus tour. Here are the basics: 1. Round-trip transportation 2. Deluxe motor coaches 3. Side-trips & rest stops 4. Food 5. Time spent at the Park Now let's separate the wheat from the chafe...Tour operators play fast and loose with the term "round trip." For you, it includes hotel pick-up and drop-off. This may seem like "dickering" over the details. However, the last thing you want to do after spending a day at the Canyon is figuring out how to get from Resort "X" to your room several miles down The Strip. Insist that your package have free hotel shuttle service. Motor coaches come in all shapes and sizes. Most Las Vegas tour companies are running new fleets with all the bells and whistles (oversized seats, tip-top climate control, on-board TV's). Beware, though, that some companies run blended fleets of older and newer buses, and in most cases you'll be aboard one of their gently worn ones. Quality makes a difference, especially when it comes to tackling the final 10 miles of dirt road to Grand Canyon West or putting in nine hours of road time to the South Rim. Trust your instincts: Book a trip with a company that drives the newer models. The journey is as important as the destination. The route to the West Rim and the South Rim starts the same: Follow Highway 93 South out of Vegas, skirt Lake Mead and cross the new Hoover Dam Bypass bridge, where your driver-guide should pull over for a photo-stop of the dam. Not every tour does this. It is advisable to book a tour that does, as looking at the Dam from a bus window won't do it justice. Lastly, if you are headed to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, make sure there are scheduled rest stops as one-way drive time is five hours. The Grand Canyon is a magical experience: You'll want to spend as much time there as possible. Two hours is the max for most tours. The best ones give you three hours. Take the later, especially if you are going to the South Rim, which features some terrific lookouts and a handful of great gift shops. That's the basics. Now comes a series of upsells that I call "gotchas..." 1. Meals - Mandatory for South Rim tours. Operators cut meals so they can offer a low-priced tour that they can upsell on. 2. Park Entrance Fees - Both Rims have an entrance fee. The best companies include it in the price of your tour. The so-so ones pass it on to you. 3. Fuel Surcharge - This was added into the package during the 2009 gas crisis. Gas is no longer $5 a gallon. Thus the surcharge shouldn't be added. If it's still there, it's found money for the operator. The best Las Vegas bus tour companies let you buy your tour on the Internet. I highly recommend that you book through the Web. Shopping on the Web can save you up to 35 percent. I've purchased bus trips using my personal favorite tour operators and I can vouch that they're e-commerce booking sites are secure, efficient, and safe. The neatest thing after you book your tour is getting your trip voucher seconds afterward in your inbox. Getting to the Grand Canyon by bus, be it the West or the South Rim, is a snap from Las Vegas. It's also one of the best tour values you will find. Play it smart, though. Read the tour descriptions. Consider your needs. Then book online and put the money you saved toward souvenirs or a night at the Blackjack tables.
Tips,Buying,Grand,Canyon,Bus,T