Choosing a day trip or activity provider can be a real headache when you’re travelling.
Choose well and you could end up having one of the best days of your trip. Choose badly and you might pay far more than expected, have a disappointing experience or, in the worst-case scenario, lose your money altogether.
While travelling, we tend to book activities in one of two ways.
Booking Through Our Accommodation
Our first choice is often to book through the hotel, homestay or accommodation provider we’re staying with.
This gives us the chance to ask questions, explain our circumstances and get a better understanding of exactly what the activity involves. We can check timings, transport arrangements, suitability for children and whether there are any additional costs we need to know about.
Accommodation providers will often have first-hand feedback from previous guests too, which can be really useful.
There is also the reassurance of having a local point of contact if anything goes wrong. Rather than trying to contact a company you know very little about, you can speak directly to someone at your accommodation who helped arrange the booking.
The GetYourGuide App
There are loads of activity-booking platforms available, but our tried-and-tested favourite is GetYourGuide. We’ve used it to book countless activities around the world.
We find it easy to compare different providers, read recent reviews and clearly see what is and isn’t included in the price.
Reviews can only be left following a booking, which gives us more confidence than relying on random comments found elsewhere online. We still read through them carefully, particularly the newest and lowest-rated ones, before making a decision.
We recently booked a morning of activities in Hoi An that included traditional Vietnamese coffee making, lantern making, a coconut basket boat ride and a Vietnamese cooking class.
All four activities cost just £20 per person, including pick-up and drop-off at our homestay.
The price seemed almost too good to be true, but the activity had more than 2,000 reviews. Reading through them gave us confidence that we wouldn’t suddenly be asked to pay extra once we arrived.
Previous guests also shared useful information about the timings, what to expect and how to get the most out of the experience. Everything we read turned out to be accurate and helped us plan the rest of our day.
I’ve lost count of how many bookings we’ve made through GetYourGuide. From mangrove boat tours to mountain adventures, we always check what’s available whenever we arrive at a new destination.
You can often find activities that you may not have discovered by simply searching online or walking around locally.
Prices can vary between platforms, so it is always worth comparing before booking. We have regularly found GetYourGuide to be competitive, particularly when transport, cancellation options or several activities are included in one price.
It also gives us the reassurance of having a larger booking platform to contact should we need support.
Whichever booking method you choose, always check the reviews, read the inclusions carefully and make sure you understand any additional costs before paying.
The right activity provider really can make or break your day trip.
Happy booking!
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