Questions to ask before you book a tour

A group tour can save you heaps over the cost of doing it yourself, it's super convenient, safe, you've like-minded people to share the experience with – but not all tours are equal. You need to make sure it's a good fit, and that means asking your tour operator some questions.

How big is the group? Anything over two dozen and things can get messy. Some might get separated from the group and there's the one who's habitually late, delaying the rest. A smaller number has more cohesion. A group of 12-16 is the sweet spot.

How fast is the group travelling? Moving on to another destination every couple of days, or worse, one day after another, is not a recipe for happiness. Divide the number of days on the tour by the number of overnight stops. If the result is less than two, you're going to be spending a lot of time travelling, unpacking and not so much time experiencing the wonders. If the trip becomes a box-ticking exercise, you're going to need a holiday at the end just to recover.

Who are my travelling companions? Tour groups tend to be the under 35s or over 60s. You don't want to be the odd one out.

What happens if you or your partner gets COVID-19? You night need to remain quarantined in your hotel room while the tour moves on but will the organiser contact a doctor, your insurer, the local health authorities, keep in touch to make sure all's well? The same applies if you injure yourself after a slip on a wet bathroom floor.

Is shopping on the agenda? Some tours shoehorn you into jewellers' shops or carpet merchants where you're subjected to the hard sell. The guide will likely get a cut of whatever you spend, so might the tour operator. Typically one or two in the group will linger over the goods while the rest wander about being tailed by shop assistants who don't understand "I'm only looking".

Finally, don't be seduced by the sticker price. In travel as in most things, you pretty much get what you pay for.