Vegas! Laughlin! London Bridge! A $99 Bus Tour

This is an article featured in L.A. Times by Rosemary McClure, a talented writer at L.A. Times who took our L.A. to Grand Canyon 3 day tour. This is really an interesting, offbeat read! I have quoted the first part of the article and attached the article link to the post.

For more information about our L.A. to Grand Canyon tours, please visit http://www.gotobus.com/cgi-bin/tour.cgi?depart=Los%20Angeles&attraction=canyon&date=&ignore=1&days=&keywords=&order=popular

TOURS & CRUISES LAS VEGAS & GRAND CANYON

Vegas! Laughlin! London Bridge! A $99 bus tour

Throw in the Grand Canyon for a bargain 3-day roundtrip tour from Los Angeles.

By Rosemary McClure, Times Staff Writer

May 17, 2007

Las Vegas, Nevada

The online advertisement listed a jaw-dropping price: Three days of sightseeing, including transportation, hotels and entertainment, for $99.

"No way," I told a colleague. "You probably end up spending $99 on the tour and $70,000 on a time share in Barstow."

Editor's note: This week, we're experimenting with a new interactive map feature, where you can view the trip itinerary and contribute your comments and photos. Note that all contributions will be moderated by L.A. Times staff, so there may be some delay in posting. We invite you to weigh in on our new Travel Message Boards with your comments and feedback.
But the cheapie tour was a genuine deal — and there was never a timeshare pitch. For less money than I spent on my last trip to the supermarket, I was whisked to the Colorado River, the Grand Canyon and Las Vegas. I had some spine-tingling moments of adventure; I got a taste of international travel; and I had a little time left over to shop, gamble and sightsee.
I even acquired a new name: Tammy Chan. And Times photographer Anne Cusack, who accompanied me, was re-christened Becky Wong. But more about that later.

This low-cost bus tour was part of a burgeoning segment of the U.S. travel industry that caters to budget vacationers. Cut-rate companies, based mainly on the East and West coasts, advertise on the Internet and are sharply competitive, offering sightseeing tours for about a third the price of many long-established companies. They slash prices, cut corners — so there's a definite element of surprise, risk and adventure in traveling with them. But the bottom line is this: With transportation and hotels included, this bus trip was a genuine travel bargain, albeit with some downsides.

For full article, please visit http://travel.latimes.com/articles/la-trw-cheapvegas20may18

Customer Feedback: East Coast 5 Day Deluxe Tour Package, $345

"We are now home after taking the pat2247 trip with Mike as our guide. We think he was just wonderful and that the trip was out of this world, we saw so much and enjoyed it all very much. Our only regret was that we could not keep up to everyone due to our age, lots of walking, the rooms were super, the driver good & safe, our fellow passengers all very nice, it was perfect, we loved the trip and will tell everyone how good it was. Thank - You Mike. ps we also enjoyed Mario."

For more information about the East Coast 5 Day Deluxe Tour Package, $345, please visit
http://www.gotobus.com/cs/c168/vacationpackages_newyorkdeparture_/eastcoast5_daydeluxetourpackage.html

5 Steps to Finding Your Perfect Bus Tour

Planning a trip can be exhausting. You finally decided to take a bus tour, which include the transportation, hotels, a well-planned itinerary, plus a travel expert who have the insider scoop and will guide you through the journey.

Nice, isn't it? You get on the bus, put down your luggage, kick back, and someone will take care of the rest. However, before getting on the bus, there is some homework for you to do. We have designed a five-step guide for you to easily find your perfect bus tour.

1. Going through a Travel Agency.

This is a world of collaboration. Instead of hitting tens and hundreds of different tour operators, a smart way will be going through a travel agency where you can compare all the tour itineraries, schedules and prices all in one stop. Online travel agencies have gone a long way to make it easy for travelers to search their trips efficiently by key words, times and locations. A lot of times travel agencies also offer additional discounts and promotional vacation packages for those who travel on a tight budget.

2. Knowing your Limits.

Before planning for a trip, ask yourself some questions: Where does the trip start? For how many days? Where are the places you want to visit? And how much do you plan to spend without breaking your bank? Most of the online travel sites allow travelers to search for trips by using the 3 Ds: Departure, Destination, and Duration.

Another question that is commonly neglected by travelers is “How intense the bus tour you want it to be?” Do you want to visit lots of places in a weekend getaway, or you want to take it slow by staying in one place? With an escorted tour, visiting a lot of attractions in a short amount of time maybe perfect for those who want to get the most out of their journey; however, not so much for those who prefer to relax and take their time. If you're not sure about the intensity of the tour, pick up your phone and call the agency to talk to a real person.

3. What is Included?

As the travel industry gets fiercely competitive, travel agencies are tightening their margins to attract more customers. It is not uncommon for travelers to find too-good-to-be-true travel deals with a little extra time and effort researching online. However, what you see is not always what you get. For a bus tour, transportation and accommodation are almost always included. Other factors you might want to take into account include: Does the tour provide airport/hotel pick-up? Which attractions are paid for and which ones are optional (admission fees not included)? Is the travel insurance included? What hotels are you staying in?

4. What Language Do You Speak?

This one seems obvious but is neglected very often. Most of travel agencies in the U.S. require tour guides who speak English. However, there are many tours out there that are guided by people who speak multiple languages. It is not uncommon to find someone who is trilingual and can guide a tour in fluent English, Spanish, and Chinese. For those who speak English as a second language, it could be nice to find a tour that is guided in your mother tongue. On the other hand, if you prefer the tour guide to speak one language instead of switching among five other languages, you might want to avoid multiple language tours.

5. Rules, Rules, Rules

Is there a refund policy? What is the cancellation policy? Do they take credit card or check? Visit the website and understand the legal aspect of the agency will not only protect you for your rights, but also give you some ideas of when and how you want to book a tour.

Afterall, knowing what to expect and plan ahead is always the safest way to enjoy your trip!

For more information about escorted bus tours and great travel deals, visit GotoBus.com, a leading online travel agency offers bus tours and vacation packages throughout more than 200 operators in the U.S. and Canada.

Customer Feedback: New York to Washington D.C. 2 Day Tour

This is an email from one of our customers who took the NYC to DC two day tour.

"Hello, I would like to thank you very much for the tour to Washington DC last weekend. It was really great. Everything was organized very well. The tour guide (Steve) gave us a lot of interesting information, the pace and the timing were perfect. Thanks once more."

Please find more information about our NYC to Washington D.C. 2 Day Tour, $85, at: http://www.gotobus.com/cs/c128/newyorktowashingtondc2_daytour.html

Again, thanks Steve and all our terrific tour guides who take pride in their work and try their best to give our customers a lifelong experience. :)

Customer Feedback: NYC-Niagara Falls-Washington D.C. 3 Day Tour

I will start posting some feedback from our customers and so you can get some insider scoop of our tours! :D

"Dear Sir/Madam:
I must comment on the most enjoyable trip with your company on 23rd to 25th of April to Washington and Niagra Falls with yor company. Could you pass on our thanks to Jason the courier and the driver, they both did a tremendous job. The hotels were exellent, we couldn`t have asked for better. There was only one fault and that was with the bus, there were a couple of windows that were misted over due to the seals being broken and this did effect the views from the bus when travelling. Apart from this the tour was previously stated extremely good and value for money."

The tour is a three-day tour from NYC to Niagara Falls and Washington D.C., $155. It is one of our most popular tours. For more information, please see the URL: http://www.gotobus.com/cs/c693/nyctoniagarafalls_dc3_daytour.html

And Jason, you are the star.