The older I get, the extra I am prepared to pay a bit extra for issues like consolation, comfort, and actually distinctive experiences once I journey. Gone are my days of attempting to avoid wasting pennies by staying in hostel dorm rooms and skipping guided excursions in favor of solely what I might do at no cost.
I am guessing a few of you may relate! Journey types change as we age, and I’ve undoubtedly developed from a funds traveler to a consolation traveler, with possibly some mild luxurious thrown in once I can afford it.
Lately, I discover myself contemplating locations, excursions, and experiences that I truthfully in all probability would not have even glanced twice at in my 20s. Flights in Premium Economic system? An expedition trip to the Arctic? A luxury London hotel stay that price greater than my month-to-month mortgage fee? These are all issues I’ve truly booked within the final couple years!
And as I’ve made this transition to my “new” journey type, I’ve additionally began branching out within the forms of guided journeys I am taking. For instance, I’ve traveled on small group excursions with Intrepid Journey for greater than a decade (my first one with them was in 2012!). After I first was reserving with them, I used to be reserving their budget-friendly journeys. However in recent times, I’ve booked extra of their “Consolation” and now even “Premium” excursions.
Intrepid launched its vary of Premium Excursions inside the previous couple of years. And as quickly as they did, I discovered myself questioning in the event that they have been actually price it. So I made a decision to take one to search out out!
Intrepid Journey tour types
Intrepid Journey now provides 4 completely different “travel styles” for his or her excursions. These types are:
- Basix – The best, most cost-effective excursions. They use extra fundamental (however nonetheless completely fantastic) lodging, make the most of public transport, and embody fewer extras to permit vacationers extra free time. A few of these Basix excursions are geared particularly for the 18-29 age bracket.
- Unique – The basic Intrepid tour. These excursions use native lodging (often 2-3 star) and a few public transport, however embody just a few extra issues like actions and a pair meals. The stability of included actions and free time is often fairly good.
- Consolation – This was once Intrepid’s highest degree of tour. It makes use of extra snug lodging (often 3-4 star) and often a personal van or mini bus for transport. The tempo of the tour is often slightly extra relaxed, however there are extra inclusions of actions and meals.
- Premium – The latest Intrepid tour kind, which options one of the best lodging choices, personal transport, and essentially the most quantity of inclusions.
ALL of Intrepid’s tour types concentrate on cultural immersion and native experiences, and all include a tour chief from the nation you are touring in. I have been on each type of Intrepid journey, and so they’re all stable choices!
However what precisely makes their Premium excursions completely different?
What’s a Premium tour with Intrepid Journey?
Like I discussed above, Premium tours are the most recent providing from Intrepid Journey. They’re supplied in a few of the hottest locations that Intrepid travels to, and supply one of the best and most unusual lodging choices that Intrepid provides, together with essentially the most inclusions (mainly all the pieces is included, even most meals).
Intrepid additionally assigns their best possible guides to those Premium excursions, that means you’ll be in extremely succesful and educated arms. (Although, after 10+ excursions with Intrepid through the years, I’ve solely had ONE tour chief that I’d give a poor ranking to. The remaining have been glorious.)
Premium excursions in some nations additionally provide itineraries you may’t do with every other tour type, together with distinctive actions and lodging. Every Premium tour with Intrepid contains one “Function Keep,” which is at all times particular and memorable.*
*It is price noting, although, that Premium lodging does NOT essentially imply 5-star motels. Intrepid nonetheless tries to make use of locally-owned lodging choices when attainable, and typically these lean extra in direction of distinctive and memorable than your typical “luxurious” lodge.
Intrepid’s Premium excursions are additionally the costliest excursions they provide; typically the costs might be double the value of the costliest Consolation tour in the identical nation.
So I assume the query then turns into… what are you *truly* getting for that Premium value, and is it actually price it?
Morocco tour Consolation vs Premium
Fortunately for you, I’ve truly taken virtually equivalent Intrepid excursions to match! The excursions have been in Morocco, one Consolation and one Premium. So I am uniquely positioned to provide you an trustworthy take a look at how these excursions differ, and whether or not I believe it is price it to guide the Premium one.
The precise excursions I took have been the 13-day Morocco Uncovered Consolation journey (learn my full tour review here), and the 15-day Premium Morocco In Depth journey. I took one among these excursions in 2019, and the opposite in 2023.
My Consolation Morocco journey price me slightly over $2000 (the checklist value on the time was often round $1700, however I paid additional to have my very own room), and the Premium Morocco journey price about $4000 once I booked it. (Observe that the costs have since gone up slightly bit, however you get the thought!)
Let’s take a look at the main similarities and variations between these two excursions!
The itinerary
The rationale it is a nice option to evaluate these excursions is that the itineraries are virtually equivalent! Each excursions begin in Casablanca and finish in Marrakech, and embody stops in Meknes, Fes, Chefchaouen, the Sahara Desert, the Excessive Atlas Mountains, and Ait Benhaddou.
A few the in-between stops differ, however the main variations within the Premium tour itinerary was that it was 2 days longer. We spent a type of additional nights in Ouirgane, and the opposite in Chefchaouen (that means we spent 2 nights in Chefchaouen as an alternative of 1, which was nice).
Value it? Aside from the additional evening in Chefchaouen (which was a lot better than having simply 1 evening there), nothing concerning the Premium tour actually stands out itinerary-wise.
The information
Intrepid says it assigns its best possible guides to its Premium excursions. Intrepid employes glorious native guides on all its excursions, although, and each my Morocco guides have been nice! (Although the information on my Premium tour, Mohammed, was undoubtedly the most effective tour guides I’ve ever had!)
Value it? You are assured a superb information who will go above and past to make your journey particular. So which will certainly be price it for some folks.
The transport
Each the Consolation and Premium excursions embody arrival airport transfers, in addition to a personal mini bus simply to your group to journey round Morocco. The buses are pretty snug for the lengthy drives you may have.
Value it? This one is just about the identical for each excursions! (Although I’ll say our driver on my Premium tour was superb. Shoutout to Sayid!)
The lodging
This is the place there’s extra of a noticeable distinction between the Consolation and Premium excursions in Morocco.
The Consolation tour stays in a variety of properties throughout Morocco, from motels to riads to gites (guesthouses). You additionally keep at a desert camp on the sting of the Sahara Desert for one evening.
These lodging are in all probability a 3-star equal; they’re completely fantastic, however typically fairly easy and never overly memorable. The desert camp is fancier than common tenting, however not fairly glamping (the one I stayed at had mattresses on the bottom in every tent, in addition to a block of Western bogs a brief stroll away).
The Premium tour additionally stays in quite a lot of completely different lodging sorts, however these are typically slightly fancier/memorable, like a palatial riad in Fes and a flowery desert lodge. These are typically a 4-star equal, however can fluctuate rather a lot (which isn’t unusual in Morocco).
All of Intrepid’s Premium excursions embody one “Function Keep,” and in Morocco it was the desert camp. We stayed at a luxurious Sahara camp on the Premium tour, which included actual beds within the tents and ensuite loos with bogs and even scorching water showers. It undoubtedly felt upgraded!
Value it? The lodging on the Premium tour was undoubtedly extra distinctive and memorable. A number of locations did not actually really feel “Premium,” however Intrepid is continually updating the place they keep primarily based on visitor suggestions.
The inclusions
One other factor that is noticeably completely different are the quantity of issues included on the Premium tour (which is spectacular, as there are already a ton of inclusions on the Consolation tour).
For instance, the Consolation tour presently contains 12 breakfast and 5 dinners. The Premium tour, in the meantime, contains 14 breakfasts, 4 lunches, and eight dinners – and the meals are all so good.
Each excursions embody in-depth strolling excursions in every city/metropolis you go to, together with a go to to the Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca, a tour of the ruins of Volubilis, a full day with a information within the Fes medina, an non-compulsory camel experience within the Sahara Desert, a stroll by way of the Todra Gorge, and a go to to the ksar of Ait Benhaddou.
The Premium tour additionally included a pair different memorable stops, like a go to to the village of Khemliya to study Gnawa music and tradition, and a Moroccan tagine cooking class in Tahnaout.
The Premium tour additionally covers small ideas for baggage porters, native metropolis guides, and anybody else whom you’d often tip a small quantity for serving to you out. It was good to not have to hold round small change on a regular basis.
Value it? The Consolation journey already features a lot, however the Premium journey contains much more. The additional meals have been principally very memorable, as have been the extra experiences just like the Gnawa village go to and the cooking class.
Why would you guide a Premium Intrepid tour?
So why would you wish to guide one among Intrepid Journey’s Premium excursions over one among their different (inexpensive) journeys? A number of causes might embody:
- Distinctive lodging / function stays – I can affirm from private expertise that Intrepid makes use of essentially the most distinctive and memorable lodging on its Premium journeys. These might not at all times be *luxurious* properties (although they generally might be), however they are going to be stand-outs. And the function stays are sometimes bucket-list-type stays!
- One of the best guides – If you wish to be assured to have one among Intrepid’s greatest and highest-rated guides (they name them tour leaders) operating your journey, then guide a Premium tour.
- Extra inclusions – Premium excursions embody essentially the most; essentially the most meals, essentially the most guided walks, essentially the most additional actions. While you guide a Premium tour with Intrepid, you will not have to carry a lot additional money with you, besides what you would possibly want to buy and tip your most important information/driver with.
- One of the best itineraries – And though the itineraries of the 2 Morocco excursions I in contrast aren’t all that completely different, in another instances Intrepid’s Premium excursions have one of the best and most diverse itineraries. For instance, when planning a visit to Peru, I had a wishlist of all of the issues I wished to see/do there, and Intrepid’s Premium Peru In Depth was the one one which included each single factor!
Is an Intrepid Premium tour price it?
I have to reiterate yet another time that “Premium” doesn’t suggest 5-star. You continue to could also be staying in quirky motels, going through lengthy drives on bumpy roads, and consuming in locals’ houses as an alternative of Michelin starred eating places.
However so long as we’re clear on that, my reply to the “is it price it?” query is… possibly.
That is going to be a really subjective factor, primarily based on the way you usually journey, what your definition of an “costly” journey is, and the way a lot worth you placed on the additional inclusions and upgrades that you just get with a Premium tour.
Within the case of the Morocco Intrepid excursions I in contrast, I am unsure you really want to guide the Premium journey except the motels actually, actually matter to you. I had simply as unbelievable a time on the Consolation model of the identical journey (although the Premium Function Keep was actually particular, as have been a few of the native meals we had).
In different elements of the world, although, the Premium itinerary could be completely different sufficient to what else Intrepid provides to actually warrant the upper value level.
My recommendation is to fastidiously evaluate the choices you are contemplating after which make the choice that feels one of the best for you!
Have you ever ever tried an Intrepid Premium tour? If not, do you suppose you’ll?
Amanda Williams is the award-winning blogger behind A Harmful Enterprise Journey Weblog. She has traveled to greater than 60 nations on 6 continents from her house base in Ohio, specializing in experiential and considerate journey by way of the US, Europe, and remainder of the world. Amanda solely shares ideas primarily based on her private experiences and locations she’s truly traveled!
