Whether you're headed for Africa or Antarctica, traveling alone or with a group, you can count on a good tour to enhance your experience. Many tours specialize in exotic locations, adventure travel, or even gourmet dining. Whatever your preference, there is definitely something out there for you. So before you strap on your diving fins or slip into those snow shoes you’ve been dying to try out, take a look at what these sites can offer. Whether your budget is living like a king or pauper, these tours (also called group adventures) offer something for everybody.
Intro by David Reid

Contiki.com
specializes in vacations for 18-35 year-olds with a mix of sightseeing, free time, culture, socializing and adventure. The company offers a variety of global tours and has recently introduced their own resorts, bringing the Contiki party feel and the beach holiday together. As with any tour, prices tend to be steep although some meals and nightlife- and usually a lot of sightseeing- is included. The website also offers a room matching service for single travelers to help you avoid paying extortionate fees for traveling solo. A vibrant site, enticing music and an exciting photo gallery is enough to make anyone want to join their party.

IntrepidTraveler.com
is an adventure tour company committed to a style of travel that is environmentally, culturally and socially responsible. It specializes in Asian tours and uses local public transport and locally owned accommodation wherever possible for a gritty, authentic feel. They offer different styles, activity and budget levels to suit all travelers including family adventure tours and a trip entitled “the gourmet traveler.” The rating of their trips, based on physical difficulty and culture shock value, is useful to consider before booking.

AdventureCenter.com
offers over 700 adventure vacations worldwide from walking, hiking and cycling vacations to African safaris, Antarctic expedition cruises, tall ship sailing and more. They are a member of the First Choice hotel group which strengthens their reputation and their special deals page at least offers some discounts, although prices still tend to be expensive. Their homepage is colorful and easy to navigate; their trip details are informative and they have a loyalty program for travelers who take four or more trips with them.

TucanTravel.com
specializes in Central and South American adventures. With over five different tour styles to choose from, there's something to suit just about all travel styles and budgets. If you're not a group traveler, Tucan offers Independent Travel, allowing you to mix short modules in popular destinations. Having taken a Tucan trip myself, however, I can recommend their group tours. Not being a 'group' traveler, I was really pleased with the amount of free time and the cool destinations provided. The guide was helpful and informative, but not overbearing. The Discovery Tours do have very comfortable, private air conditioned coaches, so for the more adventurous traveler, I'd recommend, you guessed it, the Adventure Tours.

PleasantHolidays.com
If you’re looking for exotic locations, head to this site, where destinations include Fiji, Tahiti and Hawaii. The site does have a specials page, but as an up-market travel website offering a majority of luxury hotels, it doesn’t offer much for the very those with little to spend. The “vacation quiz” which offers the option of selecting budget conscious accommodation doesn’t even find any results! The “dream vacation day” link will give you something to think about if you’re feeling lost on how to spend your money, but otherwise this site is best left to those who don’t need to search for cheap prices.