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Hey there, JFC-ers,

While everyone else is frantically preparing for the holidays, enjoying a spot of Bublé and a mulled wine or two, our Flight Finders are enjoying the calm between storms — those strange few weeks between Black Friday madness and the post-Christmas follow-up. So, should you be setting aside your money from Santa to bag a tropical bargain? Our team has all the intel right here.

And in the meantime, we’ve got a bundle of travel inspo and tips below to help you plan.

Happy travels and safe landings,

I spent the entire month of September 2024 in Europe (the beauty of being between leases) and it was an awesome time. I’m not going to bore you with the “American goes to Europe and sees how much better it is” stories, but I do want to talk about one thing I did: tours.

Scotland & Ireland were my two final stops, and I really wanted to get out into the countryside. The problem? I was a solo 24-year-old budget traveler who was in no way going to rent a car for my 10 days there. The solution? Organized tours!

Based on recommendations from family & friends, I picked a Loch Ness tour from Glasgow and a Cliffs of Moher/Galway tour from Dublin. The Loch Ness tour was in a small, 16-person van and the Cliffs tour was the stereotypical coach, seeing me jammed in with 60 other tourists. I was gearing up for wildly different experiences, and after doing both, I’ve now worked out exactly what’s important to me in a tour.

I’ve named a winner for each of the major factors that contributed to the overall vibes of my day trips. Keep in mind, this is all anecdotal. Your tour experiences may vary, and while I’ve been on other tours in my life, I’m only comparing my two recent Celtic escapades here.

Comfort: This one is absolutely going to the Loch Ness tour. The van was newer, the seats were more forgiving and the van was less packed. It also helped that although the vehicle fit 16 people, we were only 10, so I was able to put my backpack on the seat next to me without an issue. There wasn’t an empty seat in sight for the trip to the Cliffs. Point: Loch Ness.

Solo Traveler: I was alone on both of my tours, and it was a radically different feel. On the first, I was the only solo traveler, and the guide kept singling me out. Not in a bullying way, just in a personable, “is someone listening?” kind of way. While some people might appreciate that, I liked the Cliffs a bit more because I was able to slink into the shadows and be in my own world. No one expected me to be paying attention (I usually was, don’t worry) and I could be a bit more introverted. But this will differ based on your guide and what you want. Point: Cliffs.

Coverage: Here, Loch Ness shines. The smaller bus was ideal for quicker stops, going to more “off-the-beaten track” places (as it fit in more parking lots) and generally being able to ask the guide for a quick stop if you absolutely need it. I wouldn’t recommend it, as they are on a strict timetable, but it felt possible for Loch Ness. 

Meanwhile, the Cliffs trip made you feel a bit more like a cog in the machine. I would also add that because we visited Galway itself on a lovely September Saturday, the city was packed. That meant more time looking for parking and navigating around people. Loch Ness didn’t have to deal with that (due in part to not visiting a city) but the flexibility was really just that much better. Point: Loch Ness.

Guides: I really did like both of my guides. With Loch Ness, I had an older gentleman who would gleefully regale us with stories of his glass work during the pandemic or what his children were up to today. He went more off-script and clearly wanted to keep us entertained the entire time (even if the rest of the group didn’t understand much of his Scottish English). The second guide was a college student, who LOVED the history of the region and Irish writers. I identified a bit more with him (blame the age) so I even spoke to him briefly at one of the rest stops. I also really enjoyed his storytelling. He gets the point here. Point: Cliffs.

Time: Both tours left too early in the morning for me and got back late in the evening. They were 12–14 hour, “all-day” tours, though, so I can’t fault them for that. The boarding process with the Loch Ness tour was a lot simpler, starting in the Glasgow bus station and feeling “official.” The Cliffs tour was on a random street in Dublin, with at least 8 buses worth of people there. It was also confusing to find which bus was yours (especially since half were unbranded), so it was impossible to not feel stressed that you might get on the wrong one. Otherwise, both tours adequately used their allotted time, and the stops were properly paced. For their smoother boarding process, Loch Ness takes it. Point: Loch Ness.

Value: This is an easy one. Although the small tour had lots going for it, it’s just not a better value. For context, the large tour was about $70 for the day, while the small tour was closer to $120 (including a Loch Ness boat cruise). So while you do get more privacy, flexibility and a tour that seemed more personable for that price difference, it’s not the smartest choice for a budget savvy traveler. The difference in quality between them was decently big, but not 40% big. Point: Cliffs.

Conclusion

So where does all that leave me in the end? Well, firstly, in empty parking lots or busy street corners (get it, like at the end of the tours? I’ll keep going). But actually, sharp readers may have noticed that each tour got 3 points in the end, so it seems like a toss-up. And, yeah, it kind of is. A small tour is great for a certain kind of traveler, one with a bit more money who appreciates the flexibility and the humanity of the tour. A big bus tour, on the other hand, is for someone travelling cheaper, who is alright with just being another line item in BIG CORP’s pocketbook.

The Loch Ness tour was beautiful and exactly what you expect it to be. It was a scenic drive through the Scottish Highlands to a lake that was (don't shoot the messenger) a bit underwhelming. Sure, it was pretty and all, but Loch Lomond (which we stopped at for 10 minutes) was way prettier, I thought. Maybe the fog shifted my perspective, but I'm not sure you'll ever not get fog. The cruise through the lake was an extra nice touch and Fort Augustus at the base of the lake was really calm if super touristy. And to save you some guff, yes, I did see the monster.

The Cliffs of Moher were a bit nicer to me. Perhaps they had less hype in my mind, as I've heard about Loch Ness since as far back as I can remember and the Cliffs of Moher are "newer" to me. But I liked walking around there, the slight rain and mud, and the views out over the water. The other stops like The Burren (fun but quick) & Galway (lovely but too packed) were also a really good time, rounding out the whole thing. No monster there, besides a cup of tea that was way too hot.

In the end, though, I would probably lean towards the big bus Cliffs tour. I think the differentiator to me was that ability to sink into the background. 

By the time my tours rolled around, I’d been in Europe for 3 weeks and I was ready to go back home. I didn’t really enjoy the interactive side of the Loch Ness tour, as it gave me a sense of social pressure and awkwardness. The Cliffs tour let me listen when I wanted, read a book when I didn’t, and speak no more than 50 total words throughout the course of the day. And sometimes that’s all you really need!

Of course, the larger groups won’t be ideal for everyone — it really depends on what you want to get out of your day trip. It’s important to remember that smaller and pricier does not always = better for you. And when you’re paying, you get to choose! 

Hopefully my experiences have given you a slightly different angle to think about before booking your next tour :-)

Last week, I asked you all about Vietnam — and, my goodness, did you deliver tips by the bucket load! As well as advice that is genuinely helping to shape our plans, one incredibly kind reader has even offered to show us around Ho Chi Minh City. And what better way to get to know a place than with the help of a local?

A few of you also wrote in to let me know that you’ll be visiting next year, too. So to make sure you’ve got plenty of time to get planning, I won’t delay sharing those tips any longer.

First up: Ho Chi Minh City. 

The classic starting point and a great base for trips up the Mekong Delta. Beyond that, you weren’t all completely convinced…

Next: Phu Quoc. 

As it turns out, Phu Quoc has you divided. Lots of you thoroughly enjoyed it, but reports from those of you who have visited in the last five years or so point to a complete loss of character and an influx of resort hotels. For some, the resort life may be the perfect antidote to the city buzz, while others should probably reconsider. Here’s what you had to say:

Surprise entrants: Hoi An & Da Nang

As you can see, there were still a few decent reviews in there for Phu Quoc among the negative. But honestly, all your emphatic recommendations for Hoi An and Da Nang have made me completely rethink my plans after HCMC, and it looks like we’ll be flying up the coast instead:

Now, I knew when I booked this trip that ten days would never be enough to see everything, so I’m fully intending on returning to northern Vietnam next time. And when I do…

…I guess I’m going to Ha Long Bay and Cambodia!

Thanks so much for all your contributions. No doubt they’ll help others as much as they have me. I’m now even more excited than before about my first big trip of 2025, and you bet I’ll let you all know how it goes! Keep those tips coming!

All the important (or silly, or strange) travel news from across the web this week.

• The phrase “set-jetting” may have been left in 2023, but the fun of visiting movie sets doesn’t have to be! Today, JFC’s Flight Finders were caught whispering about super cheap fares to one of the locations used in Gladiator 2 (Pedro Pascal and Paul Mescal not included).
  
  
• From one fun travel trend to the next, an increasing number of air passengers are taking a chance on “seat squatting”.
  
  
• KLM hopes these new bots will help reduce carbon emissions and noise pollution at Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport.
  
  
• And finally, it turns out country counting can be more than just a personal goal — for some it’s an actual sport. And what happens once you’ve been everywhere? If you’re a member of Most Traveled People or NomadMania, you apparently move on to the groups’ lists of over 1000 territories, then regions, and even sub-regions!