This year, 2009, may be the best year ever to travel on a tour.
Like the rest of the travel industry, guided tour operators are trying to entice travelers with unprecedented discounts, freebies, and incentives. Tour companies that have never been known to discount are doing so. We've assembled some of the available deals below, but it isn't comprehensive. If you are interested in a specific tour or operator, don't be shy. Find out if the tour is full; if it isn't, there may be room to negotiate an upgrade, an add-on, or a break on the price. It's a buyer's market, and it won't last forever.
Orion Expeditions: Free airfare with cruise booking
Book a tour to Australia's Kimberley region and your airfare is free. Includes round-trip economy fare between Los Angeles and the expedition departure cities of Darwin or Broome, and applies only to new bookings. Orion's Kimberley itineraries start at $7,650 per person.
Sea Kayak Adventures: Lock in this year's rates for 2010 bookings
2008-2009 rates will be honored for all 2010 British Columbia and Baja tours if booked by August 1, 2009. Plus, $100 off the God's Pocket tour in British Columbia if booked by June 15. And 10 percent off for youths on all bookings.
Variety Cruises: $750 off a week's cruise
$750 off seven-night Classical Greece and Aegean Odyssey sailings per person, plus two free nights at a four-star Athens hotel; free half-day sightseeing tour of Athens. Starting at $1,540 per person, per week. Available for select sailings through October 30, 2009.
Small World Adventures and Moki Mac River Expeditions: 5 percent off
Take 5 percent off a 14-day kayak/raft combo trip down the Grand Canyon of the Colorado River on August 9-22, 2009, if you book before July 1. Regular price is $3,630 per person.
Country Walkers: $300 savings on 30 trips
$300 savings on 30 select adventures throughout 2009.
Examples include: Ecuador: Highlands & Haciendas ($3,598 per person), Italy: Cinque Terre ($3,648 per person), Bhutan: Kingdom in the Himalayas ($4,998 per person), and Alaska: Kenai Peninsula ($2,848 per person).
Roadmonkey Adventure Philanthropy: 15 percent off select tours
The company offers 15 percent discounts on the following tours: "Tanzania/Kilimanjaro" expedition, June 19-July 3, 2010. Regular cost: $4,395. With 15 percent discount valid until through Nov 31, 2009: $3,750. "Northwest Vietnam" expedition, October 30-November 14, 2010. Regular cost: $2,995. With 15 percent discount valid until through Jan 15, 2010: $2,550.
Aventouras: Special pricing on Christmas in Costa Rica
Take a Christmas vacation to Costa Rica for $1,798 per person when booking before July 1, 2009. The 10-day trip usually costs $1,998. Applies to December 24, 2009 departure only.
Micato Safaris: Free raft trip with booking
Book Micato Safaris' 15-day "Botswana's Great Herds" itinerary and receive a half-day whitewater rafting adventure on the Zambezi River. Reserve by July 31, 2009, for travel by December 31, 2009.
Cultural Crossroads: Up to 20 percent off select tours
Sample: 11-day "The Wonders of Jordan" (discounted price starting at $3,835. Use discount code: NatGeo1109). Trip runs from September 15-25, 2009.
Cruise West: 20 percent savings on Alaska cruises
Sample: 12-night Coastal Odyssey cruises through the Strait of Georgia, British Columbia, and Alaska's Inside Passage, the Gulf of Alaska, and Prince William Sound. Rates begin at $8,049 per person (with savings, prices start at $6,600). Book and pay in full at time of booking. Select departures in June, July, and August, 2009.
African Travel, Inc.: Free companion airfare
Free business-class air ticket for the second person on the 10-day "Southern Explorer" program. The total for two persons is $21,707 (regular price $29,980), a savings of about 27 percent. Book by July 4, 2009, for travel by December 05, 2009.
National Trust Tours: Special pricing on seven tours
Sample: "Voyage to the Lands of Gods & Heroes: A Family Learning Adventure in the Greek Islands Aboard Corinthian II." One or two children sharing with two adults: $1,795 (formerly $4,395). Tour dates: July 23-August 3, 2009
Mango African Safaris: Special pricing
Sample: 11-day Kenya Family Safari offered for $17,850 for a family of four, representing a 20 percent savings. Prices valid through September.
H2O Outfitters: $500 off international trips, and up to 15 percent off domestic trips
Save $500 on 2009 and 2010 posted departures if you bring a friend or family member along; book by July 30. Tours include "Sea Kayaking in the Inland Sea of Japan," regularly $5,250 per person, and "The Tuscan Islands and the Sensations of Chianti," regularly $4,950 per person.
On Canada and U.S. tours, save 15 percent off all 2009 camping trips and 10 percent off all 2009 B&B trips when you bring a friend. Book by July 30. Tours include "The Saguenay Fjord in the Province of Quebec," regularly $975 per person.
National Geographic Expeditions: Special pricing and free airfare on select tours
Samples: "Alaska's Inside Passage"—book by June 15, 2009, and receive $750 off per person, plus complimentary round-trip airfare between Seattle and Alaska (offer applies to June 7, June 20, July 18, July 25, August 16, and August 22, 2009, departures). "Galapagos Family Adventure"—book by June 15, 2009, and receive $500 off per person plus comp round-trip airfare between Miami and Galapagos (offer applies to July 3 and August 14, 2009, departures).
Intrepid Travel: Discounts on family adventures
Book a Family Adventure by June 30 and receive 25 percent off each child for every adult booked. Travel must take place before June 20, 2010.
Imaginative Traveler: Special pricing and early-booking discounts
The company has re-priced many tours due to exchange rate fluctuations, resulting in lower prices for U.S. travelers. One example: the 15-day "Turkey: Land & Sea" tour now costs $1,860 for June-September 2009 departures. There are also early-bird discounts.
Canadian Mountain Holidays: Early-booking discounts
Sample: Book a "Heli-Hiking Family Adventure" tour by June 15, 2009 and receive an additional $225 lodge credit. Children get 50 percent off the adult rate of $2,490 (Canadian) per person. Valid on July and August 2009 trips.
BikeHike Adventures: 10 percent discounts on select tours
Five BikeHike Adventures are being discounted for 10 percent through September 2009.
Sample: 11-day "Thailand, Adventure Siam," Regular price: $2,499; Discounted Price: $2,249. Valid for trip departures from June through September 2009.
International Expeditions: Special pricing on many tours
Sample: Families who book the ten-day Galapagos departures receive $1,200 off per person. Per person prices start at $3,798 for adults and $3,448 for kids (7-16) after savings. Valid on June 5 or June 26, 2009 departures.
The Wayfarers: Discounts on select tours
Sample: $850 per person off "South Africa, The Western Cape" tour. Cost is $7,645 per person for November 1-12, 2009 departure.
The company also offers a $400 currency bonus on 30 trips to UK and Europe.
G.A.P Adventures: 10 percent off select volunteer tours
The offer is valid until the end of June with a travel by Dec. 31, 2009. Use discount code: NatGeoVoluntour10.
Sample: "Project Brazil"—spend ten days volunteering in a community-run daycare center and four days touring Rio. Price: $499.
Royal Expeditions: 10 percent discount for early booking
Sample: 10 percent off the 16-day "Himalayas Search for the Snow Leopard" tour (March 27-April 11, 2010) if you book before July 2009. Regular price: $6,999 per person.
MIR Corporation: Luxury train travel for less
Select Trans-Siberian departures of the Golden Eagle luxury private train now feature a new, more affordable cabin type.
Horizon and Company: 25 percent off Ecuador/Galapagos Cruise
The cost for this eight-day program, $3,745 per person, is 25 percent below last year's price. Rates are valid from August 26 to October 7 and December 2-16, 2009.
Escape Adventures: 15 percent off any mountain biking, road biking, hiking, or multi-sport tour
Take 15 percent off any confirmed mountain biking, road biking, hiking, or multi-sport tour, including upcoming departures to the Grand Canyon, The Maze (featured in Tours of a Lifetime), and destinations such as Bend, Oregon, and the Grand Tetons. Take 10 percent off any other scheduled tour. Book by July 1, and mention National Geographic Traveler.
Baobab Expeditions: 10 percent discount on Dian Fossey Group Safaris
Take 10 percent off any Dian Fossey trips booked within two months after the May/June 2009 Tours of a Lifetime issue.
Intrepid Travel: Special pricing for laid-off workers
Sample: Intrepid Travel is offering a 15 percent discount to anyone who can provide evidence (in the form of an e-mail or letter from their previous employer) that they have recently been laid off. The discount applies to all of Intrepid Travel's small group adventures, including the new trips for 2009 such as the new Carbon Offset trips and European adventures, as well as Intrepid's core southeast Asia trips. Travel must be booked by June 30, 2009 for travel through Dec 31, 2009.
Ecoventura: Special pricing for teens, fuel tax waived
For all eight-day Family Galapagos tours from June 14 to Aug 23. The teenage child discount of 15 percent is being extended for teenagers up to age 17 (previously was 14) on all summer family departures. Applicable on all new bookings only.
10 percent discount off the regular published cruise rates for 2009 departures on eight-day Small Ship Tours: August 30-September 6, September 6-13, September 13-20, September 20-27, and September 27-October 4. In addition, the customary fuel tax ($125) will also be waived.
Asia Transpacific Journeys: 22 percent off Vietnam tour
Ten-day "Affordable Vietnam." Land cost: from $1,720 per person. Save approximately 22 percent per person. Travel by September 30, 2009.
CulturExplorers: 16 percent off any 2009 tour
16 percent discount for four people traveling together for any 2009 departures. Mention National Geographic Traveler. On "Epicurean Peru" trip, for instance, this discount translates into a savings of approximately $2,000 to $3,000 for a family of four. If fewer than four people traveling together book any of 2009 programs, they will receive an 8 percent discount.
Caravan-Serai: Visit Egypt at a special price through June
Eight-day tour of Egypt, including a Nile Cruise, for $950 per person. Tour must be booked for travel by the end of June 2009.
Travcoa: Free hotel nights before start of tour
Travelers on 13 of Travcoa's escorted journeys can check in to the hotel in their arrival city early, and stay for no additional cost, a value of up to $1,800 per couple. The optional pre-stay allows guests to rest, acclimate, and explore independently before their journey begins.
Sample: "Botswana's Wild Kingdom"—a three-night pre-stay at Mount Nelson Hotel in Cape Town, valued at $1,800 per couple. The 12-day journey travels through the Okavango Delta, Moremi Game Reserve, the Savute Elephant Camp, Chobe National Park and Victoria Falls, Zambia. Departs August 19, September 2 and October 28.
Rothschild Safaris: $1,000 savings per couple
Sample: Save about $1,000 per couple on the 12-day "Tanzania Mobile Camping Safari—Hemingway Style." The price is from $3,640 per person and good through 2009.
Natural Habitat Adventures: $1,000 off Select 2009 Polar Bears of Churchill Adventures
The company offers $1,000 certificates good for select polar bear tours in Churchill, Canada.
DuVine Adventures: $350 savings per person
The cycling tour company offers a $350 per person savings for all new reservations made by June 30, 2009. Mention National Geographic Traveler.
Explorers' Corner: $600 discount on Alaska kayaking
The company offers a $600 discount on an Alaska sea kayaking trip. Book by July 1.
Country Walkers: $500 off all Alpine tours through 2009
Through 2009, take $500 off any one of five Country Walkers journeys in Austria, France, Germany, Italy, and Switzerland.
Sample: "France & Italy: The French & Italian Alps"—This tour explores the heart of the Alps on an extensive network of trails leading from the resort towns of Chamonix and Courmayeur. 7 days/6 nights; $2,898 with discount; three 2009 departures starting June 21.
Africa Adventure Consultants: Special pricing on select tours
Sample: $750 off per person on a Tanzania Walking Safari. The discounted price is $4,980 per person through December 31, 2009.
Italian Connection: $400 off walking tours in Italy
Guests save up to $400 on walking tours in Sicily, Piedmont, Tuscany, and the Amalfi Coast by staying in simpler hotels or local B&Bs. The "Simply Italian" option is available on the select walking tours, including the "Amalfi Coast & Capri" from September 28 to October 2. Prices with the savings start at $2,695 per person.
Village Tours and Treks: 10 percent off summer tours
This deal is on every Bhutan tour offered. The regular rate for three or more people is $165 per day per person. This 10 percent discount is valid in July and August of 2009. Tours need to be booked 30 days in advance.
REI Adventures: Anniversary special
REI offers four trips at a special price.
Sample: Save $300 off its "Canadian Rockies" tour through September.
Greaves Tours: Kids travel free in India
Greaves Tours has launched a "Kids Travel Free" promotion in conjunction with the July 2 and July 30, 2009 departures of its 14-day "Family India" tour.
The 'Kids Travel Free' offer is valid for a minimum of six adults (12 years of age and older) traveling with two children (11 years of age and under). The promotion is generally limited to eight travelers, but Greaves will make every effort to accommodate families of any group size.
The 2009 "Family India" tour package is priced starting from $5,790 per adult.
Bio Bio Expeditions: 20 percent discount on Patagonia trip
Bio Bio Expeditions is offering a 20 percent discount on its March 9, 2010, departure rafting the Futaleufu River and Rio Azul. Deposit deadline is September 1.
Tauck: Discounts on companion airfare
Tauck is offering $199 companion coach airfare on September through December departures of both its 16-day "China, the Yangtze River & Hong Kong" tour (from $4,990 per person) and 16-day "Vietnam, Cambodia & Thailand" program (from $6,390).
Adventure Life Voyages: $2,400 to $6,000 off Antarctic cruise
The company offers from 20 to 25 percent off its Antarctica, South Georgia, Falkland Islands tours, if booked by June 30, 2009. The departure dates are Dec. 18, Jan. 3, Jan. 29, and Feb. 14. The price for this tour ranges in price from $11,995 to $31,595, depending on the season and type of cabin.
Boundless Journeys: Special pricing on select tours
Sample: Indochina: Laos, Vietnam & Cambodia—November 2-15, 2009; Free international airfare, up to $1,000 per person (Land cost: $5,495 per person).
