Custom tours are a fashionable concept that has shaken up the stalled travel industry. While large and small operators are trying to adapt to closed borders and make up for lost business, experienced travellers are not sitting still. Why not create your own custom tour of the places you find most interesting and bring together a small group for the journey? Especially if your experience and knowledge allow you to share information expertly and engagingly.
What is a custom tour?
A custom tour is a unique sightseeing programme presented by its creator. They have designed the itinerary, planned visits to the most interesting places, researched the attractions, arranged accommodation and meals, ensured the trip is safe and appealing, and invited others to join the adventure. Custom tour groups are usually small, with no more than 10–15 people. First, small groups make transport along the route easier: a minibus is often enough. Second, they allow direct interaction between the tour creator and the group, so everyone can ask questions and clarify details. Third, the group can genuinely bond: people become friends and stay in touch after the trip. Not everyone who loves travelling can create their own tour. Knowing an area well and understanding local realities is not enough; you also need a personal vision, the ability to build an engaging programme and inspire others. For example, someone may have visited Lake Baikal many times, both independently and as part of a group. Yet they may have noticed that group trips do not fully convey the uniqueness of the place, or that their itineraries are poorly structured or illogical. Travellers leave without that wow factor: they have been there and seen it, but nothing more. Then that person becomes inspired to show others their own Lake Baikal. They plan an itinerary, include the most fascinating locations and invite others to share the privilege of discovering Baikal. That is what a custom tour is!
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When weighing the pros and cons, it is easiest to start with the drawbacks of custom tours, as they are obvious. The main disadvantage is that the quality of the tour is unknown. It may be incredibly interesting, or it may be dull and poorly organised, with a creator simply trying to make money from trusting travellers. There is only one solution: before booking, carefully research the creator. Read their blog, browse their social media and watch videos from their trips. If you feel you are on the same wavelength, you are ready to go. Consider the creator’s reputation, values and reviews from previous travellers as well. The second drawback is that organisation can be fairly weak. On trips arranged by tour operators, every concern and hassle is taken care of, and travellers follow a tried-and-tested programme. Custom tours can be more complicated. The more budget-friendly the trip, the more likely there are to be issues with hotels or transport. A custom tour may also seem a little intimidating because of its packed itinerary: there may be virtually no free time, with every minute planned. This is understandable, as the creator wants to give the broadest possible impression of the destination in just a few days. Everything else about custom tours is a major advantage and a source of travel pleasure. Tours from operators often work like this: here is an interesting place, we have brought you here and arranged everything, and your job is simply to relax and not miss your return flight. Custom tours are different. The creator may advise you on the best way to reach the departure point, but getting there is not their responsibility. Their task is to keep travellers engaged throughout their holiday. Custom tours are generally multi-day quests or big adventures with a goal to reach somewhere. For example, climbing the highest point in the mountains of Dagestan accessible to untrained travellers, while seeing everything interesting along the way. This is a huge contrast with package holidays, where the tour operator does not particularly care whether you spend your time at the sea or by the hotel pool, leave your room before lunch, or choose somewhere else for dinner. A custom tour, on the other hand, would include the pool, the sea, nearby beauty spots, and an introduction to local culture and cuisine. In other words, it is always interesting and action-packed. Another feature of custom tours is the opportunity to choose a group with shared interests. For example, a tour of Crimea for travellers aged 60+ would offer one type of entertainment, while a programme for yoga enthusiasts and athletes would be different, and active, curious travellers would have a third option. Compare this with package tours, where a coach excursion brings together completely different people.
Where custom tours are available
The geography of custom tours is limitless. They can range from trips to Kamchatka or the mountains of Dagestan to tours of Moscow, St Petersburg, or a historic district in the creator’s home city. Everything depends on the creator’s ability to offer an appealing product. In summer, Crimea, southern Russia, the former Soviet republics and Russia’s constituent republics are popular destinations. Khakassia, Buryatia, Chechnya, Altai and Lake Baikal: the more mysterious the place, the more creators can offer their own travel programmes. Travellers are usually expected to make their own way to the destination, with arrangements then depending on local conditions. For example, a custom tour of Dagestan often looks like this: “meet in Makhachkala, followed by car travel, horse riding, hiking, a boat trip and quad bikes.” On a Moscow tour, travellers get to the capital however is most convenient for them, then use the metro, commuter trains and minibuses. Some tours include rafting, hiking or jeep safaris. For several days, the tour creator takes full responsibility for transport, meals, accommodation and the cultural programme. A custom tour is partly a lottery: the creator does not know how active or interested the group will be, while travellers cannot imagine exactly how they will be surprised and impressed. Usually, by the end of the first day, adjustments are already being made in response to the group’s wishes. And that is not a bad thing: flexibility and a focus on the group’s needs are two extremely important qualities for any tour creator.