These days it's pretty easy to plan a whole vacation by yourself online, even if you're traveling far away or to less visited locations, such as West Africa. Tourism to this region is growing, with Cote d'Ivoire in West Africa ranking the third most visited country in Africa for 2014 and experiencing a 24 percent increase in tourism in just one year. However, due to the vast differences in these countries compared to the United States, it's advisable to use a West Africa tour booking service, such as Continent Tours, instead of trying to go it alone.
The Devil's in the Details
When it comes to traveling, one little, overlooked detail could cause a wide range of problems, especially when visiting somewhere that has a limited amount of infrastructure, such as that of many West African nations. A tour booking service will make sure to arrange everything from flights to hotel bookings to transportation to and from the airport and each attraction you'll be visiting making it easier to enjoy a stress-free vacation.
Knowledge Is Power
It can be hard to decide just which hotel to book for your stay when you know nothing about the area. Pictures may not be an accurate representation, meaning you could end up in a hotel that is a one star or less when there's a three- or four-star alternative just down the road. A professional working for a West Africa tour booking service will often have personal knowledge of the area and will be able to choose a suitable hotel in a relatively safe area. (Security does tend to be a serious issue in many parts of Africa, especially in the major cities.) They are also likely to know which tour providers, drivers and other tourism-related professionals in the area are reliable and trustworthy. Finally, they'll have a good idea which potential attractions you might enjoy the most given the details you provide them with. They can advise you on things like the best season to go on your trip, as during June to October it may be so humid and rainy that many roads are closed and the temperatures are too high to enjoy the area, but in November through March it may be relatively crowded but cooler and less wet.
Things Go Wrong
It's rare for a vacation to go off without a hitch. Flights get delayed, hotel bookings get lost or people get injured or sick. Booking through a tour service means that there's someone you can call to help you get out of whatever bind you happen to have gotten yourself into. This can be invaluable and prevent one little mishap from ruining an entire vacation. A missed flight connection could lead to losing a hotel reservation or having to spend the money for a night at a hotel you didn't even get to use, for example, but the booking service will usually be able to correct the problem or prevent it in the first place with the proper type of travel insurance to reimburse any extra costs due to unavoidable circumstances.
