#74. Is traveling in a group led by a tour guide the best way to travel?
Those lucky enough to travel, particularly those fortunate enough to visit foreign countries, face the decision of traveling in a group with an experienced tour guide or traveling by themselves. The choice is a difficult one as both ways of travel have advantages. Personally, I believe that, although traveling in a group with a tour guide is obviously convenient, the benefits are often not significant enough and in many ways traveling in this kind of way can limit one's travel experience.
The conveniences of group travel with a tour guide include the fact that one easily meets other people and thus has a more enjoyable and comfortable travel experience. This is particularly important when traveling in a foreign country where a language barrier prevents interaction with the locals and isolation can become a problem. The tour guide is often experienced in generating a jovial atmosphere within the group, and his/her knowledge of the foreign culture and places of interest provide travelers with a greater appreciation of their trip. Also, and maybe most importantly, when traveling with a guide the individual traveler normally does not have to worry about hotel reservations and transportation. Those aspects are taken care of.
On the other hand, convenience might not be important to a traveler, and traveling alone allows far more personal freedoms. For example, one can easily make changes to the travel itinerary. The traveler can choose to stay in certain places or move on more quickly than otherwise possible, because he does not follow a set schedule. Learning about culture and places of interest is also easy as that information is readily available in books. Furthermore, travelers tend to congregate, and it is very easy to meet fellow vacationers who might have insightful tips as far as where to go and what to do. Generally, basic command of the English language suffices to have such informative exchanges with other travelers and locals, who are often eager to share their customs and culture.
Therefore, traveling outside a large tour group can result in a richer and more genuine experience, and I believe this experience to be more exciting to me.
74. 跟团旅行是最好的旅行方式吗？
那些能有幸到处旅游，特别是能够到国外旅游的人，面临着跟团旅游还是自己独自行动的选择。两种方式各有好处，所以在这二者之间做出选择也不是件容易的事。我个人认为，虽然跟团旅游非常方便，但其好处并不特别显著，而且在很多时候跟团旅行会限制你的旅行体验。
跟着有导游的旅行团一起出游非常方便。你可以很容易地找到一起出行的人，由此获得更加快乐和舒适的旅行体验。这一点在出国旅行中尤其重要。这是因为由于你可能存在语言障碍，所以不能和当地人进行交流，好像是被社会隔离了一样。导游往往善于在旅行团中制造快乐的气氛，他对异域文化和名胜古迹的了解能使旅行的人更好地享受旅行。同时，可能也是最重要的一点，随团旅行时不用自己考虑交通和住宿的问题。因为这些早有人替你安排妥当。
另一方面，对有些旅行者来说，个人的自由比方便更为重要，例如，自己就能够很容易地决定改变旅行的路线。由于并没有固定的日程安排，自助旅行者可以选择待在某个地方或是立刻离开。学习当地文化、参观名胜古迹也非常简单，因为这些信息在书上都有。此外，自助的旅行者们喜欢在一起交流信息，这样他们就能很容易地从有经验的度假者中得知要去哪里、做些什么等信息。总的来说，只要掌握基本的英语就能和其他旅行者或是当地人进行交流，而他们也很希望把自己的文化和风俗习惯介绍给其他人。
因此，不随一个很大的旅行团旅行可以使你获得更加丰富和真实的旅行体验，而且就是这种体验更能使我兴奋。
- tour guide 导游
- itinerary ［aiˈtinəˌreri］ n. 路线，旅行计划
- barrier ［ˈbæriə］ n. 障碍物，屏障
- congregate ［ˈka:ŋgriˌgeit］ n. 隔绝，隔离，绝缘
- isolation ［ˌaisəˈleiʃən］ v. 使集合；聚集
- insightful ［ˈinˌsaitfuəl］ adj. 富有洞察力的
- jovial ［ˈdʒəuviəl］ adj. 快活的，高兴的
- exchange ［iksˈtʃeindʒ］ n.&v. 交换，兑换；交流
- atmosphere ［ˈætməsˌfiə］ n. 大气；气氛
- reservation ［ˌrezəˈveiʃən］ n. 保留，预定
- custom ［ˈkʌstəm］ n. 习惯，风俗
- freedom ［ˈfri:dəm］ n. 自由，自主，直率
- genuine ［ˈdʒenjuin］ adj. 真实的，真正的