| Compare Now Journey Small Group Tours with our Nearest Competitors | ||||
| Now Journey | Nearest Competitor | Mainstream Operator | Why Is This Important? | |
| Size of Group | Maximum 16 Guests. Always. Never a Big Bus. Enjoy our microcoach or luxury vans with Captain Seats. Very little time on vehicles. | "Around 24 - 28" Tourists in Big Buses, with many hours on the Bus. | 48 to 75 Tourists in Big Buses, with many hours on the Bus. | Discover what we call "True Small Group" travel: the benefits of a small group end when your group is larger than 16 people. |
| Price per day | $650-865 | $989-1489 | $200-450 | Always find out what's really included and then compare. |
| Tour Guides | Local, salaried Italian Expert Guides ((Tested & True, We know them, they know us)). | Hired National Guides paid thru tips & commission. | Hired National Guides paid thru tips & commission. | Your local guide can make or break your experience. Most tour company guides make their income from tips and kickbacks. NowJourney Guides are hand-picked by our Executive Director, Mark Story and paid a salary. Tipping is not permitted. |
| Dining Style | Order from the locally-owned & operated restaurant Menu: Wine & Premium Drinks Flow. Who else does this? | Set Menu at touristic restaurants | Set Menu: Chicken, Beef or Fish at the hotel restaurant. | On a Now Journey tour, stop and listen to the conversation of the table next to you: You'll quickly discover they're speaking in Italian. |
| Sightseeing | All included | Most cost extra | Most cost extra | No Upsell with Now Journey. Ever. |
| Admissions & Entrances | Not just 'skip-the-long-line,' but Special Access | Skip-the-Line | Large group requires time to process into venues ((and get off the bus!)) | Special Access means we have relationships with the venues we visit. The small group will skip lines and enjoy VIP entrance to most locations. |
| Tips | All Tips for Guides, Drivers and Included Dinners — Included. Tour Captain optional. | All except guides, tour director & driver included. | None included. Tip everyone. | Most tour companies expect you to pay extra for guide and driver tips resulting in hundreds of extra dollars. |
| Hotel Location | Heart of City ((Where you want to be!)) | "Centrally Located" ((50% Not Centrally Located)) | "Centrally Located" ((Not Centrally Located)) | Operators can say "centrally located," but what matters is where your hotel is actually located. Heart of City with Now Journey means you are where you want to be. |
| Tour Directors | Tour Captains personally trained by our Executive Director, Mark Story to work with our American Guests. | Foreign Tour Director | Foreign Tour Director | We call them Tour Captains and they know the preferences of Americans. No awkward getting-to-know the foreign tour director. |
| Meals | 75% included | 50% included | 35–50% included | Daily Hot Breakfast Included, select lunches, special dining events, Unique Perspective Experiences, and select dinners included with Now Journey where you simply order from the menu. Everything is included. |
| Big Buses? | No: 16 to 22 Seat comfortable vehicles so you have room to move about but we can still get into the small villages | Yes: 56 Passenger Vehicles | Yes: 56 Passenger Vehicles | From "Nearest Competitor" Website: "Yes you are on a large bus for most of the transportation." |
| Upsell on Tour? | No. Our Tour Captains will not try to sell you more excursions. | Cruise ship mentality: The more they sell the more they make. | Traditional tour mentality: The more they sell the more they make. | This is a very key characteristic of Now Journey's approach to touring: We want your vacation to be unwrapped by our people for you. Have a free afternoon, our Tour Captains will help you with ideas but we're not going to sell you anything. |
| Trip Consultation | No charge. Our pleasure. | Various. "Special membership" required. | 30 minutes for $75, additional charge for every 15 minutes afterward. | Really? NowJourney does not require you to be a 'member' of their club or fraternity to enjoy free travel consultation. We'll even throw in a glass of Prosecco when you visit us in person. |
| Flexible Cancellation or Changes | Change or cancel your tour – with no charge or penalty – up to 60 days prior to your departure date. | Fees assessed at 60 days prior. | Fees assessed at 60 days prior. | Our industry leading cancellation policy is generally unheard of in the travel industry. |
| Guaranteed Tour Price | Guaranteed price locked in the moment you make your deposit. | May modify prices without notice. | May modify prices without notice. | It just doesn't make sense to us. The price is guaranteed once you deposit. |