Hop On/Hop Off Backpacker Tours: The Pros and Cons

Hop On/Hop Off tours are a very unique type of tour for backpacking around Europe. Also known as jump-on/jump-off tours, it’s a great way to travel cheaply and at your own pace. While on the bus it’s a tour, but you can get off at designated points along the way and catch the next bus coming through! However, hop on/hop off tours aren’t for everybody. To help you decide if it’s for you, here are some pros and cons of hop on/hop off tours.
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Pros

• Transportation to premier and off the beaten path destinations.
   
• The flexibility to spend as long as you want at a particular destination.
   
• The driver can book your next night's accommodation and activities in advance
   
• At each destination, you are free to do whatever you want.
   
• You can meet people from all different walks of life while on the bus.
   
• Reasonable prices make it great option for budget travelers.
   
• Takes you to places you might not normally visit.
   
• You may see the same people for an entire trip.

Cons

• The buses may not travel to all the destinations you’d like to visit.
   
• You have to time your trip around bus arrival/departure times.
   
• You may get stuck with the same people for an entire trip!
   
• Some of the destinations the bus visits may be out of the way of your intended destination.
   
• You may have to stay an extra day or two in a destination waiting for the next bus to come through.