Guest Author - Jill Browne

There are so many experienced travel companies in the business, that many of them offer packages you can't beat by booking yourself.

If you don't really want all of the things included in the package, then maybe you can copy the parts of the itinerary you like. Figure out what your modified version would cost you, and then make your decision.

Don't forget to factor in convenience and comfort. It's always nice to arrive in a new place and be driven right to the door by someone who knows where they are going, rather than trying to navigate in the dark.

Still, if your proposed trip doesn't pose any great challenges, then a copycat itinerary might be a good idea.

I wanted to see if I could beat the Elderhostel package for an area I'm familiar with, the Canadian Rockies. Elderhostel is a non-profit organization with a solid reputation for educational travel for people 55 and over. They also have some intergenerational experiences.

Elderhostel's website offers the "Exploring Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks", an 11-day tour starting from Calgary (various dates in June, July, August). The base price is $2,622.00 US per person, double occupancy (about $3,015.00 Canadian, at $1.15 USD per CAD).

The tour is educational, covering a lot of interesting human and natural history. The value of that educational content has to be taken into account when comparing prices.

The accommodations during this season in this area are at their highest rate. A quick check of the Best Western hotels website shows that rooms would cost about $200 CAD per night. For a double, that would be $100 CAD per person per night.

The meals are included in Elderhostel's price. Eating in restaurants for three meals a day would cost about $50 CAD per day per person at a minimum.

If you were going to make this trip on your own, you would have to find your own transportation and pay your own admission into the attractions.

So far the math works out this way:

$3,015 CAD total
less $1,100 CAD for accommodation
less $ 550 CAD for meals
leaves $1,365 CAD, or $124 CAD per day, for transportation, attractions, and the educational content of the trip.

My rough assessment of this itinerary, and this is only approximate, is that it would cost at least $50 CAD per day per car for gasoline for the mileage covered. This will vary widely depending on the type of vehicle, and the price of gasoline can fluctuate unexpectedly also. I have not allowed anything for car depreciation or rental.

That leaves about $74 CAD per day (more if you share a car). The $74 is value ascribed to educational and attractions.

Elderhostel is a non-profit agency. Their reputation is good. In this example, I would expect that they would indeed deliver good value for money. The question becomes, as a customer, would you appreciate that value? Can you afford it? If not, perhaps you are better off to copy the itinerary and modify it to suit your tastes and your budget.

If you do want to learn about the places you are seeing, and to be shown some of the key sites, going with a reputable agency can be far more time-effective than trying to do it on your own. When you're on the road, time is money.

Comparing apples with apples, I don't think I could beat this Elderhostel package. If I wanted to copycat this itinerary and try to see the same places for less money, I could do it but I would have to downgrade. For example, it would be cheaper to stay in a tent, buy food from grocery stores, travel in the off-season and do my own research.