FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

2. What is the difference between Big Brother Backpacking and other European tour companies?

3. My daughter is very excited about the idea of seeing Europe, but I am worried about her safety. Is a tour safe for both girls?

4. What types of tours do you offer?

5. Do you offer tours to places outside of Europe?

6. Why don't I just go out on my own?

7. Shouldn't students wait until after graduation for a backpacking trip?

Comments? Questions? Please contact us on Skype at bigbrotherbackpacking or click here to send us a message. We would love to hear from you!

"Is it safe?"

1. Yes, it is entirely safe. The number one purpose of Big Brother Backpacking is to provide a safe environment for adolescents and adults to experience adventure without imposing upon them the normal rules and regulations that provide safety. In exchange for a strict, well-trodden itinerary, we provide guides who have experience dealing with and preparing for any situation. Although we will be doing many things that are life-changing, a guide will be there as a safety net twenty-four hours a day to make sure that all of our activities are comfortable and safe. In many ways, a tour with us will be safer than a family vacation. Our students are always cared for, and since they are given creative control of their trip, they feel no need to sneak off or attempt to break away from the group.

"What is the difference between Big Brother Backpacking and other European tour companies?"

2. The difference between Big Brother Backpacking and other European tour companies is that we do not offer 'tours' in the conventional sense of the word. It is a misnomer to even call ourselves a tour company, as we have no set destinations or schedule that we are obligated to follow. We offer a real life 'choose your own adventure story', from the smallest Swiss town to the Boulevards of Paris. Our travelers are in control of where they want to go, and we provide them with the means, security, and confidence to go there. Our guides serve as mental atlases of Europe from which the travelers can inquire as to what are the best possible places, and choose the most suitable destinations according to their preference. Instead of just piling on a bus and heading from one major tourist site to the next, our students move of their own volition through the smallest towns and most gorgeous landscapes. Our guides may offer suggestions, plan routes, and make arrangements, but the ultimate decision is always up to the customers. We offer exactly what they desire, when they desire it. No schedules, no buses, and no hassles.

In turn, our students learn how to handle the realities of daily travel. In the case of our younger customers, most adolescents are yet to understand what it means to be truly in control of their lives and we at Big Brother Backpacking feel that the best lessons are the ones that come firsthand. Our students never forget their experiences with us, and in turn are more prepared for real-life problems in the future. Our tours are less about the sites and more about the experience. We offer real-time travel and life instruction in the spirit and actions of a benevolent older brother. Our training comes straight from experience, and our dedication is not to making destinations, but making memories. We are not just a tour company, we are adventure.

"My daughter is very excited about the idea of seeing Europe, but I am worried about her safety.

3. Our trips are geared towards both genders equally. Big Brother Backpacking is about developing students from all walks of life, and we are prepared for any type of student. If the idea of traveling with a male guide is off-putting, we would be more than happy to look into and discuss arranging for an experienced and professional female guide.

Safety is a main concern for both travelers and guides, so we completely understand that many parents feel that it is too dangerous for their daughters (or sons) to travel without their personal supervision. In response to these fears, we would like to to be clear that the guides at Big Brother Backpacking are experienced men and women who are pleased to provide students with the protection of an elder brother (or sister) twenty-four hours a day. Also note that violent crimes in Europe occur at a much lower rate than they do in the United States, and that statistically it is much safer for your daughter to travel with us than take a trip to her closest North American city.

"What types of tours do you offer?"

4. With Big Brother Backpacking, no two tours are the same. Every person's desire is different, and therefore the paths that our trips follow will ultimately change with each different group. Many people travel to Europe thinking that they want to see big cities only to realize that the countryside is far more serene and to their liking. Some want to see a place in full detail, while others wish to see as many countries as possible, leaving barely enough time to learn to pronounce the name of the town they just left. No matter what your ideal tour is, we are going to work to make it a reality. There is no set tour because there is no way to fully satisfy our customers with a simple "straight-line" itinerary. The way our tours work is through real-time decision making of our customers under the experienced moderation of their guide. This way, our travelers are capable of seeing as much as possible of what they want to see, in the way they want to see it.

"Do you offer tours to places outside of Europe?"

5. Simply put, yes and no. This is a very tricky question, as we provide no set group tours to anywhere outside of the countries found on the Eurail global train pass. If you are looking for a backpacking guide or tour information for somewhere outside of Europe, please be sure contact our owner, as he has a great deal of experience in Asia, the Middle East and the Americas, and may be able to work with you for a personal tour or help you find a reputable tour company offering a similar methodology.

"Why don't I just go out on my own?"

6. The short answer to this question is, if you feel you are up to it, by all means go out on your own! Our purpose is to make sure that students are prepared both mentally and emotionally for personal backpacking, and we are always happy to hear that more people have decided to see the world. That being said, there are many reasons why an inexperienced traveler should not be set loose in a foreign continent without a local hand helping guide them along. There are thousands of stories of fully matured travelers running into problems they didn't know how to handle and losing everything from their passport and money to their entire packs. Big Brother Backpacking wants to see an end to that. We train our students in the hands-on truth of traveling so that someday when they are on their own and disaster strikes, they will be prepared and know what to do. I am certain that if all travelers had taken a trip with us, a great majority of the travel scams that are so prevalent in European cities would simply disappear. Having been inexperienced travelers ourselves at one point, the staff at Big Brother Backpacking know the importance of a guiding hand, and wish to make sure that all of our travelers leave us confident and prepared for the road ahead.

As I said before, there is nothing stopping you from going it alone. What we offer is peace of mind, education, and the assurance that they will have an amazing time.

"Shouldn't students wait until after graduation for a backpacking trip?"

7. Depending on your child, you may think that the best option is to wait until after they graduate to send them on a backpacking trip. For a variety of reasons, most people seem to choose the time immediately after graduation (of either high school or university) to do their traveling. It should be noted, though, that there are also many reasons why it would be entirely beneficial for a student to see the world before they graduate. What a traveler with Big Brother Backpacking is going to gain is more than just basic European geography and a few words in foreign languages. Students of our program walk cript src="/plugins/editors/tinymce/jscripts/tiny_mce/themes/advanced/langs/en.js" type="text/javascript"> away with inspiration and vigour towards accomplishing their goals. Many suddenly feel a sense of direction and purpose that was previously dormant. For students still in school, these feelings can easily be translated to their classroom success. If a student sees what it means to be a success in life, to travel and understand the world, it will be much easier for them to relate what they are learning at home to the real world. Much of the apathy of the modern student comes from not being able to see the value of what they are learning. Lessons have little effect on their day to day lives. Big Brother Backpacking intends to bring all of those lessons home. By planning and executing their own adventure, our students learn the value of geography, language, math, meteorology, and history through experience. The relevance of the Second World War is a lot easier to understand when you have put your finger in a bullet-hole. Math becomes more important when it determines how and when you eat. The value of geography, meteorology and language become clear as they are put into real-time use. As much as our trip is helpful to post-graduate students in determining their future goals, it is just as important to current students in recognizing their present purpose.

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