Booking directly with an independent tour operator – What it means! We understand that most people who travel to Ireland for holidays have come from great distances, saved their hard earned money and do a lot of research before choosing their activities. We know because we travel ourselves and know the investment that goes into holidaying. It is a financial investment, an investment in mental and emotional health as we unwind and recuperate from the busyness of modern life, it is an investment in culture and of course in time. This understanding is at the core of everything we do, so we aim to make our tour the most memorable part of your trip to Dublin.

We all want to experience and enjoy the country we go to visit and very often the best way to do that is through tours. When I was younger I was allergic to organised tours but as I travelled more on my own I realised that when I choose the right one they facilitated so much, great recommendations for the rest of my trip, the company of other travellers and of course the wealth of knowledge good tour guides can impart. When I took over Flavour Trails I wanted to ensure that every single person that booked our tour got all of these elements, a fun but informative afternoon with a well trained guide who was enthusiastic about our product and the guests who join us every day. I wanted to make sure that we produce a quality product with lots of availability and clear terms and conditions. As an independent company we are committed to telling a story with authenticity and use our imagination to develop our tours to the highest standards. To achieve this we must sell lots of tours so we accumulate the resources required to maintain and develop our offering.

Tourism is an amazing industry and we get to eat and drink for a living is not a bad deal but margins are tight and are becoming tighter as booking platforms hike their commission prices, some of the most popular booking platforms are now charging 27% and 30% respectively. We appreciate so much the visibility these platforms give us but we are also experiencing the pinch. Our tour prices are very competitive and we want them to remain that way so seeking out platforms who charge an annual fee that is fair to the provider allows us to use our income to improve our tour, train guides and develop new products. Platforms such as Woander work in this way. As they work to raise their profile they are providing great opportunities to tour providers, e.g. by making great social media content which allows us to showcase the best of what we do. Booking directly or through platforms such as these can make a huge difference to the quality of experience you receive as tour operators improve their margins.