Why We Tour: Rediscovering Travel’s Deeper Meaning

By Emily Bower

Just a couple of week ago, I was wandering the streets of China—jet-lagged, tongue-tied, and completely out of my element. I couldn’t read the signs, struggled to order food, and felt like I stood out in every possible way. And yet... it was one of the most meaningful trips I’ve ever taken. It reminded me why I believe so deeply in the power of thoughtful, well-designed tours. Not the kind where you're herded from one photo stop to the next, but the kind that spark real connection: to a place, to its people, and to yourself.

Today, instead of showcasing one city or destination, I want to zoom out. Let’s talk about why we take tours. How we choose them. And what we’re really hoping to find when we travel.

Why do we take tours?

For some of us, it's a simple getaway from the pushes and pulls of the everyday. But for others, it's a "Yes, and..." situation. Yes, we want to get away from the daily routine, and we want to find connection. Meet someone who could have been us, had we been born in a different country. Talk with someone who knows the perfect pairing of wine to cheese, and can give you the backstory behind each as well. 

To see familiarity in the faces of strangers. To wonder in awe at the sheer creative genius and human ingenuity in some of the world's greatest artworks and buildings. To find common ground.

This is why we travel. And it's why choosing a great tour company matters.  

How does one tour differ from the next when they go to the same venue and see the same things?

If you just want to see Gaudí architecture, lay eyes on a Michelangelo sculpture, or sip an apéritif without a care in the world, go for it! 

But if you have a curious nature, seek threads of connection that require a little bit of effort to uncover, or want the freedom to ask questions and get lost in intellectual conversation with an expert, then a quality tour is a must. 

Using a highly vetted tour company that matches your interests with an expert who can speak to those areas that fascinate you... That's how you connect the dots between yesterday and today. It's what makes the difference between seeing a site and understanding it.

Your tour will become something much larger; it will transform into a real-life exploration of history where you actively draw connection between paintings, politicians, and promenades that you would have no way of knowing otherwise. These connections don't live on monument plaques or Google itineraries. The only way to them is through a personal, intimate conversation and exploration with an expert. 

I hope if you already understand the magic of a great tour, you'll share that with friends and family who may be traveling this summer and into the fall. And that you'll come back to us when your next trip comes up, too. 

Private? Or small group?

Although we are known for our private tours, we do offer small group tours as well. 

As a young traveler, a group tour was often all that I could afford. But that doesn't mean I only deserved lackluster, skim-the-surface tours. No way! I deserved to experience deep, immersive, thought-provoking, and even surprising explorations of the places I was visiting. 

A small-group tour with Context would have been perfect for me, just like they are still perfect for so many travelers today.

Context group tours are never larger than 10, although many are smaller, capped at six or eight. These are the perfect option for young travelers, budget travelers, or anyone who appreciates being surrounded by a group of people with diverse opinions and life experiences. 

What is our ultimate goal when we travel?

For many of us, it begins with curiosity. A desire to step outside the ordinary. But beneath the surface of plane tickets and hotel bookings, there’s something deeper driving us: the pursuit of understanding. Of connection. Of seeing the world not just as it appears in guidebooks, but as it’s lived—messy, complex, beautiful.

Those sparks of recognition, the kind that stop you in your tracks and make you feel something–they don’t happen by accident. They require a catalyst. A local expert who knows the city’s rhythm and its secrets. A fellow traveler whose questions open new pathways of thought. A story that makes the stones beneath your feet feel sacred. These moments don’t live in surface-level commentary. They're only found in conversation, interpretation, and human connection.

And yet, without that guidance, many travelers walk through remarkable cities without ever truly experiencing them. They leave with camera rolls full of monuments but no memory of meaning. A shoulder shrug and a selfie. What a shame.

When we travel well—intentionally, reflectively—we begin to see ourselves in others. In the calligrapher in Kyoto, the bookseller in Istanbul, the grandmother sipping wine in Bordeaux. The distances between us feel smaller. The stories more universal.

This is the real power of private and small group tours. Not just in what they show you, but in how they allow you to feel. To stretch beyond the surface. To connect past to present, self to stranger, and moment to meaning.

Because in the end, we don’t just travel to see the world.

We travel to understand our place in it. Ready to find yours?

About Emily Bower: Emily is a writer and brand marketer who’s passionate about helping travelers feel more connected to the places they visit. At Context Travel, she leads content and partnerships that bring expert-led stories to life. With a background that spans social strategy, editorial copywriting, and digital campaigns, she’s spent the last decade turning big ideas into clear, engaging messages. Her favorite projects are the ones that blend curiosity, craft, and a bit of wanderlust.