Travel Advice From Some Experienced Hands : Tourism: Tour managers who lead overseas trips suggest that travelers show more flexibility, take fewer clothes and know their destinations better.

Travelers should more carefully research their destinations in advance of leaving, and bring along less clothing and a more positive attitude when they travel. That’s the consensus of a sampling of tour managers employed by Southern California-based tour companies.

While travelers tend to be more sophisticated today than they were in the past, many still make inappropriate negative comparisons about how things are done in foreign countries as opposed to the “correct” way that things are done back in the United States, say the managers, who serve as leaders of tour groups on overseas sightseeing trips.

“Not every country enjoys the U.S. standard of living or shares our cultural interests,” said Christine Berrini, who conducts tours primarily in the South Pacific for Van Nuys-based Brendan Tours. “Avoid comments like, ‘We have this at home’ or ‘This is the way we do it in the States.’ Some travelers go to another country and expect the same standards and methods as in the U.S., and this leads both to disappointment on their part and being perceived as rude and unrealistic by locals,” said Berrini.

Bob Vasily, a tour manager for Olson-Travelworld of Manhattan Beach, agrees.

“It seems simplistic to say so, especially in the 1990s, but travelers have to take places as they are,” said Vasily, who has been leading tours for more than 20 years. “If you can’t bend a little, perhaps you should consider not going abroad. Toleration is needed for travel.”

But Jens Luecke, a tour guide for the Newport Beach-based tour company Travcoa, and a 30-year veteran in the business, added that: “Most American travelers, while they still make the inevitable comparisons, are very understanding.”

Having brought too much clothing along on trips is one of the most common complaints of travelers once they reach their destinations, according to the tour managers interviewed. “I often hear people say they haven’t used half of the things they’ve brought,” Berrini said. “It’s much better to travel light. You’ll spend less time packing and unpacking, and reach what you do need more quickly.”

Berrini advises dressing in layers, putting on and taking off clothing as needed. “I see travelers who put on shorts because it’s hot outside and then are cold on the air-conditioned motor coaches,” Berrini said. “If they carry a pair of pants or sweater with them, they can be more comfortable. A small all-weather jacket, which can also be used as an extra pillow on planes and coaches, is very handy.”

According to the tour managers, another reason for packing light is to allow space in suitcases for souvenirs and other items picked up along the way. Some travelers have to buy extra luggage to carry everything, which can make return travel more awkward.

The tour managers also believe that too few travelers adequately prepare themselves for their tours, thus often failing to note important details in the day-by-day itineraries.

“Travelers who carefully read the brochures are less likely to be surprised,” Vasily said. “These travelers have a clear idea of how long they are spending at each destination, which meals are included in the tour, and which are ‘free periods.’ Though we go over these details in the orientation session which precedes the tour, it’s often surprising how little people know about the actual components of the tour they’ve bought.”

Too many travelers skip doing enough background reading and research about their destinations, and are thus unversed about the customs and culture of the areas. Lack of knowledge often leads to avoidable surprises.

Luecke recalled a couple upset about their accommodations on a tour of Southeast Asia. “This couple thought they would stay in the same type of luxury hotels in Burma (now Myanmar) that they stayed in at other destinations on the tour, such as Thailand and Hong Kong, and they were surprised to find that the hotels in Burma weren’t of the same standard. Had they read the material provided to them, they would have realized the difference in hotels between the countries.”

While tour managers hold orientation sessions and are available throughout tours for advice, not every aspect of a destination can always be covered.

Berrini cited an ongoing problem she encounters on tours of Australia:

“Flights from Melbourne to Alice Springs leave very early in the morning and our groups have to leave the hotel at 5:30 a.m., which is before the hotel is open for breakfast. Our brochures indicate that there won’t be any cooked breakfast until the flight is underway, around 7:30 or 8, but people don’t read carefully and they still get upset when they don’t get a cooked meal at the hotel.”

Then again, too much background reading can occasionally backfire.

“Some travelers who have really researched the destination expect to see and do everything that they’ve read about, which may not be feasible,” Vasily said. “Distances can be greater than they realize. For example, some travelers read that the Great Wall of China is about 20 miles from Beijing and underestimate the amount of time it will take to get there and back. This trip can take 1 1/2 to two hours. Meanwhile, travelers expect to have more free time than may be available.”

The tour managers recommend that travelers immediately air any complaints they may have during their trip, while there may still be time to rectify the situation, rather than holding them in and then complaining afterward via a phone call or letter that criticizes tour arrangements. “There’s nothing more frustrating than to learn of a problem from a traveler after it’s too late for me to try to do anything about it,” Berrini said.

Tour managers are available on a 24-hour basis for tour participants.

“I’d rather be called at 3 a.m. with a problem than five minutes before departure,” Luecke said. “Travelers are told that they can call me at any time, even the middle of the night, if there’s a problem. But some people are too shy.”

Some travelers, say the tour managers, lose sight of several important points: being in a group means a responsibility to be on time; bus and motor-coach seats are assigned on a rotating basis to permit everyone to have a chance at window seats, and there is usually no smoking on the motor coaches. Travelers are expected to adjust to a certain amount of regimentation.

Other suggestions offered by the tour managers:

--Travelers who need to take medications at certain times should alert the tour manager or others on the tour in case they anticipate potential difficulty in handling their medical needs.

--Couples should mix their clothing in two suitcases so that if one bag is lost or missing, some necessary items will be available for both persons.

--Travelers should use credit cards to pay for purchases whenever possible. “The rate of exchange used by the credit card company to process your purchase is usually a wholesale bank rate that will probably be better than the rate of exchange you’ll get in converting traveler’s checks,” Vasily said. “You also avoid paying the surcharge each time you convert traveler’s checks.”

Some travelers are overloading on U.S. $1 bills to use as tips when traveling abroad, Luecke said. “The $1 bills can be handy in underdeveloped countries, but not in other nations, where they want to receive their own currency.”

As for tipping tour managers, the going rate--according to the managers interviewed--is about $3 per day per passenger. The best method is to put tips in an envelope and hand it to the manager at the end of the tour--not take up a collection among members, which is considered tacky.

Money should also be put aside for a tip for the motor-coach driver, with $1 per day per passenger considered adequate. Envelopes should be used for this purpose as well. However, some tour operators may incorporate the tip for motor-coach drivers in the price of the package. This policy is usually explained in the brochures.