Who wants a know-it-all on a holiday? Some of the things about exploring on a holiday is that you learn these bits and incidentals about the country’s past on your own.Another thing gunky about escorted tours: You seldom dodge the itinerary. If you come across a beautiful Monet or a piece of jewelry you’d like to buy in the souvenir shop, you can’t get the name of the piece if you’re hurried along to see the next thing or hear some next tale behind the sights today.

And there’s the displeasure of touring in an escorted visit with someone who has poor hygiene skills, talks the entire time of the sightseeing tour, or the tour guide is hard to understand or talks too much. It’s bound to be the most painful 90 minutes to three hours of your life. That’s not to say escorted tours don’t have their pluses; they do. You can be the one someone else gets to complain about when the tour’s concluded—especially if your baby is the one being a nuisance (though they’re too little and helpless to know they’re doing just that). And, you do get to learn important history on a sight you didn’t know or couldn’t find on your own. And sometimes these tours do offer lunch, souvenir, bathroom and stretch-your-legs breaks.

For the most part, it depends on you and your inclinations. If the escorted tours are in the cards and the temperament—for you, have a ball. On the other hand, if exploring and ready to learn a surprise is in your mind, that’s the route to go. Either way, having a great time is the aim. Just keep reminding yourself that when a cranky two year old clearly needing a nap isn’t ashamed in letting the other tourers know all about it through her endless screeches.