Booking Tips and Tricks for Excursions, Tours and Private Airport Transfers by Xpotours

How do I book a tour or airport transfer online?

Our booking platform was built with you (the guest) in mind, making it easy to check rates, pickup times, and complete your booking — all on one simple page.

1.- Click “Book Now”.
2.- Select your hotel for pickup.
3.- Enter your vacation arrival and departure dates to see what’s available during your stay. If you are already at your hotel, simply enter the same tour date in both fields.
4.- Choose the number of participants or vehicles (whichever applies).

Then, click “Check Availability” to see the days and times available for your selection. If the options fit your plans, go ahead and book your tour instantly.

Local currency vs credit card

Use cash in local currency for small shops, markets, and tips. For excursions and airport transfers, it’s best (and most secure) to pay by credit card. This way, you avoid carrying too much cash and won’t be stuck with leftover bills to exchange at a poor rate when leaving.

Only use credit cards with verified businesses or online platforms — never with street or beach vendors, as you may not be able to reach them again if something goes wrong.

How far in advance should I book?

Most tours can be booked just a day or two in advance. However, it is highly recommended to book smaller group tours or seasonal tours, such as whale watching or whale shark snorkeling, well ahead of time, as the limited space may fill up fast.

Private tours should generally be booked well in advance so that the crew and the desired vehicle (boat, yacht, van) can be coordinated.

With an excellent cancellation policy like ours, which can be seen on each tour's booking page, your advanced booking is secured and refundable.

Finding Cheaper Tours

Large platforms, such as review websites, leverage their influence for bookings. While they offer competitive pricing, this often comes at a cost.

1.- They mandate that tours listed on their site be offered at the lowest available price (lowest price guaranteed), which often lead to reduced services despite appearing similar to other tours.

2.- Their customer service call centers manage a wide array of global tours but often lack firsthand experience of the destinations, relying instead on scripted information.

Booking Ocean-Based Tours

(Fishing, Boat Tours, or Diving)

Ocean-based tours are best planned for the beginning of your vacation. In case of severe bad weather, there will be flexibility to reschedule them for another day.

Booking all activities through the same platform will sometimes not only offer discounts but also make it easier to rearrange both water and land-based tours due to severe weather conditions, facilitated by the same qualified customer service agent.

Booking Online vs Hotel & Beach Vendors

Hotels in general don't have their own tours; tour desks in hotels are operated by companies that pay a good amount to operate on the premises and allow direct access to you. The hotels are not liable for the tour operation.

How about beach vendors?
Prices can be much lower, but if a deal seems too good to be true, be cautious—there's a risk of no one showing up to pick you up. We don't recommend paying upfront in cash, via WhatsApp, or wire transfer, as this money may not be recoverable.

So, what are the benefits of booking online?
1.- More Variety: You'll find a wider selection of tours because they're not limited by the company operating in the hotel.

2.- Convenience: You can book anytime from the comfort of your home, work, or hotel room.

3.- Secure Payments: Bookings are paid online through secure methods like Credit/Debit cards or PayPal, which ensures faster refunds for cancellations compared to visiting a hotel tour desk or finding the same beach vendor.

We aim to initiate refunds within 2 hours of a cancellation.

Booking With No Deposit Required

Some beach vendors and private sellers do promote this practice, and tours can get overbooked. There would be practically no obligation for the tour operator to pick you up if they are already full before reaching your hotel. You may also experience unnecessary stops where there are no guests, as they have not paid, and they may not show up.

Keep in mind, if you are picked up, you will most probably stop at an office for everyone to pay before continuing your journey.

It's more based on a stand-by principle, similar to flights. If there is space available, then you are good to go. While this may work out for some vacationers, most people on vacation want to ensure they see the highlights of the country they are visiting and have peace of mind.

All our tours require a minimum deposit or full payment for some tours, depending on the service. This ensures that your seat is reserved, and you don't have to guess whether you will be picked up or not. Your reservation is backed by our excellent cancellation and refund policy, which is available on each tour's booking form.

No bots, no AI, just us!

If you feel overwhelmed by the countless online booking options, consider asking yourself: “Do I want to talk to a bot and get random answers from AI, or do I want a real person and travel professional to assist me?”

This also applies to call centers. Many large corporations have outsourced their customer service to call centers across the globe. These agents often have never visited your vacation destination and handle calls for hundreds of different companies.

We have our own team of real people with years of travel experience, providing human customer service and with 24/7 direct contact to our local coordinators at each destination.

All 5 Stars? Too Good to Be True

Let’s be honest—when you see a business with a perfect 5.0 rating, it feels suspicious. No bumps? No hiccups? No mildly annoyed guests?

Real service—human service—means that once in a while, things go wrong. What matters is how a company responds. That’s why a mix of honest reviews, even the occasional negative reviews, often tells a more trustworthy story than an unbroken string of glowing praise.

Most people speak up only when something goes wrong. But when everything goes smoothly—when the tour is fun, the guide is great, the day is amazing—many stay quiet, assuming that’s just how it should be.

Still, behind every seamless experience is a team working hard to make things feel effortless.

Do you offer last-minute bookings?

Yes — in most cases we do. Many tours can be booked last-minute as long as there is availability. Some semi-private or small-group tours may already be full, so we always recommend booking as early as possible to secure your spot.

How do I contact customer support?

The easiest way is through our VIP WhatsApp team or by calling any of the phone numbers at the bottom of the page.
Your voucher also includes the direct number of your local coordinator in case you need urgent updates or last-minute assistance.

Is XPO Tours the same as Expo Tours?

No — we are XPO Tours, a separate company. Many travelers type or search for us as “Expo Tours” because the names sound similar, but our official name is XPO Tours. If you ended up here while looking for “Expo Tours,” you’re in the right place — trusted airport transfers and top-rated excursions with the service guests expect.

For your safety, please make sure to only book through trusted platforms and never send payments to private individuals, WhatsApp numbers, or personal bank accounts. All official bookings and payments for XPO Tours are handled through our secure website and verified channels.