To my surprise, as many as twenty-two people joined the first Australian trip organized by Japan-Australia Society of Joetsu, among whom were first-time overseas travelers and elderly people.  Furthermore in spite of a short one-week trip, the schedule was very tight.  Included among my initial worries were:
"Is a tour conductor necessary;" and
"Is an ordinary package tour better for this kind of trip?"

Ordinary package tours with tour conductors are planned minutely from the departure to the return, enabling us to travel around some tourist sights more efficiently, leaving little room for unforeseen difficulties.  On the other hand, all the participants would end up with sharing the same experience.  In addition to that, there is little opportunity for them to undertake individual activities and take time to walk around and think at sightseeing places.

Having considered the options, I decided that our tour would not be a package tour with a tour conductor, but each participant should make his own itinerary, thus taking responsibility for themselves, and, of course, paying his own expenses. The desired result would be twenty-two people traveling to Australia, each encountering twenty-two different Australian perspectives and experiences.

Looking back on our tour, we did have some troubles: we lost the box of books, there was an uneasy relationship between the bus driver and us, and we were late for an appointment with Cowra Mayor.  However all of these difficulties were minor problems which, I hope, the participants were able to laugh away.  Above all, it was fortunate that all of us returned to Joetsu in good shape, along with some souvenirs and many wonderful memories.  I look forward to listening to those experiences, each different from the other, at the first given opportunity.

In the end, I apologized to the group for forcing my personal tastes upon them.  I changed the non-stop bus tour from Sydney to Cowra so we could make a stop at the Blue Mountains on the way.  Although the bus driver suggested that we should stop at McDonald's for lunch, I persuaded him to dine at a local Aussie restaurant, which resulted in us being one and a half hours behind the schedule for our arrival into Cowra.  I should say that I am responsible for both of them.  Nevertheless I would like all the participants to accept these unexpected contingencies as pleasant memories.

These days I am contemplating what type of trip we will have next time.