[QUOTE=Atlas Shrugged;23118186]Much like the generality of cooking at home or going out for dinner, the variability is so significant that others' opinions are worthless. Individual competencies around cycling and travel and personal preferences regarding desired levels of support and budget are unknown. As mentioned earlier, I actively do fully self-support solo long-distance rides, such as Lisbon to Paris and have participated in relatively luxurious guided trips in the Dolomites. Each was awesome but a completely different experience.[/QUOTE]

Agree with all of that, and as for the last sentence, I too enjoyed the guided trips I've done, but must importantly because the organisation and people are fun, like minded folks, plus my partner really enjoys them, so that is a total bonus.
I personally prefer doing it on my own though.