Carolyn Newlen

I am just beginning to plan for a 21 to 30-day trip to England, Scotland, and Wales as a retirement gift to myself in September 2001. My husband gets to go, too, and he is more comfortable with a guided tour. My question is, would we experience more local flavor by using a British touring company than by booking with a U.S. firm?

wes fowler

Carolyn, <BR>This will no doubt be the first of many conflicting, contradictory responses you'll receive to your query. I do congratulate you for your foresightedness in beginning your planning this far in advance of your trip. With the luxury of time you have in planning, I'd really suggest you consider a self planned, self-guided tour, particularly if you want to experience the "local flavor" of Great Britain, something you'll find sorely lacking through the window of a tour bus or in a hotel lobby that caters solely to tourists or in restaurants geared to quick meals so the tour is not delayed in meeting its itinerary schedule. There are any number of knowledgeable contributors to Fodors who will willingly offer you meaningful and useful suggestions and advice regarding resources in planning, budgeting and ensuring a pleasurable, memorable and meaningful adventure for you and your spouse.

Sheila

Carolyn <BR> <BR>Could I sign up to the previous response. And given the time you are coming for we can easily arrange some otions for you for one or 2 day trips, if you think help in interpretation would be a good thing. <BR> <BR>You'll have much more fun if you do it yourself. <BR> <BR>

Beth

One more vote for doing it on your own You will get loads of local flavor by staying in small b&b's where you may have breakfast with other travellers, or your hosts. And the UK, with no language barrier, is one of the easiest places to plan an independent trip.

elvira

Ditto to the above. We'll all pitch in and help with lots of info if you do the self-guided tour. <BR>A couple of compromises: There are a couple of tour companies that offer airfare & hotels, but leave you to do your own thing (they offer guided tours during your stay, if you want to sign up)so the pressure is off to make reservations; take coach (bus)day/overnight tours occasionally (for example, you don't really need a 'guided' tour of London, but a 'guided' bus tour to Bath might suit you). Mostly, you don't have to worry about language (a fry's a chip a chip's a crisp, you know, etc.) and the natives are fairly civilized (except for that caber tossing thing). Two whole years to plan - take it from an old warhorse, you'll wake up tomorrow and the trip will only be 6 months away...

Lori

Carolyn, <BR>Add me to the list of people recommending planning the trip yourself and staying away from guided tours. You really do not need on in the UK and you will have much more fun doing your own thing than hauling around in a bus all day and keeping to their schedule which frequently stops at places you may not want to see (or interested in) and skips those that really appeal to you. London is a perfect place to start off and very simple to get around in. Everyone on this Forum will be willing to help you out and believe me it's a lot more fun to travel independently and do what you want to do when you want to do it (including doing nothing on occasion!!) <BR>You can always sign up for day tours as someone mentioned above which is a good compromise. There are also "package tours" that most airlines have that will include (for example) a week in London with a 1/2 day sightseeing trip and the balance "on your own". You can combine something like that with doing your own thing the rest of the time. <BR> <BR>Enjoy the planning, it's almost as much fun as the trip itself.

Al

Count us in as advisors in helping you plan your self-guided trip! It's so much more fun, can save you a bundle, and can be the adventure of a lifetime. <BR>I guarantee you will have one problem, however. Once you start a conversation with most persons your age in Britain, you have a hard time getting away. This happened to us so many times that we called it our "two of clubs" gambit. Any conversational opener can lead to talk and talk and talk -- all you need to do is break the ice and let them carry it from there. We made friends that have lasted for decades that way.

Lori

Carolyn, <BR>It's me again - another thought you might consider .. pick a couple of places in England, Scotland & Wales and make them your "home base" for a week or so (also London), instead of staying someplace different every night. It's so much better than packing & unpacking every night (as on a tour) and you have a chance to get to settle in some and really see the area, and even talk to some of the people who live there (which you won't get to do on a bus tour). You can rent a car and take day trips but return to your base at night. We've done this 5 or 6 times and it is a marvelous way to see things. For instance, we stayed 5 days in Lewes one time and drove all around the area visiting places such as Hastings, Hever Castle (beautiful), Herstmonceaux, Rye, etc. but we always had a "home" to come back to. We did this in Salisbury too. Salisbury is a great town and easy to get to other places from. There are all sorts of delightful inns/country hotels (or B&B's if that is your thing) every where so that is never a problem (choosing one is tho!!!). If driving around does not appeal to you a stay in a community (one easily accessible from London by train) can be done as well and then you could do day trips (via rail or bus) as well. Driving is not that hard tho, it takes a day or two to get the hang of it (just don't drive with jetlag). <BR> <BR>Is there a particular reason why your husband feels more comfortable with a tour? (not to be nosey .. it helps in answering questions). The freedom of doing your own thing, eating where you want to, staying in places that appeal to you (places with some charm and historical interest rather than hotels full of other American tourists on similar bus tours) and coming and going at will are great reasons why it is better to go it alone. We'd never travel any other way (a couple of day long excursions in Spain with a group made us firm believers in traveling by ourselves - we could not wait to get off that bus!!!). <BR> <BR>There is so much info on the web, and along with travel books, it is simple to put together a trip. Let us all know your plans, as I said before this Forum is full of people willing to help. <BR>

Nigel Doran

I too agree that you ought to consider going it alone and plan an itinerary. The suggestion of using three or four bases is a good one. You could then pre-book your rail or air tickets and scout around for a good deal on car hire, bearing in mind that you might not always need one in the big cities. <BR>You could consider 6 - 7 days in London from where you could also take in day trips to places like Cambridge, Canterbury or even Bath, then take the train or plane to Edinburgh for a similar period, then to York, across to the Lakes and then down to north Wales before returning to London via Bath. A Britrail pass might come in handy. Do a search for it and you'll get the information. <BR>Email me directly if you need any more information.

greg

Carolyn, <BR>Let me comment on the inquiry exactly as you posed. You might have a good reason for wanting to go with a guided tour. I will comment on this later. <BR> <BR>The local flavor is much of what each define what it is. Perhaps the food, the country side, the people, how ordinarly people live, the conversation, the music, etc. For example, if your definition of local flavor is country side living, then no amount of self guided tour of city will satisfy your need. In this respect, I doubt there is really no distinction between British or US firm. You have to examine individually what each firm offers. In Europe I have done mostly on my own with some guided day tours because they satisfied our goals at reasonable cost or a destinations had less value without time to study the history guide of the places. Without saying specific firms (which is metioned in this forum many times,) some provide you with more time and put you in place to satisfy your definition of local flavor on your own while others make you follow all the scheduled destinations only. This you have to study the itenerary carefully to find where they will make you stay and how long you have at each place as well time on your own. <BR> <BR>Regarding choices between doing on your own vs guided tour. I have done guided tours before the Internet days. If your husband's preference is due to pain on obtaining the info, then the time has changed. They are much easier to obtain now. If you or he has no time to research on your own, then you would probably have to stick with guided tours.

Roger

I understand for many people the fear of the unknown and this somewhat unsettling feeling can lead you to want to take a tour. If this is the way you will feel confortable, do it with a tour. A tour is better than not going at all. You might want to consider a shorter tour for the first time and I will bet that the next time you will want to do it on your own. A three week tour sounds far to long to be with the same people. <BR>