Globus vs. Insight for Italy
Jan 23rd, 2010, 08:12 AM
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Globus vs. Insight for Italy
Hi,
My husband and I are going on a 14 day tour of Italy in July. We cannot decide between Globus Italian Mosiac tour and Insight Italian Escapade tour. Any suggestions?
My husband and I are going on a 14 day tour of Italy in July. We cannot decide between Globus Italian Mosiac tour and Insight Italian Escapade tour. Any suggestions?
Jan 23rd, 2010, 08:22 AM
#2
Hi; Check the prices of the tour you like with both Globus and Insight. Then be sure to check these two discounter companies for the tours you are looking at. Richard www.affordabletours.com and www.pavlustravel.com
Jan 23rd, 2010, 08:29 AM
#3
I have no personal experience with guided tours, but my sister-in-law and her husband took the Globus' Italian Mosaic tour a few years ago. They had a great time, but they also had a hard time remembering what they saw where. The days are long and start early. You'd certainly see a lot of Italy with either tour, but if it were me I'd look for a tour that covers less ground in 14 days.
Jan 23rd, 2010, 08:40 AM
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This Fodors forum tends to be frequented by more do-it-yourselfers, including myself. Italy is one of those places that lends itself quite well to self guided travel.
The $$$ you save not paying Globus or Insight can go a long way to either upgrading your trip, or keeping the $$$ in your bank account.
Nothing wrong with guided tours, but if decide to try to plan it yourself you'll get a lot of great help here on Fodors.
The $$$ you save not paying Globus or Insight can go a long way to either upgrading your trip, or keeping the $$$ in your bank account.
Nothing wrong with guided tours, but if decide to try to plan it yourself you'll get a lot of great help here on Fodors.
Jan 23rd, 2010, 08:53 AM
#5
I just noticed your screen name, LIBride2Be... If I'm correct that this trip will be your honeymoon, I'll repeat my suggestion that you find a tour that involves less moving around over 14 days. Both of the tours you're contemplating will give you little time to yourselves, and you'll have early wake-up calls every morning.
Jan 23rd, 2010, 09:59 AM
#6
While it is not your 'honeymoon trip, what Jean and others have said is factual. Setting up an independent trip is fun and more relaxing while traveling. That said, you may just want a taste of Italy. It seems like you have five two night stops and two one night stops. Not unreasonable. One consideration will be, most of the people on board will be middle age, or like me, [75]. So, just be aware that you will not be with many young people. [Just guessing that you are young folks] Ask Globus or Insight. Richard
Jan 24th, 2010, 04:16 PM
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My husband and I travel to Europe every year and have done tours with Globus, Insight, Tauck and Trafalgar. For the past couple of years we have travelled independently and found this to be not a vacation but an experience. Although you can choose what time to get up and how long to spend in each place, we have spent many hours in queues, wasted timen getting to train stations or finding car parking spaces and had too many headaches to call this a vacation! And ended up spending more money than we did when touring. Tauck were the most luxurious but with 3 meals a day included, we spent more time eating than exploring and as a couple in our 40's, we found the tour group to be VERY elderly. Insight had the best located hotels of the other 3 companies which meant we could do our own thing when we wanted to and I have found out this year that they now have 'journeys' rather than 'tours' that are more independent and have lots of 3 night stops in cities.
Jan 24th, 2010, 06:00 PM
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If this is your honeymoon I would NOT book a tour. They specialize in 7 am starts, changing hotels (often at the end of hell and gone) every day, long days sitting on the bus, group meals and early to bed - not a romantic trip at all.
If you want the above I would check out the following:
Which hotels they use (how far from the center of town)
How many different hotels
How much free time
How many included meals (fewer is better so you can have more local food)
How many sights are included (a "view" means you see something out of the bus window, a "stop" is a 5 minute photo op out front and only a "visit" means you actually go inside - sometimes not for long)
Be prepared for lots of stops for "shopping"
IMHO if this is a honeymoon I would pick 3 or 4 places, get a pretty hotel in the center of town and spend the time seeing major sights as well as just relaxing and people watching from cafes, lovely dinners in nice restaurants followed by romantic walks back to your hotel through piazzas with floodlit fountains. Much better than a mobile summer camp for adults.
If you want the above I would check out the following:
Which hotels they use (how far from the center of town)
How many different hotels
How much free time
How many included meals (fewer is better so you can have more local food)
How many sights are included (a "view" means you see something out of the bus window, a "stop" is a 5 minute photo op out front and only a "visit" means you actually go inside - sometimes not for long)
Be prepared for lots of stops for "shopping"
IMHO if this is a honeymoon I would pick 3 or 4 places, get a pretty hotel in the center of town and spend the time seeing major sights as well as just relaxing and people watching from cafes, lovely dinners in nice restaurants followed by romantic walks back to your hotel through piazzas with floodlit fountains. Much better than a mobile summer camp for adults.
Jan 24th, 2010, 08:15 PM
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At a quick glance they look almost identical, though Insight runs a bit more expensive.
I haven't traveled with either of these groups but I've traveled with both of their cheaper counterparts, Cosmos and Trafalgar. Traveling with Cosmos, we stayed in a lot of the same places as the Globus groups and I do remember thinking how old the people tended to be. They mostly looked to be in their 60's-80's. While I love tour groups as I mainly travel alone, I really do think you might want to rethink doing either of these tours.
Most tours are pretty long days... early mornings, late lunch and often a late dinner. Stops are often not as long as you want in some places and too long in others. With that said, I like tour groups because I enjoy meeting new people and have nobody to travel with on my own.
I think you and your husband could easily do a very similar itinerary on your own and get to choose exactly how much time you want to spend in each place. You can join a city tour or a site tour for information instead of being with a tour guide the entire time. Trains can easily take you where you want to go so you wouldn't have to worry about driving if you didn't want to.
It's a toss up. If you do want to take a tour, then they look very similar and both groups have an excellent reputation. Look at the exact details... one you stop in Siena, one you might spend more time in Capri vs Sorrento. Compare the hotels they both tend to use. Do remember that hotels change, those are just a typical one the tour group uses. Print off the day by day itineraries and the optional's for both and go through that with a fine tooth comb. Circle anything that you prefer on one trip compared to the other and when you're done look at the circles.
If you're interested in a (most likely) younger group, look into Cosmos and Trafalgar. They often have very similar tours that are cheaper and often stay in the same or very similar class hotels.
I haven't traveled with either of these groups but I've traveled with both of their cheaper counterparts, Cosmos and Trafalgar. Traveling with Cosmos, we stayed in a lot of the same places as the Globus groups and I do remember thinking how old the people tended to be. They mostly looked to be in their 60's-80's. While I love tour groups as I mainly travel alone, I really do think you might want to rethink doing either of these tours.
Most tours are pretty long days... early mornings, late lunch and often a late dinner. Stops are often not as long as you want in some places and too long in others. With that said, I like tour groups because I enjoy meeting new people and have nobody to travel with on my own.
I think you and your husband could easily do a very similar itinerary on your own and get to choose exactly how much time you want to spend in each place. You can join a city tour or a site tour for information instead of being with a tour guide the entire time. Trains can easily take you where you want to go so you wouldn't have to worry about driving if you didn't want to.
It's a toss up. If you do want to take a tour, then they look very similar and both groups have an excellent reputation. Look at the exact details... one you stop in Siena, one you might spend more time in Capri vs Sorrento. Compare the hotels they both tend to use. Do remember that hotels change, those are just a typical one the tour group uses. Print off the day by day itineraries and the optional's for both and go through that with a fine tooth comb. Circle anything that you prefer on one trip compared to the other and when you're done look at the circles.
If you're interested in a (most likely) younger group, look into Cosmos and Trafalgar. They often have very similar tours that are cheaper and often stay in the same or very similar class hotels.
Feb 2nd, 2010, 05:27 AM
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Also check for the amount of free time you are afforded. To be able to re-visit a place or just chill out can be important.
Just because people are old, doesn't mean they aren't interesting any more but it can mean a pace that doesn't suit you.
I agree with Talisker, there is a trade-off with DIY and guided. You decide what's right for you.
Globus has been around a long time-don't know about the others.
Just because people are old, doesn't mean they aren't interesting any more but it can mean a pace that doesn't suit you.
I agree with Talisker, there is a trade-off with DIY and guided. You decide what's right for you.
Globus has been around a long time-don't know about the others.
Feb 2nd, 2010, 06:16 AM
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As some of the others have specifically mentioned, hotel location is really important, and tour companies may not situate you ideally. If you have five days in a city and stay a bit on the outskirts, that's one thing--you have the time to get around. If you just have one or two nights in a city, you certainly want to stay in a good and convenient location so you can walk out the door and experience the place.
I don't want to discount the tour idea right off the bat, though. I think if you choose a tour with a more relaxed intinerary, you might get your cake and eat it too--in other words, not have to plan/worry yet not feel as though you are in a tour "lockdown."
I'm thinking of a family we ran into in Venice last August who had landed a heck of a deal. They had really nice accomodations right by St. Mark's Square and lots of free time in each of the three cities they were visiting, which were Rome, Venice and Florence in around 8 days with train travel. Having done all three cities ourselves over the years, we thought that while their trip was short for three cities, their overall itinerary and daily schedule was rather good as a "taste test" of Italy--just enough touring, lots of free time, no buses.
It wasn't "us" but we thought their $$$ was being spent wisely.
I thought they were on a Globus tour (although the hotel listed on the Globus website doesn't quite match up to where I thought they were staying) and that they had gotten a discount through Affordable Tours, the one Richard mentioned.
Anyway, I'd choose a tour with the least peripatic schedule with nicely situated hotels if you go this route.
I don't want to discount the tour idea right off the bat, though. I think if you choose a tour with a more relaxed intinerary, you might get your cake and eat it too--in other words, not have to plan/worry yet not feel as though you are in a tour "lockdown."
I'm thinking of a family we ran into in Venice last August who had landed a heck of a deal. They had really nice accomodations right by St. Mark's Square and lots of free time in each of the three cities they were visiting, which were Rome, Venice and Florence in around 8 days with train travel. Having done all three cities ourselves over the years, we thought that while their trip was short for three cities, their overall itinerary and daily schedule was rather good as a "taste test" of Italy--just enough touring, lots of free time, no buses.
It wasn't "us" but we thought their $$$ was being spent wisely.
I thought they were on a Globus tour (although the hotel listed on the Globus website doesn't quite match up to where I thought they were staying) and that they had gotten a discount through Affordable Tours, the one Richard mentioned.
Anyway, I'd choose a tour with the least peripatic schedule with nicely situated hotels if you go this route.
Feb 2nd, 2010, 10:08 AM
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To answer the question: I took a Globus Tour on my first Europe trip and it was the best for me at that time. I did not have a clue about anything and it enabled me to cover a lot more ground that I ever could have on my own. There was no floundering around trying to figure things out, figure out where things were, no waiting in lines to get into places, and it gave me a great introduction to several cities, some of the "peculiararities" of the culture, and just all in all, was a good choice.
I have since done my other trips on my own, but that first trip was envaluable.
"Bride", study the brochures or the online brochures carefully. It will tell you how fast the tour is, will tell you how many nights in each place, it will tell you what sites you will actually see, or visit (usually in bold print), and will tell you when you tour. We usually toured in the morning and then the after noons were free to do as you wished OR there were optional tours offered if you wanted to do any of them, consequently, our tour had a lot of free time available.
Hotels are not always in the city center, but many are, but there is normally local transportation available. Globus is one of the largest tour companies in the world and are based in Lugano, Switzerland. They have been in business for years, and are usually very professional. I don't know anything about Insite.
I believe there are websites and message boards for tour groups, so you might try Googling and see if you get any hits. I looked at one time several years ago and came up with a few of them but didn't bookmark them. As with any reviews, keep an open mind because I don't think that there could ever be a business that doesn't get even one complaint. I usually try to see how many positive reviews there are vs the negative.
We had two couples in our group that the Queen Mother and Jesus could never have made them happy.
I have since done my other trips on my own, but that first trip was envaluable.
"Bride", study the brochures or the online brochures carefully. It will tell you how fast the tour is, will tell you how many nights in each place, it will tell you what sites you will actually see, or visit (usually in bold print), and will tell you when you tour. We usually toured in the morning and then the after noons were free to do as you wished OR there were optional tours offered if you wanted to do any of them, consequently, our tour had a lot of free time available.
Hotels are not always in the city center, but many are, but there is normally local transportation available. Globus is one of the largest tour companies in the world and are based in Lugano, Switzerland. They have been in business for years, and are usually very professional. I don't know anything about Insite.
I believe there are websites and message boards for tour groups, so you might try Googling and see if you get any hits. I looked at one time several years ago and came up with a few of them but didn't bookmark them. As with any reviews, keep an open mind because I don't think that there could ever be a business that doesn't get even one complaint. I usually try to see how many positive reviews there are vs the negative.
We had two couples in our group that the Queen Mother and Jesus could never have made them happy.
Feb 2nd, 2010, 11:05 AM
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Insight. But it also depends on if one tour goes someplace you really want and the other doesn't. I've done both Globus and Insight, and highly recommend Insight. However, you wont go wrong with either one of them. So it gets down to where you want to spend the most time, and what is most attractive to you.
Feb 2nd, 2010, 11:10 AM
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Early in my travel days I went on tours - I think they can be a fine experience. All the logistics are taken care of, you see alot of sights! hopefully you will be getting ideas of where you might want to go and linger on a future trip. If I were comparing these tours I would look for the one with multi-night stays in the locations and also the one with FEWER included meals - good food is easy to find in Italy but usually not found on tour meals. I'm sure you will have a wonderful time in Itay!
Feb 2nd, 2010, 11:41 AM
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I've been on tours and travelled independently. If you've never been to Europe, a tour can be the least intimidating way to go. Everything is arranged for you and all you have to do is follow along. However, you should note that:
1) You are kind of stuck with the same group of people for a long period of time
2) You will always travel at the speed of the slowest tour participant (and many will be rather elderly)
3) You will tend to go only to places that can accommodate large tour groups and large tour busses
4) You will tend to visit attractions when all the other tour companies visit, and
5) Your experience is likely to be significantly limited by time and the tour logistics.
When I first saw the Eiffel Tower on a tour, the experience was limited to a five minute photo stop. When I went back independently, I was able to enjoy a lovely picnic under its shadow at sunset.
1) You are kind of stuck with the same group of people for a long period of time
2) You will always travel at the speed of the slowest tour participant (and many will be rather elderly)
3) You will tend to go only to places that can accommodate large tour groups and large tour busses
4) You will tend to visit attractions when all the other tour companies visit, and
5) Your experience is likely to be significantly limited by time and the tour logistics.
When I first saw the Eiffel Tower on a tour, the experience was limited to a five minute photo stop. When I went back independently, I was able to enjoy a lovely picnic under its shadow at sunset.
Feb 2nd, 2010, 11:48 AM
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On my tour, my visit to the Eiffle Tower was a trip up it, and no waiting. I was with family on that tour and my brother and I didn't hang out with any of the others. We were with them when touring, of course, but we went on out own during our free time. Some people made a lot of friends in the group. My other brother and SIL have contact still with several people from out group and have had an open invite to visit one couple at their home in Australia anytime they want to go.
Ages on our tour ran from 13 to 70's and nobody had a walker.
Ages on our tour ran from 13 to 70's and nobody had a walker.
Feb 2nd, 2010, 12:33 PM
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Globus vs. Insight for Italy Posted by: LIBride2Be on Jan 23, 10 at 9:12am
Posted in: Europe
Tagged: Italy
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Hi,
My husband and I are going on a 14 day tour of Italy in July. We cannot decide between Globus Italian Mosiac tour and Insight Italian Escapade tour. Any suggestions?
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iris1745 on Jan 23, 10 at 9:22am
Hi; Check the prices of the tour you like with both Globus and Insight. Then be sure to check these two discounter companies for the tours you are looking at. Richard www.affordabletours.com and www.pavlustravel.com
Jean on Jan 23, 10 at 9:29am
I have no personal experience with guided tours, but my sister-in-law and her husband took the Globus' Italian Mosaic tour a few years ago. They had a great time, but they also had a hard time remembering what they saw where. The days are long and start early. You'd certainly see a lot of Italy with either tour, but if it were me I'd look for a tour that covers less ground in 14 days.
J62 on Jan 23, 10 at 9:40am
This Fodors forum tends to be frequented by more do-it-yourselfers, including myself. Italy is one of those places that lends itself quite well to self guided travel.
The $$$ you save not paying Globus or Insight can go a long way to either upgrading your trip, or keeping the $$$ in your bank account.
Nothing wrong with guided tours, but if decide to try to plan it yourself you'll get a lot of great help here on Fodors.
Jean on Jan 23, 10 at 9:53am
I just noticed your screen name, LIBride2Be... If I'm correct that this trip will be your honeymoon, I'll repeat my suggestion that you find a tour that involves less moving around over 14 days. Both of the tours you're contemplating will give you little time to yourselves, and you'll have early wake-up calls every morning.
iris1745 on Jan 23, 10 at 10:59am
While it is not your 'honeymoon trip, what Jean and others have said is factual. Setting up an independent trip is fun and more relaxing while traveling. That said, you may just want a taste of Italy. It seems like you have five two night stops and two one night stops. Not unreasonable. One consideration will be, most of the people on board will be middle age, or like me, [75]. So, just be aware that you will not be with many young people. [Just guessing that you are young folks] Ask Globus or Insight. Richard
Talisker on Jan 24, 10 at 5:16pm
My husband and I travel to Europe every year and have done tours with Globus, Insight, Tauck and Trafalgar. For the past couple of years we have travelled independently and found this to be not a vacation but an experience. Although you can choose what time to get up and how long to spend in each place, we have spent many hours in queues, wasted timen getting to train stations or finding car parking spaces and had too many headaches to call this a vacation! And ended up spending more money than we did when touring. Tauck were the most luxurious but with 3 meals a day included, we spent more time eating than exploring and as a couple in our 40's, we found the tour group to be VERY elderly. Insight had the best located hotels of the other 3 companies which meant we could do our own thing when we wanted to and I have found out this year that they now have 'journeys' rather than 'tours' that are more independent and have lots of 3 night stops in cities.
nytraveler on Jan 24, 10 at 7:00pm
If this is your honeymoon I would NOT book a tour. They specialize in 7 am starts, changing hotels (often at the end of hell and gone) every day, long days sitting on the bus, group meals and early to bed - not a romantic trip at all.
If you want the above I would check out the following:
Which hotels they use (how far from the center of town)
How many different hotels
How much free time
How many included meals (fewer is better so you can have more local food)
How many sights are included (a "view" means you see something out of the bus window, a "stop" is a 5 minute photo op out front and only a "visit" means you actually go inside - sometimes not for long)
Be prepared for lots of stops for "shopping"
IMHO if this is a honeymoon I would pick 3 or 4 places, get a pretty hotel in the center of town and spend the time seeing major sights as well as just relaxing and people watching from cafes, lovely dinners in nice restaurants followed by romantic walks back to your hotel through piazzas with floodlit fountains. Much better than a mobile summer camp for adults.
Iowa_Redhead on Jan 24, 10 at 9:15pm
At a quick glance they look almost identical, though Insight runs a bit more expensive.
I haven't traveled with either of these groups but I've traveled with both of their cheaper counterparts, Cosmos and Trafalgar. Traveling with Cosmos, we stayed in a lot of the same places as the Globus groups and I do remember thinking how old the people tended to be. They mostly looked to be in their 60's-80's. While I love tour groups as I mainly travel alone, I really do think you might want to rethink doing either of these tours.
Most tours are pretty long days... early mornings, late lunch and often a late dinner. Stops are often not as long as you want in some places and too long in others. With that said, I like tour groups because I enjoy meeting new people and have nobody to travel with on my own.
I think you and your husband could easily do a very similar itinerary on your own and get to choose exactly how much time you want to spend in each place. You can join a city tour or a site tour for information instead of being with a tour guide the entire time. Trains can easily take you where you want to go so you wouldn't have to worry about driving if you didn't want to.
It's a toss up. If you do want to take a tour, then they look very similar and both groups have an excellent reputation. Look at the exact details... one you stop in Siena, one you might spend more time in Capri vs Sorrento. Compare the hotels they both tend to use. Do remember that hotels change, those are just a typical one the tour group uses. Print off the day by day itineraries and the optional's for both and go through that with a fine tooth comb. Circle anything that you prefer on one trip compared to the other and when you're done look at the circles.
If you're interested in a (most likely) younger group, look into Cosmos and Trafalgar. They often have very similar tours that are cheaper and often stay in the same or very similar class hotels.
kamaoleman on Feb 2, 10 at 5:40am
I had nothing but problems with Insight. In my opinion they are the last company I would use. Unscrupulous by their very nature!
TDudette on Feb 2, 10 at 6:27am
Also check for the amount of free time you are afforded. To be able to re-visit a place or just chill out can be important.
Just because people are old, doesn't mean they aren't interesting any more but it can mean a pace that doesn't suit you.
I agree with Talisker, there is a trade-off with DIY and guided. You decide what's right for you.
Globus has been around a long time-don't know about the others.
AlessandraZoe on Feb 2, 10 at 7:16am
As some of the others have specifically mentioned, hotel location is really important, and tour companies may not situate you ideally. If you have five days in a city and stay a bit on the outskirts, that's one thing--you have the time to get around. If you just have one or two nights in a city, you certainly want to stay in a good and convenient location so you can walk out the door and experience the place.
I don't want to discount the tour idea right off the bat, though. I think if you choose a tour with a more relaxed intinerary, you might get your cake and eat it too--in other words, not have to plan/worry yet not feel as though you are in a tour "lockdown."
I'm thinking of a family we ran into in Venice last August who had landed a heck of a deal. They had really nice accomodations right by St. Mark's Square and lots of free time in each of the three cities they were visiting, which were Rome, Venice and Florence in around 8 days with train travel. Having done all three cities ourselves over the years, we thought that while their trip was short for three cities, their overall itinerary and daily schedule was rather good as a "taste test" of Italy--just enough touring, lots of free time, no buses.
It wasn't "us" but we thought their $$$ was being spent wisely.
I thought they were on a Globus tour (although the hotel listed on the Globus website doesn't quite match up to where I thought they were staying) and that they had gotten a discount through Affordable Tours, the one Richard mentioned.
Anyway, I'd choose a tour with the least peripatic schedule with nicely situated hotels if you go this route.
Paul1950 on Feb 2, 10 at 10:03am
Someone would have to either be a poor planner OR stay in very, very nice lodgings and eat extremely well to spend more money travelling independently than they would spend on a guided tour!
crefloors on Feb 2, 10 at 11:08am
To answer the question: I took a Globus Tour on my first Europe trip and it was the best for me at that time. I did not have a clue about anything and it enabled me to cover a lot more ground that I ever could have on my own. There was no floundering around trying to figure things out, figure out where things were, no waiting in lines to get into places, and it gave me a great introduction to several cities, some of the "peculiararities" of the culture, and just all in all, was a good choice.
I have since done my other trips on my own, but that first trip was envaluable.
"Bride", study the brochures or the online brochures carefully. It will tell you how fast the tour is, will tell you how many nights in each place, it will tell you what sites you will actually see, or visit (usually in bold print), and will tell you when you tour. We usually toured in the morning and then the after noons were free to do as you wished OR there were optional tours offered if you wanted to do any of them, consequently, our tour had a lot of free time available.
Hotels are not always in the city center, but many are, but there is normally local transportation available. Globus is one of the largest tour companies in the world and are based in Lugano, Switzerland. They have been in business for years, and are usually very professional. I don't know anything about Insite.
I believe there are websites and message boards for tour groups, so you might try Googling and see if you get any hits. I looked at one time several years ago and came up with a few of them but didn't bookmark them. As with any reviews, keep an open mind because I don't think that there could ever be a business that doesn't get even one complaint. I usually try to see how many positive reviews there are vs the negative.
We had two couples in our group that the Queen Mother and Jesus could never have made them happy.
Infotrack on Feb 2, 10 at 12:05pm
Insight. But it also depends on if one tour goes someplace you really want and the other doesn't. I've done both Globus and Insight, and highly recommend Insight. However, you wont go wrong with either one of them. So it gets down to where you want to spend the
I have a $400.00 credit due me from Insight. They keep telling my travel agent that they sent it back to my C/C but the bank has no pending credit. This is a terrible company in my opinion. As long as things go well, no problem but, if there is a problem then they treat you like the "ugly stepchild". Not a company I will ever do business with again.
Posted in: Europe
Tagged: Italy
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Hi,
My husband and I are going on a 14 day tour of Italy in July. We cannot decide between Globus Italian Mosiac tour and Insight Italian Escapade tour. Any suggestions?
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iris1745 on Jan 23, 10 at 9:22am
Hi; Check the prices of the tour you like with both Globus and Insight. Then be sure to check these two discounter companies for the tours you are looking at. Richard www.affordabletours.com and www.pavlustravel.com
Jean on Jan 23, 10 at 9:29am
I have no personal experience with guided tours, but my sister-in-law and her husband took the Globus' Italian Mosaic tour a few years ago. They had a great time, but they also had a hard time remembering what they saw where. The days are long and start early. You'd certainly see a lot of Italy with either tour, but if it were me I'd look for a tour that covers less ground in 14 days.
J62 on Jan 23, 10 at 9:40am
This Fodors forum tends to be frequented by more do-it-yourselfers, including myself. Italy is one of those places that lends itself quite well to self guided travel.
The $$$ you save not paying Globus or Insight can go a long way to either upgrading your trip, or keeping the $$$ in your bank account.
Nothing wrong with guided tours, but if decide to try to plan it yourself you'll get a lot of great help here on Fodors.
Jean on Jan 23, 10 at 9:53am
I just noticed your screen name, LIBride2Be... If I'm correct that this trip will be your honeymoon, I'll repeat my suggestion that you find a tour that involves less moving around over 14 days. Both of the tours you're contemplating will give you little time to yourselves, and you'll have early wake-up calls every morning.
iris1745 on Jan 23, 10 at 10:59am
While it is not your 'honeymoon trip, what Jean and others have said is factual. Setting up an independent trip is fun and more relaxing while traveling. That said, you may just want a taste of Italy. It seems like you have five two night stops and two one night stops. Not unreasonable. One consideration will be, most of the people on board will be middle age, or like me, [75]. So, just be aware that you will not be with many young people. [Just guessing that you are young folks] Ask Globus or Insight. Richard
Talisker on Jan 24, 10 at 5:16pm
My husband and I travel to Europe every year and have done tours with Globus, Insight, Tauck and Trafalgar. For the past couple of years we have travelled independently and found this to be not a vacation but an experience. Although you can choose what time to get up and how long to spend in each place, we have spent many hours in queues, wasted timen getting to train stations or finding car parking spaces and had too many headaches to call this a vacation! And ended up spending more money than we did when touring. Tauck were the most luxurious but with 3 meals a day included, we spent more time eating than exploring and as a couple in our 40's, we found the tour group to be VERY elderly. Insight had the best located hotels of the other 3 companies which meant we could do our own thing when we wanted to and I have found out this year that they now have 'journeys' rather than 'tours' that are more independent and have lots of 3 night stops in cities.
nytraveler on Jan 24, 10 at 7:00pm
If this is your honeymoon I would NOT book a tour. They specialize in 7 am starts, changing hotels (often at the end of hell and gone) every day, long days sitting on the bus, group meals and early to bed - not a romantic trip at all.
If you want the above I would check out the following:
Which hotels they use (how far from the center of town)
How many different hotels
How much free time
How many included meals (fewer is better so you can have more local food)
How many sights are included (a "view" means you see something out of the bus window, a "stop" is a 5 minute photo op out front and only a "visit" means you actually go inside - sometimes not for long)
Be prepared for lots of stops for "shopping"
IMHO if this is a honeymoon I would pick 3 or 4 places, get a pretty hotel in the center of town and spend the time seeing major sights as well as just relaxing and people watching from cafes, lovely dinners in nice restaurants followed by romantic walks back to your hotel through piazzas with floodlit fountains. Much better than a mobile summer camp for adults.
Iowa_Redhead on Jan 24, 10 at 9:15pm
At a quick glance they look almost identical, though Insight runs a bit more expensive.
I haven't traveled with either of these groups but I've traveled with both of their cheaper counterparts, Cosmos and Trafalgar. Traveling with Cosmos, we stayed in a lot of the same places as the Globus groups and I do remember thinking how old the people tended to be. They mostly looked to be in their 60's-80's. While I love tour groups as I mainly travel alone, I really do think you might want to rethink doing either of these tours.
Most tours are pretty long days... early mornings, late lunch and often a late dinner. Stops are often not as long as you want in some places and too long in others. With that said, I like tour groups because I enjoy meeting new people and have nobody to travel with on my own.
I think you and your husband could easily do a very similar itinerary on your own and get to choose exactly how much time you want to spend in each place. You can join a city tour or a site tour for information instead of being with a tour guide the entire time. Trains can easily take you where you want to go so you wouldn't have to worry about driving if you didn't want to.
It's a toss up. If you do want to take a tour, then they look very similar and both groups have an excellent reputation. Look at the exact details... one you stop in Siena, one you might spend more time in Capri vs Sorrento. Compare the hotels they both tend to use. Do remember that hotels change, those are just a typical one the tour group uses. Print off the day by day itineraries and the optional's for both and go through that with a fine tooth comb. Circle anything that you prefer on one trip compared to the other and when you're done look at the circles.
If you're interested in a (most likely) younger group, look into Cosmos and Trafalgar. They often have very similar tours that are cheaper and often stay in the same or very similar class hotels.
kamaoleman on Feb 2, 10 at 5:40am
I had nothing but problems with Insight. In my opinion they are the last company I would use. Unscrupulous by their very nature!
TDudette on Feb 2, 10 at 6:27am
Also check for the amount of free time you are afforded. To be able to re-visit a place or just chill out can be important.
Just because people are old, doesn't mean they aren't interesting any more but it can mean a pace that doesn't suit you.
I agree with Talisker, there is a trade-off with DIY and guided. You decide what's right for you.
Globus has been around a long time-don't know about the others.
AlessandraZoe on Feb 2, 10 at 7:16am
As some of the others have specifically mentioned, hotel location is really important, and tour companies may not situate you ideally. If you have five days in a city and stay a bit on the outskirts, that's one thing--you have the time to get around. If you just have one or two nights in a city, you certainly want to stay in a good and convenient location so you can walk out the door and experience the place.
I don't want to discount the tour idea right off the bat, though. I think if you choose a tour with a more relaxed intinerary, you might get your cake and eat it too--in other words, not have to plan/worry yet not feel as though you are in a tour "lockdown."
I'm thinking of a family we ran into in Venice last August who had landed a heck of a deal. They had really nice accomodations right by St. Mark's Square and lots of free time in each of the three cities they were visiting, which were Rome, Venice and Florence in around 8 days with train travel. Having done all three cities ourselves over the years, we thought that while their trip was short for three cities, their overall itinerary and daily schedule was rather good as a "taste test" of Italy--just enough touring, lots of free time, no buses.
It wasn't "us" but we thought their $$$ was being spent wisely.
I thought they were on a Globus tour (although the hotel listed on the Globus website doesn't quite match up to where I thought they were staying) and that they had gotten a discount through Affordable Tours, the one Richard mentioned.
Anyway, I'd choose a tour with the least peripatic schedule with nicely situated hotels if you go this route.
Paul1950 on Feb 2, 10 at 10:03am
Someone would have to either be a poor planner OR stay in very, very nice lodgings and eat extremely well to spend more money travelling independently than they would spend on a guided tour!
crefloors on Feb 2, 10 at 11:08am
To answer the question: I took a Globus Tour on my first Europe trip and it was the best for me at that time. I did not have a clue about anything and it enabled me to cover a lot more ground that I ever could have on my own. There was no floundering around trying to figure things out, figure out where things were, no waiting in lines to get into places, and it gave me a great introduction to several cities, some of the "peculiararities" of the culture, and just all in all, was a good choice.
I have since done my other trips on my own, but that first trip was envaluable.
"Bride", study the brochures or the online brochures carefully. It will tell you how fast the tour is, will tell you how many nights in each place, it will tell you what sites you will actually see, or visit (usually in bold print), and will tell you when you tour. We usually toured in the morning and then the after noons were free to do as you wished OR there were optional tours offered if you wanted to do any of them, consequently, our tour had a lot of free time available.
Hotels are not always in the city center, but many are, but there is normally local transportation available. Globus is one of the largest tour companies in the world and are based in Lugano, Switzerland. They have been in business for years, and are usually very professional. I don't know anything about Insite.
I believe there are websites and message boards for tour groups, so you might try Googling and see if you get any hits. I looked at one time several years ago and came up with a few of them but didn't bookmark them. As with any reviews, keep an open mind because I don't think that there could ever be a business that doesn't get even one complaint. I usually try to see how many positive reviews there are vs the negative.
We had two couples in our group that the Queen Mother and Jesus could never have made them happy.
Infotrack on Feb 2, 10 at 12:05pm
Insight. But it also depends on if one tour goes someplace you really want and the other doesn't. I've done both Globus and Insight, and highly recommend Insight. However, you wont go wrong with either one of them. So it gets down to where you want to spend the
I have a $400.00 credit due me from Insight. They keep telling my travel agent that they sent it back to my C/C but the bank has no pending credit. This is a terrible company in my opinion. As long as things go well, no problem but, if there is a problem then they treat you like the "ugly stepchild". Not a company I will ever do business with again.
Feb 2nd, 2010, 02:20 PM
#20
Hi; We have done 30 trips to Europe, five on group toues. They have all been positive. It's sad when someonne has a problem and the company does not help to resolve the problem. But hundreds of thousands of people travel using these travel companies. We are using one in September to celebrate our 50th in Scandinivia. I can't answer for Insight. But we used Globus for a trip to the Western part of the US. It was fine. I don't discount the troubles people have at times. But do what you feel comfortable doing. As others have said, bags outside the door at seven. Breakfast at seven thirty. Leave at eight thirty for a day trip or your next destination. Sonetimes, on tour, it's just a minute look at something that you could have spent an hour. So far, we have had no problems with the tours we have used. We realize what a tour is about and accept the conditions. We are not denigrating any thing 'kamaoleman' is saying, only giving our opinion. Bottom line, if you do a tour, you now know what to expect. Richard
