Reputable Tours

Old Dec 15th, 2014, 08:51 PM
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Reputable Tours

Hi everyone! I'm a newbie. Just started browsing tours of the UK because I would love to take my daughter on the trip of a lifetime for her high school graduation. There is so much out there, I was overwhelmed. I was wondering if anyone had any advice on the most reputable companies? Looking for 14 days land and air I think. Thanks in advance.
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Old Dec 15th, 2014, 09:20 PM
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First question -- why do you think you need a tour? The UK is probably the single easiest country to visit independently.

There always is the option to travel on your own but take the occasional day tour.
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Old Dec 15th, 2014, 10:18 PM
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You would likely to have more satisfactory experience if you first define what you want to get out before searching how to do it (which reputable companies to do what?)

It is also easier to get overwhelmed if you don't have clear objectives. Clear objectives would help you sort out fluffs from the essentials as defined by you and not by someone else with different motives.

Is this a trip of "lifetime" for you or for your daughter? If would be difficult to come up with a common solution given likely generational differences in interests, even if one postulates such a thing as a trip of "lifetime" exists.

Finally, different tour groups target different clients. Even if you end up using a tour company, "reputation" is just one of the criteria, not the exclusive one. There are tours targeted to budge travelers. They seem to offer group "discounts", but in reality use out of town inconvenient accommodations and eat at group restaurants you wouldn't even think of using them if you had a choice.
There are tours targeted to younger people looking for party atmospheres. There are high-end tours using top accommodations, but with significant premiums over what you can do on your own with people who can pay such premiums - likely your daughter's grandparents' age group.

And finally, so called discount air-fare add-ons are often not discount at all and may come with more restrictions than what you can book on your own.
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Old Dec 15th, 2014, 11:46 PM
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I can't imagine an 18 year old would welcome 2 weeks on an escorted bus tour with early starts, daily regimentation and being with 40 or 50 people a lot older than she. How is this a trip for the 2 of you? It will be a trip for the 50 of you on the bus.

You won't be able to see the entire UK in 2 weeks so focus on those places that interest both of you. Definitely several days in London plus 2 or 3 other locations for a few days each. There are day trips from London to other locations close by using London Walks.

You may be stressing yourself with the "trip of a lifetime" focus. If your daughter has this "trip of a lifetime" at 18 what will she look forward to. Think of this as a time to celebrate the next step of her life and for both of you to have some time together rather than creating the "perfect" travel plans. Looking at this trip as one trip during your lives may take some focus away from perfection and allow you to relax and decide on what you want to see and to make some preliminary plans.

If you really want an escorted tour some of the reputable companies are Collette, Taulk, Insight. When deciding on escorted tours do not be fooled by the base price as those companies with the lowest prices are often quite expensive when you add everything you need to pay for a la carte. Often the hotels are not central and the included meals are not the best.
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Old Dec 15th, 2014, 11:55 PM
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I recommend checking out your local library or bookstore for guidebooks. Rick Steves' books are good ones to start with for newbie travelers as he explains the basics well.
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Old Dec 16th, 2014, 12:47 AM
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Oh no, a mention of Rick Steves.
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Old Dec 16th, 2014, 12:49 AM
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if you are absolutely set on a tour, rick steves (mentioned above) may have a slightly younger clientele than many-- just because they advertise that you must be willing to carry your luggage and walk up several sets of stairs to your hotel room (though it's not often the case.)

otherwise, would recommend that you base in a couple of larger towns and take little day tours from there, instead of one longer tour.

you will find great britain to be super easy to do on your own... you could easily do a full week in london, with some day tours to the coast, stonehenge, the university towns.your days in london will be full and exciting, with almost no planning... just by walking and exploring. (there are also good london walking tours that are quite inexpensive, called 'london walks' at walks.com.
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Old Dec 16th, 2014, 03:54 AM
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You really need to do some basic research to determine the major things you - and your daughter - want to do and see. Then determine if there is a tour that covers those htings - and what the cost will be.

Many tours companies are reputable - but the prices differ significantly - you get what you pay for (if lucky) in terms of quality and location of hotel. quality of food and how many things are included versus optional. (Many tours keep prices low to lure people in but include little - and by the time you add the "optional" extras - the prices may well be even higher.

Also - you need to understand that with tours you get:

Early starts every day - often luggage outside your door at 7 and on the bus at 8 am
Long days sitting on a bus watching things go by outside the window - often with a group of largely older adults
Be aware when you study the tour brochures (and you need to comb them with a fine tooth comb) of the following definitions:
View - seeing sight outside the window of the mocing bus
Stop - a 5 minute photo op in front of a sight
Visit - only visit includes going inside and often the time is very limited versus that necessary to really see the sight (may include on a brief view of interior and no time at all in gardens or other museums on site)

I agree if I were 18 I would rather do anything than go through this process - but instead visit a couple of places in depth with the option of day trips by train

But your daughter needs to determine her must sees - and how much time she wants to allow for night live with local students at pubs/cafes/clubs
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Old Dec 16th, 2014, 05:51 AM
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Thanks everyone!! Your replies have been helpful. �� I think basing in two big cities and doing day trips will probably be our best option. I had not thought about the "lack of freedom" aspect of doing a tour. And neither of us are morning people. Lol.
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Old Dec 16th, 2014, 07:05 AM
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I agree with what the others have said about spending all of your time w/ an organized tour company. That said, we have done several of them w/ different companies and these tours are very rigid and all on time schedules. They have so much territory to cover in whatever length of time you are on the tour. We usually spent 2 days at the same hotel and then moved to the next destination. You usually have to have your luggage left outside your hotel room door so the bus company can pick it up and load it aboard the bus (sometimes it was 5:30 am so we would pack up and put it outside our door before we went to bed). Also, if you are not a morning person, this may not be something for you. And as mentioned, don't think it would be all that much fun for your daughter as she would be traveling w/ mostly "older" travelers.

Sit down w/ your daughter and ask her what she would like to see so you can narrow down your itinerary. Then do a day by day itinerary and narrow that down so you can pick what you will do that day. We only spent 2 days in London pre-cruise and of course that was not even allowing us to see so many wonderful things in London. What we did was to do an all day tour so we could see the highlights of the city. It was a very nice tour and we had a fantastic tour guide on the bus. We were able to take a Thames River cruise, visit the Tower of London (highly recommend, do not miss!), and visit the interior of St. Paul's Cathedral (again do not miss, beautiful!). We also got to see the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace and the bus driver got us there early enough so we could walk right up close to where the ceremony took place. Awesome experience! All 3 of these were included in our ticket price. We did a one hour stop at a London pub for lunch (not included in our price) and that was a nice relaxing break. There was a mixed group of younger and older people on the bus. Here is the website:

https://evanevanstours.com/

I highly recommend this company. I booked them after checking many reviews of them. They are professional, well organized, and you would see a lot in one day. We did the London city tour but they have many nice tours that go outside London. We wanted to do Windsor Castle tour but as I said didn't have enough time in 2 days. One tour that your daughter might enjoy is the Harry Potter Tour. You can check it out on the website. I looked at the hop on bus tours but decided that getting on/off the busses and waiting for the next bus to come along would waste time for us so decided to do the Evan Evans. We were very glad we did!

While we did not use the tube you can easily do this w/ your daughter.

Here are some websites that will be helpful:

The following website is one that I used frequently for reference purposes as it will give hotels by London districts, how to use the tube, etc. I found it very helpful.

http://www.londontoolkit.com/
http://www.visitlondon.com/
http://www.londontown.com/

When are you thinking of going? I am guessing after high school graduation so that is a busy tourist time in London. You should start your planning ASAP and line up your itinerary. As I said, see what your daughter would like to do and then go from there. You may want to take a day trip to Paris by train, many people do this. I would suggest doing an overnight as Paris is awesome as well! However, maybe you would rather focus on London and it's surroundings.

Think about all these suggestions and when you and your daughter have come up w/ some type of itinerary, get back to us and you will get lots of "expert" opinions. I am certainly not an expert but loved our London visit and know you will as well.
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Old Dec 16th, 2014, 07:36 AM
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For someone her age, get Time Out London and Paris. You can start by looking on their on-line sight.

1. Mom, take a deep breath.
2. Create a realistic budget.
3. As many have noted, each of you make a list of things you want to do, then compare and pare.
4. The ratings of hotels on Expedia and Booking.com are more accurate than Trip Advisor, because you must have actually stayed at those hotels in order to give your opinion.
5. Do not overpack, that is both clothes and the things you want to do. The most common mistake of a new traveler is trying to do too much and going to many cities, which takes up a great deal of time.
6. Read about the customs of both places, to minimize the bad surprises.
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Old Dec 16th, 2014, 07:37 AM
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Sorry, one more thing as noted above. Do not think of this as a trip of a lifetime for either of you, it puts too much pressure on the decisions and the trip.
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Old Dec 16th, 2014, 07:40 AM
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Enlist your daughter in the trip-planning so she feels it's really her trip. Get guidebooks and videos from the public library and search the Internet for lots of information.

If you go in June, early as possible, you'll avoid some of the crowds. UK and European schools are still in session. And you'll see the tail end of the beautiful English spring. Plus it will be cooler. (There's little AC in England. And it's humid when it's hot. I'll never forget being stuffed in a Tube car during rush hour in a hot spell. No AC in the Tube/subway.)

Another recommendation for London Walks (www.walks.com). There are a million choices. And you don't need to commit ahead of time. Just show up at the meeting place. Also look into the day trips out of London that London Walks offers.

Lastly, don't plan too much. Take a little time to enjoy this special time with your daughter.
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Old Dec 16th, 2014, 08:29 AM
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>

Tours are for oldies or for ONLY people her age (slightly older - Contiki, which has an upper limit of 35 to prevent gramma from hijacking the tour). In the UK, the locals speak some varietal of English and most have the daft notion that it's the correct version. You should be able to navigate your terrain and converse with the natives.

Do NOT underestimate the size or draw of London - there's enough to do there for the whole two weeks, including any easy day trips, so any notion you have of "doing" London in 3 days is senseless.

You have time so use it: (1) learn how to use the Tube including the PAPER travelcard system, (2) go to daysoutguide.co.uk and use its vouchers because paying one admission fee for both of you to visit the Tower, War Rooms, Hampton Ct. Palace, etc., is a lot better than paying two, (3) learn some lingo - "subway" is either a semi-edible chain sandwich shop based in Connecticut or a subterranean passage under a busy traffic intersection, it is NEVER the railed transport, (4) go to Londontown.com and sites like FODORS and use them, (5) think about a flat for London, not a hotel (the rooms in hotels tend to be closet-sized compared to most American hotels not located in NYC), etc.

That's a start.
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Old Dec 16th, 2014, 10:11 AM
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'Reputable Tour' to me is like 'military intelligence'. Both are oxymorons.

Tours suit people who cannot think for themselves, have extremely low expectations and/or are easily impressed and are willing to pay high profits to a third party to hold their hand for them.
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Old Dec 16th, 2014, 10:40 AM
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You can look at organized tours o see what they include in their intimeraries and then use their itinerary , if you like it, to do an kndependent trip including those places. Stay in hotels or BnBs and their staff can help you with tne daily details.
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Old Dec 16th, 2014, 11:09 AM
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That's lovely, Sojourn is calling you an idiot for even thinking about this.

Fact is, tours can make sense for some people who are sentient, have high expectations, are difficult to please, and/or have a relatively low budget. But going to Europe is relatively easy to do on your own because there are so many resources to help you figure things out and the culture is not THAT different that you cannot adjust; dragging the kid on a tour with a bunch of fossils will bore her to tears; and going to the UK is a cinch because of the lack of language barriers and common heritage.
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Old Dec 16th, 2014, 11:30 AM
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Sojourn used to be a tour guide.
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Old Dec 16th, 2014, 11:48 AM
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>

Evidently not well-compensated . . . ;-)
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Old Dec 16th, 2014, 11:59 AM
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He had to split his tips with Dulcie and Improviser. And share a room with them when on tour.
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