immimi

My friend wants to take a tour that hits the 'Big Three' plus Tuscany/Umbria. She has
some mobility problems but is able to walk 2/3 miles/day with a few rest stops. She
will be paying a single supplement.

Altho' she's travelled extensively in Mexico and C. America and has been to Europe,
she is concerned that a tour will be too fast-paced and the management of luggage
will be over-tiring.

Any ideas of good tour companies? Doesn't have to be 'budget-wise' but comfort
is important and a balanced mix of town and country is essential to give her a feel
of Italy at its best.

Thanks for any ideas.

franco

Why a tour? Isn't this quite obviously a case for individual travel, entirely in her own pace?

MoonGirl

I normally prefer independent travel to tours, and thus do not have any specific recommendations to offer. However, I am confused about your friend's concern on the luggage front -- I thought one of the main advantage of most tours, big or small, is the fact that someone else is dealing with your luggage. Usually, your responsibility is limited to having your suitcase at the hotel lobby or bus or van by an appointed time.

There is certainly no shortage of companies that offer tours to Italy, large and small, fast-paced and more leisurely. Here is a short article from the Slow Travel site, along with a list of their classified advertisers for tours, that might at least get your friend thinking about the different approaches, and what she is really looking for: http://www.slowtrav.com/italy/planning/group_tours.asp

Note that one issue may be the number of cities and regions she is seeking to visit -- unless she has several weeks to spend, that is not going to be a "slow" trip, no matter what kind of tour she chooses. So scaling back the itinerary might be another option.

MoonGirl

p.s. here is an interesting recommendation I just came across from a website I've used before: http://www.smartertravel.com/travel-....html?id=13385

But hopefully some on the forum will have recommendations based on personal experience.

immimi

franco - she's 66 y.o. and has had three hip replacements plus
she has a max of 3 weeks vacation. Having said that, she has
travelled all over Mexico alone by public transit!

moon - she's concerned with having to lift and carry her own
luggage a la Rick Steves. Also, she's going to have to learn
to under-pack!

Thanks so much for the website - I'll send it along to her.

MoonGirl

Hmmm, didn't know that about Rick Steves tours -- interesting. Fwiw, I poked around a little bit on the website of the recommended tour company above, and found a notation that they will actually have your luggage picked up at the door of your hotel room -- you don't even have to bring it to the lobby!