My family and i are going to Long Bay in April ( i have a six year old). I would appreciate comments about the resort, including the staff, accommodations, food, beach and any other positives or negative things i should be aware of. Thanks to all for your help in advance.

Another poster gave me the name of a great site, www.caribbeanopinion.com, it has honest reviews by other travelers with alot of info on resorts in the caribbean. I remember reading a review of Long Bay (I assume you mean Tortola in the BVI)

And your price range

At the higher end Tauck and Maupintours tend to attract an "older" [relative term ] crowd and are known for quality.

I think Journeywoman website now has an affiliated entity for women traveler tours.

Good luck

You might want to look at the following tour companies online.
insightvacations.com
trafalgartours.com
globusandcosmos.com
gct.com (older ages but all tours are
around 18+ days).
gate1travel.com
generaltours.com
These are all mid-range($)companies.

Many airlines also offer tours such as BA, Virgin,etc.

I personally don't think I could do a Rick Steves tour. I'm not into the sharing baths down the hall etc.

Ricks tours are somewhat more upscale then his books. Baths are not down the hall. I do think he tries to give you a roommate, but in actuality that is an option on all tours (not one I would recommend!)

Rick might be a good match for you. The big key on any tour is to find out where the hotels are.... You don't want to be staying NEAR Paris, you want to be IN Paris.

I think the "warning" about the hotels can easily apply to a lot of tour companies. Took a Trafalgar tour of France some years ago and almost all the hotels were well on the outskirts of the larger cities we visited (one reason I wouldn't go with them again) And also be aware that sometimes tours entitled "the best of..." can have you in a bus rolling down the equivalent of an interstate highway from one place to another with a lot of very unmemorable "scenery" in between.

Choosing amongst a lot of these organized tours can end up being a crapshoot at best but I think you need to trust your own instincts. You are already aware of the drawbacks of cramming a lot into a short period of time. If after you check the others out the Steves package seems like the best for you then go for it...and make the most of whatever you choose to do. If it turns out to be a "big mistake" which I doubt it will I'm certain there'll be a lot of positives, too. Good luck.

I may be traveling a lone to Italy myself.I am a women 50 years old,and have also been thinking of a tour vs traveling on my own. The Rick Steves tour of Italy looks like the itinerary I would like the best. If you do go that route; please post and let me know how it goes for you.It is hard to find good information about those tours here.

Hi Cece! I have taken three Steves tours including one with the man himself. From what you've said, this would likely be a good fit for you. I have not been on the "Grand Tour" one. They try to minimize one night stops. I have always traveled as a solo female on the tours. I don't beleive you can go w/a single room without paying a supplement. On all the tours I have found that the guides try to rotate the rooms so that singles get an equal number of the single rooms throughout the trip. I will say that on all the tours I've taken w/Europe Through the Backdoor the couples always get the best rooms though I don't blame them for this.There are always a larger number of "shared bed" rooms in any hotel so there are simply fewer twin bed and single bed rooms. Go to the website and look up tour memeber comments. They are direct quotes. I you want to go in September, I wouldn't wait too long to book it though. P.S. The regional tours are great and often have slightly better accomodations. I LOVED the Italy tour.

I am 40 also and am trying to plan a escorted tour to italy in september...i think if you are travelling alone a tour is a good thing as you are with a group and it is probably safer, as well as the possiblility of making some friends...I have looked into several, and it really depends on where you want to go and do...Perillo has a great Tuscany/Rome/Cinque Terre tour and the hotels look great. Collette has a good Amalfi/Rome tour that is much less but the hotels look like a step down from Perillos and they don't provide you with a full itinerary..there is a day or two that you are on your own. (which I did not like) Tauck has a few tours as well, but they are up there with the price of Perillo...and didnt have the locations I wanted. In short, I will probably go with Perillo if I decide to do it this year..I am a bit concerned about all the terror alerts..not that anything will happen(I am in NYC and am used to it all) but I just dont know if I want to deal with all the security stuff that comes with this on a vacation, although I am not sure if this will change any time soon!

I'll be interested in what you decide and then VERY interested in how it turns out. I am 45+ and would probably like the kind of thing you are looking for, or a variant of it.

I don't think this is what you want but will mention anyhow: there are good companies who run walking tours, and museums all over America offer spectacularly well-led tours in Europe, though in both instances I believe there is more concentration in one place than you would want.

You COULD make your life more complicated with 2 weeks of all-over-Europe touring plus a week of another tour, like a walking tour in the French coutnryside. My impression or guess is you meet especially nice people on walking tours.