Hi again,

Our family has decided to pursue a guided tour this summer for our first trip to Europe.
Are there any particular tour companies that you would recommend such as Globus, Cosmos, Trafalgar, Rick Steves, etc.?
Is there really a difference between a "discount" tour and a first class or other tour?

Thanks,
robync

Hi

I have taken Trafalgar, Cosmos and Insight tours. They have all been very good. The Insight tour was a 5 star rated tour so you generally stay in better hotels and the food was WAY better. When comparing the different tours available consider the following:

1. Obviously, start by choosing an itinerary that best meets everyones choices.
2. Now examine the itinerary. Take particular notice of the distance between different destinations. The last thing you want is to spend several hours of your tour on coach travel i.e less coach travel means more time exploring your desired location.
3. Check the location of hotels. Generally cheaper tours keep costs low by accommodating guests in non centrally located hotels. I had no complaints on the actual standard of these hotels. But you need to be prepared to use public transport/taxis to get into the city centre. I did not find this a problem - lots of assistance provided by the director and hotel staff.
4. Check the fine print and see what's included in terms of sightseeing. Make sure the tour includes actual visits to any sites that your party wants to see.
5. It is expected that guests tip the tour director and driver so factor this in your costs. How much to tip? Lots written about this. But I generally tip say 100E for the director and 50E for the driver.

Unfortunately people that post questions on tours on this forum are generally bombarded by respondents advising to "Forget guided tours, do it yourself". Nevermind that many of these respondents may well have never undertaken one! There are advantages and disadvantages to different modes of travel. Ultimately it's what works for you. The downside to tours is they are regimented and hectic and you can get quite annoyed with other guests. The upside is they are generally good value for money, informative and travel hassles are taken care of by someone else.

Yes, there is a difference between first class and "discount" tours -- most notably in the type and location of hotels offered, and the number of add-on "excursions" you must pay for. Once again, I would recommend you take a look at the Rick Steves family "Best of Europe" tours: good, centrally-located hotels, all site touring included, NO TIPPING, limited group size.

There are tremendous differences in tours. And the best and the cheapest are mutually exclusive.

the cheaper the tour the less they include (sights, meals, etc) - so you have to pay for them yourselves. Also they tend to put you in hotels at the end of hell and gone - so it's expensive to go into town on your "free" afternoon- or you end up buying an "optional" tour that would be included on a better quality/more expensive tour.

the better tours (Tauck et al) put you in better hotels closer to the center of town. Meals tend to be at least edible and more sights are include (versus "options" at added cost).

You need to read each tour brochure carefully, check out the rating and location of hotels involved, and figure out which sights are "views" (drive by), "stop" (5-minute photo op in front) or "visit' (the only one that actually gets you inside - even if not for as long as you want.

Hi everyone: Thanks for your guidance. The affordabletours.com seems to have the best rates so far. Less expensive than directly going to Cosmos/Globus/Trafalgar,etc. They seem to have some good promotions with air fare, etc. Insight tours and Rick Steves seem a little more pricey, but maybe worth it? Btw, for those of you who have taken these tours, do you recommend purchasing air thru them?
Thanks again!
robync

robync,

My Mom and I are going on an Insight tour to the UK & Ireland in Sept. 2010 (we are doing Paris on our own)
I've received brochures and read as much as possible on a lot of the tour companies out there, but this will be our first tour!
From all my research, Insight is a better way to go over Globus & Trafalgar for the reasons that people have listed above. Another nice advantage is a smaller group and more space on the coach!
All the advice given to us suggests that booking the air on your own is usually better!
I believe Rick Steve's tours are more physically demanding, but I would imagine they are really good tours!
I've talked with people who have gone on tours with Trafalgar, Globus and other budget tours and they said by the time they paid out for the transportation since the hotels were further out and paying for extras that are not included, they could have just gone with Insight!
Tauck is really above Insight, but is too expensive for our budget!

WE have traveled with Globus Tours 5 times and always been very happy with them. I also use Affordable Tours to book my Globus vacation. I always have check airfares both ways using Globus air and booking my own. I have generally speaking saved a lot of money booking my own air.Sometimes as much as $700.00 for 2 people. We also like to go a couple of days early to get some extra time in the departure city and to get over our jet lag. I never stay in the Globus hotel when I go early as they are always way more expensive that I want to pay as they charge per person. The first day of the tour we just take a taxi to the Globus Hotel.Globus uses very nice 4 or 5 star hotels but I actually prefer the more local smaller hotels for are pre and post tour stays.

Was reading seat 61 site. How on earth does he know all this?! Great site!

YEs, i agree that there is a lot of difference between budget and first class tours. We have been on 4 european tours so far using Cosmos and Globs - they are both fine with difference in the hotel level and location in favor of the more costly Globus.
Using a travel agent is a good idea since booking directly with the travel company can be more expensive.
I've heard from friends that Trafalgar is good too

What ages are your family? That could make a huge difference in choice.
How many? How long?
Have you planned a family trip in the US? It really IS much the same.

I haven't taken a tour, but I have stayed at a few hotels when a Rick Steves tour came through. The hotels were modest but charming (but modest). I was amazed how friendly everyone had become. I actually envied their group.

I believe they were the 'Best of Europe' 15 day tours.

If a tour makes you more comfortable, by all means... Go for it.

The tour was 6 years ago.