Rebecca

I am in a quandary. Planning to travel solo to Britain the first two weeks of September, and really don't know whether to go independently or group. The cost of Britain is putting me off, suggesting the group option might give me more control, and value for dollar. On the other hand, I am not sure just how much time I want to be on a bus. At the moment I am considering an 11 day tour with three nights at a London B & B added on to one end, to give time on my own a chance to see more of the city than the tour provides. The companies I am considering are Globus or Trafalgar. Any comments, opinions are welcome.

Dave

Rebecca, <BR> <BR>The UK is such an immenintly travellable place that you should have no trouble (and probably a lot more fun) going on your own. Unless there's a significant savings with a package, I would suggest travelling independently. <BR> <BR>For general cost comparison: <BR> <BR>1) It seems to me like the cost of something in Pounds is often close to the cost in US dollars. For example, if I would pay $5 for a meal in the US, the same meal in the UK will cost 5Pnds (or about $8.50US). <BR> <BR>2) Check out www.dertravel.com for Britrail pass prices. <BR> <BR>3) Plan on $5-10/day for entrance fees to castles, etc (some cathedrals also charge fees). <BR> <BR>4) As a ROUGH approximation, plan on $45US for a single room with shared bath in a simple B&B (London is more expensive, of course). You should be able to lower this cost with some research. <BR> <BR>These values are very debatable, and other forum users may be able to provide better estimates, but this should give you some idea of how comparable independent and group travel costs are. <BR> <BR>It might be useful to spend several nights in a location with good transportation and take day trips. This will allow you to focus on finding cheaper accomodation, which can be very important in cutting cost. For example, Oxford is within an hour or so by rail of many famous sights. This summer I found an 18Pnd room in Hastings and used it as a base for exploring the Southeast. <BR> <BR>Unless there's a big savings with a package tour, I really would urge you to go it alone.

Ron

Rebecca, I would recommend taking a shot at travelling independently. Unless you have champagne tastes, it can easily be cheaper than tours. The big savings are in lodgings. A basic B&B room with shared bath is going to be a lot cheaper than the mid-sized commercial hotel that the tour company is renting for you. The ladies that run the accomodation finding services in the tourist offices will be very helpful and very solicitous about putting a (young?) woman travelling alone in the right place. And there are opportunities to save on meals, by eating in pubs and by putting together picnic lunches at supermarkets. <BR> <BR>I am assuming that you are planning to go to the traditional tourist towns - York, Bath, Stratford, Oxford, etc. In all these places you can get inexpensive or free guided walking tours. And they all have open top double deck bus tours, where you pay one price (~ 10 pounds) and you can hop off/hop on at the various tourist sites. <BR> <BR>The thing that would scare me most about the Globus/Trafalgar bus tours is that they would be full of old people. (I'm an old people myself now, I guess, and it scares me. It would terrify me if I was young.) <BR> <BR>The only drawback of travelling solo is potential loneliness in the evenings; if you can handle that, go and have a great time. Feel free to e-mail me if you have questions. <BR> <BR>Ron

Pam

Rebecca - I too faced the same dilemma, but ultimately decided on a 21 day Globus tour of England, Scotland & Wales with a few extra days in London prior to the beginning of the tour. I felt that with all the places I knew I wanted to see, this particular tour took me to a good percentage of them at a price that I couldn't begin to achieve had I been on my own. I found that having a tour guide added greatly to the knowledge I gained on the trip and, maybe I was unusually lucky but - the people who were on the tour with me were just wonderful and added much to the overall experience (and they weren't all "old"!). I think you've got the right idea with the extra time in London. Globus did a great job on the tour I was on - I'd recommend them highly.

elvira

It is easy to travel around Britain; trains and buses are frequent and on time. On your own, you'll find b&bs and "at home" accommodations for reasonable prices (obviously, London will be more expensive than Cutevillage-on-the-River), where you'll get a first-rate, home-cooked English breakfast. On your own, you'll eat in pubs and local restaurants recommended by the ladies from whom you're renting a room, or that you've stumbled upon in your travels. On your own, you'll wander off to take a look at the cemetery at the top of the hill, or stop to read the inscription on the statue in the center of the village. On your own, you'll have to do your own research to learn about the places your visiting. <BR>With a group tour, you'll stay in hotels designed to accommodate large groups, and be served a hotel-kitchen prepared breakfast. With a group tour, you'll eat in restaurants that are set up to handle busloads of people, which most of the locals will avoid. With a group tour, you'll see all the important sights but will have to be back on the bus before you can finish reading the plaque on the church wall. With a group tour, you'll be provided with lots of good information from the guide. <BR>I vote for a self-tour, and join a day tour (say, to Bath from London) now and then for the company. There was a post earlier this week about this very thing; lots of good suggestions on how NOT to be lonely! <BR>

Dawn

I too vote for traveling solo. I find tours restrictive. I have traveled all over Europe on my own and have never had a problem. My best suggestion is to go to the Library and really read alot before you leave. Don't spend time in that country trying to plan an itinerary. The best homework is done at home. The trains run all through the country and you should have no problem. As far as being lonely, I find people when they travel very open and I made friends everywhere I went.

elaine

Hi Rebecca <BR>Each of us is so different, it's hard to know which would be better for you. <BR> <BR>Have you traveled much before? If so, you already know that things can go wrong when you're on your own: the train is late or doesn't run on Sundays in September,the church you want to see is closed for a wedding, it's raining, the hotel is awful, your luggage is very heavy,etc. Things can go wrong with a tour as well: the bus leaves late, giving you less time at the next stop; the museum is closed on the one afternoon you're in town; the hotel is awful; the luggage...aha! Got you there. The major advantage of a tour in my opinion is predictability and convenience. They <BR>pretty much get you where you're supposed to be when you're supposed to be there, and they handle the arrangements and the luggage. The disadvantages as others have mentioned, are that your time is not your own. The tour may allow only an hour for a town you want to spend the whole afternoon in, or they may stop for lunch at a place you would never want to go to on your own, or you may see a charming-looking place only from your bus window but never actually stop there. The couple who always sits in front of you may never stop making inane comments. Keep in mind that traveling from one place to another in my opinion takes much more out of each day than they say it will, whether on a bus or taking trains or daytrips by yourself. <BR>Also, how much ground do you want to cover? On your own from London you can take daytrips to Bath, the Costwolds, Stratford, Oxford, Cambridge, even York. <BR>However, staying in London is indeed expensive unless you are spartan or at least very determined in your lodgings and food. If you want to cover some part of Scotland or Wales, you'll need to head that way and stay. <BR>If you travel light, are an independent person generally, if you handle setbacks well, if you are spontaneous, and if you are comfortable figuring out train schedules and being by yourself in unfamiliar places, go for it. If you are not sure, or would like to get an overview on a tour, if you want to know in advance what your basic travel expenses will be, if you are tolerant of others, and if you plan to come back eventually on your own to spend more time in some places, then compromise with the tour. <BR>Is it possible to do a shorter tour augmented with more independent time? <BR>Perhaps a week long tour plus a week in London with some daytrips on your own? <BR>Good luck

Roger

I have been to GB several times and have done it on my own each time with one exception. Took a one week tour of Scotland from London. What others have stated was what I experienced. Food was poor, hotels were ofter on the outskirts of towns and I felt that the tour was very rushed. However, the quide was really outstanding and I am sure that I saw more thqn if I was on my own.. would I go on another tour? No! Much prefer to purchase a train pass and plan my on trip. If I like a place I stay longer than planned if if not I leave. Hope this helps but I am sure you will have fun either way you go. <BR>

Lori

I will also put in a plug for Globus Tours. You get so much information from the tour guide. The people on our tour last year were from 20's to 80 with most in their 40's and 50's. We only had some dinners with the group, so most nights were just the 2 of us at a local restaurant of our choice. Hotels were centrally located, had a private bathroom, and lots of amenities. We had lots of free time, and included tours were of the "highlight" type which most solo travelers would include as well. I would not take a tour where you travel almost every day. Our tour stayed at each location at least 2 nights. We never felt rushed at any stop. We were never on the bus for more than a couple hours at a time. The bus itself was very comfortable and the other travelers made it interesting.

Martha

I just spent 16 nights travelling in Great Britain independently as a single woman and would highly recommend it. I wanted to go where I wanted to go and spend the time I wanted to there. I got a Britrail pass and found the train system to be great. I went to London, York, Edinburgh and Wales and had a fantastic trip. You meet more locals when you travel by yourself and get a great feel for the country. <BR>Martha <BR> <BR>

joanne

Hi. I took trafalgar to Italy. I was <BR>disappointed because we did not stay <BR>int he city limits anywhere and had to <BR>get to places at night on our own. <BR>ALso like every tour group Ive gone on <BR>it was way too rushed and exhausting <BR>getting up at the crack of dawn. For <BR>the last 5 years I have gone places <BR>on my own, amsterdam, copenhagen, <BR>and london and paris many times. I find <BR>it much more rewarding and have usually <BR>met people if I made the effort. So <BR>i recommend solo travel. Once you do <BR>it it becomes easier and easier. <BR>

Jen

Here's an alternative: go solo, but take day tours where you think they would add something to your experience. For example, I did the 'London Sightseeing' open top bus tour the first time I was in London, just to make sure I hit all the high points. The great thing was that they do a 'hop-on, hop-off' all day ticket, so you can get off and explore whenever you like and not worry, since buses come by every hour or so. This year I am going to try some day tours by a company called Guide Friday of the Cotswolds and Bath. Have a great trip!

Judy

Jen, <BR>Out of Bath, you might also want to consider 1/2 and full day tours by Cotswold Experience. My sister and I were in Bath in May and didn't want to rent a car to see the Cotswolds, so we took one of their all day tours. Although I easily could have spent many more hours in the Cotswolds (and perhap will some day), this provided a beautiful introduction. The web site is http://www.visitus.co.uk/bath/tours/cotswold.htm

been there

Well I have done a month in England independently, and I strongly urge you to go it alone. Britain is so easy to do you don't need the support of a tour. To control costs, get a budget guidebook such as ... for lodgings. Use coach and rail for intercity hauls. Local bus can be surprisingly expensive (a 2 hour bus trip from Stratford to Birmingham was 2.90; a 2 minute bus into Stratford was 1.10. Go figure) so if you have some latitude, lodge centrally. But even paying local bus plus coach and rail costs far less than one person renting a car. <BR> London is very expensive so get out into the country for better value and less stress. <BR> If you do decide to go with a tour, then don't go wiht a large group, find a tour that does a small group. Imagine the logistics of a 50 tourist toilet stop, or 50 people getting lunch, etc. Tours can waste a lot of your time.

kam

Been to the UK so many times that I would vote for going by myself, but I would hate the evenings when I would be lonely. Good suggestion to take the daytrips--you'll very often meet other women whose husbands are working and they need to get out of the hotel. I certainly would stay in B&Bs where it's more personal and you'll have someone to ask for advice. If you vote for the tour group, look into Rick Steves' tours---small (under 25 people) and rigorous, with I think, a lot of time on your own to explore compared to other tours. I hate to eat by myself. Do you have a friend you could talk into coming along?? I had a wonderful 2 trips recently with a girlfriend when my husband was too busy to get away. We declared it a "no makeup trip" and ate to our hearts' content. Downside: I discovered that this very dear friend is a terribly snorer!! We laugh about it now, but on the trip I didn't sleep very well.

Lee

I just got back from 10 days in UK - 3 in London, 7 in countryside. I would suggest tacking your 3 days in London to the first of the trip. You really need lots of energy for London, even with a tube or bus pass (I had a 4 day Visitor tube pass, which I highly recommend). London requires a lot of walking. Then take the tube or Airbus back to the airport to pick up a car and/or to catch your tour. I rented a car for the hinterlands, but that was because I wanted to go to a lot of off-the-beaten track places. Going by train would have caused me to lose to much time in train stations. Plus driving in the UK countryside is easy, especially with an AA Travel Atlas (their depiction of the number of ring roads along a particular route was very accurate!). Since you have 2 weeks instead of 10 days, however, rail or rail/drive would probably work well for you. As for accomodations, try to get to your desired destination as early in the day as possible, hit the TIC, and book a B&B. Then spend the rest of the day seeing the sights. It can be quite difficult to find an accomodation late in the afternoon or in the evening. In Derbyshire, some ag exposition had most B&Bs for miles around booked up, but if I'd been at the TIC early, I wouldn't have had a problem.

KT

Re: Finding B&Bs: If you call at a TIC in person, most TICs will book a B&B for you anywhere in Britain for that same night or a day in advance. I don't know if it can be farther in advance than the next day; I never tried that. <BR> <BR>It's called "Book a Bed Ahead." They charge a pretty nominal fee, like two pounds, and you pay a deposit, which is deducted from your bill at the B&B. The TIC calls the TIC at your destination, that TIC makes the booking, and then they call back your TIC. Sometimes it takes them a little while to find a place and you have to wait around; other times it only takes a few minutes. You don't get to see pictures of the properties like you often do if you book at the local TIC, but it certainly is convenient. <BR> <BR>This isn't available at some of the smaller or seasonal TICs or at city-run TICs that aren't part of the official national tourist boards.

Mariela

What does TIC stand for?? <BR>

wes fowler

Mariela, <BR>TIC - Tourist Information Center