Grasshopper

Julia, I saw one of Rick's groups (be careful, that name can bring out the worst in the posters here) and frankly it looked right about your age range and the people looked pretty decent. You will find that this is a forum of folks intensely against organized tours. Since this is your first foray into Europe AND you're going solo it's not a bad way to go.

But be forwarned, you will be back and next trip you'll be planning it out on your own! Have a GREAT time!

kybourbon

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.

cece14

Thanks so much for your replies already. My more seasoned travelling friends roll their eyes at this, but I want to do a "Whitman's sampler/whistlestop" tour of Europe and cram in as much as I can. (I hope to later go back and spend more time in those places that really resonated for me)I have only been to England/Scotland/Ireland years ago. Now I want to see as much of the rest of Western Europe as I can cram into 3 weeks. I realize I'm giving up a certain quality to rush through, but I can't take off more than 21-24 days from my job. As for budget, I'm not shooting for top of the line nor am I looking for the cheapest deal necessarily. I'm shooting for somewhere in the middle. Right now I have $6K saved up but don't mind getting into a little credit card debt for a few more $1K if necessary and just pay it off over time. I have done a lot of reading and websurfing and am really drawn to the Rick Steves Europe tour as well as a few listed on the escorted tours website. My dream trip is to see as much as possible with a personable group of people who don't feel that I"m too young or too old to hang out with them. THANKS so much for your interest. It is appreciated! - Julia

linda

I know we took a bus from Sorrento to Rome (Tiburtina RR Station) But how do you take the bus from Rome to Sorrento? I Seem to remember that one left daily at 3o from Piazza Ciquecento or Reppublica.Anyone know the answer or where to find it?Thanks

dahlia

PLEASE WE NEED HELP HERE! THIS IS ALSO MY QUESTION AND SOMEONE POSTED THE SAME QUESTION A MONTH AGO BUT THERE WERE NO REPLIES. THIS FORUM IS FULL OF WELL-TRAVELED PEOPLE SO I AM SURE SOMEBODY KNOWS ABOUT THIS ROUTE. THANKS A MILLION FOR ANYBODY WHO WILL SHARE THEIR EXPERIENCE OR KNOWLEDGE.