bettyk

Some people act like taking a tour is the worst thing in the world. I don't agree. <BR><BR>I liked traveling around Norway and not having to spend countless hours plotting my itinerary and trying to find places to stay. It was so much easier at that point in my life to let someone else hassle with all the details. It was a wonderful trip with a great group of people of all ages and backgrounds. <BR><BR>We have since lived in Europe and have traveled back there several times -- on our own. But there are some countries where I would probably feel more comfortable on a tour and would not hesitate to do another one. <BR><BR>I've heard the complaints about hotels and food on some tours, but I've ended up in poorly located hotels and had crummy food on trips that I've planned myself. Nothing's ever perfect. And sure, sometimes the bus leaves early in the morning, but other times it doesn't. And there are days that you may be on the bus for a long time, but at least you are seeing some beautiful country along the way!<BR><BR>Some people feel more comfortable traveling to Europe with a tour group. Others like doing it all themselves. I think as long as we are out there seeing new and exciting things, it doesn't matter how we get there!

sometimetourtaker

Betty:<BR><BR>I agree - I've done both too. It depends on my comfort level with the particular country I want to visit. What tour companies have you used in Europe?<BR><BR>Sometime

Oh,Please

I’ve been too Europe several times, but never on a tour. Yes, I’ve heard some horror stories, but basically they seem to come from people who should have known better in the first place, the “10 cities in 6 days” sort of thing. What could you expect?<BR><BR>I recently made my first trip to France and, though I’ve been told I speak French, the French didn’t seem to believe it and I think that it hindered my enjoyment of travel a great deal not being able to adequately communicate with someone.<BR><BR>I’ve since given credence to taking a tour to the Czech Republic so as to have the combined knowledge of a group. After doing so, if I see some place that I’m really fond of, I can return at a later date at my leisure.<BR><BR>I should think that if someone made an educated study of the tour company in question that it might indeed be a viable way to travel in countries that one might otherwise miss.<BR>

Leslie

I do think that it depends on where you are going. I was on a Cosmos tour, and would never go again, only because we spent so much time on the bus. But, I got what I paid for -- it was cheap, dirt cheap, and I did get what I paid for. Also, it was my first trip alone in Europe, and I was unsure if I could make the trip myself. I've become more confident, and all of my subsequent trips have been either by myself or with friends. But, I like the comfort of going at my own pace, and going where I want to go. <BR><BR>However, I do recommend hiring either private guides or going on organized day tours in particular locations.<BR><BR>My parents made a 6 week trip to India and Nepal in the 1980s. For part of that trip, they hired a private guide for many days, and found it was most beneficial -- especially when they were going from city to city and didn't have to worry about arranging for transportation. It was worth the cost to pay for the guide's hotel room.

landwlkr

Hi There <BR><BR>I have worked for a leading tour company for many years now, and know that the STRONG majority of people we sell to have a GREAT time on our tours. The important thing is to choose a tour / tour company that goes in line with your own personal travel "philosophy". If you hate to shop, for example, ask your travel consultant how many shopping stops there are. If you love a more active travel pace, look for a walking tour instead of a coach tour. <BR><BR>It is my experience that the bulk of people who are unhappy with the tour experience are so because they chose something that wasn't right for them, or did not do enough research about what they were buying to begin with. Of course, some people just simply are not "tours" travelers too. <BR><BR>Most tour (reputable) companies these days are very clear about what their programs do and don't offer and what hotels they book their clients into. Of course this is a volatile industry where unexpected or bad things can and do happen at the last moment (every tour operator's worst frustration), but quality should never be sacrificed, or substitutions should be given. The good news is, unexpected and good things also often happen! <BR><BR>I love my job, and hearing the great comments from our clients. I won't post my company name, since I don't think it is a fair means of promotion (this is no sales pitch)-- I consult on this board due to my pure love of travel and helping others have great experiences. Lucky me, I get paid for it too (not at Fodors, of course!!) <BR><BR>

bettyk

For Sometime: All of the tours we took were in the early 80's. At that time, the tours were conducted by American Express. Alas, it seems they have gotten out of the tour business. <BR><BR>Of the three that I have reviewed recently (Collette, Trafalgar and Globus), Collette seems to be the more "high end" with the best hotels but the highest cost. Trafalgar and Globus seem to be about the same quality with slightly different itineraries. At least these days it's easier to investigage their hotels with the Internet.

Old Creaky

I just don't understand why a person of an older age says a tour is the best for them. To me it is more rigorous to take a tour and be herded in groups. At my older age now, I pick a city or two or three in Europe and use it as a base and venture out to other places if I want or just sit in a square if I don't.<BR>Makes more sense to me.

bettyk

Old Creaky, have you ever taken a tour? As stated, I have taken 3. Each was a little different than the other but I never felt like I was being "herded" anywhere. <BR><BR>We always had free time to do what we wanted and when we were together visiting museums, etc., we had a guide just like I recently had on a tour I did by myself at the Tower of London. There were just as many people or more in that tour. <BR><BR>Yes, you do travel as a group, but many people like the idea of getting to know their travelling companions over a period of time. By the end of the tour, we all felt like we had made new friends and some continued to keep in touch long after the trip was over.

Christina

I've taken a couple tours, one when I was younger and starting and wasn't a savvy traveler yet and didn't want to go alone, the other similar conditions but also to a country where I still would not go alone. I researched (not that easy to do pre-internet) and chose a tour that was just right for me in terms of price, amount of time in each place, inclusions or not (I did not want included meals as I wanted to go to local restaurants on my own, so that's what I picked).<BR><BR>I think people who complain about tours are almost always just those who bought something without doing any research or figuring out what they wanted. I liked the letter above from the tour director or seller, thought it was pretty good. The bus thing, for example -- well, if you choose a tour that travels around a lot with only a day or two in a place, yes you will have to get on a bus (or something) and go to the next place. You'd have to do the exact same thing if you chose that itinerary on your own. That particular complaint seems silly to me, as you chose that itinerary. I didn't want that, so chose an itinerary without that where I stayed in a place for 3-4 days.<BR><BR>Creaky... sorry, can't agree with you. The tours I took were actually quite relaxing and much less work than on my own. For an older person, they would be more so. For one thing, they do really take entire care of your luggage. You don't have to do anything-- on the ones I took, you didn't even have to take it down to the lobby, just packed and put it outside your door in the morning, then strolled out to chat, have breakfast, get on the bus. Also, your pejorative, biased attitude is showing by your adjectives like "herding" in groups. I chose a tour with a reasonable number of participants and did not feel like I was "herded" nor does that require any effort, anyway. Yes, we were in a group for tours to some sites with expert archeologists, historians and tour guides, but that made it more enjoyable (this was an Egypt tour, one I still would do in a group). In a foreign country where you don't speak the language and things may not be run the same way as US or W Europe, having a local expert guide who knows the language and customs does indeed help--no worries about how to buy train ticket, get on wrong train, get ripped off, etc. Any minor problems I had (and there was one with hotel) were solved immediately by our local guide, a lovely native Egyptian girl with a university degree in history. If I had been on my own, they probably would not have budged. If you just go to one city and don't want to travel around at all, then I agree, doing it on your own is no more rigorous than a tour. <BR><BR>Let's face it, people buy something that is pretty explicit as to itinerary, hotels (which you can look up for quality and location), etc and then complain about what they bought. Unless a company does not provide what was described (and I've read a few complaints from those who felt that was true, although more for cruises, I think), I don't get it. I can agree some people aren't tour personalities and they might not know it until the first time. Sure, I didn't like everybody on the tour, but I think that is attitude -- you don't like everybody anywhere, and I easily found many interesting and pleasant companions among the groups I was in. I had a wonderful time, maybe because it was my first time leaving the country ever and was thrilled and excited to be going somewhere I'd dreamed of, having adventures, meeting new people, etc. Also, most guides and people on the tour were knowledgeable and nice, as were the experiences, so I did not dwell on minor negative points (like the food in Egypt -- yech).

Old Creaky

Calm down, Betty and Christina, maybe you are both type A personalities, but I am more laid back and creative and want to be on my own time frame. I have taken tours, usually river cruises in Europe, China and Russia. In China and Russia, I agree a tour is easier. But as to Western Europe I still think an older person is better off on a self tour. <BR>I don't travel alone, I have my spouse and some of my family or friends on all of my trips so far. We settle in a city and all go our own ways, maybe on day tours, then meet up later and compare stories. If I don't want to roam around I sit or stroll. <BR>By the way, on tours, you are stuck with people that you may or may not like or want to associate with for any length of time in close quarters. I have made friends on my tours also, and keep in touch with them too. But you can also make friends with locals and keep in touch with them. <BR>Don't box yourselves in so much.

bettyk

Old Creaky -- Type A personalities? Just because we don't agree with you about taking tours? <BR><BR>All I'm saying is I have done both -- travelled with a tour group and travelled with my husband and friends. I don't think tours are for everyone, but for some people they work just fine. Obviously you have a problem with tours. I don't.

a_tour_is_what

I don't know if there's a universal definition of the term 'laid back' but one would surely be to be receptive to the ideas and needs of others. As for creativity, I agree that we cannot automatically make assumptions about what older people may or may not want or need..... any more than we can make assumptions that tours necessarily involve 'herding.' <BR><BR>Old Creaky, to dismiss someone as having a type A personality is not only an assumption, it was arrogant and unpleasant, a deliberate attempt at oneupmanship. Noone is fooled.

uh-oh

If you take tours you are just one step away from going to a Sandals resort in the Caribbean.....

Skippy

Oh, I thought you meant I wasn't supposed to rap my knuckles on Le Tour Eiffel and Le Tour Montparnasse.

Old Creaky

I said type A personalities because you both got so excited and so quick to let me know I was wrong and seemed to take my response personally. It isn't bad to be an A personality, why do you think so? <BR>What everyone writes here is obviously his/her own opinion for goodness sakes. I stated mine, I still think that way, and you think your way. Life goes on.<BR>You follow your guide with the umbrella held above her head and I will toast you with my wine from an outdoor cafe. <BR> <BR>Salud.

Ann

Creaky sounds like a traveler and the rest of you sound like tourists. There is a difference you know.<BR><BR>

y

Ann, both you and Creaky sound rude, in fact you are so completely unsociable you don't even recognize how condescending and obnoxious you are.

Meow

Cat Fight!!!

Rex

When I first came to this forum, almost three years ago, I was accused of trying to be a "stealth marketer" of tours. It IS true that I have engaged in putting together TRIPS for groups of people - - family, family and friends, friends of family members - - and just once now, "total strangers" who I "met" or "invited" or "solicited" or "assembled" here or through other internet contacts.<BR><BR>I never really thought of any trip I took, planned or led as a "tour", and I'm not sure why the distinction seems clear in my head but it does. I guess I would make the distinction that a "tour" implies that the time in transit is somehow part of the experience being offered. I always saw trips as being travel with a group of peers - - even if I was more experienced, in languages, in customs, in geography, history or art. And the transportation segments were just that - - something almost to be endured together, just as it would be with a family traveling together. Of course, that can be fun too.<BR><BR>I feel like it's a hard distinction to explain. I absolutely DO seek to put together trips for others, but I do NOT "offer tours". Part of it is the effort to incorporate certain elements of "slowtrav". It isn;t for everyone.<BR><BR>And I am still seeking anyone who might be intrerested in a trip, tyo any of several destinations: Galicia-to-Bretagne; but other itineraries involving Spain or France also - - and a central Europe itinerary which is wide open to suggestions - - hopefully to include some of Czech Republic and/or Poland and/or Vienna.<BR><BR>Best wishes,<BR><BR>Rex<BR>

Pulleezzee

All of this should bring the point of not taking tours home. Would you want to be stuck 10 hours on a bus with people like these arguing and bickering and name calling and claiming to be called a name, etc.? That is what you get on in an organized tour group of strangers, a group of people you might not want to be stuck with.