escorted walking tours in France & general trips for walking tours
 

Hi. I've lurked many a month, but first time posting.

Perhaps I have exhausted all the possibilities for escorted walking tours in France, but since I want to investigate all my options I thought I'd post here for the off chance that someone knows of a company I don't.

I'm doing excorted because for this trip I'll be alone and just don't fancy an inn to inn by myself. Further, I'm considering all areas of France, as I've only been to Paris and feel open to the whole country.

My top price is 2,000 US for a week (which would be a wee bit of a strech for me)and I would also consider low budget tour if the tour appeals to me. Of course, various tours provide meals, etc. and some don't, so I take that into consider for pricing.

Here's the companies I've looked at:
ATG Oxford
Breakwater Adventures
Explore Worldwide
Sherpa

Any others you know of? Any personal recommendations? Also, any experiences with any walking tours so as to give me tips about them in general?

The Ramblers' Association in Britain has a company that does this too. Name is escaping me......

Whoops! Sorry for my mispelling and grammer errors. I know how people here don't take kindly to uncareful or undereducated people, as I have seen replies that indicate this. Excuse me. I was typing too fast, if that is any excuse.

I forgot to mention Ramblers. I have their catalogue, too. Thanks for the reply anyway!

I have just returned from a trip through the Swiss Alps with Guerba.

www.guerba.com

There are different levels of difficulty, so make sure and choose the one that suits you best.

Also check www.adventurecenter.com. They have tours on their web page for both Guerba and Explore. If you live in the US, Adventure Center will book for you. If not, I bet they can point you in the right direction.

We've done walking trips in the Dordogne and Loire Valley with an English ramblers group called HF Holidays (www.classichiking.co.uk/information/index.asp). We've also done walks with them in the UK and Italy and like them very much. Of the two in France, I preferred the Dordogne. If you're interested, do a search here on HF Holidays and you'll find posts by me and others.

Also look into rei. They should meet your budget. Some of their trips do have some camping though.

DiscoverFrance.com: Does a lot of self-guided tours but offers some guided. I couldn't see the price for the guided, though.

VanGoghTours.com: Seems to meet your budget criteria.

I thoroughly second Joe's vote for the Dordogne area as a walking tour choice.

Thank you so much for the response! Yes! I saw the websites and then ordered catalouges for the companies mentioned here. Wonderful. And the poster, Sheila Ritchey, reminded me of The Ramblers and I have glued to that catalouge all last night.

I am going to be spoiled for choice and it will probably take me until after New Year's to decide which one to take. After all that time with the huge variety of Ramblers...I'm even beginning to waver from France. I think I'm getting confused!

About deciding: if any of these posters are around today or anyone else who knows or has an opinion, I have a further question that's a little delicate.

I'm not sure how to put this or if anyone knows, but what sort of people would I expect to walk with on the tours mentioned?

I'm in my late 30's and really unpretentious. I could give you details, but I'm sure you you're not all that interested.

What I'm saying is, I don't consider myself all that sophisticated and I don't do well with a "snobby" crowd.

Am I not up to par for ATG Oxford? The catalouge looks a bit intimidating, though it seems to be the best quality from what I can tell (and it is hard to tell)...

Along the same lines, I truly love Britain and the people, but would I fit in (or worse, be shunned) if I were the only American walking? I say this because an American on another travel board once said they took an Explore Worldwide walking tour (know as Adventure Center in US) and, as the only American, was more or less shunned.

Again, if anyone has further tips for walking tours in general, I'd love for you to share them.

As I mentioned in my earlier post, I just returned from a Guerba trip in Switzerland which I booked thorugh Adventure Center. I was the only American in the group and and I was not shunned at all. I made friends with everyone in the group and we are still in touch by email. In fact, while visiting England next year, I plan to stop and visit some of my new friends I met on this trip.

I'm sorry you had that experience on your trip, but that is only a reflection of the people in that group and NOT a reflection of the clientele which travel with tours booked through Adventure Center. I hope you will give it another chance.

Thanks, P M.

Actually, it wan't me who had that experience, but just someone who posted his experience on a message board. But it did get me wondering about the company.

It's encouraging that you had a good experience with them. They certainly manage to keep their prices down.

I'm sorry, sometimes I read too fast. :-[

I withheld my opinon on my other post about why a person would be shunned because I didn't want to upset you. But now that I realize it wasn't you who was shunned, I will say what I really think. If that person was shunned by the entire group, that tells me that he/she was not a very likealbe person and was using nationality as a scapegoat. I really believe that most people of the world will judge you for the person you are and not based on the country you are from.

Paintbrush, you asked about what sort of people would be on these tours. Of course, I can only speak for the Guerba tour I took. I found everyone in my group to be unpretentious, easy-going, middle-classed people. I am roughly your age and there were only 2 people in the group older than me. Most other people were about 30 ish. I felt very comfortable and knew I was among friends from day one. Of course every group is different, but I would definitely book another walking trip with this company.

Hi, paintbrush,
I haven't actually been on any of the tours mentioned here (though I do get their catalogues) because my vacation time never seems to match the trips I'd like to do or the trip is sold-out (I'm kind of last-minute). I'm in my 30's and do primarily active vacations (multi-sport) and have used several different companies. I'm usually either the youngest one or approximately the same age as the majority (20's-30's).
The people on every single trip were really nice. Even the trips where I was the youngest (sometimes by 15+ years), there was absolutely no problem. Everyone is included in everything - activities, conversations. I think the people who tend to go on active vacations tend to be interesting, more out-going, and good-natured (almost no complaining!). The only problem is sometimes you have people who talk non-stop! But it's an active vacation, you don't have to be with that person all the time.
Most people on the trips were American but all nationalities mingled together well. Even when politics were discussed, it was not personalized. I am shy and not very talkative but I have always enjoyed the groups (whether or not I'm with someone). I have made friends with people from several countries in addition to all over the US.
I did go on a day-trip to the English Lake country where I was the only American. The people on the walk were very friendly and curious about the American! The only problem was trying to talk and walk up those steep inclines at the same time!
Don't worry you'll have a good time. There is something about getting all hot, dirty, sweaty, and tired together that brings people together.

You'll be fine no matter what your nationality, and I've seen many singles in their 30's on the active tours we've taken. Didn't seem to pose a problem at all.

I second the notion that just the fact that it's an "active" tour vacation changes the group dynamics. The people on it expect to be exerting themselves, so the whine level is minimal. In addition, these types of tours give you a ton of personal freedom, so if you need a break from the group, you can take one.