I'm looking for a trip that goes to Italy and France but keep reading conflicting information about the different tour bus companies that go there. This will be our first trip to Europe and we are really anxious to go. My friend who told me about the fodors.com talk site said that people taking a bus trip through Europe should not be faint of heart. Any recommendations or suggestions? (Please don't tell us to "stay home".)

Sue,<BR><BR>I've traveled with Trafalgar Tours, Insight Vacations, Go Ahead Vacations and Grand Circle. They all have web sites you can check to see if they have a tour you may be interested in. <BR><BR>www.ttusa.trafalgartours.com<BR>www.inusa. insightvacations.com<BR>www.goaheadvacations.com<B R>www.gct.com<BR><BR>And "Don't stay at home!!!"

I am looking at tours on both Trafalgar, Cosmos & Insight. I haven't read anything good about Trafalgar. Cosmos sounds alright, but with worst food, out of the way hotels & all tours are added options. What about Insight? I am reading good info, but it is much more expensive. Is it worth the additional price?

Becky,<BR><BR>Go to the web sites and request a catalog from each company. Then you can sit down and compare what you get for your dollar.<BR><BR>I do think more was included with Insight and the food was very good!<BR><BR>Sue

You'll love Europe. Go!<BR><BR>Just don't take Far &amp; Wide! Their uncomfortable, crowded bus, long days on the bus and &quot;read between the lines&quot; issues made for an unfortunate travel experience for us.<BR><BR>Consider an independent trip. Everyone on fodors.com will help you plan a great trip. Just ask and people will give you great trip tips and their hotel recommendations.<BR><BR>

We took a tour w/Insight last year to England, Scotland, Ireland and were very pleased with the trip. The hotels and food were good, and the guide and bus driver excellent. I would take a trip with them again.

Both Trafalgar &amp; Insight have their own discussion boards so you'll be able to get plenty of first hand opinions from there. My suggestion would be if you do do a tour with either of these then don't do one of their budget versions (eg, 'Trafalgar Costsaver') as they tend to stay in hotels in the middle of nowhere which can limit your options in what free time you have at night etc.

I have used Cityrama for tours in the Paris area. You might check them out if you decide against the &quot;big package&quot; operators<BR>

ummm one note of caution. I see tour buses everyday (yes now even in December) and the people always look exhausted and bored. This is just my observation from the pedestrian walking around. <BR><BR>And is it just me, but didnt the US issue warning for Americans traveling abroad to avoid areas where Americans goup together. I am sure a tour bus would hardly fall under this category, but I don't know. Just seems like a tour bus can't be your only option? Besides you miss out on all the fun of doing it on your own.

Sue, I have taken 3 bus tours and am in the process of planning a fourth. The first was with Trafalgar to London and Paris. Although I had a nice time because I was excited to be seeing both cities for the first time, I was not thrilled with the tour. The hotel in London was HORRIBLE -broken plumbing and furniture, and holes in the walls. There was no excuse for this and the Trafalgar rep did not help at all. I also did not like the tour guide at all.<BR><BR>My second and third tours were to Spain and Italy with Globus (a sister company to Cosmos, and a little bit more upscale)and they were both very good. Both tour directors were very knowledgeable and efficient. They both were also always happy to advise and guide us, and always had plenty of suggestions as to how we could utilize our free afternoons. <BR><BR>Also, the hotels Globus used were mostly well located, very clean, and service was quite good. Italy was a bit better than Spain in this respect. And the included meals in Italy were a bit better as well.<BR><BR>We are now planning our 4th tour. We are combining 2 Globus tours to different regions of France. All together the tour will be 16 nights. Our last 2 tours were 11 and 12 nights.<BR><BR>Responding to one of the posters above, yes, sometimes people on guided tours do look tired. That is because the tour companies try to provide their clients with as many experiences as they can. I can say that I have never been bored. And when I visit Europe I want to make the most of my time, so a somewhat steady pace does not bother me. Also, taking a tour saves lots of time because tour passengers do not have to wait in long ticket lines, they just go right in with their guide. And there is always either the tour director or local guide to explain the highlights at every stop. Another advantage is that you never have to waste time trying to figure out what you want to do since alot of it is already planned for you. The one downside is that sometimes I have really enjoyed a specific site or activity but have had to cut it short to get back on the bus. <BR><BR>I would not, however, take a tour that had many one night stopovers. The packing and unpacking can get tedious after a while. Those are the passengers that probably look very weary.<BR><BR>Just a tip- Globus has &quot;Leisure Style&quot; vacations which usually stay in one place for at least 3 nights, with the occassional 2 night stop. These hotels also tend to be better located and of a higher quality than the hotels provided with their other types of tours. They also provide more leisure time so that you can make personal choices about what to see that interests you.<BR><BR>My Italy tour was &quot;Leisure Style&quot; which is why the hotels and included meals were a bit better. These tours are usually a bit, but not much, pricier too. As they say, you get what you pay for.<BR><BR>The trip that I am planning for France is half &quot;Leisure Style&quot; and half standard tour -they are &quot;Paris and the Provence&quot; and &quot;Normandy, Brittany, and the Chateau Country&quot;.<BR><BR>I hope that I have not been too long-winded, and that some of this information will help you. I remember trying to decide on my first couple of tours and I was very happy for people to share as much information as they could.<BR><BR>Good luck Sue. If you have any other questions, please ask.

ttt

Hi Sue,<BR>I've done several Insight tours and can definitely recommend them. You should ideally take one of their premier tours as someone else has suggested. for just a small amount extra you get a very good deal indeed. We stayed in great hotels and found all the locations to be pretty central - something you definitely won't get with other companies. They also had more included - some of things were sold as option excursions with others. we came across a Globus group and they had to pay for things like their trip up a mountain, gondola ride and so on.<BR>I noted someone else mentioned people looking tired... a lot less tired than those poor people humping their bags to and from the railway stations I reckon! The other thing is that many people say a coach tour is too organsied and the want independence. that probably would be a valid statement with most operators but we found the good hotel locations meant we could actually get out and about on our own and weren't tied to the bus if we didn't want it.<BR>Hope this helps?<BR>Bill