StCirq

Rex, yes, I'm a host. But I have yet to have an actual meeting with someone. The site's fairly recent, and my dates in France haven't coincided with any intrested party's visit yet. But I've "met" some other hosts online and have corresponded with a number of travelers and I think the concept is wonderful (also the rates for playing host seem amazingly good to me!).

sandi

One of the reasons that you don't find many "group" tours for 30-40 year olds, is that many have other commitments, such as children. This is not to say that your age don't travel, but if w/children are restricted to school breaks, holidays, summer - all which are peak (read: high prices).

For those with the liberty to travel, most whether as couples, friends or solo, actually prefer and do better traveling independently.

I've been on only one group tour - Turkey, because it is a big country. Went with a friend and except for another couple with a friend... we were the youngest in the group (our ages between 45-50). Though a small group of 24, the so-called seniors were an active group, even the two 80 y/o.

The museum trips are good, but tend to be quiet costly, and here too, most are in their 50s & up. Except for those specifically designed for families, that's what you find.

For those who may cater to your age group, they tend to be in the mid-range with not the best hotels, offer enough meals, many of the sightseeing is optional.

As others have suggested, you might find an itinerary that meets your needs, and "do it yourself." You can probably even find a tour operator who can handle all your arrangements and not pay much more even with a single supplement. We did just this after seeing a Smithsonian trip to Provence. We did it on our own, had better hotels, rented our own automatic car, visited more places, saw more sites and came in at 50% of the price.

Give it a try!

travelbunny

..I am no longer in my thirties but it wasn't TOO long ago(Oh well maybe it was)...I packaged tour is of value IMO if you have only a short period of time and want to basically see (might even be from a bus) a bit of everything. Adventures Abroad is a company that might be more to your taste and less of the Tuesday it must be Belgium type of tour. That being said, I think the 20-30 crowd who can take off for a month or 2 are not going to western europe. They are off to India, Thailand , Laos ect. Best of luck. You can easily plan a trip for yourself but don't hesitate to take an organized half day trip or a one day trip with a tour company to a difficult city to reach using usual public transport. Out of curiosity, I would like to know how many people on the board took an organized tour on their first trip abroad. I didn't but I had 4 months and 2 great college friends to travel with.

misscupcake

WOW.....Usually when I post I get one or two responses. Well I dont mind going at it alone..BUT I have no clue where to start. lol I know I want to go between Aug & Dec, and I will be with 2 other people.. But Where do ya start? Is there a book I can get to help me map out a plan of action.....car? or no car? villa or no villa? Train? Maps? Boy it can be overwhelming. My plan was to search the message boards a little more, so I can get a general of what the "pros" have to say. Keep it coming folks....the more advise I get the better, and it is VERY WELL appreciated.

Eloise

First things first, MissCupcake: Go out and buy a few guidebooks to the country or countries you are thinking of visiting. Or look them up in "Destinations" here on fodors.com.

Make up your mind where you are going, how long you are going for and what you want to spend.

Come back here and give the board the details. Then you can really expect some useful information, but not before you have done your homework.

See this current thread:

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34713095

misscupcake

Well I do have some ares in mind....Italy....France...Greece.

suze

Since you mention 2 other people, maybe you each pick a city you want to see? That makes 3 places to visit total, and each person can plan for that part of the trip. That's worked nicely for me in the past (i.e., I planned and paid for 4 days in Venice, he planned and paid for 4 days in Paris).

I'd start with a bookstore or the library to brouse various guidebooks. I think books are less confusing than using the internet for the preliminary phases of planning.

Personally I prefer to travel by train in Europe. It is simple and efficient, especially if visiting mostly cities, plus everyone can relax, talk, nap, eat instead of stressing about car, fuel, maps, navigation.

suze

Another method is to look at itineraries offered by the tour companies and mimic one of those.

I like travel magazines for ideas, both their articles but also advertisements: Travel & Leisure, Conde Nast Traveler, Budget Travel, National Geographic Traveler are all good resources.

Christina

I think the best tour groups for your age would be some of the specialty travel tours, but they tend to have some sport or activity (biking, etc.). The ones that are educational or cultural always seem to be very expensive to me (run by museums, Smithsonian, etc), and thus I also think older.

If you don't want those just for 21-35 (ie, Cosmo I think), I think the best place to look is at some organizations or alumni tours. I think a lot of those may be older, also (at least my school's alumni tours seem to attract older folks). However, some cities may have particular singles groups or other organizations that plan tours, those are the best bets. For example, my local Jewish Cultural Center has tours abroad, and so does one particular independent bookstore that has a lot of readings and events.

I took one when I was about that age, and it was a very good mix of age groups, but it doesn't exist any more. From that experience, I would say you are more likely to get a broader range, and younger, for budget rather than "first class" tours.

I also think you can do this on your own, and suggest one real good way to start is just to go to a travel agent and pick up some tours' brochures, or write for them. They usually will have the most-wanted highlights and stops, and you can perhaps adapt their itineraries for your needs. At least it's a start, and they often have nice photos to get you in the mood.

SusanMargaret

It can be overwhelming to arrange everything yourself, but that way you get what you want. Start by deciding where you really want to go and how much time you have. If you only have a week, one country is enough. (I'd go to Italy!) I find that once the flights are booked (or at least the dates decided), I can work on an itinerary and find places to stay, with the help of this Board of course.

111op

suze: "Another method is to look at itineraries offered by the tour companies and mimic one of those."

This is a great tip. I keep tour brochures for this reason. It's helpful to see what the tour groups think the highlights are.

suze

thanks 111op, although I wouldn't try to go as many places as quickly as most itineries suggest. you're right in that they show off what most people would consider the highlights.

(this addresses the "overwhelming" comment) Also realize that people choose to plan to different degree of detail. I am very casual, so my pre-plans include only plane tickets, number of days each city, and making hotel reservations. I work out everything else after I get there. This isn't to everyone's style but to me is the least stressful most fun way to go. Unless you are a true overachiever or have your heart set on dozens of specific sites, sights, or activities it works just fine.

SAB

Sarah--they do. See these to Corsica and England for example:
http://www.sierraclub.org/outings/na...ure/06675A.asp

http://www.sierraclub.org/outings/na...ure/06765A.asp

mcnyc

Hi...I'm a little younger than you, and have the same interests you do in travel. I often find tour groups too restricting for me as I always want time to roam by myself, although like Suze, I do look for itinerary ideas from tour brochures. Plus "12 countries in 12 days" is not my ideal vacation, although I am going to go on one of those tours w/a friend of mine one day. That way, she can see all of Europe, and I can further fuel my flame for travel.

Smithsonian Journeys (http://smithsonianjourneys.org/) are quite remarkable trips, very educational (in an informative way, not a lecturish way), but also VERY expensive. It's something that's very worthwhile if you've the time and the money. The group on tour tend to be more mature (except for the hikes, etc.). The accompanying staff will be closer to your age though. Highly regarded experts accompany your tour, local experts often meet up with the group, and you pretty much stay in first class accomodations. SI Journeys also has a partnership with Collette Vacations. This is a case of you-get-what-you-paid-for. Also, most prices listed don't include airfare, unless they updated that recently, so read carefully.

If you do the tour w/any group, beware of single supplements for the odd member out.

Back to travel preference...let's just say a tour guide I toured with once told me in confidence that I'm young, next time I should grab a map and go on my own instead of touring with a group. He said that tour groups can only give you so much, and there's nothing he's said that I couldn't have read on my own. That should say something.

Whatever you do decide, have fun and enjoy your trip!

Amy

I love to travel on my own (three weeks in China this year, just to keep up the tally of what 40 year olds {gulp} are doing) but have also traveled with tour groups; OAT had a super trip to Peru that had a mix of 16 people from about 28 to 70.

My 30-40 year old friends and I have also really enjoyed Untours in Switzerland and Austria (www.untours.com) which are a nice combo of guidance and independence.

Happy trails!

nona1

If you really want a tour look at www.exploreworldwide.com. They do small group tours, lots of people in your age range, and are about getting into the local culture/history/landscape etc. All types of holiday from camping and hiking, to luxury hotels. They try to be environmentally friendly and to benefit the local communities. A nice mix of organised and free time, for example usually only breakfast is included and you find your own places to eat other meals, with the group or not. Not too expensive either.

ira

Hi misscupcake
>I know I want to go between Aug & Dec, and I will be with 2 other people.. <

For how long?

For two weeks, for first timers, I suggest fly into London (1 week), take the Eurostar to Paris (see www.eurostar.com) for 1 week, fly home.

See http://www.kayak.com/s/index.jsp for airfares. You should start looking now to get an idea of rates. They should come down in January.

Also see Paris Superthread
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34519236

Also look up London and Paris under "Destinations".

Finally - Go to your local library and get some guide books.

Have a nice visit.

111op

Hi suze, I think that my DIY trip to Italy in September over 3.5 days beat the tour groups. In the end I counted about 25 museums and churches and tourist attractions in 5 cities.

misscupcake

"Ira" I want to spend at least 2-2 1/2 weeks. Thank you guys so much for your help. I have alot of planning I see ahead. After reading everything here. I would like to weigh my options and talk to the others that are in my group, and take a look at sample iternaries. Can someone recommend a good guide book? One that is FULL of good information about Italy.

rex

<< Can someone recommend a good guide book? One that is FULL of good information about Italy.>>

I recommend more than one, and I am not so convinced that one is all that superior to the others that you need to track down a unique choice - - go with what you can find at your largest local public library or a nearby Borders or Barnes & Noble.

That said, I think that the Eyewitness guide series (Dorling Kindersley, publisher) - - with (relatively) more pictures and relatively less text is a good compliment to a book that is "more text". Any of the Rick Steves books are worthwhile starters - - "Europe through the Back Door" as well as Italy (or other country)-specific volumes.

And don't slight yourself some time with big coffee-table sized "picture" (photography) books. They will often inspire you to include destinations both rural and urban, based on sheer beauty.