GLOBUS-SPAIN, PORTUGAL,MOROCCO TOUR
Oct 23rd, 2011 | 02:24 PM
#2
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 2,556
Likes: 0
Hi
I have done a couple of tours with Cosmos which is 3 star compared to its sister company Globus which is 5 star. Cosmos was excellent. If Globus is as well run as its sister I would recommend them. TIPS:
1. Time spent on the bus: Check your itinerary against a map. Work out distances. The last thing you want to do is spend hours on a bus. I think your tour covers WAY too much. The first tour I did was from Rome to London. Very whirlwind and from that experience I decided to take future tours in one country only. I strongly suggest selecting one, my pick is Spain. There is so much to see and experience. It truly is incredible.
2. Make sure you tell your travel agent that you want to book for a "Guaranteed Departure" (GD) date. This is very important. If it is not a GD then the tour company reserves the right to cancel the tour. This is very disruptive particularly if you have booked your airfare. If it is a GD then they are obliged to do the tour.
3. Check location of hotels: Ideally you want to be within short walking or metro/bus ride to attractions, restaurants etc.
4. It is customary to tip your tour director and driver after the tour. Your tour company will recommend an amount based on the lenghth of your tour. I have never followed this formula. Lots has been written about how much to give. I work on around E100 for the director and E50 for the driver (this is for 2 guests).
I have travelled independently and on tours. Each is a unique experience with advantages and disadvantages to each. You will get "independents" on this forum bagging tours. Don't be dissuaded. I highly recommend them as a mode of travel. Yes they are organised for you but you also have plenty of time to do your own thing and make your own discoveries.
I have done a couple of tours with Cosmos which is 3 star compared to its sister company Globus which is 5 star. Cosmos was excellent. If Globus is as well run as its sister I would recommend them. TIPS:
1. Time spent on the bus: Check your itinerary against a map. Work out distances. The last thing you want to do is spend hours on a bus. I think your tour covers WAY too much. The first tour I did was from Rome to London. Very whirlwind and from that experience I decided to take future tours in one country only. I strongly suggest selecting one, my pick is Spain. There is so much to see and experience. It truly is incredible.
2. Make sure you tell your travel agent that you want to book for a "Guaranteed Departure" (GD) date. This is very important. If it is not a GD then the tour company reserves the right to cancel the tour. This is very disruptive particularly if you have booked your airfare. If it is a GD then they are obliged to do the tour.
3. Check location of hotels: Ideally you want to be within short walking or metro/bus ride to attractions, restaurants etc.
4. It is customary to tip your tour director and driver after the tour. Your tour company will recommend an amount based on the lenghth of your tour. I have never followed this formula. Lots has been written about how much to give. I work on around E100 for the director and E50 for the driver (this is for 2 guests).
I have travelled independently and on tours. Each is a unique experience with advantages and disadvantages to each. You will get "independents" on this forum bagging tours. Don't be dissuaded. I highly recommend them as a mode of travel. Yes they are organised for you but you also have plenty of time to do your own thing and make your own discoveries.
Oct 23rd, 2011 | 05:18 PM
#3
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 57,886
Likes: 0
If you are planning on a tour there are several things you need to understand:
There will be long days at the bus - often with bags outside our door by 7 am
Expect hotels to be at the end of hell and gone
Expect food to be mediocre at best - and usually americanizd versions of local dishes
In terms of what you will see and do:
A view of something means you will see it out the bus window as you drive by
A stop means a 5 minute photo op in front of the sights
A visit means you will actually go inside - but perhaps not for as long as yuo wnat to se anything
To judge a tour you need to decide what YOU want to see and do - then figure out how much of this the various tours actually show you.
There will be long days at the bus - often with bags outside our door by 7 am
Expect hotels to be at the end of hell and gone
Expect food to be mediocre at best - and usually americanizd versions of local dishes
In terms of what you will see and do:
A view of something means you will see it out the bus window as you drive by
A stop means a 5 minute photo op in front of the sights
A visit means you will actually go inside - but perhaps not for as long as yuo wnat to se anything
To judge a tour you need to decide what YOU want to see and do - then figure out how much of this the various tours actually show you.
Oct 23rd, 2011 | 07:17 PM
#5
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 1,491
Likes: 0
nytraveler is presenting a gloomy view of a tour. Perhaps this represents her own experiences and if so, her negative comments are understandable but not necessarily representative.
worldinabag offers a more balanced viewpoint and several helpful suggestions.
I haven't experienced any Globus tours myself but I do have two close friends who go off with Globus to someplace new and interesting almost every year.
I prefer to travel on my own but my husband prefers to go with a group so when we travel together we usually sign up for a tour. As worldinabag recommends, we also select tours based on amount of bus time, location of hotels and amount of time allocated for visits, as well as the more general features such as countries and cities visited. By determining what is important to you and then selecting your tour based on those criteria, you can have a very good experience.
worldinabag offers a more balanced viewpoint and several helpful suggestions.
I haven't experienced any Globus tours myself but I do have two close friends who go off with Globus to someplace new and interesting almost every year.
I prefer to travel on my own but my husband prefers to go with a group so when we travel together we usually sign up for a tour. As worldinabag recommends, we also select tours based on amount of bus time, location of hotels and amount of time allocated for visits, as well as the more general features such as countries and cities visited. By determining what is important to you and then selecting your tour based on those criteria, you can have a very good experience.
Oct 23rd, 2011 | 09:51 PM
#7
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 946
Likes: 0
I took this tour several years ago and had a great time. The hotels were 4-star and centrally-located, unlike some of the hotels with Cosmos, which is the budget arm of Globus. We covered a lot of ground in a short time, but the itinerary was well-planned.
I flew into Lisbon a couple of days early to do some sightseeing on my own, and stayed on in Madrid for a week after the tour ended. If I had it to do over again, I would spend that extra week in Seville, which I loved.
Tours are not for everybody, and I agree with worldinabag--do not be dissuaded by the negative comments re tours. I travel independently now, but when I first started traveling, tours were a great way for me to see a lot of places in a short period of time. You don't get to see any one place in depth, but I was fine with that. I saw and did more than I ever would have on my own, and met lots of nice people to boot.
There is leisure time built into the tours, so you can go off and do your own thing if you do not want to take one of the "optional tours."
I have taken several tours over the years, and this was one of my most memorable. I highly recommend it.
I flew into Lisbon a couple of days early to do some sightseeing on my own, and stayed on in Madrid for a week after the tour ended. If I had it to do over again, I would spend that extra week in Seville, which I loved.
Tours are not for everybody, and I agree with worldinabag--do not be dissuaded by the negative comments re tours. I travel independently now, but when I first started traveling, tours were a great way for me to see a lot of places in a short period of time. You don't get to see any one place in depth, but I was fine with that. I saw and did more than I ever would have on my own, and met lots of nice people to boot.
There is leisure time built into the tours, so you can go off and do your own thing if you do not want to take one of the "optional tours."
I have taken several tours over the years, and this was one of my most memorable. I highly recommend it.
