I am taking a globus tour of rome florence and venice. Has anyone used globus before? I am interested in what side trips they offer and thier price? I am trying to figure out how much cash to take? Leaving Mar 23 for 9 days

Don't take cash. Bring an ATM card and a credit card -- or maybe two.

You will need to contact Globus. I took a Globus tour about eight years ago. You will have optional tours listed when you get your travel documents as I recall. You don't have to decide on the options until you get there. Your tour director will collect your payment sometime before the end of your tour. The tour I took was 16 days, started in London, then Paris, Lucerne, then Florence, Venice, and Rome. She didn't collect the money until the next to last day of the tour, when we were in Rome. The prices of the options varied according to what the option was. If you purchase any options, you can pay with your credit card.

I will be interested to hear of your experiences with Globus in Italy. I am planning a similar trip in the fall and I have never taken an escorted tour. The age range of the travelers? Service? Accommodations? This information will be very helpful. Thanks.

I am planning on a Globus tour in May 2011 to Amsterdam for 10 days. Has anyone been on that tour and if so, how is Globus' tour guides, etc.? I have taken tours with Collette in the past (2001-Great Britain & Ireland) and 2007 (Austria,Germany and Switzerland)Also Trafalgar for 2001 (Paris). I will say, that my trip to GB i 2001 was the very best. Wonderful tour guide and not as rushed as the 2007 tour.
I hope this will be fun and hope it's not too cold in May. I'm from Florida!

I have taken several escorted tours through the years including Globus(4); Cosmos, which is their budget arm (4); Trafalgar(2); and China Focus(1).

You will receive info about the optional tours in the travel documents Globus will send you prior to departure. I advise paying with a credit card, not cash.

On most of the tours I took, the guide signed people up for optional tours and collected payment at the beginning of the tour, usually the 2nd day. If your guide does this, I suggest you resist the urge and simply sign up for tours as you go.

I have seen people sign up for every single optional at the beginning of the trip when they are all jazzed and full of adrenalin. As the trip progresses, their energy wanes, or they are not feeling well, or want to go off and explore on their own. When they tried to cancel and get their money back, the guide was reluctant to refund it, usually claiming that it was too late or that the local operator said the trip was nonrefundable.

I have always been able to sign up for an optional the day before or even the day of, even when advance registration was required. I do not recommend paying for all optionals at the beginning of the trip because of the lack of flexibility.

The Globus tour guides were excellent,and the foregoing is not meant to imply otherwise. The hotels with Globus were good as well.

lizzie, the age range of participants on Globus and Trafalgar tours skews older, 50s and above. I was usually the youngest person or one of the youngest, and I was in my late twenties and early thirties at the time. I didn't mind, and I always broke away from the group at some point and did my own thing. In fact, that's why I started traveling independently. I was spending so much time on my own that it no longer made sense to hook up with a tour.

You can go on the Globus site, find your tour, and all the optional tours will be shown there along with the prices. You'll also find a day-to-day itinerary.