Globus Tours to Italy!
Feb 2nd, 2004, 10:21 PM
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Globus Tours to Italy!
Has anyone taken the 10 day tour to italy? It's expensive - i'm booking one for my parents and it comes up to 2099$ for the tour with $800 for flight from CA so total = 2899 almost 3000/person. wow. How did i manage my trip within 2k??? Well the hotels on the tour are good, they don't have to worry about booking trains/hotels/tour guides museums. I just want to make sure I'm doing the right thing - mom doesn't have time to plan the trip for May if they're going to do it on their own and personally from my experience I'd say Italy's a little tough to do on your own - they feel more comfy going thru a tour for their first time to Europe. Any advice?
Feb 3rd, 2004, 05:58 AM
#2
Grand Circle has an 18 day tour to Italy for about the same price in May from CA if they have that much time. Check out their website at www.gct.com
Feb 4th, 2004, 11:35 PM
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Have you ever booked with Pavlus Travel? I have booked Globus, Trafalgar and Tauck with them and have always received a discount off of the brochure rate. They have a website with info, as well as an 800 number that you can call to book with a "live" person. I have always enjoyed all of my tours with Globus, Trafalgar, and Tauck.Look through brochures, and once you find the tour you love, then call Pavlus for a price! It's probably not as much as you think it will be!
Feb 5th, 2004, 04:40 PM
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Hi Travel!
I just got back from the 10 day Globus tour and really fealt it was very poorly done. I would stay away from it. And just a heads up- if you look at other tour company's realize that Globus and Branden operate the same tour in Italy jointly. You might want to consider one of the other tour groups. The other big ones- Trafalger and Cosmos are about the same price.
Here's my earlier post. Hope it helps:
Hi all. I just got back from a Globus Italy tour and it was aweful. Here are my comments I posted on another string.
I just returned from a Globus Italy tour the last week of December/first week of January and my advice to you concerning the tour is to RUN RUN RUN. I can't emphasis enough what an aweful tour it was. While Italy is WONDERFUL, do not take Globus.
First, this was my third time to Italy. I had previously done a two week trip to Italy on Contiki and had a wonderful time. This trip, I traveled with my entire family- 7 of is total. It was my mom, my three younger brothers (23, 18, and 15), my brother's fiance, and my boyfriend. We were celebrating my mom's 50th. We decided on a tour because there was so many of us and we wanted to make the trip easy and accomedate everyones different interests. Having been on 5 organized tours and traveled extensivly on my own, I figured this would be a good option. Boy was I wrong. Even my mom, who NEVER complains about everything was totally upset about it.
First, our tour guide was rude. Totally unwilling to offer advice or help with anything. We had requested room type preference with Globus and they had none of our preferences. Second, and the biggest problem of all, was that the whole trip revolved aroud "optional" excursions. These are dinners and activities that you pay a premium for in addition to your tour package. For example, dinner for 60 euros a person. I quote our tour guide "this is a great deal. I have been to your country (the US) and you cannot get a meal for under 75 dollars." Well I don't know where she was eating, but that is certainly not the case. The restaurants they take the group to for 60 euros a pop are tour group central places. My family ate at many small, lovely Italian restaurants with excellent food and service for under 20 per person. We did go to a few expensive dinners at nice restaurants, but these were zagat recommendations. Not where the tour group takes you.
Second example. Gondolas in Venice. Now, a little research on the net had shown that you can negotiate an hour gondola ride with a gondolere before you even arrive for 80 euros total for 6 people. Globus charged 30 per person to share with 5 other people. They took the groub to an area in the industrial section of Venice, no where near st. Marks, the Rialto and the charming small cannels that most want to see. Not only that, the group was going into Venice from our hotel that was NO WHERE near the city- in fact it was in an area that Frommers says to stay in only if there is NO WHERE ELSE to stay. Anyway, they took us in the coach to the city without telling anyone it was time for the optional gondolas that we had not signed up for. When they got to the far side of the city, no where near the center, they informed us that we had to WAIT there while the people had signed up took a gondola for 40 minutes before going to the included dinner.
At any rate, Italy is a wonderful country. It is completely and easily navigable by train. We went down to Pompeii and Capri on our own after the tour and it was wonderful. You can book anything you need, train tickets included, on the internet and get reviews of hotels.
I just got back from the 10 day Globus tour and really fealt it was very poorly done. I would stay away from it. And just a heads up- if you look at other tour company's realize that Globus and Branden operate the same tour in Italy jointly. You might want to consider one of the other tour groups. The other big ones- Trafalger and Cosmos are about the same price.
Here's my earlier post. Hope it helps:
Hi all. I just got back from a Globus Italy tour and it was aweful. Here are my comments I posted on another string.
I just returned from a Globus Italy tour the last week of December/first week of January and my advice to you concerning the tour is to RUN RUN RUN. I can't emphasis enough what an aweful tour it was. While Italy is WONDERFUL, do not take Globus.
First, this was my third time to Italy. I had previously done a two week trip to Italy on Contiki and had a wonderful time. This trip, I traveled with my entire family- 7 of is total. It was my mom, my three younger brothers (23, 18, and 15), my brother's fiance, and my boyfriend. We were celebrating my mom's 50th. We decided on a tour because there was so many of us and we wanted to make the trip easy and accomedate everyones different interests. Having been on 5 organized tours and traveled extensivly on my own, I figured this would be a good option. Boy was I wrong. Even my mom, who NEVER complains about everything was totally upset about it.
First, our tour guide was rude. Totally unwilling to offer advice or help with anything. We had requested room type preference with Globus and they had none of our preferences. Second, and the biggest problem of all, was that the whole trip revolved aroud "optional" excursions. These are dinners and activities that you pay a premium for in addition to your tour package. For example, dinner for 60 euros a person. I quote our tour guide "this is a great deal. I have been to your country (the US) and you cannot get a meal for under 75 dollars." Well I don't know where she was eating, but that is certainly not the case. The restaurants they take the group to for 60 euros a pop are tour group central places. My family ate at many small, lovely Italian restaurants with excellent food and service for under 20 per person. We did go to a few expensive dinners at nice restaurants, but these were zagat recommendations. Not where the tour group takes you.
Second example. Gondolas in Venice. Now, a little research on the net had shown that you can negotiate an hour gondola ride with a gondolere before you even arrive for 80 euros total for 6 people. Globus charged 30 per person to share with 5 other people. They took the groub to an area in the industrial section of Venice, no where near st. Marks, the Rialto and the charming small cannels that most want to see. Not only that, the group was going into Venice from our hotel that was NO WHERE near the city- in fact it was in an area that Frommers says to stay in only if there is NO WHERE ELSE to stay. Anyway, they took us in the coach to the city without telling anyone it was time for the optional gondolas that we had not signed up for. When they got to the far side of the city, no where near the center, they informed us that we had to WAIT there while the people had signed up took a gondola for 40 minutes before going to the included dinner.
At any rate, Italy is a wonderful country. It is completely and easily navigable by train. We went down to Pompeii and Capri on our own after the tour and it was wonderful. You can book anything you need, train tickets included, on the internet and get reviews of hotels.
Feb 5th, 2004, 06:20 PM
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hi,
GATE1...CHECK IT OUT!
First, one of the reasons it is so expensive is that may-august are the most expensive months to travel to italy....don't ask me why but they are...the shoulder season starts in sept/oct/nov. the cooler weather also starts and that is what we are interested in. We will be going in November and most packages are about $400-600 cheaper. Gate1 also offers a 10-20% discount when you go directly thru them from the web.
I would like to make a suggestion of Gate1..and in particular....the 12 day enchanting italy tour or 12 day crown of italy tour. here is the link:
http://www.gate1travel.com/Destinati.../12DEncIta.asp
I, like you, could not believe the prices on tours this year. I got some great suggestions..but some were still very expensive, ranging anywhere from $1800-$5000.
and just a 2nd opinion on the globus hotels...they are not really great. most of them are not in central locations or even good tourist locations in each city...I checked. You can get a better deal and a better tour.
I hesitated doing another tour but my friend talked me into it...we want to see as much of italy as we can, but want to do so in at least 3 or 4 star hotels without paying an arm and leg and because of our problem with globus we want the hotels to be central tourist areas.
Someone here recommended Gate1 and I checked it out. Both packages listed above offer some really good hotels and some great things in the package and some great options....
the enchanting italy is exactly what we want..it is a 10 night/12 day trip..includes hotel, airfare from jfk and return, 16 meals out of 31 covered and many attractions covered and if not, quite a few great optionals.
You fly into venice stays 2 nights in venice, drive to the tower of pisa and thru the tuscany area...then 2 nights in florence..3 nights in rome..then 3 nights in sorrento and you fly out of naples. all four hotels seem to be really nice and all have good reviews on tripadvisor....with the sorrento hotel being a real gem. all are centrally located in the tourist areas which is a major plus. one of the options is at the end of trip and that is boat ride to the island of capri for a day.
the prices are good and you would only need to add on the airfare from ca to jfk or you can arrange your own airfare and just book the land package. the prices are about the same as globus but it is a better deal.
As far as why I do not like globus...the other poster has it right...you can't always count on them and they do not use the best hotels...and if I was doing this for someone else..I definitely wouldn't use them.
My last tour was the globus tour and it was of the UK in 1995 and that was for around $2000 for 16 days. I actually was not planning on ever taking another one because of the problems we had with this one...ever.....why, because we had problems with them:
1)not carrying thru with all that was promised on the trip...we had about 4 major attractions or items from our iteniary cancelled and they were major...a ferry ride to the isle of skye...2 days in inverness...we ended up staying in a small town about 40 miles south out in the middle of nowhere on a sunday night....there was nothing in the area open or even available to do anything on our own. we arrived around 5pm and were basically stuck in the hotel all evening with nothing to do...the tour guide jumped ship about 2/3 of the way thru the trip and our bus driver became our tour guide....instead of staying in York we ended up visiting york for about 4 hours and staying 2 nights in stratford on avon....the trip while exciting because I had never been out of the states before...and although the group was wonderful...was not a good deal. we also had a major problem with that tour guide...he would take the bus to an area...stop someone away from any central area (at a shop or resturant) and we would have to make our way to the main area...or stop way out in the middle of nowhere to a business that was just a souvenier shop and spend 2 hours there wasting time...we all finally figured it out when he would come out of the shop with several items free of charge...
One of the reasons he jumped ship was we finally banded together and called the company about the problems....we had no clue as to whether he quit or was fired...but they didn't replace him and many felt that they were due a partial refund...several pursued this after the trip.
I have not heard anything good about the hotels they use...most are okay but travel worn and not centrally located.
hope this helps!
GATE1...CHECK IT OUT!
First, one of the reasons it is so expensive is that may-august are the most expensive months to travel to italy....don't ask me why but they are...the shoulder season starts in sept/oct/nov. the cooler weather also starts and that is what we are interested in. We will be going in November and most packages are about $400-600 cheaper. Gate1 also offers a 10-20% discount when you go directly thru them from the web.
I would like to make a suggestion of Gate1..and in particular....the 12 day enchanting italy tour or 12 day crown of italy tour. here is the link:
http://www.gate1travel.com/Destinati.../12DEncIta.asp
I, like you, could not believe the prices on tours this year. I got some great suggestions..but some were still very expensive, ranging anywhere from $1800-$5000.
and just a 2nd opinion on the globus hotels...they are not really great. most of them are not in central locations or even good tourist locations in each city...I checked. You can get a better deal and a better tour.
I hesitated doing another tour but my friend talked me into it...we want to see as much of italy as we can, but want to do so in at least 3 or 4 star hotels without paying an arm and leg and because of our problem with globus we want the hotels to be central tourist areas.
Someone here recommended Gate1 and I checked it out. Both packages listed above offer some really good hotels and some great things in the package and some great options....
the enchanting italy is exactly what we want..it is a 10 night/12 day trip..includes hotel, airfare from jfk and return, 16 meals out of 31 covered and many attractions covered and if not, quite a few great optionals.
You fly into venice stays 2 nights in venice, drive to the tower of pisa and thru the tuscany area...then 2 nights in florence..3 nights in rome..then 3 nights in sorrento and you fly out of naples. all four hotels seem to be really nice and all have good reviews on tripadvisor....with the sorrento hotel being a real gem. all are centrally located in the tourist areas which is a major plus. one of the options is at the end of trip and that is boat ride to the island of capri for a day.
the prices are good and you would only need to add on the airfare from ca to jfk or you can arrange your own airfare and just book the land package. the prices are about the same as globus but it is a better deal.
As far as why I do not like globus...the other poster has it right...you can't always count on them and they do not use the best hotels...and if I was doing this for someone else..I definitely wouldn't use them.
My last tour was the globus tour and it was of the UK in 1995 and that was for around $2000 for 16 days. I actually was not planning on ever taking another one because of the problems we had with this one...ever.....why, because we had problems with them:
1)not carrying thru with all that was promised on the trip...we had about 4 major attractions or items from our iteniary cancelled and they were major...a ferry ride to the isle of skye...2 days in inverness...we ended up staying in a small town about 40 miles south out in the middle of nowhere on a sunday night....there was nothing in the area open or even available to do anything on our own. we arrived around 5pm and were basically stuck in the hotel all evening with nothing to do...the tour guide jumped ship about 2/3 of the way thru the trip and our bus driver became our tour guide....instead of staying in York we ended up visiting york for about 4 hours and staying 2 nights in stratford on avon....the trip while exciting because I had never been out of the states before...and although the group was wonderful...was not a good deal. we also had a major problem with that tour guide...he would take the bus to an area...stop someone away from any central area (at a shop or resturant) and we would have to make our way to the main area...or stop way out in the middle of nowhere to a business that was just a souvenier shop and spend 2 hours there wasting time...we all finally figured it out when he would come out of the shop with several items free of charge...
One of the reasons he jumped ship was we finally banded together and called the company about the problems....we had no clue as to whether he quit or was fired...but they didn't replace him and many felt that they were due a partial refund...several pursued this after the trip.
I have not heard anything good about the hotels they use...most are okay but travel worn and not centrally located.
hope this helps!
Feb 5th, 2004, 06:35 PM
#7
Punky 144 - You mentioned Cosmos but it is the budget part of Globus - same company.
Insightvacations.com has Italy tours. I think they have several levels of travel-budget,leisure, etc.
Most of the airlines also have tours - Britishairways, Air France, Alitalia.
Gate 1 lets you select quality of hotels and so does generaltours.com but they don't offer as many Italy tour choices.
Insightvacations.com has Italy tours. I think they have several levels of travel-budget,leisure, etc.
Most of the airlines also have tours - Britishairways, Air France, Alitalia.
Gate 1 lets you select quality of hotels and so does generaltours.com but they don't offer as many Italy tour choices.
Feb 5th, 2004, 06:59 PM
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Our first trip to Italy was a Brendan Tour and it was wonderful; however the guide played a HUGE part in our enjoyment. Not only was he knowledgeable about history, culture, etc. he was interested that we see "his" Italy - which included some smaller restaurants (that didn't seem like traps) showed us where to shop "off the beaten path" and where the locals go for a beer. We hit all the highlights, had time to explore on our own, and didn't have to worry about driving etc. We stayed in first class centrally located hotels. One day a rock slide blocked the highway and if it wasn't for our guide we would have missed Capri - he got us off the tour bus and on a train so we could get to our destination while the bus took a longer route around the slide. We talked to people on a Perillo tour who didn't make it to Capri because of the blocked road, they missed almost a full day of sightseeing. Anyway, The tour has merit especially for first time visitors who might be a little apprehensive about doing it on their own. I would compare companies and see how much time is spent in each location and where the hotels are located - this really make a difference on the trip. You don't want to end up with only 12 hours in Florence and at a hotel on the outskirts of the city!
Feb 6th, 2004, 04:45 AM
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I believe that every tour company will have it's share of rants and raves. No one tour company will satisfy everyone. My wife and I took a 12 day tour of Italy with Tauck, and for the most part, it was very nice. The tour guide was very knowledgable, but also very young. He had difficulty being patient with some of the older members of the tour.
Tauck booked us in some beautiful hotels, but they were all very large properties, lacking, I think, some of the charm of the smaller boutique properties.
All of the arrangements went perfectly, as they should have for a tour of this type.
Most of the people were older retired folks, average age about 62-67 or so, therfore the tour was geared for that age group. My wife and I are considerably younger, and found the arrangements not always to our liking.
That being said, I would take another Taulk tour if worry free traveling was my focus. They really do take everything into account.
We were in the Cinque Terre on a day trip, a beautiful sunny warm Spring day. But true to form, the trains went on strike around 11 AM. we thought that we were stuck, but the Tauck representative arranged a private motor yacht pick up at the dock, we got a 1.5 hour scenic boat tour to a beautiful little town, and were back in Via Reggio before dinner.
A tour company can certainly "iron out" any bumps you might encounter in a foreign country.
Although, we have come to relish these "bumps" as some of the more memorable times while traveling.
Good luck with your plans.
Tauck booked us in some beautiful hotels, but they were all very large properties, lacking, I think, some of the charm of the smaller boutique properties.
All of the arrangements went perfectly, as they should have for a tour of this type.
Most of the people were older retired folks, average age about 62-67 or so, therfore the tour was geared for that age group. My wife and I are considerably younger, and found the arrangements not always to our liking.
That being said, I would take another Taulk tour if worry free traveling was my focus. They really do take everything into account.
We were in the Cinque Terre on a day trip, a beautiful sunny warm Spring day. But true to form, the trains went on strike around 11 AM. we thought that we were stuck, but the Tauck representative arranged a private motor yacht pick up at the dock, we got a 1.5 hour scenic boat tour to a beautiful little town, and were back in Via Reggio before dinner.
A tour company can certainly "iron out" any bumps you might encounter in a foreign country.
Although, we have come to relish these "bumps" as some of the more memorable times while traveling.
Good luck with your plans.
Feb 10th, 2004, 09:32 AM
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oh wow! yes certainly every tour company has it's good/bad tours I suppose - i've heard a lot of good reviews on globus and so after a lot of thinking i went with it and deposited the $400 - but i can't help but feel apprehensive about reading the posts here of course - i loved italy last year and want my parents to see what I saw - not just the touristy part but also the lesser known shops, small less inexpensive eateries etc. Sigh, but it's their first trip to europe and they feel more comfy with a tour so.....let's see!!!! Keeping my fingers crossed. Plus they needed to fly into rome and end up in Milan for their train ride to Switzerland and the italy at leisure seemed to cover most of the places with less optional tours and more included tours......argh the perils of choosing a tour!!! 
Feb 10th, 2004, 10:31 AM
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Don't use Globus. I have taken a number of tours (Trafalgar, Smartours, Ritz) and have been generally satisfied with all of them. I have been slightly annoyed by the cost of optionals, hotel location, etc, but in the end felt I got my money's worth. And ALL of the tour guides were fantastic, knowledgeable and accommodating. Since Globus was quite a bit more expensive than Trafalgar, and I had heard some good things about them, I decided to spurge and try them out for a tour to Scotland. What a mistake! The tour guide was rude and lazy. We also missed some of the sights we had paid for due to her mismanagement. What an awful experience and a huge waste of money I wish I had gone with Trafalgar. At least I know I would get what I paid for.
Feb 10th, 2004, 04:52 PM
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Give Globus a try. I recently returned from the Best of Italy & Greece Tour and dispite a useless tour director, had a great time. Avoid the over priced optionals for the most part and use that as free time for personal exploration and finding local places to eat. You'll love Italy.
Feb 10th, 2004, 05:39 PM
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I took a tour with Globus this past September to Italy. The reason I did this, was because it was my first time to Italy and did not want to worry about finding hotels, etc.
I had no problems with the Tour Director. He was knowledgeable and explained things in detail.
One complaint is that some destitations we did not arrive until 6:00 or 7:00 in the evening, so there wasn't much time for exploring.
My other complaints, but I am sure most tour companies operate like this, is they rush you around to cram as much in as they can. Up at 6:00 a.m., luggage out by 6:30, breakfast at 7:00 and on the bus at 8:00.
Optional tours are how they make extra money. They all (or most) do that. So, it is a matter of deciding whether you want all the details taken care of for your parents.
Also, you should consider their age and how active they are. There will be lots and lots of walking, and not all on level ground (not to mention stairs). I lost 5 lbs the 10 days I was there and believe me I ate. I am sure this will not be a problem if they are active and get around well.
I also don't think they will have problem as they are going on the Leisure tour, which will not be "rushed."
Do a little more research and then decide. Happy hunting! I hope they enjoy Italy.
I had no problems with the Tour Director. He was knowledgeable and explained things in detail.
One complaint is that some destitations we did not arrive until 6:00 or 7:00 in the evening, so there wasn't much time for exploring.
My other complaints, but I am sure most tour companies operate like this, is they rush you around to cram as much in as they can. Up at 6:00 a.m., luggage out by 6:30, breakfast at 7:00 and on the bus at 8:00.
Optional tours are how they make extra money. They all (or most) do that. So, it is a matter of deciding whether you want all the details taken care of for your parents.
Also, you should consider their age and how active they are. There will be lots and lots of walking, and not all on level ground (not to mention stairs). I lost 5 lbs the 10 days I was there and believe me I ate. I am sure this will not be a problem if they are active and get around well.
I also don't think they will have problem as they are going on the Leisure tour, which will not be "rushed."
Do a little more research and then decide. Happy hunting! I hope they enjoy Italy.
Feb 10th, 2004, 10:36 PM
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thanks for all the thoughtful replies -ur all so wonderful!!!
Well i did some more research and this globus tour offers a bit of everything...it says free afternoons for leisure so I'm preparing restaurants/walking tours for my parents that they can do so they can avoid the expensive optional stuff - except for the Pompeii tour which is optional but I want them to see that. They are active but my mom's read these reviews and is already anticipating building her own itenary for their return trip to europe down the road. ;-) Once they do this one I think they'll feel more confident to do their own trip next time - it's the flexibility that I'm worried about but like an earlier post said they cannot not love Italy.
Well i did some more research and this globus tour offers a bit of everything...it says free afternoons for leisure so I'm preparing restaurants/walking tours for my parents that they can do so they can avoid the expensive optional stuff - except for the Pompeii tour which is optional but I want them to see that. They are active but my mom's read these reviews and is already anticipating building her own itenary for their return trip to europe down the road. ;-) Once they do this one I think they'll feel more confident to do their own trip next time - it's the flexibility that I'm worried about but like an earlier post said they cannot not love Italy.
Feb 10th, 2004, 10:41 PM
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I checked the Grand Circle, Odyssey, Perillo - either the trip time is too long or the prices are too much(perillo is actually more than globus) and they don't offer optionals to pompeii from Rome - hmm.. Will have the folks check out globus and will keep you guys posted for those considering future trips.
Feb 11th, 2004, 05:37 AM
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Travel04
My MIL loved her Globus tour, albeit it was of Hawaii, not Italy. As for Italy, the folks to whom I spoke in Rome who were on the "Italian Mosaic" tour were having a great time.
As far as I can tell, tours are a bit like airlines. Any airline/tour company can hire less than wonderful flight attendants/tour directors. This is especially true for the lower to moderate cost tours.
I think you're doing the best you can. You must work with your parent's 10 day limit (be careful, many companies count the evening boarding the overnight flight and the morning of departure as 'days'). You must work with their budget. After that, fate must take care of the rest. Make sure they have maps of the cities they're visiting and some basic public transport advice so that they can set off on their own, if they wish. Good luck.
My MIL loved her Globus tour, albeit it was of Hawaii, not Italy. As for Italy, the folks to whom I spoke in Rome who were on the "Italian Mosaic" tour were having a great time.
As far as I can tell, tours are a bit like airlines. Any airline/tour company can hire less than wonderful flight attendants/tour directors. This is especially true for the lower to moderate cost tours.
I think you're doing the best you can. You must work with your parent's 10 day limit (be careful, many companies count the evening boarding the overnight flight and the morning of departure as 'days'). You must work with their budget. After that, fate must take care of the rest. Make sure they have maps of the cities they're visiting and some basic public transport advice so that they can set off on their own, if they wish. Good luck.
