guided tours and 1st time trips to Europe
Oct 25th, 2009, 03:32 AM
#61
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Robyn,
My Mother and I are planning our first trip to Europe in September 2010! I was asking about taking a guided vs. independent trip as well!
Our interests are England, Scotland, Ireland & France and we are looking at a little over three weeks for the trip!
I really think it comes down to what kind of planner you are, do you have the time, interest, patience & stress level to plan on your own or not! Everyone is different!
I have researched a lot of the escorted tours out there and most have options of fully guided vs. a semi-independent option. This option will take care of hotels, transportation, etc.. and then you are free to sight see and plan what tours you want to take.
If you want to research all of your options, look at Insight Vacations and Globus who have both types of tours.
If you can find a good travel agent in your area that knows and travels Europe, that could be helpful as well!
We have decided on a combo vacation! We are planning an escorted tour with Insight vacations and then we are going to do an independent trip before or after the tour in Paris for 4 nights. I was all set to do the whole thing independently, but after advice and pressure
from family who know us too well, we decided the logistics of getting around England/Scotland & Ireland on our own would be too overwhelming the first time!
We like Insight because their tours are a little smaller and you have a little more room and their hotels are more central. I've talked with quite a few people have been on their tours and have been very happy!
Having said that, it's just the two of us! We are looking at going to Italy the following year with other family and we will NOT being doing a tour then. Our family has been to Europe several times and we feel comfortable doing that as an independent vacation!
I agree with the advice that I think a lot of the tour companies either cater to the younger or older crowd on the fully escorted options and I would think a family of four could do an independent or semi-independent vacation for less money!
You can get so much wonderful advice on Fodors if you decide to do the trip independently!
p.s. My understanding is that airfare and hotel rates go up after May 15th and fall again after Sept. 15th.
My Mother and I are planning our first trip to Europe in September 2010! I was asking about taking a guided vs. independent trip as well!
Our interests are England, Scotland, Ireland & France and we are looking at a little over three weeks for the trip!
I really think it comes down to what kind of planner you are, do you have the time, interest, patience & stress level to plan on your own or not! Everyone is different!
I have researched a lot of the escorted tours out there and most have options of fully guided vs. a semi-independent option. This option will take care of hotels, transportation, etc.. and then you are free to sight see and plan what tours you want to take.
If you want to research all of your options, look at Insight Vacations and Globus who have both types of tours.
If you can find a good travel agent in your area that knows and travels Europe, that could be helpful as well!
We have decided on a combo vacation! We are planning an escorted tour with Insight vacations and then we are going to do an independent trip before or after the tour in Paris for 4 nights. I was all set to do the whole thing independently, but after advice and pressure
from family who know us too well, we decided the logistics of getting around England/Scotland & Ireland on our own would be too overwhelming the first time!We like Insight because their tours are a little smaller and you have a little more room and their hotels are more central. I've talked with quite a few people have been on their tours and have been very happy!
Having said that, it's just the two of us! We are looking at going to Italy the following year with other family and we will NOT being doing a tour then. Our family has been to Europe several times and we feel comfortable doing that as an independent vacation!
I agree with the advice that I think a lot of the tour companies either cater to the younger or older crowd on the fully escorted options and I would think a family of four could do an independent or semi-independent vacation for less money!
You can get so much wonderful advice on Fodors if you decide to do the trip independently!
p.s. My understanding is that airfare and hotel rates go up after May 15th and fall again after Sept. 15th.
Oct 25th, 2009, 06:27 AM
#62
Reese; Keep in mind that www.pavlustravel.com/ will give a discount on all Insight Tours. I have checked their BBB rating and it's A+. See what Insight offers and then check with Pavlus. Richard
Oct 25th, 2009, 05:16 PM
#64
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Robync- I took a 17 day European tour through Cosmos with my 20 yr old daughter last fall before dropping her off in Oxford for a year, and we had a marvelous time. We knew in advance that it was a budget tour meaning, basically, that the hotels were not convenient to attractions. But the accommodations were clean and more than adequate for sleeping, the included meals were fine and the itinerary gave us time for additional exploring if we chose. The cost of the add-ons were about the same price as one would find for shore excursions on a cruise. I loved not having to decide where to eat each night, not having to worry about parking a car, lugging a suitcase, standing in line for admission tickets, and, most importantly, having to navigate instead of enjoying the scenery.
Many of the other travelers were from Australia and New Zealand. We made some great friends, and shared new experiences. Perhaps my daughter is an exception to a "bored 20 year old" rule because she, too, had a great time. Because of the tour, she was comfortable enough to travel back to Italy and France with friends this past spring, and planned the itinerary herself. My husband and I are going back Spring 2010 as independent travelers, but I'm not sure I would have the confidence to plan the 20+ day trip if I had not been there before.
Again, Cosmos is definitely a budget tour company. If it were just my husband & I traveling I would definitely book with a more upscale company (he's a very spoiled traveler!). However, that entire trip, including airfare from Kansas City, three nights, food and attractions in Rome prior to the tour, and post tour, two nights in London and four nights in Oxford with food, attractions and all transportation cost a little over $4000 for both.
Take a highlight of Europe tour. If your kids don't enjoy and appreciate the wonderful travel opportunity you're giving them -even if it is on a budget-- next time leave them at home and send them a post card.
Many of the other travelers were from Australia and New Zealand. We made some great friends, and shared new experiences. Perhaps my daughter is an exception to a "bored 20 year old" rule because she, too, had a great time. Because of the tour, she was comfortable enough to travel back to Italy and France with friends this past spring, and planned the itinerary herself. My husband and I are going back Spring 2010 as independent travelers, but I'm not sure I would have the confidence to plan the 20+ day trip if I had not been there before.
Again, Cosmos is definitely a budget tour company. If it were just my husband & I traveling I would definitely book with a more upscale company (he's a very spoiled traveler!). However, that entire trip, including airfare from Kansas City, three nights, food and attractions in Rome prior to the tour, and post tour, two nights in London and four nights in Oxford with food, attractions and all transportation cost a little over $4000 for both.
Take a highlight of Europe tour. If your kids don't enjoy and appreciate the wonderful travel opportunity you're giving them -even if it is on a budget-- next time leave them at home and send them a post card.
Oct 25th, 2009, 06:44 PM
#66
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DH & I have taken 2 Globus tours; first=12 day tour of Italy, then 12 day tour of the Netherlands. We enjoyed the tours; tour guides were great; hotels were clean; Globus was a good company; we booked via affordabletours.com for a 10% discount (I called Globus first & confirmed A.T. is a reputable company). We took the 2nd tour because we wanted to see some of the countryside areas of Netherlands, but did not want to rent a car & public transport was not feasible. While we enjoyed the tours, we prefer independent travel because -
1. endless hours on the bus. Prior to the trip I asked for the maximum time on the bus without stopping & was advised 2 hours. This was true, but the stops were just bathroom breaks or stops at useless tourist trap shops/sites.
2. Most days started with breakfast at about 6am, & on the bus about 6:30am, which meant we had to be up much earlier. Most days ended about 10-10:30pm; dinner was usually about 8pm. We were exhausted!
3. We drove by too many great sites, or spent way too little time at great sites, yet wasted time at other places.
4. The meals (included) ranged from horrible to ok.
5. The hotels were not centrally located; some were very nice; some were not so good, but clean & all had elevators (important for multiple floors.
My suggestion is that if you decide on a tour, select an independent tour, not a guided tour - one that just gets you between cities (you approve the schedule) & books hotels (that you research & approve in advance). Then each day is your own - own hours, own food selection, own siteseeing schedule, etc.
Inbetween a tour and independent travel is using the services of a GOOD travel agent. He/she can do the same as the tour company - book hotels & transport and advise you on the local sites & transport. Once you are in your hotel, you don't need the tour company for advice. The hotel staff will assist as needed & most major tourist towns/cities have local bus/walking tours. However, finding a good & reasonably priced travel agent will be the issue! If you go this route, I suggest that you do some advance travel research in order to judge the quality of the agent, & then 'interview' agents until you find a good one.
If you decide to plan this trip yourselves, if you want to cut costs, don't forget about hostels & convents for inexpensive lodging. I think your young adults would like the hostels & probably a fun experience for you & your husband!
Re: transport between cities/countries, if cost is an issue, the budget airlines can be very cheap. We flew from London to Venice one year on Ryanair for 10 euros per person total. Of course, you must pack frugally, but then good packing is always best for travel in Europe. And the budget airlines fly to alternate airports, but we have not found that to be a problem. Transportation to/from the main city is usually inexpensive & readily (& easy to understand) available.
Good luck & happy travels, Julie
1. endless hours on the bus. Prior to the trip I asked for the maximum time on the bus without stopping & was advised 2 hours. This was true, but the stops were just bathroom breaks or stops at useless tourist trap shops/sites.
2. Most days started with breakfast at about 6am, & on the bus about 6:30am, which meant we had to be up much earlier. Most days ended about 10-10:30pm; dinner was usually about 8pm. We were exhausted!
3. We drove by too many great sites, or spent way too little time at great sites, yet wasted time at other places.
4. The meals (included) ranged from horrible to ok.
5. The hotels were not centrally located; some were very nice; some were not so good, but clean & all had elevators (important for multiple floors.
My suggestion is that if you decide on a tour, select an independent tour, not a guided tour - one that just gets you between cities (you approve the schedule) & books hotels (that you research & approve in advance). Then each day is your own - own hours, own food selection, own siteseeing schedule, etc.
Inbetween a tour and independent travel is using the services of a GOOD travel agent. He/she can do the same as the tour company - book hotels & transport and advise you on the local sites & transport. Once you are in your hotel, you don't need the tour company for advice. The hotel staff will assist as needed & most major tourist towns/cities have local bus/walking tours. However, finding a good & reasonably priced travel agent will be the issue! If you go this route, I suggest that you do some advance travel research in order to judge the quality of the agent, & then 'interview' agents until you find a good one.
If you decide to plan this trip yourselves, if you want to cut costs, don't forget about hostels & convents for inexpensive lodging. I think your young adults would like the hostels & probably a fun experience for you & your husband!
Re: transport between cities/countries, if cost is an issue, the budget airlines can be very cheap. We flew from London to Venice one year on Ryanair for 10 euros per person total. Of course, you must pack frugally, but then good packing is always best for travel in Europe. And the budget airlines fly to alternate airports, but we have not found that to be a problem. Transportation to/from the main city is usually inexpensive & readily (& easy to understand) available.
Good luck & happy travels, Julie
Oct 26th, 2009, 01:06 PM
#67
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For what it is worth - for both our trips to Europe, we just started with plane tickets and planned from there. We used frequent flyer miles both times, so basically just chose our arrival and departure cities based on what was available using our miles. Once we had our flights set, we created an itinerary from there. We found doing an independent vacation to be very easy to plan. The only difficulty was trying not to cram too many destinations into the time we had. For a 2 week trip, we find that 3-4 destinations works best.
