RufusTFirefly

Many years ago we did a "sort of" tour of Italy through Central Holidays.

I call it a "sort of" tour, because airfare, hotels, transportation between cities, a 3 or 4 hour orientation tour of each city, and meals while in transit between cities were all included. We also had a host or hostess traveling with you.

But in each city you could do whatever you wanted when you wanted. You could go out on your own, or pay extra for optional hosted tours. We took the optional tour of the Vatican and the P. San Marco sights because tours didn't have to wait in line.

Otherwise, we did everything in each city on our own. Hotels were all very good and mostly centrally located--the one in Rome was up in Parioli, but it was a very nice hotel and we loved the area--many nice neighborhood restaurants. We just took a cab each morning and evening--with 3 of us the expense per person wasn't bad.

One thing we were glad we did was add 2 days to the beginning and 2 days to the end of the trip--this gave us 4-1/2 days in Venice instead of 2-1/2, and 5 days in Rome instead of 3.

Our 18 year old son was in heaven on the trip--the only other young man was just 14, but there were five young women in the 17-19 bracket. He was sure spoiled on that trip.

USNR

To answer your question: yes. We have traveled with many tour companies as well as independently.
The tour companies were:
Globus: western Turkey
Overseas Adventure Travel and Grand Circle: eastern Turkey; Machu Picchu and Galapagos; Thailand, Viet Nam, Cambodia, Laos; India; the Balkans; Mexico; Jordan; Egypt; Australia
Brendan: eastern Europe
TWA Holidays: Holland, British Isles
Bergen Lines: Scandinavian Hurtigruten, mainly in Norway
Maupintour: Kenya, Tanzania
China Delight: China

Several cruise lines: French Polynesia; Alaska; South America; Caribbean
Uniworld River cruise: Russia (St.P to Moscow)

These ranged from good to excellent, depending on many factors. I would recommend any of them, however -- most of the problems encountered were beyond the control of the tour companies, and they did a great job overcoming all obstacles.

We have also traveled on our own or with guides provided by travel agents who met us then handed us off to guides waiting to take us further on. Either way, the experiences have been worth more than we ever could repay.

Liquidsunshine

Rufus - sounds like the tour you took is what some call "locally hosted", whereby the logistics are taken care of for you, but the sightseeing is up to you. Would you recommend it? Globus offers these in addition to their escorted tours. I was thinking of taking one of them.

ira

Hi g,

>...wonder if anyone has had a positive experience using a tour company.<

Someone must have. They are still in business.

We have a number of friends who prefer having everything arranged in advance, someone to handle the luggage, tips paid, etc, and are willing to pay the extra cost.

RufusTFirefly

Liquid--yes, it worked well for us. It saved us a lot of money, too. We could not have gotten equivalent quality hotels, airfare, and ground transport on our own for what we paid for the tour.

We enjoyed having the hostess along--she was very knowledgeable and gave us a lot of insights about the areas we were driving through between cities. One guy broke his foot and she was great getting him to a good hospital, translating, etc. She'd also assist with directions and hints for those who wanted to go out on their own.

Cathic2300

I am currently booked on a tour with GoAhead that leaves September 25. It's been a total nightmare and I haven't even left yet!

GoAhead has charged me $300 in addional "fees" for "ticket changes" that were due to serious mistakes on THEIR part! Fortunately, Delta Air Lines and I caught the two flawed tickets and notified GoAhead. Unfortunately, they blamed me and assessed me "fees" to change the tickets. On one ticket they had me returning 2 days before the end of the tour. The second ticket did not have my passport name - they had been notified of the correct name in February! GoAhead told me that the fees had been "charge us by Delta Air Lines in order to change the 'tickets.'" Sadly, Delta has assured me that no "tickets" have been purchase by GoAhead just yet. Instead they have a "reservation" for my flights, and reservations can be changed in any way without ANY FEES whatsoever until "money changes hands." do you see a lie here? Maybe some fraud?

I have tried to resolve the issue by calling the office and through email to no avail - as of today (Aug 24) they have added another $75 fee! I have been polite and business like. I have requeste to speak to a supervisor at least a dozen times and have been denied.

Use any tour, but do NOT use GoAhead unless you want to spend a whole lot of money in "mystery" fees!

unaS

Hi Gary.

I started travelling at a fairly advanced age - 49. My first two trips were with Globus. I adored the first. During the second I began to realize that really, I could do it on my own...haven't looked back since.

As a first time traveller it is good to have a group to back you up, a guide to rely on, and all of the 'picky' details taken care of for you.

Soon enough you will discover for yourself the joys of group tours and their drawbacks.

Go and enjoy!

kybourbon

Cathic2300 - I think your problem can be easliy resolved. Call and send a letter to Go Ahead, informing them that you are filing a complaint with BBB. Contact the northeast BBB (I think it's www.bosbbb.org). Directions are on the website to file your complaint.

lindam

We just got back from a GoAhead tour. We too had to pay extra to get a decent flight!!

I wouldn't give up. Their problem is they have a new CEO. Most of their employees are just out of college ( if that). They just don't have the experience or proper expertise to handle problems.

They put us in a TERRIBLE hotel in Nice. It was dirty--had moldy showers/ plugged drains. A nightmare. They are going to lose clients unless they get their act together. When we traveled with them 3 years ago, the hotels were decent.

Let us know if they resolve your problem!

Jean

My 85-year-old mother has taken a few Tauck tours and loved them.

My SIL and her husband will be taking their third Globus tour next spring. They are obviously satisfied with Globus and the concept of just showing up without doing any planning or research. They can't always remember where they saw what, and I have been dismayed at what they didn't see in some places.

I can understand the convenience of an organized tour for a first-time traveler, but remember that everyone was once a first-time traveler. I think if you have the time and are willing to do the research (which to me is part of the enjoyment of travel), you'd have a great trip on your own.

If you do end up planning your own trip, resist the urge to try to see everything on your wish list. Don't change cities/hotels every day or even every other day. Factor in the amount of time needed to check in/out and travel (by whatever means) between destinations. Don't pack each day with too many activities and no lunch.

AnnaN

This is kind of late, but I just got back from a Contiki trip that went through Switzerland. I had an amazing experience with this company. The total price included airfare, breakfasts, most dinners, and coach transportation, which was pretty comfortable. Our group also had its own personal tour manager who could answer any question you could think of. The food was amazing and this company really takes the time to provide dinners that allow you to experience the culture of the different countries. I also really liked how flexible the days were. You were given plenty of free time to wander around and explore, and you always had the choice to meet up for dinners, but never had too. I was highly satisfied with Contiki and would recommend to any 18-35 year old looking to travel and meet amazing people. If you have any more questions, you can email me at [email protected]. Otherwise, check out www.contiki.com and see what traveling experience best suits you. Good luck with everything.