mart00

Planning a trip to Italy ,myself and 3 adult children(25,22,17),became a widow june06, otherwise husband would be with me. None of us have been to Europe, thought an escorted tour might be the way to go, Anyone know anything about Brendan vacations, Globus is the other one we're looking at? THanks.

flybob

So sorry to hear of your berivement. |recon your kids will have enough drive to sort out a tour, why pay when you have 3 adults to help you

suze

Sorry, I have not been on a tour myself, but think that sounds like it might be a great idea for your family. So no one has to stress about the arrangements.

mclaurie

This is a travel board filled with do- it-yourselfers. Most of us cringe at the idea of traveling with a group on a bus and being herded to where they want you to go. If you have the time and inclination, we can help you put together the trip of your dreams. Perhaps one of the biggest downsides to a tour is for your kids, most people on tours tend to be older.

Previous threads for you to read.
http://fodors.com/forums/threadselec...p;tid=34458956

http://fodors.com/forums/threadselec...p;tid=34814608
(great reco from grantop on Brendan tour to Italy on this thread)

http://fodors.com/forums/threadselec...p;tid=34464133
(another good emntion of Brendan from Margie)

sumreknot

My husband and I went on a guided tour to France a few years ago and would never have been able to navigate it on our own. We went with Nawas at the time...on the upside, we never had to wait in lines for any of the sites...and we did have time on our own..on the downside..some of the folks were not able to keep up...we went to Spain without a tour group...BUT were with adult son and DIL and a European resident...we are going to Italy and Greece in May with Globus, which has been highly recommended by people we trust...whatever you choose, glad you are going on...enjoy! How nice for you to be able to travel with those adult kiddos!

travelhorizons

Brendan and Globus are both well thought-of companies, and you will have a well planned trip with good hotels; Brendan would be my first choice for a tour company.

Another possibility you might think about: there are companies such as Backroads that plan "active vacations". You could choose either a walking trip or a biking trip that let you see the countryside as well as provide good tour guides in the towns you visit. The beauty of this is that they have done the research and has put together a trip with the best, most interesting hikes.

What I did with my last trip (to Italy): We went on a 6-day Backroads trip of the Amalfi Coast. Beforehand, we toured Rome, Naples, and Pompeii on our own. Afterwards, we went to Assisi, Florence, and Milan. I really think the combination of a SHORT guided vacation along with some independent travel on your own can be really satisfying.

DrShpilkes

ABC Tours (clubabc.com) has terrific tours to Europe. I did the "our Italy" tour in '01, and the Montacatini stay in '03. Great hotels, good prices. Some tours are escorted, others are independent.