savannah300

Hi All .. Looking into Europe for next March/April. Have any of you used Maupin Tours and how did it go? Also, could any of you suggest a good tour company? I've been looking at both Globus and Insight. Any suggestions or comments? Appreciate any info and/or advise you can give me. I'm a single woman and will be travelling alone and really don't need any hassles. Thanks.

Suzanne

artstuff

My friend, who is a single woman, has taken the Globus tours 3 different times - one through Ireland, then Ireland and Scotland and finally a grand tour of Italy. She has only good things to say about the tour company, ie. good guides, nice accomodations, good routes, etc.

Her biggest complaint seems to be having to travel with a large group of people, and all the problems that can arise (a woman sprained her ankle on the Italy tour, where they spent valuable sightseeing time sitting in a hospital parking lot). Peace.

Robyn

Frank

Maupin Tours is a higher end tour company, not quite Tauck but higher priced than both Globus and Insight. My advice to you is to compare features that are included (watch out for those extras), quality and location of hotels, types and numbers of meals, etc. Although I haven't taken any of the 3 tours, it my impression that they are rated Maupin, Globus, and Insight, and generally appropriately priced.

Also, if a tour company specializes in a particularly country, like CIE in Ireland, you should give them serious consideration. We recently took a short CIE tour of Ireland and really enjoyed it.

USNR

My wife and I have traveled with all the tour companies you mention as well as traveling on our own, so you might say we speak from experience.

Within all the groups there were single individuals, men as well as women. I can't recall a tour in which the singles did not have a great time and were included in all the activities, fun, and get-togethers.

You might check the web sites for two companies that might fit your needs:
Grand Circle Travel and its small-group affiliate, Overseas Adventure Travel. These companies specialize in meeting the requirements of mature (but not ancient!) persons. The young-at-heart, please take note.

savannah300

Thank you all for your advise and suggestions. I will do some checking based on your recommendations. Glad to hear that singles aren't left out of things on a tour.

LEANNAT

I used Maupintour for Egypt and it was the best tour I have been on so far in my life. I've been on 7, so do have room for comparison. Once you pay you will pay no more! So its well worth it...no optionals and other hidden costs. The hotels were high end and I did not get smaller rooms because I was a single which is often the case w/ Insight and others. Also we often ordered anything we wanted off the menu. There were only 13 of us on my tour so it was the perfect sized group. I always check them first when I'm deciding on a tour and when the itinery pleases me I will use them again.

JackColton74

I found a great, small company that works with Globus - they also have their own tours. I went to europe last year with them and thoroughly enjoyed it. Queenslandertours and their website is www.quenslandertours.com. I highly recommend them for their 9day europe tour if they still ahve that. They're small company but go overboard with service. Also, Gate1Travel is also a great choice I've found.

Sue4

I did a Maupintour 10 years ago to the British Isles, and it was great. Definitely highend hotels - and very nice clientele. I was solo, and never felt left out. There were other singles, and I also had a good time with the couples. The following year I did another with them - to Switzerland, which was also wonderful. I haven't done anymore tours in Europe since that time, as now I prefer to go on my own, since I like to go to England and France, which are so easy to do without a tour. I have also taken some Tauck Tours in the U.S. I think they are equivalent, and probably pricewise, too, although Maupin might be a little more expensive.