My husband and I are planning a trip to Spain for next June. Being that flights are expensive and the Euro is pretty high, we thought we'd book a tour company and save some cash. Can some one please recommend one? Thanks in advance.

I think you have it backwards. I find escorted tours to be 30% more expensive than the comparable trip done on your own.

June is a good month: Peak season doesn't begin until 16 Jul. and runs until mid-September.

Gateway/Globus used to have 'on your own' tours that included airfare, hotels and airport transfers (i.e., NOT Guided Tours). We took one Lisbon-Malaga & Madrid several years ago. Our (then) 13-year old daughter accompanied us - that got us mini-suite accomodations and it turned out to be quite economical.

Hopefully, after the Election the U.S. Dollar will 'firm up' against the Euro. So, don't be in too much of a hurry to book your tour.

This company gives you a discount on tours:

http://affordabletours.com/

Before you book a tour company, you should decide on what you want to do and see, and decide on some type of budget. You might even consider asking a professional, such as Maribel, to put together a practical itinerary so that you can tour on your own, as bobthenavigator mentioned. Just remember, professionals charge a fee for their services.

Hi

We used Cosmos (15 day trip). Were very pleased with them and the tour. They are a 3 star standard. If you prefer 5 star we used Insight in Turkey and thought they were fantastic.

Keep in mind that when you book an organized tour, the price might seem low but take into account all the optional excursions. There will be many optionals and the price will add up quickly.

An organized tour might save you some planning time. But if saving money is your biggest concern, you might find this is not the way to do it.

Your flight price will not be affected by whether or not you do a tour. However, all things considered, most especially with the current weakness in the dollar, a tour will save you money vs. doing on your own when everything is said and done.

Whether or not a tour is suited to your needs and personality, that is another question of course, and the strong majority of frequenters to this board would prefer to do on their own

I could not disagree more w/ sam17. In fact the $ is currently rising significantly against the €. Plus on a guided tour you have to pay the full freight X 2 - whereas on your own there are lots of places you can save.

I find guided tours of the same class/quality/hotel level will be 25%-35% more expensive that independent travel.

There are lots of reasons to take tours - economizing is not one of them . . .