Reputable Tours
Dec 16th, 2014, 12:04 PM
#21
francy: Ignore sj. He gets off on insulting people and verbal diarrhea. You are lucky he only posted two short paragraphs . . . normally it is a several hundred word diatribe.
Now back to planning your trip
Now back to planning your trip
Dec 16th, 2014, 05:57 PM
#22
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Hi FRANCY38,
Welcome to Fodors. You have come to the right place. I agree with the above posters - an escorted tour would not be the best way for your 18 year old daughter to enjoy England. I would suggest that you review several London/UK trip reports on this site to get more ideas. So much to do and see there!
But please select a centrally located hotel/apartment for your London stay. It's great to go out the door and be THERE!
Re SOJOURNTRAVELLER'S comment:
"Tours suit people who cannot think for themselves, have extremely low expectations and/or are easily impressed and are willing to pay high profits to a third party to hold their hand for them."
Wow, that's cold. Let's just say that the most sophisticated, savvy, well-traveled posters on this site would NEVER make a comment like that.
Welcome to Fodors. You have come to the right place. I agree with the above posters - an escorted tour would not be the best way for your 18 year old daughter to enjoy England. I would suggest that you review several London/UK trip reports on this site to get more ideas. So much to do and see there!
But please select a centrally located hotel/apartment for your London stay. It's great to go out the door and be THERE!
Re SOJOURNTRAVELLER'S comment:
"Tours suit people who cannot think for themselves, have extremely low expectations and/or are easily impressed and are willing to pay high profits to a third party to hold their hand for them."
Wow, that's cold. Let's just say that the most sophisticated, savvy, well-traveled posters on this site would NEVER make a comment like that.
Dec 17th, 2014, 06:41 AM
#24
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Rather than joining a guided tour, there is Secret Scotland who provide a range of detailed itineraries for you to choose from. They also provided suggetions for accommodation.
Have a look at their website here:
http://www.secret-scotland.com/
Have a look at their website here:
http://www.secret-scotland.com/
Dec 17th, 2014, 09:00 AM
#25
One option that is great if you don't want to drive would be to do London on your own for a week w/ maybe one day trip to Oxford or Bath Salisbury/Stonehenge, train to York or Chester or Durham or someplace similar for a couple of days, and finish up in Edinburgh. Then in Edinburgh you can hook up w/ a 1 - 5 day trip (lots of options) w/ Rabbies or Timberbush.
https://www.rabbies.com/edinburgh_tour_departures.asp
http://www.timberbush-tours.co.uk
Both are very good -- Rabbies get the nod because they use smaller vehicles -- normally about 12 people/sometimes as many as 16. Totally different than the typical 45 passenger coach trip. Plus there are so many options. So you could explore Edinburgh and Stirling (easy train trip from Edinburgh) and do a couple of Rabbies day trips or one longer tour. You and your daughter would both be comfortable on Rabbies/Timberbush -- which is unusual on group tours.
https://www.rabbies.com/edinburgh_tour_departures.asp
http://www.timberbush-tours.co.uk
Both are very good -- Rabbies get the nod because they use smaller vehicles -- normally about 12 people/sometimes as many as 16. Totally different than the typical 45 passenger coach trip. Plus there are so many options. So you could explore Edinburgh and Stirling (easy train trip from Edinburgh) and do a couple of Rabbies day trips or one longer tour. You and your daughter would both be comfortable on Rabbies/Timberbush -- which is unusual on group tours.
Dec 17th, 2014, 02:22 PM
#26
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I wrote regarding who tours suit. I said nothing about the OP.
Since the OP in facts seems to be indicating she has no knowledge of tours, I consider her uninformed, not stupid. When someone is uninformed and asks for help, telling them what a product is suited for is in fact helping them. Hopefully, the OP will decide that tours are not for her.
Those of you who have gone on tours will of course see my comment in a totally different light as it does in that case indicate what I think of those who go on tours.
Since the OP in facts seems to be indicating she has no knowledge of tours, I consider her uninformed, not stupid. When someone is uninformed and asks for help, telling them what a product is suited for is in fact helping them. Hopefully, the OP will decide that tours are not for her.
Those of you who have gone on tours will of course see my comment in a totally different light as it does in that case indicate what I think of those who go on tours.
Dec 17th, 2014, 03:21 PM
#27
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"Tours suit people who cannot think for themselves, have extremely low expectations and/or are easily impressed and are willing to pay high profits to a third party to hold their hand for them."
My Mother in Law went on a sort of tour with a friend. One of those river cruises on the Rhine, with a bunch of day excursions to nearby towns. She enjoyed it very much.
I would not have described her as unable to think for herself, nor having low expectations, extreme or otherwise, nor easily impressed, although she did maintain a sense of wonder for all her life.
However, she was aged 84 at the time, her friend a couple of years older. Perhaps not falling into SJT's stereotype of a typical tour patron, or typical tour for that matter.
My Mother in Law went on a sort of tour with a friend. One of those river cruises on the Rhine, with a bunch of day excursions to nearby towns. She enjoyed it very much.
I would not have described her as unable to think for herself, nor having low expectations, extreme or otherwise, nor easily impressed, although she did maintain a sense of wonder for all her life.
However, she was aged 84 at the time, her friend a couple of years older. Perhaps not falling into SJT's stereotype of a typical tour patron, or typical tour for that matter.
Dec 17th, 2014, 08:16 PM
#28
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My sister is going on a tour of Italy, a country she has always wanted to visit. We discussed at length about going on a tour as opposed to traveling independently. She has only been to Europe once before. She is intimidated that she does not speak the language, she really cannot schlep her luggage about, and was also intimidated by making all the travel plans, even though I offered to help.
Like any fear it is hard to overcome with logic. With the help of the people here and some additional research, I am hopeful she has found a tour that will satisfy her requirements. Otherwise I do not think she would enjoy her trip, as she would pre-occupied with the mechanics of the trip, rather than the pleasures of the trip.
We have been traveling independently for over 40 year and with the exception of a day tour, we have never gone an organized tour. Much like 90% of the people on Fodor's. We all know the shortcomings, but for people like my sister, it is probably the best way for her to travel to Italy.
Like any fear it is hard to overcome with logic. With the help of the people here and some additional research, I am hopeful she has found a tour that will satisfy her requirements. Otherwise I do not think she would enjoy her trip, as she would pre-occupied with the mechanics of the trip, rather than the pleasures of the trip.
We have been traveling independently for over 40 year and with the exception of a day tour, we have never gone an organized tour. Much like 90% of the people on Fodor's. We all know the shortcomings, but for people like my sister, it is probably the best way for her to travel to Italy.
Dec 18th, 2014, 06:24 AM
#29
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If you consider the advice above to "do" London and Edinburgh (which I would), try to fly "open jaw" or "multi city", that is into one city and home from the other so as to avoid the time and expense of backtracking. Also, you should easily be able to do this trip with carry-on luggage only. I followed advice from this forum and did a month this way, and it was the single most liberating decision that I made. There are many posts on this site about packing. Enjoy the planning of your trip. I like the planning almost as much as the trip!!!
Dec 18th, 2014, 09:22 AM
#30
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Tours make sense for certain people under certain circumstances. As long as they have realistic expectations going in - of sightseeing, hotels, meals and rules/regs necessary for a large group traveling together.
They are not for me. But don't see any reason to denigrate them for people who want the structure, need someone to deal with their luggage, are not experienced travelers or even want the company rather than traveling solo.
They are not for me. But don't see any reason to denigrate them for people who want the structure, need someone to deal with their luggage, are not experienced travelers or even want the company rather than traveling solo.
Dec 18th, 2014, 09:22 AM
#31
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Tours make sense for certain people under certain circumstances. As long as they have realistic expectations going in - of sightseeing, hotels, meals and rules/regs necessary for a large group traveling together.
They are not for me. But don't see any reason to denigrate them for people who want the structure, need someone to deal with their luggage, are not experienced travelers or even want the company rather than traveling solo.
They are not for me. But don't see any reason to denigrate them for people who want the structure, need someone to deal with their luggage, are not experienced travelers or even want the company rather than traveling solo.
