Alma

Please help me gather info on tour trips. I'm 56 and my husband doesn't want to go to Europe. So, I will be going alone. I guess I may take about 3 weeks for touring. I heard of various companies (Globus,Trafalger, Insight, Collette, Cosmos and Saga). Does anyone have experience(good or bad)with a tour? How early do you have to start? How rushed at each outing are you? Are the optional tours costly? Do you get enough time to shop/browse (at least an hour or two)? How will the weather be in June? <BR> <BR>I plan on going to England,Scotland & Wales <BR>but, I don't know if I's have enough time in London to explore. Most of the brochures only have 1 or 2 days in London. I also was thinking of Paris for a week. I even considered a multi-country European tour, but I think that may be too hectic and I really won't get the feel of the countries. <BR>If I sound like I'm confused, I am! I probably won't be able to afford another trip so I'm trying to get as much as I can now. You see, my children are giving this trip to me as a present. I do have great kids! Please someone HELP.

Thyra

Alma,,, you go girl!!!! Congratulations on your great gift!!! I am sure you will have a great time. A word though, most people on this forum are Staunch do-it-yourselfers, who dislike organized tours... (myself included) however the important thing is to go and feel comfortable, next time you can go by yourself. I have never taken a tour but several friends of mine have taken Globus tours and report wonderful things. In fact one of my pen pals is a travel agent on the side and also enjoys Globus, (she takes them over and over). The major complaints that people on this forum have made with regard to tours is, you have to get up early, eat at impersonal places, meet other Americans and sometimes are rushed. However on the up side, you don't have to deal with getting lost, transportation worries or things like that and many people meet friends for life.

Robin

Alma-- <BR> <BR>How lucky you are to have such kind children! This will be a great opportunity for you. <BR> <BR>You will find that many of us on the forum enjoy self-guided trips, so please understand our bias up front! But since you are probably right, that a tour is a good option for you, I would suggest setting some priorities. Where have you always dreamed of going? Do you like free time? Does it appeal to you to have the highlights selected for you? And, especially important, is it more important to see a lot of one or two countries, or a little of many? It really doesn't matter what anyone else thinks about these things-- you are the one who needs to be happy! <BR> <BR>If you stick with your idea of England, Scotland and Wales, don't hesitate to add some time in London. It's a lovely city and easy to get around in. If you do it at the end of the organized tour you should be somewhat more comfortable and adventurous. <BR> <BR>Spend some time brainstorming about these issues, and others that will come up, and try to get your "must have" and "can't stand" lists together. Then perhaps a travel agent or knowledgable friend can recommend companies. Then, by all means, come back to the forum to either do a search on specific companies, or ask about people's experiences. Don't feel rushed in these decisions. It doesn't sound like you expect to do this all the time, so try to really learn what you would love. <BR> <BR>Happy planning-- I hope you are thrilled with Europe! <BR> <BR>

rose

test <BR>

rose

Hi Alma, this is the 3rd time I've tryed to post a response, so forgive me if my answers are short and to the point ... Tours are a great way to see alot of sights in a short amount of time. I tend to travel 50/50 half on tour and half on my own alone. I find I get to see the sights on the tour, and then get to relax in one place and get to know some locals when I'm by myself. You won't meet many locals on a tour (think of 50 people walking in a group). For what tours do, they're great. You have companions, and you don't have to worry about logistics. They can be tiring, I find 7-10 days is my max on a tour. Try to tour and then take some time off, maybe then join another shorter tour. You don't have to tour for the entire time.. <BR> <BR>My England tour started out at 8:30 am, versus a continental tour which started about 6:30! <BR> <BR>Watch the driving distances, as long drives will tire you out. Compare the tour brochures to see what's included, for example "why don't you", and "perhaps enjoy" means it's an extra. Extras can run you $400-500 more, Insight includes alot of extras, and stays in the city centers, I'd recommend you check them out. Something to keep in mind, the places I remember most are the ones I explored on my own. England is quite safe for the single gal. I hope I've helped, and have a great trip, YOU GO GIRL!

Simone

Try a small group tour and some time alone in London. Look up Back Roads Tours in London. They are on the web.

Diane

I'm not a tour person myself, but they certainly have their benefits. I agree with the poster above that you could add some time before, after, or both to the trip for time on your own. The best of both worlds. Have a great trip.

Mary

Alma <BR>Take a look at ricksteves.com they have Bed, breakfast and bus tours. Low stress they arrange all the travel but you are on your own at the destinations. small groups of 20-25. Could work. Have a great time.

topper

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love2trvl

Hi Alma: <BR>My only experience with a tour was CIE Tours to Ireland, Scotland,York and London. It was a great trip and there were other single female travelers on the tour. It was a 15 day trip so it was spread out. I know they have a longer one that also includes Wales. Have a wonderful trip!

elaine

Some tours have extra charges (supplements) for people traveling alone, so you'll need to do a little homework to compare pricing of the tour vs going alone. <BR>However, if you decide that you do want a tour, you still have lots of options. Don't rule out the multi country tours. If you feel that this truly might be your only European trip, at least for a long time, you could consider one that perhaps includes 3 capitals like London, Paris, and Rome; there are such packages out there (Perillo offers one I believe, among others), and with other city variations. Paris-London would have less time spent in inter-city travel. <BR>With a three week trip you could combine a couple of different tours onto one trip. <BR>Perhaps the three capitals mentioned over a 12-14 day period, and then an additional week touring in the UK or one of the other countries. Also as mentioned, many tours allow you to add on extra days in a city that interests you. <BR>The optional daytrips offered by the tour companies are comparatively expensive as mentioned, but you can still pick and choose. For example, if you are in Paris, you could skip an optional daytrip to Versailles, if only because Versailles is incredibly easy (and cheap) to get to on your own (one train from Paris, no changing, and a half-mile straight walk from the train station in Versailles), and you can stay all day if you like, or leave when you feel like it or save it for a day when it's not raining.

elaine

I had a few more ideas <BR>I personally would avoid tours that include dinners. Too often the restaurants the tours deal with are not good enough. It's much more fun to walk and find a great place on your own (or get recommendations hereDon't forget that the airlines also offer hotel-air packages, some with escorts, some without, most with included transfers to and from the airports. <BR>Before you book find your hotels on city maps (or on internet maps). Sometimes tours use hotels that are more convenient to the airport and train stations than they are for tourist sites. <BR>Pack light, even for three weeks, unless your tour will be doing all your baggage handling. Take some of your travel money and splurge on having the hotel do some laundry/dry cleaning for you, or find a nearby coin-operated laundry. I personally would rather spend the money on refreshing my clothes and gladly eat good bread and cheese for dinner if I have to make up for the cost . <BR> <BR>June is wonderful weather usually for traveling, which is why so many millions do it and why so many locations are terribly crowded. If you don't mind a somewhat greater chance of rain, consider April-May or Sept-Oct when the weather can still be lovely and the crowds and lines a bit less. <BR> <BR>Read the tour itineraries and interpret the lingo. A phrase like "on our drive we'll see the famous leaning Tower" may mean that all you'll do is literally see it out the bus window as you drive by. If one place is included as a "visit", say the Louvre, find out how much time you'll actually have there. It might be only be a half hour. If it is important for you to see a particular site check the tour itinerary and a good guidebook to make sure that what you want is open on the day you will be in the city. The tour brochure may have language like "we'll visit the Louvre, schedule permitting", but if your main day in Paris is a Tuesday, the Louvre will be closed. <BR> <BR>Expect checking in and out of hotels, plus transportation time to the next place, to take longer than you wish. "We'll arrive in Rome in the late morning" may mean that by the time you get caught in traffic, unload the bus, check in, and get settled, you don't get out for sightseeing until 2 or 3pm. If you're moving on the next morning, that's not much time. <BR> <BR>Finally, remember that you are not a prisoner, and even on a group visit you can strike out on your own for an hour or two, as long as you are back before the bus leaves. If the group is shepherded into one particular shop (as often happens) and you had seen another shop that interests you more, feel free to go off on your own for a while. If you'd rather shop while the group eats lunch, or if you'd rather relax at a local café or stop into a church while the group shops, feel free. Again, just know where the bus is, and when it's leaving, and tell someone you'll be back in time. Tours can provide a lot of conveniences, you just need to be aware of the compromises. Have a wonderful time. <BR>

Sheila

I had a good experience last summer with goahead tours (they have a website). My tour was to Italy and was very flexible. You had optional things that you could include or not. There were 2 females that came on the tour alone and seemed to have a wonderful time. Some meals were included but most were on our own but we did not have to worry about hotels, transportation or buying museum tickets. Good luck. Sounds like you have great kids.

Diane

That *is* a wonderful gift from your kids! <BR> <BR>I thought I'd chime in on a couple of points: <BR>* The biggest differences across countries are in the smaller cities/towns rather than in the big capital cities, I think. So, unless you're really really a city person, you might have the richest travel experience from a tour that spends time in the countryside, too. <BR>* Having time to explore on your own is wonderful, for shopping, peoplewatching, and generally feeling like you're really "in" a place. I'd suggest looking for tours -- like, say, Rick Steves' 20-day Britain tour http://www.ricksteves.com/tours/cityframe.htm -- that schedule such time in. <BR>Also, as Elaine said, you *can* choose to break away from the group sometimes. I know my mother and a friend did that when they went on a tour to Hong Kong and China. <BR>* June in Britain and France is generally quite pleasant, weather-wise, and the daylight is very very long. You will want to take a jacket, since "summer" often doesn't mean "hot" -- it's no accident that those cream-colored sweaters that cricket players wear are made of thick wool!

Cindy

Alma, I've never taken an escorted European tour, but my husband and I gave a tour to his mother this spring as a present. So I shopped the majors, and I have a few things to pass along. <BR> <BR>First, try to find out about how much shopping is included. Some tours take you to a shop and give you a lot of time there, possibly due to some financial incentives for the tour company. If you don't like to shop, you'll want to know about this feature of the tour. <BR> <BR>Second, we selected Central Holidays for a 10-day escorted tour of Italy, and the feedback was that the tour was good. Good food, nice tour guide. I doubt that my mother-in-law would tell me if the tour was bad, so it's hard to give a good assessment of things. <BR> <BR>Third, I'm taking a hosted tour through Grand European tours next week. It is London, Paris and Rome in 14 days. "Hosted" means that you get air, hotel, transfers and 3 dinners, plus a short city tour in each city. I mention it because it was one of the only tours we found that flys you between Paris and Rome. Other tours do an overnight train, and we thought that schedule would wear out members of our group. Grand European is not sold through travel agents, and the prices were very good. I'll try to remember to post a review when I return. <BR> <BR>Happy travels!

Cindy

Alma, one more thing. You might do lots of planning in front of your husband, and reserve a seat for him on the tour you book. He just might change his mind when he hears how much fun you're having. Cancel his seat at the last minute before you'd incur a cancellation penalty.

Phyllis

You may want to consider visiting the footloose travel site. I have not been on one of his tours but they sound wonderful. At the very least the pictures are good. Oops, the site is at www.footloosetravel.com. Good luck with your search.

Carol

Hi Alma, <BR> <BR>Don't leave out the more expensive tour companies like Tauk or Smithsonian. They are generally smaller groups (25-30 people instead of 35-45)and cover fewer places more extensively. I'd definitely recommend looking at their websites and ordering their brochures. I've heard very good things about Saga tours and Grand Circle tours have also been strongly recommended to me. The above tours are generally all-inclusive or very clear up front about the optionals. <BR> <BR>Get all the brochures you can from the companies you mentioned and those above and look at the tours in your area of interest. Then compare them as far as free time, time spent traveling from one place to the next, where they go and how long they spend there. This will go a long way to helping you make up your mind. If you can speak to a travel agent, they often can be helpful in comparing the benefits of different companies.

Carol

Sorry Alma --the right way to spell the company's name is Tauck--not Tauk as above.

topper

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