jene4

Hi! I am a first time solo traveler...first time international traveler at that. Would like to do a tour that includes Italy. I'm 29 years old and was wondering which tour would provide the best experience. I've considered:

Contiki, but then am not favoring them, simpy bcs I don't want I want to relax and see, not so much party. Plus, i wouldnt want to to be the Debbie Downer of the group...

Trafalgar - been hearing it's mainly senior citizens that go?

Gap Adventures - ideal for solo travelers, am considering them

Gate 1 - is this good for solo travelers?

Any others that are worth a try? Id like nice hotels, ideally, less bus time, and overall, a good memorable experience.

Any input is greatly appreciated! hope you can simplify my mind, as this is very scary, yet exciting!

dreamon

I reckon it's important to set some criteria so you can decide which company will suit you best. There are a heap of tour companies out there.

Ask yourself:
Do you want lots of free time to spend as you choose?
How many nights do you want to spend in each place?
Would you rather spend 3 weeks in one country or 8 countries in 8 days?
How many people do you want to travel with? e.g. 10 or 40?
Do you prefer to use local transport?
Do you want to see country as well as cities?
Do you want to stay in hotels in the middle of town or on the outskirts?
Do you want to be able to choose (and pay) for optional extras such as tours and meals or have the tour to all inclusive?
Do you want a room of your own? Are you happy to pay a single supplement?
What standard of accommodation do you need?
Are you happy to carry your own bags?
Do you want a guide which can tell you everything about what you're seeing?
How active do you want to be?
What sort of night life do you want to experience?
What age group do you want to travel with?
How much do you want to spend?
Do you have a special interest e.g. cooking, hiking, architecture?
Do you wizz through museums or like to take your time?
etc. etc. etc.

Once you've set your criteria it's much easier to evaluate and decide. If you google small tour companies, you'll find a range of offerings (e.g. Intrepid, Gap, Peregrine, Gecko, Tamarillo, Kamuka, and heaps of others).

Good luck.

Everyone has their prejudices too. I, for example, have never taken a Contiki tour and would never consider going on one because they're just not 'me' but friends have taken them and thought they were fine.

thursdaysd

"ideally, less bus time" - then why take a tour at all? Italy has trains between all major cities. Many, many people, including a lot of solo travelers a lot younger than you travel independently in Italy.

How many days do you have?
What do you want to see?
What are your interests?
Have you read any guide books?

If you just have, say, 10 days, and want to do the biggies, that's Venice, Florence (or the Cinque Terre, or the lakes) and Rome, connected by train.

irishface

When I was in my 20's I traveled solo and continued to do so for the next 40+ years. For me half the fun of a trip is the planning. I just get some guidebooks and study the places I would like to see. these days I also use the internet. Then take off. (I have also traveled with friends/family along the way.)

sometimes I sign up for a day tour in a place,and have met some interesting people this way. I also have met some people on trains or busses and have spent a day or two with someone who has similar interests.

Traveling on your own leaves you open to meeting others. People are much more likely to speak to someone on her own than a couple or threesome who seem to be self sufficient.

I rarely book ahead and have yet to spend the night on a park bench (though came close a few times). These days if I were hitting cities, I think I might make some reservations.

Anyway, have a marvelous trip! Once you decide on a rough itinerary, there are many Italy experts here who will be glad to offer advice. Dare to go on your own!

qwovadis

www.affordabletours.com good group tour options

Have done Globus and others but thought Globus best value

paid 40% off for 2 weeks like under 2k all in .

ConTiki more for party Trafalgar GAP more budget

Hotels were nice saw a lot great guides

down side early AM bus calls so if you want to sleep late

for less structure consider independent solo

www.ricksteves.com another great option for you similar folks

www.eurocheapo.com great DIY guide.

Happy deciding,

jene4

@dreamon
thanks for your questions! i never really thought about some of the things you asked. and WHOA, those are alot of tour companies. how does one choose?

@thursdaysd
I would love to travel solo! just for my first time i need some sort of guide experience, and sharing a room would greatly cut down costs. sharing a room is better than a hostel, no?

@qwovadis such a steal deal!! will definitely look at affordable tours. am hoping they have a group for certain ages, similar to contiki.

thank you everyone! any other ideas suggestions you can throw my way would be great...i hope to make my decision in three weeks!

thursdaysd

"sharing a room is better than a hostel, no?"

Probably, if you pick the right tour, and thus the right sort of traveling companions. But hostels aren't the only other option. There are monasteries/convents, the Italian version of B&Bs (B&Bs in Europe are rooms in people's houses and not pricey places as in the US) and pensions and cheap hotels. Have a look at Rough Guide and Lonely Planet for cheaper places to stay. You can also get a cheaper room by not having an en-suite bathroom, although those rooms are becoming rarer.

You didn't give us your budget. Staying in two or three places connected by train and eating cheaply you could well come in under a tour.

BigRuss

Contiki isn't just a party bus. There is lots of that, especially on certain trips (Greek Islands), but you can find less party-crazed trips. The single-country trips tend to be a bit "older" and more sedate than the "14 countries in 28 days" trips that cater to US students and beer-swilling Aussies on their OAs. And Contiki trips tend to have a 3-2 or more ratio of women to men so you can find strength in numbers (both of the ones I went on were at least 2-1 women among the singles).

Trafalgar is for old people -- it's an elderhostel on wheels. I think my aunt and uncle used them a lot (and Globus) when they were "young" (read: 60s and 70s). You'll be one of the few without a walker, hip replacement, or varicose veins.

P_M

I'm a fan of Gate 1 but there is no option to share a room so you would have to pay the single supplement. I took GAP to Peru and it was fine but at (then) age 44 I was the granny of the group. With Gate 1 I'm not usually the youngest but I'm one of the youngest. Gate 1 has nicer hotels than GAP but GAP is better if you are on a budget and willing to share a room.

I would also like to recommend Imaginative Traveller or Exodus tours. Those offer small group tours with the option to share. I took an Imaginative Traveller tour to Romania and it was one of the best I've done. Our group only had about 10 people and I felt like I was travelling around with a group of friends instead of taking a tour. We saw a lot of out of the way places as well as major tourist sites. I am told Exodus is very similar and I'm looking at an Exodus tour in September.

I've also used Cosmos which is OK for a limited budget but hotels are located outside of the city and tours are a bit too rushed for me. Also Cosmos adds a lot more optional excursions (such as city tours) where the other companies include those. After using some of the other companies I've mentioned I don't think I would do Cosmos again.

beanweb24

I've done two Contiki tours - one to Ireland when I was 23, and one to Spain and Portugal when I was 25. The Ireland tour was far less of a "party bus" scene than Spain and Portugal, but it didn't bother me...the group does tend to very obviously break off into sub-groups based on interest. BUT, if you're looking for less time on the bus, I wouldn't recommend a tour like Contiki. We spent a lot of time (primarily on the Spain and Portugal trip) getting up early and being on the bus for hours.

At 25, I was still one of the "older" people on the Contiki tour.

You don't have to limit yourself to two choices -- hostel OR share a room on a tour. There are plenty of clean, safe budget hotels that I'm sure you can find with some research/recommendation.

TracyB

I've travelled on a few GAP tours! They are small group tours, and the only way to go if u want to take a tour! usually 10. - 15 people!! We take tours when we are pressed for time and want to see a ton of places in that time, plus we have met some fab people and if u are travelling single u are pretty much assured u will have people to hang out with the whole time! Have had great times with GAP and sometimes u don't even know u are on a tour!!

dreamon

How to choose?

Scour their websites and brochures, ask lots of questions and look for recommendations of specific companies/tours from friends and online forums such as this one. If you know which hotels are to be used, you can find them on google maps to determine whether they are centrally located. Some of the companies with bigger groups stay well out of town because smaller hotels can't fit them in, because they are cheaper, and because sometimes they offer the type of hotel which appeals to some nationalities (yes, I know I'm generalising here).

I've travelled once with Intrepid Travel about 5 years ago and had a fantastic holiday. Friends have recommended Imaginative Traveller and Kamuka.

jene4

@thursdaysd "You didn't give us your budget. Staying in two or three places connected by train and eating cheaply you could well come in under a tour."

my budget is 2500 total - thats coming out of CA/LAX. not including pocket money. lol, am i dreaming? thanks for the tip about the rough guide! however, being a female, i dont think i could rough it without being more experienced...

nytraveler

I would just organize the trip yourself. It will give you exactly what you want and prevent the dreaded sore behind from all that time on the bus and having most of our companions being the age of your parents - or grandparents.

thursdaysd

"my budget is 2500 total - thats coming out of CA/LAX." - does that mean it includes airfare??? And did I miss the number of days?

Rough Guide isn't that rough, lol! Hey, I'm a 60+ solo female traveler and I use RG and LP.

jene4

@bigruss thanks for your input! been researching and researching...will not be doing trafalgar, especially since their breakway tours are no more...

@P_M I've looked into the imaginative traveler, but no italy. As far as exodus goes, no Rome specific vacations. but those do look interesting! will bookmark it for future adventures!

@tracyB, looked into Gap, definitely wanted to do it, but couldnt find one for my budget and dates. 8-(

@dreamon...just discovered intrepid and am really liking their options! thanks for the suggestion....they sold me on the tour descriptions alone

jene4

Thursdaysd.. yes, ideally including airfare. I have already been quoted two tours to Italy, both at around $2450. not bad, but am scouring for promotional codes and sites to get more of a discount. I dont want to stay for more than 7 days. i think a week is enough for now. I'll be travelling there again in April, but with friends. Whatever i missed, hopefully will still be there. By the way, went to B&N and bought a LP guide to Rome...am loving every page!

@nytraveler would love to do it by myself! just am afraid that being different city, i dont know the language, id get lost. but the tours i'm searching for as semi escorted, semi independent

fodors is great, you guys are great! thanks!

thursdaysd

"id get lost" - get a good map!!! If you go to Venice getting lost is half the fun. Language really isn't a big deal. Rome, is, aside from Naples, probably the toughest city in Italy, maybe be better to start somewhere else.

Seven days isn't very much - does that include the day you leave the US and the day you fly back? Do those tours include airfare? Intrepid won't, but should be cheaper.

Don't know what airfare is looking like these days, but that sounds like plenty for just seven days.