Any feedback on Trafalgar and Globis tours?

Never used them. How could they be as good as a Fodorites trip?<BR><BR>Just kidding.<BR><BR>Well not totally.<BR>

Seriourly, what is a Fodorite tour? Is there such an organized tour group?

While there has been much fuss made over Fodorites trips, I think that there have only been two ever. Both were last year, one to Central Europe and the other to Italy. The idea behind a Fodorites trip is that it is self-organized by people who visit this site. Two different people planned and organized those trips last year, and in both cases they are people who have generated a lot of attention on this forum. Both positive and negative. If you are seriously interested, I imagine that someone will chirp up and tell you who to contact.<BR>

Anyway, back to the subject:<BR><BR>I have been on a Globus tour. It is good if you want things done for you. On the trips that I've taken, the guides have always been very nice and very well informed. Most of the hotels are decent, some plain, some very fancy, some way out in the middle of nowhere. On their tours, you hit many of the highlights. Our group went to the head of the line when we visited places because tourist attractions like the repeat business from big companies like Globus.<BR><BR>The drawbacks are that you usually eat dinner at the hotel, so the food can be a little less than appetizing. Also, the tour stays on schedule so you can sometimes be a little rushed through something.

I don't think Kidding was talking about the trips organized by Rex and whomever. The way I took it was that "fodorites" plan their own trips and go independently not on a tour.<BR><BR>Obviously it is a matter of opinion and preference. We would not take a tour and prefer to make our own plans and arrangements and travel independently. <BR><BR>I have a friend and relatives that toured with Trafalgar, the prior to England/Scotland/Wales and the latter to Spain. Both were satisfied with their trips and I guess would go again. They loved their guides and got along with the others on the tour, didn't mind being up at the crack of dawn with suitcases outside their doors, short visits in some locations, etc., so all went very well.<BR><BR>j

I did plan organize and lead one of the two trips cited above. the comments by kcazzo seem fairly mean, but perhaps there is some basis to why this person feels this way, and at least they were signed. I wonder if kcazzo would mind if I write and ask why.<BR><BR>Any one interested in a Fodorites trip - - as I have used the term in the past - - can post here or write to me. See also the Galicia to Bretagne thread.<BR><BR>And I have no customers, and no business. No fodorites trip has ever been commercial, nor would it ever be. No financial advantage to anyone, myself included. Just travel enthusiasts traveling together, ideally sharing a villa rental.<BR><BR>Best wishes,<BR><BR>Rex Bickers<BR>Westerville, Ohio<BR>

Did a three week tour of Great Britain with Globus. It's a good way to see the counties and attractions if you don't want to be bothered by driving. The next trip I will drive.<BR>The bus driver was excellent. The hotels ran from very good to terrible. Even the tour guide told us to complain about the last hotel we stayed in while on the road. The hotels are outside of the cities which is a drawback.<BR>Breakfasts were were usually very good but most dinners at the hotels left a lot to be desired. Be prepared to do the tourist shopping bit. We could have spent more time on attractions and less shopping.

I checkedon a few tours offeredby Trafalgar,goodpricesbut was informed that they have really cut back this year.I was interested in Eastern Europe and so think a tour is a good idea.The rest of Europe is doable alone but it truly depends on the individual-do you like the idea of sticking to a schedule,get up,eat,board the bus,on,off,look,eat,sleep,etc

Where are you going? If you decide to be part of a herd, go Trafalgar

We went on a Globus Tour last year and loved it. We are both in our late twenties. It all depends on what you are looking for.<BR><BR>Personally, we wanted an overview, since it was our first trip. We liked the convenience. The only time we had to touch our luggage was when we left the airport. Our wonderful driver handled all of it from there.<BR><BR>We enjoyed the luxury of going to the front of the line at places like Versailles, while everyone else stood in line for two or three hours.<BR><BR>Our tour only included three dinners, two of which were in the hotel. One was excellent, one was just so so. The third one was at a local restaurant (in Florence) which was just amazing.<BR><BR>The hotels were all acceptable. We stayed at the LOndon Metropol, and we both thought it was nicer than most of the hotels we stay in in the States. On the other hand, the hotel near Venice was a little dinky- but we didn't care because we were hardly ever IN the hotel. As long as it was close to public transportation, we we didn't care about the room.<BR><BR>The tour we went on was set up nicely. It was called the Thames to the Tiber, and it gave us plenty of free time, although it WOULD have been nice to have had a few more hours here and there. The tour included a city tour in each city, and then we usually had a day or two to explore on our own.<BR><BR>I highly recommend Globus. It was much cheaper to go with the group tour than to plan it on our own. However, it just depends on what your personal inetrests are. We didn't want to do all the planning. I didn't want to worry about how we were getting from place to place. Some people in our age group LOVE winging it, but it wasn't for us.<BR><BR>

I just got an e-mail from someone who asked me about this thread:<BR><BR>http://www.fodors.com/forums/pgMessages.jsp?fid=2&tid=1357649<BR><BR>and these two posts:<BR><BR>Author: Holly ([email protected])<BR>Date: 03/26/2002, 04:22 pm<BR>Message: Rex,<BR>You can e-mail me directly at [email protected] about a Czech Republic/Central Europe trip for Fodorites. Open to pretty much any dates Sept. 2003 - anytime 2004. (Selective dates before 9/03).<BR><BR>Thanks,<BR>Holly<BR><BR><BR>--------------------------------------------------------------------------------<BR><BR> <BR>Author: Rex ([email protected])<BR>Date: 03/26/2002, 05:05 pm<BR>Message: My first leaning might be for late spring 2003. All of a sudden there are "three of you" who have written to me with a possible interest. I'll start a "e-mail group" - - and maybe even re-activate my MSN page.<BR><BR>I cannot imagine getting terribly serious about planning this before mid summer of this year.<BR><BR>Art, do you want to go back to any of these countries?<BR><BR>Annette? Claye? who else?<BR><BR>Best wishes,<BR><BR>Rex<BR><BR>======================== ============<BR><BR>...wondering if this trip is any closer to actually being planned. My answer is sure, if anyone has an interest. but I still don't foresee getting serious about thinking about it until July or August of this year at the earliest.<BR><BR>I would still very much like to plan something to Spain, France or both in the fall (before October 15?)<BR><BR>