JIll

I started traveling in Europe 20 years ago when I was in college and did the backpack thing for a summer. When I think back of that trip and the places we slept - awful hostels, train stations, on trains and some great B&B's - never eating in a restuarant for 3 months, etc. I realize how exciting that trip was, and that it made me an easy to please and rather independent traveler. In the past 10 years, I've gone on tours and independently. Except for one trip to Spain with 3 friends that we drove, all my independent trips have used the Eurorail pass. My first tour was to Scandinavia where I wasn't comfortable to drive there and the train system didn't seem to go all the places I wanted to go to. THe tour itself was good but the group was awful - and I mean awful. There was a fight among the group, etc. That made me think no more tours. However, several years later, my mom and I went to Ireland on a tour. I think there were only 2 of us under 65. But this was a great group. I thoroughly enjoyed it. <BR>As many who previously answered you, I think it depends on where you're going. I used tours for another trip to Scandanavia (always willing to try again) and one to Russia and the Baltics. I do like the history you get with tour guides and that someone else carries your lugguage and there's always a bathroom in the room and that basically you don't have to think. But for places with great train systems (England, Germany, France, Swizterland) I'd never think of doing a tour. I love deciding where to go and how to get there, the B&B's and small hotels, eating when I want, even the trying to figure things out in a language I can't speak.

Cholly

Can someone give me a good outline of what you get with the more expensive, gilt-edge tours vs. the more moderate ones? I assume one major difference is the quality of the hotels, but what are some others?

Rudy

From what I have been able to gather, one of the differences is in the quality and choice of food. I believe the high end tours have sit down meals with full menu, and not just in the hotels. Most tours have mainly buffets or limited menu.