Travel Tours?
 

My husband and I want to take a vacation to the United Kingdom and were wondering if a tour would be the way to go so we wouldn't have to worry about much. We are in our early 20s so we would feel out of place with people who are retired.... does anyone have recommendations for a company that might be geared towards slightly younger people?

Or any suggestions on how to make our trip relaxing and not have to worry about driving there?

Thanks!!!

Guccirush - you didn't mention where in the UK nor how much time you would like to spend on this vacation. If you give more specifics, any number of people on this board will be happy to help you out. Personally, I wouldn't consider a tour on a bus with lots of other unknown people who expect to be herded. If you are going to spend any time in London, and you certainly should, you won't need to drive because public transport is excellent, frequent and reasonable, but walking is the best way to learn a city: through the soles of your feet.

If you are going to the countryside, it would be helpful to know which area you wish to explore. In the countryside, it's better to drive from place to place, using a central base for your explorations, but again depending upon where you're going and for how long, it is also possible to use the train. Write back with more details!

Conitki does tours for 18-35 yr olds ONLY.. you will fit in, but, they do tend to be a bit of party tours.
An added bonus right now is they are priced and you pay in American dollars,, with American dollar so weak right now that is an advantage.

Rick Steves tours are quite popular and attract a very mixed age group, they are not for those who are inactive, so even the seniors who do go on them are fit and fun! Check out their website. ricksteves.com

I don't think you'll have to worry about "driving there", since England is an island (you'll have to take a boat, plane or train). :) I can see why you might be worried about "driving while you're there".

I don't think you need a tour in order to get around. It is easy to get around by bus or train. Then look at booking local tours (e.g. walking tours in towns) once you get to a particular place.

A tour is one way to have an easy trip, in the sense that planning, logistics, transportation, hotel booking and sightseeing are mostly taken care of. Of course, that's what many people enjoy doing as part of the trip - and they get more out of it by organizing it themselves. Tours are also a way to manage a "drive by 100 most famous sights in country/continent x" - but that doesn't feel like a very interesting travel experience either.

I have booked tours for specialty trips, e.g. my husband and I booked a guided walking tour in the mountains in Morocco for part of our honeymoon because we didn't want the hassle of organizing our own hike immediately after the wedding. Likewise, a tour that focuses on something that interests you in terms of art, history, literature, etc could be very interesting.

I don't know how much time (or money) you have for this trip, but one option that you might consider is to book a short tour that involve something active (e.g. walking in the Lake District, or something similar) for a week or so, with a day or two in London at the start and finish. Such a tour also could include your airfare - but ask to book a later departure. Then travel on your own to a few other places, after you've completed the tour. You'll get the benefit of having someone organize some of the major elements of the trip (airfare, arrival, the first week, etc), get the opportunity to meet some people, and then have the flexibility to take off on your own once you've become a little more accustomed to the country.

Thanks to all!

Sandra-- We are looking to spend 1-2 weeks in the UK. London and Stonehenge are our must sees, but other than that we just want to see a bit of this and a bit of that.

I am not really worried about getting around in London, but I would be clueless as to how to get to say Stonehenge or or somewhere else without driving.

I want this vacation to be very relaxing and stress free...especially for my husband who will just be getting back from a deployment.

Thanks again!

London Walks - www.walks.com - offers day tours to several locations outside London, as well as their extensive variety of walks in and around London.

If you like, you can take a look at our pictures from May 2007 to get ideas of what you'd like to see and do. http://tinyurl.com/25xs9t

Lee Ann

Since you have now explained you want your hubby to have some down time and coming back from deployment, , I think you should skip the tour. Your husband is likely sick and tired of being told what time to get up every morning, an when to eat,, this happens on the tour every day. This holiday should run more on his pace.
Base yourselve in London, take the train for a daytrip or two, Bath is nice, and Brighton might be fun in nice weather. Take a bus tour to Stonehenge( but , I should warn you it may be a bit of a let down for you) .
Take easy lunches in pubs , see the British Museum( its very very good, and very very big) , and of course the Tower of London is a must do.
If you have two weeks , consider taking the train up to Edinburgh, or check and see if you can get a cheapo flight, spend a few days in Scotland.

A tour for someone just coming back off a tour of duty is most likely not best choice and even good tours are rushing about and fairly regimented,, you see the problem here.

You can easily plan this trip on your own, I know you can,, you've already found your way onto a good travel forum, and there are serveral others that can help too, try tripadvisor.com too, good for hotel searches, etc.

Good Luck, and happy to hear your hubby is coming home safe after serving his country.

Thank you all. I truely appreciate all the advice!

Um, something cheaper than contiki is EF College Break, but its for 18-26 yr olds. It would definitely be a younger crowd, and no retries. haha. I dont know if that is what you are looking for, but their packages include round trip airfare, hotels, and it comes with a guide and other stuff. I just booked a trip with them, and i have the discount code i used from when i booked, its hesseln1188 and it saves you $50 if you end up wanting to use them. Have fun!