Does anyone know a good tour company?
 

I have been looking at taking a trip to Germany and possibly Austria and the Czech Republic in late November or December of 2008, preferably Christmas oriented. For logistical reasons, I have been thinking that an escorted tour would work best for us. I had been looking at Globus or Trafalgar, and they both have some nice options, but in my wanderings on the web, I have become aware that there is a level of travelling between the backpackers and what most U.S. oriented tour companies are offering. A friend of mine called it the "fish and chips brigade" and said it was mostly oriented to British travelers, but said he thought it would probably work well for us. Does anyone know of a good tour company that offers this kind of level? I want to stay in hotels, not hostels, but I'm fine with shared baths, etc. Also if these are British companies, can I get them to send brochures to the U.S.? I realise I will probably have to pay in pounds, but that is way less of a hassle than it used to be. I did request one brochure, but I'm sort of taking it on faith that it will actually arrive.

Oops, wrong forum. Sorry! Although if anyone has a good answer I would appreciate it.

We used Paul Laifer Tours <http://www.laifertours.com/2007/f0.php> in 2002 to visit Prague, Vienna, Salzburg and Munich. Their package included trans-atlantic air fare, plus air and rail transportation within Europe, hotels, and a 2-hour sightseeing tour of some kind in each city. The best thing about it was that there was a lot of flexibility and none of the regimentation usually associated with an escorted tour.

Grand Circle offers wonderful escorted tours from the US.

Cosmos is the "budget" version of Globus tours. I took a short Cosmos tour in France years ago and it definitely caters primarily to the "fish and chips" British tourist. I was one of two Americans on the tour and almost everybody else was from the UK.

I don't take escorted tours anymore (that was my first overseas trip), but I remember it being a good value. The hotels were basic and outside the main center of town usually, but no shared bathrooms.

www.cosmos.com

In addition to Grand Circle and the other suggestions, check out www.smartours.com