Looking for reputable tour company for my au pair to use for tour of parts of the West
 

Our Polish au pair (19 yr old male) would love to tour some of the West - Grand Canyon, NM, AZ, or any of the above - in November. Because he's too young to rent a car, and also because he's sort of naive, I would feel best sending him on a tour. We travel on our own so I've never taken a tour and have no clue where I can find a reputable tour company where there might be people on the tour who are younger than 65! Any ideas? We'd love for him to see this magnificent part of the country and are open to lots of ideas. Thanks, Weespxx in Va

I haven't taken a tour either but Contiki is one company that comes to mind. They advertise tours for under 35year olds and seem to have a few "western" tours.
http://us.contiki.com/trip_finder?co...;x=23&y=10

Also check Colette Tours.

Collette is a very good company, but in my experience, they cater to the retired or over middle aged set.

Green Tortoise offers "backpacker" tours of the West - http://www.greentortoise.com

You might get other suggestions on Lonely Planet's Thorn Tree Forums - http://www.lonelyplanet.com

Lee Ann

Try STATravel.com. They specialize in student travel. We used them for arranging airfare when my daughter studied abroad. They have offices in most major cities, usually on campuses.
:)>-

Contiki is a very reputable company and the tours are a lot of fun for the 18-35 set (mostly 18-25 in my experience). He will be well taken care of, and will probably meet a lot of fun people on the tour also.

EFTours (also an au pair company) has tours geared to that age group.

My daughter went on a Contiki tour in Europe last summer and had a great time. She was 19 and on the younger end of the group, but that wasn't a problem. The tour was very organized and well-run.

BTW, we also had a male au pair (from Germany, this was in the early 90s) -- everyone told us we were crazy since we have a daughter (I thought my MIL would have a heart attack when we told her) but he was fantastic!

In addition to the above, check out Cosmos tour (GlobusAndCosmos, then click on Cosmos). It's a budget company popular with young guests from Australia and Britain who don't want to drive on "the wrong side" :)

I agree with Cosmos. Book with www.affordabletours.com for a 10% discount.

Green Tortoise has many budget tours that young foreigners use. I would really encourage him to look at their website:

www.greentortoise.com

If he likes hiking or biking, BackRoads is great and they have trips for "solo travellers."

I note BackRoads doesn't have any such trips planned for the great National Parks of AZ, NM, and UT. (The thought a biking from the Grand Canyon to Zion NP leaves me a bit winded.)

These suggestions are amazing - thank you all! We've found a Green Tortoise tour that is at the right time in November and are going to inquire about it. They sound like a ball - would love to pack up my husbby and kids and catch a bus. Thanks again.

From what I've seen of the Green Tortoise junker bus and flea bag hostel in Seattle, I doubt that it measures up to your request for "a reputable tour company."

Are you sure you want to be responsible for hooking up a 19-year-old with a bunch of stoners traveling in an "anything goes" environment?

If he likes being active take a look at REI. They have their REI Adventures, and you can search by dates, activities, and regions. They have several trips in Nov. in the areas you are thinking.

I took a great BackRoads trip to Santa Fe and Taos, NM, once, but it's been years ago. It may have been offered earlier in the year than November, too.

Green Tortoise is perfect for a 19 year old, unless he is european royalty. This company is heavily used by foreign travelers so he will be in the company of well-traveled folks much closer to his home and lifestyle. It might appear to be less than plush to middle-aged or older travelers, but it is fine. It's all about the journey, and having good traveling companions is as much of the experience. REI trips are going to be more affluent middle-aged group. Colette will be an ancient group to him.

My estimation of Green Tortoise is based only on what I've seen--I've never traveled with them. However, at the following site you can read about the experiences others have had with the organization: http://commonsense666atlast.tripod.com/Green_Tortoise/