Looking for reputable tour company for my au pair to use for tour of parts of the West
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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
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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...gth=&x=23&y=10
http://us.contiki.com/trip_finder?co...gth=&x=23&y=10
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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
You might get other suggestions on Lonely Planet's Thorn Tree Forums - http://www.lonelyplanet.com
Lee Ann
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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.
#9
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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!
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!
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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"
#11
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I agree with Cosmos. Book with www.affordabletours.com for a 10% discount.
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Green Tortoise has many budget tours that young foreigners use. I would really encourage him to look at their website:
www.greentortoise.com
www.greentortoise.com
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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.
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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?
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?
#19
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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.
#20
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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/
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