Please list other high end tour operators, trying to compare prices and trips

[Bobo912]

Odysseys Unlimited, one of Travel & Leisures, top picks, does include airfare. I'm not sure of the quality of their tours but according to the huge brochure I received, all of their tours include airfare.

Thanks, Pakey. A few weeks ago I checked the websites for all the T&L top companies and now that you mention it, I remember them. I thought they looked really good at first, but after further reading they seemed to be geared more toward the retiree crowd. I'm not that far away from that age myself, but, with a 10-year-old, I'll have to stick to the more family oriented companies for now. Definitely something to look into later. I think the Tauck Culturious trips look interesting too, for when DS doesn't want to travel with me anymoe. I'll have to travel a lot then to keep from being depressed.

 

[Bobo912]

For those of you who are interested in Thomson check out this letter from a lady who took her 10 year-old grandson to Egypt and was delayed due to the volcano eruption in Iceland. She and her grandson missed the first day of the trip. They were well taken care of once they arrived and the whole trip sounds great. But the amazing thing is that she had booked a post day and Thomson offered to use that day as a make up for the day she missed and provided a driver and guide for her and her grandson. I love ABD's service, but I can't imagine them doing something like that.

http://www.familyadventures.com/blog/category/travelers/past-guests/

 

[sayhello]

For those of you who are interested in Thomson check out this letter from a lady who took her 10 year-old grandson to Egypt and was delayed due to the volcano eruption in Iceland. She and her grandson missed the first day of the trip. They were well taken care of once they arrived and the whole trip sounds great. But the amazing thing is that she had booked a post day and Thomson offered to use that day as a make up for the day she missed and provided a driver and guide for her and her grandson. I love ABD's service, but I can't imagine them doing something like that.

http://www.familyadventures.com/blog/category/travelers/past-guests/

Wow! That *is* really amazing! No, I doubt that ABD would go that far, but I still wonder exactly what they did for the DISer's family that was detained in China. She chose not to elaborate, which I can totally understand, and just said ABD and the guides were fabulous for them. But I've always been curious as to how far they would go for someone in that situation.

That said, Thomson really does seem more & more appealing. I wonder if they do Adults-Only trips?

Sayhello

 

[LukenDC]

Last year I took a trip to India with Easy Tours of India and they were fantastic! The guides were knowledgeable, the attention to detail superb, and accommodations quite comfortable. I highly recommend them for anyone considering a trip to India.

 

[Pakey]

Thanks, Pakey. A few weeks ago I checked the websites for all the T&L top companies and now that you mention it, I remember them. I thought they looked really good at first, but after further reading they seemed to be geared more toward the retiree crowd. I'm not that far away from that age myself, but, with a 10-year-old, I'll have to stick to the more family oriented companies for now. Definitely something to look into later. I think the Tauck Culturious trips look interesting too, for when DS doesn't want to travel with me anymoe. I'll have to travel a lot then to keep from being depressed.

LOL Bobo, I read on Tripadvisor that the median age was in the 80's. That might have been an exaggeration but it was enough to scare me away too.

I have looked at the Tauck Culturious also. My husband has picked Costa Rica for next year (we were supposed to go with AbD last year but they cancelled) and I'm looking at everything trying to decide if we want to do a group tour or go on our own.

 

[marcemch]

Just booked the Tauck Bridges Costa Rica trip for July 2011. After seeing the offer that ABD came out with, I knew that there was still no comparison price wise between the two. And with the great reviews that the Tauck trip was given by folks on the disboards - seemed like a no-brainer!

Tauck - for 1 adult, 1 child $4380 for 9 nights, (2 nights free pre-trip promotion), 7 dinners, 9 breakfasts and 5 lunches

ABD - for 1 adult, 1 child - approx $5600 (with the current offer and if I recall correctly - the prices are currently missing from the website) for 6 nights, 6 Breakfasts, 4 Lunches, 4 Dinners

I love ABD and especially the two Adventure Guides, but that's a big difference!

Also, Tauck lets you change your reservation dates for a trip as long as there is still availability (and airfare isn't involved of course) with no penalty!

 

[Bobo912]

Just booked the Tauck Bridges Costa Rica trip for July 2011. After seeing the offer that ABD came out with, I knew that there was still no comparison price wise between the two. And with the great reviews that the Tauck trip was given by folks on the disboards - seemed like a no-brainer!

Tauck - for 1 adult, 1 child $4380 for 9 nights, (2 nights free pre-trip promotion), 7 dinners, 9 breakfasts and 5 lunches

ABD - for 1 adult, 1 child - approx $5600 (with the current offer and if I recall correctly - the prices are currently missing from the website) for 6 nights, 6 Breakfasts, 4 Lunches, 4 Dinners

I love ABD and especially the two Adventure Guides, but that's a big difference!

Also, Tauck lets you change your reservation dates for a trip as long as there is still availability (and airfare isn't involved of course) with no penalty!

Congratulations, marcemch! Hope you have a wonderful time in beautiful Costa Rica!

 

[Ava]

I've traveled Club ABC and have loved it! Check it out all!

My partner & I were Club ABC members before DD was born (and will probably join again when our children are older). I like them a lot and thought the trips we took with them were a great value. We opted for the independent & guided options though, as opposed to a fully escorted group tour that might be comparable to ABD.

 

[queenmother]

I'm liking the Tauk Egypt and Jordan itinerary maybe better than the ABD Egypt. Any reviews of this?

 

[gayleaboone]

I haven't been on the boards in a while, so hello everyone!!!!!!

One of the earlier posters mentioned the value in the ABD Peru trip. I completely agree---DD (10) and I took this trip in July and it was the best of all of the ABD trips we have taken, including Germany, Alaska, and Costa Rica. And the price was certainly right......

That said, I am having trouble deciding on this upcoming summer. The ABD prices are so high, but I can't seem to decide on another tour group or even the destination. DD wants to go to Africa, but no way can I afford that. Her next choice is the Galapagos, but most of the Galapagos tours also include time in the Andes, and we just did that type of experience in Peru. We do need "activity" and I'm thinking the Europe trips (other than Germany which we have already done) might be too museumy---thoughts?

Also, has anyone tried Wild Planet Adventures?

Finally, yrs ago before DD and the divorce, we travelled A&K---very luxurious, certainly. But on the non-family tours, at least, the age range is 70 and up. There is also a sense of being in a luxury bubble, separated from the countries and the people we were there to explore, such as India and Thailand. I also have noticed that on the family tour itineraries in the brochures, the adults and the kids are often apart in their activities. Since I share custody of DD, I want to spend every moment of the trip I can with her. In any case, the A&K option is no longer economically feasible for us.

Whew! (glad to be back!!!!)

 

[marcemch]

Hi and welcome back!
Have you considered the Tauck Bridges or ABD Canadian Rockies trips? They look active and fun and are reasonably priced. Somewhat similar to Alaska, but maybe since it's been 2 years since you've been, it wouldn't be so bad. (And it would also be cool, temp-wise - which I know is a good thing for us!)
I also like the Tauck Bridges Blue Danube riverboat trip - would love to do that trip someday. It's very active, and while it has your obligatory castle/medieval town tours, it also has rafting, scavenger hunts, bike rides and an amusement park! I think the kids would love having the run of the boat in the evenings.
Good luck deciding!

 

[sayhello]

The Alpine Magic trip looks like a good alternative. I've still got my eye on that one. It looks like a really nice mix of activity and sight-seeing.

Sayhello

 

[Bobo912]

I haven't been on the boards in a while, so hello everyone!!!!!!

One of the earlier posters mentioned the value in the ABD Peru trip. I completely agree---DD (10) and I took this trip in July and it was the best of all of the ABD trips we have taken, including Germany, Alaska, and Costa Rica. And the price was certainly right......

That said, I am having trouble deciding on this upcoming summer. The ABD prices are so high, but I can't seem to decide on another tour group or even the destination. DD wants to go to Africa, but no way can I afford that. Her next choice is the Galapagos, but most of the Galapagos tours also include time in the Andes, and we just did that type of experience in Peru. We do need "activity" and I'm thinking the Europe trips (other than Germany which we have already done) might be too museumy---thoughts?

Also, has anyone tried Wild Planet Adventures?

Finally, yrs ago before DD and the divorce, we travelled A&K---very luxurious, certainly. But on the non-family tours, at least, the age range is 70 and up. There is also a sense of being in a luxury bubble, separated from the countries and the people we were there to explore, such as India and Thailand. I also have noticed that on the family tour itineraries in the brochures, the adults and the kids are often apart in their activities. Since I share custody of DD, I want to spend every moment of the trip I can with her. In any case, the A&K option is no longer economically feasible for us.

Whew! (glad to be back!!!!)

We're doing the Lindblad/Nat Geo Galapagos trip in March. It's All Galapagos, no Andes. It's expensive, but very often they have special offers. We received free airfare from Miami. We have to get to Miami, but it still saves us over $1200.

 

[explore717]

Hi everyone. I found this forum a few weeks ago and I have been following what everyone has been writing. Until recently I wasn't aware of all these family vacation offered by many travel companies. I'm starting to plan my trip for next winter and for our first trip I would like to do the Costa Rica trip. I have looked at all the companies that were listed here and today I found one that I haven't seen being mentioned here. adventure-life is the website. The prices are very reasonable. I was wondering if anyone tried them or looked into them more carefully. Let me know what your think