Escourted Tour Vacations

[kamgen]

Has anyone ever taken a escorted tour vacation??? Considering it after reading about what they offer...seems like a fun way to see the sights and meet people!!!
ANy opinions or insights would be appreciated!

 

[kamgen]

nobody

 

[RUDisney]

For me, it depends on the location. I went to London when I was 19 with one of my friends and we did everything on our own. I didn't have to pay extra for the tour guide, and as a college student, that was important. BUT, my considerations for doing this were 1) I spoke the same language, 2) I have traveled alot, so I'm comfortable finding my way around different places (drives my DH nuts to this day since I sometimes take *shortcuts* that scare him ), and 3) I was not traveling alone.

Now, when we went to Russia, I liked having a guide. I know a little Russian, but not enough to hold a conversation with an adult.. I'm better speaking to a child. We had some downtime and got to explore Moscow and Bryansk on our own, but we certainly learned more about the surroundings and history when we had a guide.

So, using those two examples, I think I'd do a tour to where ever I wouldn't feel comfortable that enough people would speak English and even when I was travelling on my own, I'd hire an Intourist Guide to really get a better understanding of what I am seeing. They are worth the extra money... and you have control over your time so you can sleep in some days and get up early on others.

 

[Amy]

I did Tauck Tours about 20 years ago (when I was single, living with mom & dad and had money), and they're still in business, so they'd be a good company to check. They have tours all over the US and world, include most of your meals. They're also VERY expensive (but you stay at deluxe hotels). We did 2 of their US tours and they were great; I highly recommend Tauck.

Don't know how old you are, but the escorted tours seem to be mostly older folks (55+). When I went, my friends and I were young and single (early 20's), and we were the youngest. We still managed to have fun, though. I know Tauck now has some tours for families (I think it's called Tauck Bridges), so you'd find some younger folks on those tours. I got one of their brochures last year, and the tours sounded great; however, the cost was just too much for us.

 

[kamgen]

Thanks for the info!!!

We are specifically looking at escorted coach tours.....mainly because they offer you a way to see may things and not have to worry about driving, etc. They include meals and hotels already, which seems great. My dh and I (I am 31 and he is 26) really enjoy meeting new people and hanging out with people, so we are not the shy type of vacationer. We thought this might be fun to do.

Thanks again!

 

[perdidobay]

kamgen,
I have not taken a escorted coach tour yet, but just booked one. For many of the same reasons you stated, I thought it would be best for DH and I. We have never been to Ireland before, and although we travel the US a good deal on our own, I though this was the best way to test the waters, so to speak. It is a pub and folk tour ( DH really wanted to hang with the locals in the pubs!)
I looked for a tour that had several 2 night stays in the same town ( less daily packing/unpacking ) and that had a good amount of daily on your own time.
We can opt out of spending the day with the tour on many of the days, if we wish. We are on our own for lunch each day, which I like. The hotels are first class and I like that becasue I have grown pickier about where I stay as I get older!
We don't have to worry about missing scenery because of time spent concentrating on driving on the "other" side of the road and looking at maps. The company we booked with is very high quaility and has nice coaches with 2 row seating so we both will have a great view. DH and I are outgoing people and I am sure we will be on the younger side of this tour group, due to the time of the year,but I have found that older people who travel alot tend to be "younger" in their mindset and outlook on life.
I am so excited already!
Good luck with your trip planning!

 

[kamgen]

I just PM' d you perdidobay! We are considering the same!
What a small world!

 

[bekkiz]

I've done three

First, my family had a runion in Italy with the side that lives there. So, we had a 2-week coach tour of Rom north followed by a couple days in our "home" city. This was a nice tour, not too fast paced, and the only people on it were 35 of my relatives. We stayed 1-2 nights in each place and saw most of the big sites. I was 16 at the time, and enjoyed it.

Later that year, I went on a 10 student school trip to Egypt. Our tour group only had 13 people, and all from my school (teachers etc), but we had a guide who took us to all of the museums etc. Part of this trip had a home stay, part was in hotels, and part was a cruise on the Nile with many excursions

This past summer, 10 of us (my closest family) took a 3-week trip to Greece. We had a couple days by ourselves in Athens, than a 7 night bus tour of the Greek Mainland, 2 more days in Athens and a 7 night cruise of the islands. We saw many, many things. This tour had about 25 people on it.

For me, I see these tours as an introduction to the country. You get to see the big sites, all hotel and most meal arrangements are done for you, and you have someone (or a whole company) to help you when things go wrong. (We had huge flight issues coming home on BA. Our tour company was somewhat helpful, but out travel agent at home was more). It's also nice to have someone who speaks the language with you (very helpful in Cairo!)

However, this is not, in any way, my favorite way to travel. I often feel either rushed, or bored with the tour guides. For example (and I understand they want you to get your money's worth), at the Parthenon in Athens, we spent a full 30 minutes in the sun while our guide explained something that you could easily read in a book in under 5 minutes. I like to see the sites on my own time, and it is very difficult when you have to travel with 10-30 other people.

The other thing is groups have a bad rap in the world. Some are poorly organized, rude and take over some of the biggest areas (ie. the Vatican, the pyramids etc.)

Again, I'm glad to have an introduction to each of these countries, but any subsequent visits will be done on my own.