Tours?

[Daniela]

Does anyone have any info on tours for europe? My boyfriend believes that tours will be easier and less stressful, while I am weary of getting a crappy tour, and i really think if we plan well we will get by just fine on our own. We want to go for about 4 to 6 weeks, next May. I've looked up Contiki tours, among others. Some seem kind of pricey, does anyone know of a dollar value per day for a reasonable trip? I figure it will cost about $100 a day for everything if we do it on our own, so i don't want to pay much more than that for a tour.

Does anyone have any insight on this? Any tours/tour companies that are been decent? Or is backpacking the way to go? I am willing to go for a ten day tour and do the rest on our own... any thoughts?

Thanks in advance

[Jules80]

While I have never done a tour, I have friends that have. those that have did them cause they wanted to see lots but didn't have the time so opted for a tour. however the problem was that they didn't get to spend much time in places... sometimes they'd just see the outside of a museum before being wisked away again. basically those that did tours in europe ended up spending A LOT of time on buses. i have a freind that a tour of just the uk and she really enjoyed that... then again you can't spend that much time on a bus in a country that small! i'd say you are probably better off back backing, particularly if you are interested in keeping costs down. i beleive the tours worked out to be quite expensive. hope this helps

[Eagle]

Daniela, Tours are certainly one way to see Europe, and some of the "mainstream" tours are priced very cheaply. However, some of these tours just provide a basic package, and any sightseeing or whatever that you do along the way is an extra charge. That's how they make their money. On some of the large Coach Tours, there are sometimes 60-80 people with one tour guide, which doesn't exactly provide "personalized service". The group (often mostly older people) is whisked around from place to place, and they often provide only a quick view of each location. I've heard that in some cases the Guide "directs" the group to certain Shops, as he/she gets a "cut" of whatever the group buys. I have a friend that took one of these tours, and he maintains it's the best way to see Europe, but I strongly disagree - that's not the way I want to see Europe!

Some of our group here have taken tours in Scotland recently (not sure which tours - check the "Just Back Reports"), and have had a great time judging by the comments they posted. However it was mentioned that this sometimes depends on whether you get a "good group" or not.

I'm not against all tours. I've considered taking a Rick Steves tour, as these seem to contain a good blend of both older and younger people, limit the groups to 25-30 peoople, have two well paid Guides who don't accept tips and use the "back door" method to take their groups to places where they are more likely to experience the local culture. They are a bit on the expensive side though, and in my case I have to pay currency exchange, so this is why I haven't taken one yet.

Travelling on your own is certainly the most cost effective way to see Europe as you have ultimate control of your costs. You determine where you stay, what food you eat (restaurant, deli meals or whatever) and what type of transportation you use. However, this is a lot more work, as lots of planning is necessary to ensure that you travel most efficiently, at the lowest cost and have a trouble free trip.

I've long felt that organized tours (especially the large mainstream Coach tours - I won't mention any names) are for "lazy people", who don't mind being herded around with a cattle prod like a bunch of sheep. They are usually transported on a large luxury air conditioned Coach, provided with bathroom stops every few hours, stay in luxury North American style Hotels and provided with restaurant meals "just like at home". That's NOT my style of travel (even though I'm over 50)!

You will have to decide which way you want to travel, but I think most of the "regulars" on this Board are more used to independent Backpacking travel. If this is your first trip to Europe, I would highly recommend reading the Rick Steves Guidebook "Europe Through The Back Door", as this provides not only some really useful travel info but also some insights on tours. If you're interested in also having a look at the RS tours, go to www.ricksteves.com and order one of the FREE Tour Brochures and DVD's. BTW I don't work for RS, I just find that his travel style fits my preferences really well. Good Guidebooks are essential in trip planning, and there are lots available -- RS has a full line of excellent and frequently updated Guidebooks, Lonely Planet, Let's Go, etc. Everyone seems to have their own preferences.

Good luck with your decision. It's great that you're getting an early start on your planning, as this provides lots of time to work out the details. BTW if you're going to be stopping by here from time-to-time, you might want to register on the Board. It's really helpful if we know a bit about you, as it helps to offer more specific advice.

Cheers!!!

[Daniela]

Thanks, Eagle. I will get my travel partner to read your post, and see what he says. He might have more questions, so i will post them (in regards to tours) here.

Ciao

[Daniela]

Oh and thanks to Jules80 too!!

[LovinEurope]

I myself have not yet been "backpacking" but ive done 2 european tours that i enjoyed very much and i have another one comming up this time next year. I decided this would be a good way for me to get to kind of know europe so when i venture out on my own im not totally culture shocked, i want to have an IDEA of what to expect and i believe that the tours i have been on have done that for me. The tours werent expensive but it would be cheaper and more fun to backpack because there are definately some things that i would have liked to see and didnt get to and in my opinion i spent WAY WAY WAY too much time on a bus!!!! However the amazing tour guide, food and beautiful landscape kind of made up for it.

[Libby]

I was one who was in Scotland took two bus tours. One was a 7 day trip with Wild in Scotland and the other was a day trip with another company out of Edinburgh. Wild in Scotland stopped at lots of places for pictures, to explore, to hike and to just have fun. We even played soccer on a beach one afternoon. But as Eagle said, alot will depend on the group of people on your tour.

The day tour was quite different. We drove from point a to point b and didn't stop! It wasn't until someone complained that the driver started to pull over and allow us to even take pictures. They stick to very tight schedules.

[me]

one thing, you will learn a whole lot more if you plan your own trip!

i suggest that you get brochures from lots of tour companies, look at the plans and assemble your own plan, based on the stuff they're doing that interests you.

there was a Susanne Pleshette movie from '69, "If It's Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium." the title tells it all, it was supposedly based on a 60 Minutes story about those mega tours of Europe filled with Americans.

- d

[Daniela]

David I agree with ya... but as i am traveling with my boyfriend, he has a completely different approach to this trip, and our compromise was to go on one tour in Scotland (where he really wants to go) and then plan the rest of it ourselves. We are actually going to go on the Wild in Scotland Tour Libby went on, thanks for the help Libby, the only reason i found them was because of you! The cost is awesome on that trip, it works out to less than $100 CAN a day. I planned out the remaining five weeks, it took me a long time, but i am learning a lot, and now i can focus on reading the interesting stuff on all the places we picked. I'll post our tentative itinerary soon, i had to plan out everything to show my boyfriend's parents so they would give us a thumbs up... let's hope they do ;D

[CowTown19]

I think you made a wise decision to plan it yourself, and way to go with the compromise. If you do your planning ahead of time and keep yourself organized while your abroad (I printed off all my hostel confirmations, flight confirmations, and itenerary and carried it around in a ziplock) you will be fine. Suprisingly things turn out to be easier then you would think.
Also, using this board is probably the smartest thing you could, and already did do. The people here are very knowledgeable and ready to help, it makes planning a breeze.
(p.s. remember to breathe)

[Libby]

Daniela,
May is a great time to see Scotland. Our guide told us it was one of his favorite months of the year for up north. The only problem is was a bit cold and really windy. Be prepared! Are you taking the 7 day Skye and Orkney trip? It really was a great trip. As I said before, I was lucky to have an amazing group but you shouldn't worry since you are travelling with your boyfriend. If there is the two of you and the group does turn out to be a dud, you know you still have each other and the sites are well worth it.

It was also a great value. Being under $100 Cdn a day was a key for me too. Even better, there were days I spent less than 6 pounds! The breakfasts were great and we ate like kings.

Here...check out the pictures from my trip. Most of them were taken while on the tour.

photobucket.com/albums/b1/LibbyontheRoad/