Traveling by tour

[NewlywedNurse]

Has anyone ever taken any of those tours by coach to Europe or any other country? My husband and I are looking into one to Ireland but are worried about being restricted to the tour itinerary, and being with so many people we don't know. We are a pretty shy couple and tend to avoid those types of situations. What kind of lodging do they set you up with and what were your experiences? How do you pack for a week and carry your clothes everywhere you go?

Thanks!

[SueMartin]

son no 3 just came back from 3 months in Europe & the US and travelled everywhere by tours.. but in Europe he got a busabout ticket which allows you to get on and off at will, staying where you like and for however long you like.

He did the Contiki in US and it was a lot more structured.

[*heather*]

Personally, I think you get a LOT more out of travel by making your own arrangements. You can find buses that go where ever you want them to go without dealing with the tours. You can schedule your own itinerary without having to go where the tour wants you to go, and you can stay as long as you want without loading up and leaving before you want to. PM me if you want advice about how to go about this!

[lilacs]

My parents like these tours. I went on one with them, but never again

They are pretty much for people who want it all done for them - hotels, meals, sightseeing, etc.

Quite possibly the hotels will be international chains with little character and will be outside of the city center, or just far enough that you can't easily walk to town or take a cheap cab.

More often than not the tour participants are retirees or people in their mid-50s or older, not that there is anything objectionable about that, but you are unlikely to meet people your own age.

Lots of these people are very interesting, educated and well-traveled and can be delightful travel companions, according to Mom and Dad.

Then there are the annoying ones. Basically, you are stuck with them for the duration of the trip.

If you are unsure about getting around on your own and don't mind being on the bus at 7:30 or 8 a.m., and on the bus for most of day (depending on itinerary) you might do better by researching destinations/areas yourself and figuring out how to get from Point A to Point B.

Some of the days they were on the bus from 8 a.m. to 5 p. m., with stops along the way, but lots of long days.

Check what the itinerary says:

"Orientation tour" usually means being driven around and not getting off

"View" or "see" means a drive-by

Optional excursions can be pricy. If they include a dinner or lunch, they are most likely a tourist restaurant.

If the trip is to a developing country, an escorted trip is probly a decent idea.

For example, Wilks and I went to Eastern Europe about 10 years ago and found practically nothing edible in Bulgaria. We couldn't get out of there fast enough (and it took waaay too long to get outta there!)

One thing you might check is distances. If the itinerary says "today we travel from Brussels to Frankfurt, viewing xyz along the way ... " get a map or go online and gauge how long that is going to be on bus time.

We have traveled extensively in Europe, so PM me if you want!

Claire

[renee]

Ireland would be pretty easy to drive yourself around in if you hire a car. Granted you would be driving on the "other side" of the road, it doesn't take long to get used to it :)

I have to agree that you will get more out of your trip if you arrange things yourself. There are so many good travel guides out there, especially for a place like Ireland, you can pretty much determine what you want to see and do with a book and going online to research.

(Oh and Claire, there is still nothing edible in Bulgaria :lol: )

[renee]

ah, just looked at the OP's blog... she's been to Ireland already by now!

[NewlywedNurse]

Yep..LOL We went to Brussels, Amsterdam and Paris for 4 days (total) because my new sister-in-law lives in Brussels. Everything was a quick train or drive away. Paris was AMAZING incidently. Then we flew from Brussels to Dublin and rented our own car and drove around Ireland for 10 days. I'm SOO glad we didn't take a tour company because the time we spent on our own figuring it all out was so much fun. Also, we went in the off season so places were still open but we were often the only ones touring a castle. We even had one little lady completely open a whole castle for us to explore on our own because she felt bad we had come so far. If anyone wants to see pictures of our trip just check out our blog. Although, I have to admit, since we came home and got back into the swing of things with work, etc. I haven't finished our trip report completely or posted in awhile.

Anyway, Ireland was wonderful, we loved our honeymoon, and thanks for posting!