vs. Traveling Independently
(European Touring 101)

Tour Pluses | A Checklist of Questions to Ask
Alternatives | Planning Your Trip

The Way to Go ... for You?

here are at least four ways to travel:

	Independently
	Independent Tours
	Hosted Tours
	Escorted Tours

e believe independent travel is the best way to see Western Europe. More than three quarters of Americans traveling there go independently.

ndependent tours offer most of the freedom of traveling on ones own. Potential advantages include possible price savings and having some or many of the arrangements made by someone else. Things to look out for: too little time in important cities and poorly located hotels. You may find it worthwhile to add extra days at the front or end of the standard package for more time where there are more sights. Most independent packages offer a choice, often extensive, of hotels. Choose one that's centrally located for better access to sights and greater restaurant availability.

osted tours are similar to independent tours, except that you'll be greeted at the hotel (sometimes the airport) by a 'host' or 'hostess'. You may receive a simple orientation. They will likely show up at the hotel every couple of days to answer questions ... and sell added sightseeing tours. The potential advantages, and cautions, are similar to independent tours.

et's remove any doubt up front: we think most (but not all) escorted tours are the wrong way to see Europe, for us.

That said, there are escorted group tours, not many, but some, which overcome most or all of our objections. If you want to join a tour, take advantage of our collective 60+ years in international travel, and learn how to find one most likely to provide a great experience.

ere are some suggestions for thought which may help you determine how you want to see Europe. If you decide on an escorted tour, use this as a source of questions to ask people who've taken the tour you're considering. Whether you go alone or in a group, you'll enjoy your trip more if it's well thought out.

Tour Pluses

	elief from anxiety -- for many, a trip to a strange place, particularly with a different language, is stressful. A tour relieves the need to plan. You'll never need to speak a foreign language, The hotels will likely look as much like American hotels as is possible, within budget constraints.You'll rarely wonder what you're going to do next, or where you'll eat.
	rices -- tour operators buy thousands of airline seats, hotel rooms and meals per year. Few of us can negotiate the prices they can for those commodities. (Perillo, for example, used to be Pan Am's largest single customer.)
	n-depth knowledge -- some few operators, rare in the mass market business, know how to put on a great travel experience, know the area they travel to well, and can give you unequaled insight into your destinations.
	atisfaction -- you're unlikely to have a really bad experience. (Perhaps not as great as you could have, but unlikely bad.) Many under-prepared independent travelers gain less satisfaction than the average tour participant.

	pecial interests -- if you want to meet top-rated chefs in their kitchens, or take an extended hut-hopping trek across the Alps, a tour may be your best bet. In hiking and trekking in particular ... unless you know the area, the weather and the routes ... a pleasant vacation can turn ugly quickly; an experienced guide who knows the area is often a worthwhile investment.
	ompany -- if you're a lone traveler a tour can provide company. Remembering that, "Two's company...", the smaller the group, the better the company.

A Checklist of Questions to Ask

	ights -- will see what you want you to see or what they want you to see? How many of the highlights will be seen from a moving bus or from a railing across the river? Will the itinerary reflect the relative importance of the sights, or meet the operators need to get as many of us in and out as possible in one season? Will you spend two nights (one full day) in Rome and one night in Milan even though Rome has a hundred ... or more ... times as many important sights to see? Will your 'Alpine Highlights' tour make its only stop in Switzerland in Luzern ... which is not in the Alps?
	ime Management -- how demanding is the schedule? You say you want to sleep in, but the schedule calls for bags to be packed and outside the door at 6:30am? The tour has a well-planned, tight, schedule to adhere to and 39 others to accommodate. Plan on keeping to that schedule. Smaller tour groups work better than larger. You can find tours that limit group size to no more than 20 or so. You'll also want to look for tours that allow plenty of free time -- though beware costly 'optional' excursions.
	eople -- do you have a goal of meeting and getting to know Europeans? Will you be able to do that from a bus or on a tight schedule? Are you and your tour mates likely to be compatible? You'll be spending a lot of time with your 39 busmates, on tour and at meals. Check the typical demographics of the operators' clientele.
	otels -- where are they? Room size isn't important. Location is. There are few if any bargain hotels for large groups in the heart of the most desirable areas. Your hotel may be out of the way -- not well-located for independent sightseeing or access to better restaurants. There may even be no  public transport from your hotel to the heart of the city. A good reason to not buy tours strictly on the basis of price -- centrally-located hotels cost more.
	eals -- will they be a highpoint of the trip? Tour group meals are often provided in larger establishments willing to provide mass feeding. The food may have more in common with college refectory food than the local cuisine. You may find you're not eating what or where the locals eat. Better, small restaurants don't want to displace their regular patrons. The operator must meet the taste expectations of the whole group. Unfortunately, some Americans don't enjoy 'different' food. We believe real European food is one of the top pleasures of a trip to Europe.
	ost -- is the price right? (Not necessarily cheap, but appropriate.) Individuals can rarely obtain the prices operators can for air, hotel and meals. Aside from quality considerations, remember their pricing includes the cost of advertising, guides, overhead and profit. Many tours include little organized and in-depth sightseeing in the starting price. Basic tour prices are very competitive, often priced below actual cost. Yet, the operator must profit somewhere. Options are the usual path to profit. These may well be things you want to do. You should understand in advance how much you'll likely spend on excursions and how that cost compares to what you can do on your own.
	riorities -- yours or the guide's? Be aware that guide salaries are typically $30-40 per day. A guide's 'take' can range from $200 to $400 per day, adding in commissions on excursions and shopping, and tips. Typical commissions run 15% in shops, more on options. Anything wrong with this? Not at all, but something you may want to keep in mind as you tour.
	uides -- great or so-so? There are two factors to the success of a tour - the operator, and the guide. You can, and should, check out the operator in advance. You'll rarely know who your guide will be until you meet them at the airport or hotel. The guide -- and your rapport with them -- will make or break the trip, regardless of the operator. Most guides are patient, knowledgeable and enjoy dealing with (most) clients. Some guides are great and all their clients come away highly satisfied. Others, if you've done your research, can be tactfully challenged (always tactfully) to dig a little deeper into their store of knowledge and opportunities. Yet others...?
	iming -- Will you hear, "I'm sorry, but the museum which is the highlight of our visit to this town is closed today -- instead we'll have to visit the local cameo factory?" Touring, especially in Europe, and doubly so in Italy, is a tricky thing because of irregular closing days and opening hours of museums and other attractions. The operator often runs the same trip -- and sometimes in reverse -- several times a week in peak season. The tour origianlly organized to go from Rome to Milan over 6 days beginning on Tuesday may not work so well starting in Milan on Thursday.
	rochures -- Do you know the hidden costs of those 'free' brochures? These are a major  expense for the operator. They're not meant to be educational; they're meant to close a sale.
	rochure 101 -- They're written by creative   writers. The specific facts (e.g. itineraries, included meals) will be truthful ... usually. The adjectives and adverbs, or the missing ones, are the tricky part. Learn to distinguish 'seeing' sights out of a bus window from seeing them on the spot. If on the ground, will you "View the Houses of Parliament" from inside, or from a railing across the river? Are the specific hotels identified? Where are they? Is there a guarantee? Is the air operator specified? If an excursion is 'optional', does that mean at extra cost? (Usually so.) Be certain to talk to participants of past trips. Reading a brochure is an art in itself. As a tour operator wrote to me recently: We've been operating alpine tours for 21 years.One of the items we emphasize in our itineraries is a View (NO charge!) or an "inside VISIT" (fee included!) We describe, like everyone else, that we will visit (no capital letters) the Lion Monument in Lucerne, or view the Lion Monument, but we will VISIT (guided tour) Neuschwanstein Castle in Hohenschwangau. [I hope that makes everything clear. ]

An Example of Options

The following are taken from a 2001 tour program from one of the lower bracket (economy) operators:

• $59 - a tour of Villa Adriana or the Villa d'Este gardens and fountains in tivoli followed by country style dinner w/spumante, music and wine.
• $28  - St. Paul outside the walls and the catacombs.
• $45  - scenic drive past the pope's summer residence at castel gandolfo to frascati and 4 course dinner w/wine.
• $28 - Uffizi Gallery
• $28 - baroque palace and peacock gardens of Isola Bella.
• $29 - serenade ride in traditional gondola. Length of ride is unstated, as well as number of people in boat.
• $42 -  wine and dine at local restaurant along Grand Canal.
• $53  - lagoon cruise w/lunch or dinner in Burano. 4 course lunch/dinner with drinks included. Coffee or tea is served.
• $20 - tarantella dance includes 2 drinks.
• $20  - cheerful neapolitan live stage performance of famous songs and tarantella folk dancing.

If you know something about prices for these activities you'll recognize the opportunity for profit these options represent.

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