European Escorted Tours

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

What Escorted Tour Would Ed and Julie Recommend?

one! Because it's not our way to travel, our knowledge of tour operators is limited and not current.

ind a travel agent who has extensive experience (most do not) in sending people on tours to Europe. Recommendations from friends and acquaintances are the best source of finding such an agent in your area.

You'll find some help on selecting an agent in Travel Tips. And remember, a travel agent can't read your mind ... take the time to begin doing some of the trip planning on your own so you'll know what to ask for. You'll find our ideas on trip planning in European Travel Planning and Books.

here are dozens (or hundreds) of tour operators offering hundreds (or thousands) of different tours to Europe. Certainly too many for us to keep an eye on.

You can find tours to fit every price category from inexpensive to luxury. It's roughly true that you get what you pay for. The most inexpensive are in cheaper hotels, usually located far from sights and restaurants, include few meals and very limited touring, with many extra cost options. More expensive tours (usually, but not always) will have better hotels located closer to the center of the city and its sights, better restaurants, more and better meals, and more extensive, included, sightseeing.

f an escorted tour seems right for you, select one that allocates time spent to the importance of a destination. Most tours seem to conduct a 'death march' which allocates one night to each city no matter the relative mismatch in wealth of sights in one versus another.

he most difficult part of traveling independently is doing the research required to select hotels and determine how you'll spend your sightseeing time. Even if traveling in a group, you'd still want to do these things to get the most from your mult-thousand-dollar investment in your trip. If you don't invest some time in preparing for your choice and your trip you'll be leaving a lot to chance.

Alternatives

hinking of a tour because of low cost?

You can often arrange an excellent value trip by buying an 'independent' (unhosted) or 'hosted' package from an airline or operator. These include basic air at a good rate and limited ground arrangements.

Independent tours will include little more than hotel, perhaps one or two city tours and rail tickets between cities.

Hosted tours will add to this with a 'tour host/hostess' a couple of days a week in the hotel between 0900 & 1000 (mainly to sell optional tours), a welcoming cocktail party, and perhaps a pair of theater tickets.

Often, usually off-season, the deal for independent or hosted tours is so good you can discard the land arrangements (including hotel!) and still have a bargain on the air.

With or without a package, a good travel agent can help you plan and arrange a good value-for-money trip. Make sure they're experienced and knowledgeable in transatlantic air, and in the region(s) in which you're interested.

What's All This Mean?

e've presented no reason not to take an escorted tour, just points for thought and care. Some tours provide a consistent, in-depth, value-for-money experience; you should expect to pay a little more.

or many, irrespective of our opinions, an escorted tour remains a good way, perhaps for some the only practical way, to see Europe:

	nyone without the inclination, ability, confidence or time to plan the trip;
	nyone expecting to be uncomfortable in foreign situations;
	ne for whom rock-bottom pricing is a strong concern and is not ready to hostel with only 20 pounds of belongings -- but be sure to take care when shopping and with options;
	omeone who will be touring with a special-interest group, either of friends/members, or on a tour custom-tailored to a particular interest (e.g. cooking or hiking);
	ingle travelers wanting company;
	ne who just wants to go on a packaged tour!

wenty percent of Americans traveling to Europe each year take packaged tours and are well satisfied.

In some cases, though, satisfaction arises from setting too low a level of expectation. The same is true of independent travelers.

Planning Your Trip

ake sure your trip, however taken, has worthwhile, achievable, expectations. In planning your trip, working with an agent or choosing a tour, understand your limitations, your abilities, your interests and your objectives:

	ow much money and time have you?
	o you know the opportunities in the places you want to visit, and do you know which ones are priorities to you?
	re you more comfortable in groups, or exploring on your own?
	ould you prefer to make new American friends or new European friends, or both?
	o you want to avoid foreigners, stay as American as possible, and just see the key foreign sights?
	*o you want to be a part of Europe, or apart from* Europe?**

hether you travel alone or in a group, it's worth investing a few dollars and a little of your time in books to learn about Europe and possible destinations. We have a few suggestion about travel books you'll find helpful.

Now, with the Internet, it's easier than ever to plan your European vacation, and it's worthwhile to do so whether you plan on a group tour or independent travel.

	We've put together some notes on how to plan your own trip;
	our friend Jim Lancaster has written an article about planning European vacations on the World Wide Web;
	you'll find a "starter-kit" for locating European travel web resources at our page on the most useful resources.

In The End ...

he same journey, with the same sights, can be planned in quite different ways, whether independently or with a group.

Each variation can equally satisfy the participants ... if the plan and execution are matched to individual comfort levels and objectives.

However you go, happy travels!

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