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Post by Owen on Sept 13, 2014 16:45:16 GMT
1 ~~~ Do's & Don't ~ for any trip or tour or cruise ~~~ 2335
A few words of things for you people who are going on a trip of any kind.
It does not matter whether it is a weekend away in Washington DC, a week in London, a 20+ day coach tour of Europe, train journey on the Rocky Mountaineer, a river cruise in Europe or an Alaska, Caribbean or World cruise.
DON'T take breakfast food for your lunch and dinner.
DON'T be late. Sleep when you get home.
DON'T leave your Common Sense at home
DON'T leave your hotel without a local visitors map in your pocket.
DON'T rely on mobile device maps. Screens may be difficult to read in daylight and batteries go flat at the wrong time.
DON'T forget to dump perishables, defrost your fridge and then switch it off
DON'T put your bags down. Your passports and money WILL be stolen.
DO read all of your brochures. There is a reason why your travel agent gives them to you.
DO remember to take your smile.
Do you wanna see more, than what's outside my front door.
DO shut the gate mate @
DO Visit the new tour company website and view the new layout and photo's.
DO take the time to view the tour company video channel on YouTube.
DO go to a Travel Expo and visit any or all stands.
DO download your airlines Inflight Magazine to your tablet if available.
DO enquire of Wi-Fi in the coach tour nominated hotels.
DON'T go if you can't walk 2 feet. There is a ton of walking.
Do Not leave home without a small pocket size "Digital Voice Recorder"
~ Very handy for recording travel data for a tour tale or scrapbook..
DON'T expect tea and coffee making facilities in the rooms (some do, most don't)
DON'T go to Italy looking for Jewish temples and ghettos.
You are going to a Catholic country.
Enjoy the churches and history.
Go to Israel if you are looking for the temples.
DO rotate seats.
You wouldn't believe how much trouble this can cause when you think you own the seat and won't rotate as asked.
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Post by Owen on Sept 13, 2014 17:23:22 GMT
3 ~~~~~ Oh My God ! ~~~~~ You Would Not Believe ? ~~~~~
This travel tale was written by ? and relates to a Insight Vacations Tour.
It was originally posted on the Insight Vacations Legacy Forum.
I'm glad you met people that you can keep in touch with.
Our tour had 51 people in it and they were some of the most miserable people I have ever met.
They did nothing but complain about everything.
I have been on cruises and always met friends that we still keep in touch with.
It spoiled our whole vacation.
Enjoy your next vacation.
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Post by Owen on Sept 13, 2014 17:39:06 GMT
4 ~~~~~ Coach or Cruise (River or Ocean) Passengers ~~~~~ Travel Anywhere in the World ~~~~~
This travel tale was written by ? and relates to a Insight Vacations Tour.
It was originally posted on the Insight Vacations Legacy Forum.
We're back safely from our tour and am still recovering from jet lag- just want to second everything you said and to reinforce to everyone that a bus tour does not mean thes bus takes you everywhere and you just get on an off at each point of interest and hop back on to the next point of interest.
At least on the Italian Escapades Tour there is tons of walking and climbing and the bus cannot go everywhere- ex. Florence, Assisi, Venice- you have to walk in to town to begin sightseeing.
Also- this is not a restful vacation- don't expect to sleep late- wake up is between 6 and 6:30 everyday!!!!
Finally- remember that when you join an escorted group tour, you do become part of a "herd" and have to follow the group- your individuality and personal wishes get left at the airport.
Lorenzo is a wealth of knowledge and a great tour leader. Anyone getting him is lucky.
Enjoy the beauty, history and culture of Italy!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Post by Owen on Sept 13, 2014 17:42:34 GMT
5 ~~~~~ A few comments about a coach tour of Italy ~~~~~
This travel tale was written by ? and relates to a Insight Vacations Tour.
It was originally posted on the Insight Vacations Legacy Forum.
We only had 20 people on our tour which would have made a difference.
Unfortunately we were all caught up with September 11 which was very sad.
I was supposed to be on the 16 day tour which included All of Italy plus Sicily, however, because of insufficient numbers they combined a few tours even some Trafalgar and we had the choice of travelling on the Italian Escapade.
I think I will always be sorry I missed out on Sicily, some people say I haven't missed much, however, looking at my travel book I still would have like to have seen Mt Edna which is in the news lately with an eruption.
Take care and keep enjoying your holidays and be rest assured that not all tours have grumpy people.
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Post by Owen on Sept 13, 2014 17:42:48 GMT
6 ~~~ Do and Don't ~~~
This travel tale was written by ? and relates to a Insight Vacations Tour.
It was originally posted on the Insight Vacations Legacy Forum.
Home safe and sound.
The kids and I had a wonderful time in the US.
Unbeknown to us the family and friends were "quietly" hysterical at home (especially after Bali) and they were all wishing us home and the kids and I were having a lovely, safe and carefree time, totally oblivious of their worry.
Linda, thought of you at the Battery Park Memorial when I saw your sphere.
It is a lovely memorial. Sorry Ralph or BJ can't remember which one of you told me I would love Sedona.
The place was nice but had a very bad experience with lunch and thought isn't it amazing how one small thing can change the way you feel about a place.
I was so looking forward to arriving there after your recommendation and they a bad experience can ruin it all.
But bad experiences were few and far between thank goodness.
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Post by Owen on Sept 13, 2014 17:43:02 GMT
7 ~~~~~ Country Roads of Southern Italy ~ June 2011 ~ MelissaC, Florida, USA ~~~~~ IV Tour
This travel tale was written by MelissaC and relates to a Insight Vacations Tour.
It was originally posted on the Insight Vacations Legacy Forum.
This tour was so incredible that I had to write a review.
I usually dont write reviews but this tour was one I will never forget and I just had to let people know that if you want to see Southern Italy then go with Insight Vacations.
It will be like nothing you have ever experienced.
I chose this particular tour because I have heard how beautiful Italy was but Southern Italy is particularly breathtaking and this tour proved that to be very true.
We arrived in Rome after a long overnight flight.
We were greeted by the insight drivers and even though we were in a foreign country we felt taken care of and comfortable.
We were taken to our first hotel which was the Hotel Una.
This hotel was gorgeous and very comfortable.
We rested for a few hours before having drinks and getting to know our tour guide Ruth.
When I met Ruth I immediately loved her.
Here is link to the short IV Tour Tale ~ One Paragraph_unformatted ~
= forums.insightvacations.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/64110241/m/471201328?r=471201328#471201328 ~ IV Forum deleted in 2017
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Post by Owen on Sept 14, 2014 10:08:23 GMT
8 ~~~ Country Roads of Southern Italy & Sicily ~ Aug 2014 ~ Sitting Duck, Central Coast, California, USA ~~~
This travel tale was written by Sitting Duck and relates to a Insight Vacations Tour.
It was originally posted on the Insight Vacations Legacy Forum.
We just returned from an amazing adventure with Insight (Aug 15th - 27th).
The weather was perfect.
Yes, it was hot but nothing like it could have been.
It averaged between 85 F and 92 F.
I heard it could have been over 100 F.
It was still humid and that was uncomfortable but we expected that and dressed in linen clothes.
Our tour director, (not tour giude) was Mick Parsons.
He was fantastic.
He was kind, caring, and accomodating.
He always had a little surprise or perk for us.
He was telling us of the creamiest Mozzerala and
next thing you know he bought enough to let us all have a whole ball to ourselves, (Ummmm).
Our driver was Antonio.
He always helped us off the coach, was friendly and a very skillful driver.
The tour exceeded our expectations.
Here is a link to this short tour tale on Page 1 of Insight Vacations Tour Reviews Forum:-
= forums.insightvacations.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/64110241/m/559204268?r=559204268#559204268 ~ IV Forum deleted in 2017
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Post by Owen on Sept 14, 2014 10:09:11 GMT
9 ~~~~~ Country Roads, Gardens & Stately Homes of Britain ~~~ Sep 2005 ~~~ xyz ~~~ IV Tour
This travel tale was written by ? and relates to a Insight Vacations Tour.
It was originally posted on the Insight Vacations Legacy Forum.
Sept 12 – Sept 26, 2005
Late last year I selected a very special tour that my wife of 40 plus years would really appreciate.
This tour was more for her, more than for myself.
This particular tour was a great one!
Both of us enjoyed it!
The pace was just right, with just the right amount of places to see and visit each day.
The tour had a majority of 2-night stays at decent hotels, which was easy on us, our luggage, and on the bus driver, as he did not have to load the luggage everyday.
Our British tour director was David Turner and the driver was Earnie Franks.
Both were great!
Here is a link to this IV Tour Review:-
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Post by Owen on Sept 14, 2014 10:10:02 GMT
10 ~~~~~ Romantic European Tour ~ IV ~~~
This travel tale was written by Paul & Del and relates to a Insight Vacations Tour.
It was originally posted on the Insight Vacations Legacy Forum.
We have just returned from the Romantic European tour May 2 to May 21.
It was brilliant, what a great way to see so much of Europe.
This was our first time in Europe and we had high expectations, our expectations were exceeded, we were thoroughly delighted with the tour.
We had Bob Willemse as tour director, a new bus and a friendly group of 22 people.
I will write a longer report shortly and provide a link to photos, I just wanted to voice our delight at having completed this wonderful tour.
Thanks Insight and thanks to our fellow tourists.
Regards, Paul & Del
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Post by Owen on Sept 14, 2014 10:10:22 GMT
11 ~~~~~~ Highlights of Europe ~ April 2013 ~ Betty R ~
This travel tale was written by Betty R and relates to a Insight Vacations Tour.
It was originally posted on the Insight Vacations Legacy Forum.
We just completed an amazing tour with Bob as our tour guide. Bob referred to our trip as a "cultural journey", it truly was.
He was so familiar with the culture, politics and each countries way of thinking!
The amount of fantastic sights & places we experienced were much more than if we had attempted this trip on our own.
We especially enjoyed the "extras" and found that they were worth every cent.
The privilege of bypassing long lines at every tourist magnet was marvelous!
It is fast paced, I would recommend arriving a few days before and staying a few days on your own after the trip.
First to acclimate to the time difference and after to get a rest before flying home.
I would highly recommend this trip to anyone that has never been to Europe.
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Post by Owen on Sept 14, 2014 10:25:53 GMT
12 ~~~~~~ Country Roads of Italy ~~~ 2001 ~~~ Infotrack
This travel tale was written by Infotrack and relates to a Insight Vacations Tour.
It was originally posted on the Insight Vacations Legacy Forum.
forums.insightvacations.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/64110241/m/18710581 ~ IV Forum deleted in 2017
First, readers should bear in mind that this tour was taken in 2001.
Insight continually makes adjustments to their tours, to include sights visited, hotels contracted, optionals offered, prices, etc. so do not expect that a current "Country Roads of Italy" will be exactly the same as what is written here.
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Post by Owen on Sept 14, 2014 23:19:51 GMT
13 ~~~~~~ European Dream ~ June 2011 ~ Mary ~~~~~
This travel tale was written by Mary and relates to a Insight Vacations Tour.
It was originally posted on the Insight Vacations Legacy Forum.
My two girls and I just returned from the vacation of a lifetime. We took the European Dream tour which began in Rome and ended in London. We added two extra days in London because we wanted to see all of it. We had a fabulous time and definitely would consider taking a Trafalgar tour again. Staff was courteous and helpful and our traveling companions were a nice group of people.
Positives:~
You will see so much and cover a lot of ground in 11 days. You never have to stand in long lines to visit any of the attractions The tour guides know their stuff (Jenny and Marcos you rock!), and they know when the best times and places to visit are Everything is organized for you and you never have to handle your own luggage from the start to the finish Most of the tips are inlcuded; except for the tour guides and bus driver The bus travels along the countryside, so you get to see a lot more. Most all of the hotels were nice accommodations; only one was not, in my opinion "4 star". The included breakfast is very hearty, and there's something for every diet You will meet a lot of nice people on the tour
Negatives:-
Not a lot of free time in the cities you are visiting-This includes shopping for souveniers or window shopping. You have just about enough time to go to the bathroom and grab a drink. Everything is on a tight schedule and the early morning "bags outside the door at 6:30" gets a little old You will be tired, tired, tired! I felt that some of the "optional" tours really were not optional, but rather you more or less had to do them because the rest of the group was and you were on the bus going to the destination Some of the ultra-modern bathrooms in the hotels were difficult to climb in and out of the shower as the tub was so high and deep An entire day was wasted traveling to London: I would have preferred to have paid a little more and arrived in London more timely by the Eurostar. It took about 7 hours to get from Paris to London by ferry. That way, we still could have had a half day more in London. Trafalgar should offer water on the bus to passengers. We got exteremly dehydrated in the heat without a lot of time or opportunites to get water. The included dinners were very late in the evening; sometimes 8:00 or 9:00pm. They would start at 8:00 and we wouldn't finish the meal until 10:00. Often the meals were heavy, which made it difficult to go right to bed without getting an upset stomach.
I would not reccommend this tour for seniors over 60 or anyone who is not in good physical condition as it is very fast-paced and there is a lot of stair climbing and standing in the heat. Also, I wouldn't reccommend this particular trip for families with young children. This is an extremely fast-paced tour with long travel days and late evenings. There are a lot of very historical monuments on this tour which young children would not benefit from.
Overall, I was extremely pleased with Trafalgar and the tour. Some people on our tour said they have taken similar excursions with other companies and they said the other companies were better. I can't imagine these other excursions being a whole lot better, as Trafalgar definitely knows what they are doing. You will have a wonderful time, but you will be tired. |
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Post by Owen on Sept 14, 2014 23:20:25 GMT
14 ~ Best of Scotland - we had the best time!!
This travel tale was written by Bunny and relates to a Trafalgar Tour.
It was originally posted on the Trafalgar Forum.
My daughter and I went on the Best of Scotland tour 30 June-6 July and had a wonderful time! Trafalgar put together a comprehensive, varied itinerary.
We saw and experienced so much in just one week!
Big cities, small villages, lochs, rivers, mountains, valleys, farms, castles, big show production, small two-man dinner program - you name it, we probably saw it (or had the opportunity to see it).
I like the way Trafalgar offers a basic tour and then gives you the option to add on additional activities.
Alethea and I chose to add on all the optionals: Rosslyn Chapel, Blair Castle, the Taste of Scotland dinner show, the sheep shearing/dog demonstration, the Loch Lomond boat ride, and the Glasgow restaurant with our tour director, just to name a few.
I also appreciated Trafalgar's variety of accommodations.
At each hotel, we had comfortable beds, delicious food, friendly staff, and a convenient location.
In Edinburgh, a short 15 minute walk and we were at the Royal Mile. In Laggan, we enjoyed a country lodge with a view of the mountains and the sound of sheep softly baa-ing.
In Glasgow, we were ten minutes from City Centre where we could shop and admire the beautiful buildings.
All in all, it was a well-put together package and, in my opinion, well worth the cost.
For those interested, we kept a blog of our adventure.
You can find it at caledoniascalling.blogspot.com
Bunny
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Post by Owen on Aug 7, 2015 10:27:53 GMT
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Post by Owen on Aug 8, 2015 4:52:27 GMT
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Post by purvis on Jan 21, 2018 16:50:43 GMT
1 ~~~ Do's & Don't ~ for any trip or tour or cruise ~~~ 1176
A few words of things for you people who are going on a trip of any kind.
It does not matter whether it is a weekend away in Washington DC, a week in London, a 20+ day coach tour of Europe, train journey on the Rocky Mountaineer, a river cruise in Europe or an Alaska, Caribbean or World cruise.
DON'T take breakfast food for your lunch and dinner.
DON'T be late. Sleep when you get home.
DON'T leave your Common Sense at home
DON'T leave your hotel without a local visitors map in your pocket.
DON'T rely on mobile device maps. Screens may be difficult to read in daylight and batteries go flat at the wrong time.
DON'T forget to dump perishables, defost your fridge and then switch it off
DON'T put your bags down. Your passports and money WILL be stolen.
DO read all of your brochures. There is a reason why your travel agent gives them to you.
DO remember to take your smile.
Do you wanna see more, than what's outside my front door.
DO shut the gate mate @
DO Visit the new tour company website and view the new layout and photo's.
DO take the time to view the tour company video channel on YouTube.
DO go to a Travel Expo and visit any or all stands.
DO download your airlines Inflight Magazine to your tablet if available.
DO enquire of Wi-Fi in the coach tour nominated hotels.
DON'T go if you can't walk 2 feet. There is a ton of walking.
Do Not leave home without a small pocket size "Digital Voice Recorder"
~ Very handy for recording travel data for a tour tale or scrapbook..
DON'T expect tea and coffee making facilities in the rooms (some do, most don't)
DON'T go to Italy looking for Jewish temples and ghettos.
You are going to a Catholic country.
Enjoy the churches and history.
Go to Israel if you are looking for the temples.
DO rotate seats.
You wouldn't believe how much trouble this can cause when you think you own the seat and won't rotate as asked. |
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