Pauline
Full Member
Normandy, Brittany & the Loire Valley, WW1 Battlefields and Northern Spain in Sep 2023 with Insight
Posts: 210
|
Post by Pauline on Aug 15, 2016 12:46:09 GMT
Hi all,
I have friends who are doing this Trafalgar tour in early September. They have picked up their tour documents and have a couple of questions. As I haven't travelled with Trafalgar before, I can't answer their questions.
The first 1 is about the main luggage size and the 2nd about the carry on luggage.
From your experiences, what has been the size of your main luggage (cm size or inches, which they can convert to cmO) and have you had problems with your carry-on being wheeled luggage with an extendable handle?
Thanks in advance, for any responses
|
|
|
|
Post by purvis on Aug 15, 2016 14:15:19 GMT
You can not take wheeled luggage with handles onto a Trafalgar bus. Any hand luggage must be able to fit in the overhead bins which are not nearly as large as the ones on planes. The size of luggage to be placed under the bus must not be any larger than what is allowed on planes. Remember the bus driver must be able to pick up this under bus luggage each and every time you change hotels. Weight in stored luggage should not be over 50lbs as is the weight allowed by most airlines.
|
|
|
|
Post by Tulips on Aug 15, 2016 22:53:04 GMT
Like Purvis, I have never taken wheeled carryons on a bus tour. The overhead on the coach is quite small and really meant to hold a day bag only. There is no guarantee there would be room to store a wheeled carryon under the coach, so I wouldn't bother. I've always taken a collapsible carryon that I can store in my main luggage until my return trip home. I use a daypack for every day use.
i believe Trafalgar specifies the maximum size and weight of the luggage in the documents, although I have never seen them measure or weigh them.
i have taken (and several others on here) the Aegean cruise if they have questions.
|
|
Pauline
Full Member
Normandy, Brittany & the Loire Valley, WW1 Battlefields and Northern Spain in Sep 2023 with Insight
Posts: 210
|
Post by Pauline on Aug 15, 2016 23:47:54 GMT
Thanks purvis and Tulips.
I don't think they are planning on taking the wheeled carry-on, on to the bus. They just wanted to know if people had taken one and stored it under the bus on travel days. That is what they usually do, when travelling with other companies. They have a backpack they will use as a day bag.
Tulips, re cruise questions, I know that Mary was wondering if they had to take "dressy" clothes for the cruise. Do the men need to wear a tie and jacket at dinner? Thanks
|
|
|
|
Post by Tulips on Aug 16, 2016 0:02:26 GMT
The cruise is not like those big cruise ships with fancy dinners.
There is no need to dress in anything as fancy as a jacket and tie.
|
|
|
|
Post by chech on Aug 16, 2016 1:06:45 GMT
I agree with everything as well. No one is going to measure the bags and as long as they respect their airline's weight limits, they'll be fine for the bus. Definitely don't need jacket and tie. The only requirement for the dinners were no shorts. You can send them the link to my Greece tour that included the 7 day cruise if you want: lesleyanneryan.com/travel-tales/best-greece-7-day-aegean-cruise/And there are more in the travel tales section like Tiffany's tale.  |
|
Pauline
Full Member
Normandy, Brittany & the Loire Valley, WW1 Battlefields and Northern Spain in Sep 2023 with Insight
Posts: 210
|
Post by Pauline on Aug 16, 2016 3:49:35 GMT
Thank you ladies.
Graham will be relieved to hear that he doesn't need a jacket or tie/
I have gone through the travel tales and send them the links to a few tours that included either Turkey, Greece and/or the cruises
|
|
daphne
Junior Member
LOVE Travelling!!
Posts: 58 
|
Post by daphne on Aug 16, 2016 14:51:36 GMT
We just came from the 7 day cruise, my husband took his suit and tie for the dinner, really no no no need, our group of 8 all dressed up very nice (we discussed it before the trip), all the guys wore ties and jackets, but the Celestyal Crystal is a very relaxed setup, just ensure that the guys take long pants (if you want to go dine in the formal dining room in the evening). The men are not allowed with shorts (as the ladies can wear a short/dress up to their throat??), which makes no sense, we saw the head of the restaurant refusing a guest inside with shorts on.
The formal dining room is quite nice to have dinner, as you have waiters all the time, the buffet on the 9th floor is very informal as you can also wear shorts and swimming wear (covered).
There were only Italians en Greeks and maybe a few Aussies/Americans and me and hubby South Africans on the ship. The Italians and Greeks dressed up at night (because they only did the 7 day cruise) and had space to pack. Us ladies did change in the evenings into an informal dress/outfit (from very casual shorts etc), as it was quite hot and sweaty during the days and we liked the formal dining room. We had the best ever TD, David Price, he has been a TD for 39 years.
The waiters were sooooooo friendly and helpful, actually all the staff very friendly! Enjoy
|
|
Pauline
Full Member
Normandy, Brittany & the Loire Valley, WW1 Battlefields and Northern Spain in Sep 2023 with Insight
Posts: 210
|
Post by Pauline on Aug 16, 2016 22:32:08 GMT
Thank you Daphne. I'll pass that info on to my friend.
|
|
|
|
Post by tiffany on Aug 18, 2016 11:55:09 GMT
Hi Pauline,
I went on Trafalgar’s Best of Greece with four day Cruise last fall, and while you didn’t have to “dress” for dinner in the dining room, you were not allowed to wear shorts. I think you could wear jeans, but I can’t remember for sure as no one on our tour wore jeans to dinner. I wore dress pants with a nice top or a maxi dress to dinner. There were also theme dinners, one being “Greek Night” and the other being a formal night. I wore a blue and white maxi dress for Greek night, and a dressier maxi dress for formal night. Some people really went all out on formal night, and others did not.
Another thing I will mention, I went on Trafalgar’s Best of Turkey tour a few years ago, and we were asked not to wear shorts to dinner. You didn’t have to dress up, just no shorts. One girl only brought shorts and one pair of jeans, and she had to wear the same pair of jeans to dinner every night. You may want to tell you friends to bring a few pairs of pants or a skirt/dress, as they will need them for dinner while in Turkey as well as the cruise portion of the tour.
I loved Turkey when I was there, and The Best of Turkey was one of my favourite tours. I’m sure your friends will have a great time.
|
|
Pauline
Full Member
Normandy, Brittany & the Loire Valley, WW1 Battlefields and Northern Spain in Sep 2023 with Insight
Posts: 210
|
Post by Pauline on Aug 19, 2016 1:09:20 GMT
Thanks Tiffany. I've passed your info on.
|
|
|
|
Post by purvis on Aug 19, 2016 2:58:36 GMT
Pauline: I don't want to put a damper on your friends tour but the terror situation in Turkey is very unstable with another attack today. I'm surprised Trafalgar is still going ahead with tours to Turkey considering the unstable political and terror attacks in that country. There are so many stable countries to see that it really isn't necessary to travel to unstable countries until they get their present conditions in order. Sorry but I wouldn't want to go somewhere where I was questioning my safety. I know that in this world no place is really safe but some are safer than others. Purvis
|
|
|
|
Post by chech on Aug 19, 2016 12:23:00 GMT
I doubt the attack would have any affect on the TT. It doesn't travel anywhere near Elazig in the east where there is some instability (and has been for years) due to the Kurdish situation. Attacks in the region are, essentially, routine. The Canadian travel advisory only notes to avoid unnecessary travel in the eastern regions that border Iraq and Syria (which is avoid all travel for areas right on the border with Syria). The rest of the nation is still the regular Exercise Caution. If the region was too unstable for travel, TT would cancel the tour which is why I like traveling with organized groups. They won't risk anything. The same applied to Greece. There were a string of protests as austerity measures came in and a one day general strike a few months before I went. The tours never stopped because TT knows the protests and the strike are easily avoided.....but media sensationalism of the general strike meant 20,000 hotel rooms were cancelled over the following week (which certainly didn't help their economy). And when I got there, the guide essentially rolled her eyes at the idea that it was too dangerous to travel there. Same with the guides in Rio. And Israel...like Turkey, the problems are localized. Instability in Gaza doesn't affect day to day life in the rest of the country. I had so many people tell me it was too dangerous when nothing could be further from the truth. It would be like me telling someone not to travel to Los Angeles because of the Boston bombing. We have to look beyond the headlines to see the truth. News services are now a money-making venture (something that wasn't the case when I was young). So, to make money, they have to make everything more sensational that it is in 99% of the cases. I look at news services that are less dependent on advertising money, look at the travel advisories of Canada, the US and the UK and look at what the tour companies are doing. That gives a more complete picture. With the situation today in Turkey, I wouldn't hesitate to go. I simply can't find anything to warrant cancellation. The same applies to Egypt. That's why I've finally booked it for February. Hopefully I can get more than 118 photos this time.  |
|
|
|
Post by purvis on Aug 19, 2016 22:03:11 GMT
Chech: You're probably right but it seems that in Turkey the terrorists attack well-know tourist areas. The difference between Greece and Turkey is that opposition to the Turkish government lands you in jail. The sad thing about both Turkey and Greece is that their economies both rely heavily on tourist money and the terrorists know that. Purvis
|
|
|
|
Post by purvis on Aug 21, 2016 1:59:52 GMT
Chech: Watching the evening news tonite there was an article on the London Tube and that the threat of a terrorist attack was likely makes it difficult for tourists to go anywhere these days. I plan on using the tube quite often in early Oct. as I have a planned 9day trip to London. It seems tourists can be targets no matter where they travel these days so one must decide to let the terrorists win or just ignore the threat and go on your planned tour. Purvis
|
|
|
|
Post by bet on Aug 21, 2016 7:41:27 GMT
It's a real shame what's happening in the world these days, nowhere seems safe anymore, but there's risks in everyday life so you can't stop living your life. I guess it's up to the individual as to what is a considerable risk for them.
Turkey was on my agenda for this year but with the earlier bombings I delayed it as I wasn't sure how things would play out. Im not fortunate enough to have a wait and see approach and be able to book tours at the last minute so I choose my next destination, India which has a high degree of caution status. But Turkey is still a must see for me. I have noticed some tour companies have cancelled their Turkey tours, unsure though if it's due to safety concerns or the lack of bookings or maybe a combination of both.
|
|
|
|
Post by bet on Aug 21, 2016 8:12:14 GMT
Chech: Watching the evening news tonite there was an article on the London Tube and that the threat of a terrorist attack was likely makes it difficult for tourists to go anywhere these days. I plan on using the tube quite often in early Oct. as I have a planned 9day trip to London. It seems tourists can be targets no matter where they travel these days so one must decide to let the terrorists win or just ignore the threat and go on your planned tour. Purvis I'm sure you will be fine Purvis, terrorism is something that will be in the back of my mind as well when using public transport especially in the big European cities. Enjoy London |
|
|
|
Post by chech on Aug 21, 2016 13:03:18 GMT
The thing is that once the information is put into perspective, the odds of dying in a terrorist incident is so infinitesimally small, it's not worth factoring into a decision to go anywhere that is relatively stable. The alternative is to sit home watching the news and shaking in our chairs. That is how terrorism wins. And as I noted, don't forget that news services are a money making industry now. They know any mention of terrorism gets attention so every whisper about it gets reported. It simply is not the risk they want us to believe. Heck, in the US, going to a movie is a risk. By comparison, people have a greater risk of being crushed by unstable furniture than being a victim of terrorism, a greater chance of winning 10 Olympic Gold Medals than being a victim, a greater risk of being struck by lightning...sixteen times! We are three times more likely to be killed by a snake bite...but who fears that when they visit Costa Rica or Australia? Who would cancel their plans once they learned there are poisonous snakes at a destination? Here's a statistical analysis of our risk factors. We have far more reason to worry about our heart health than terrorism. www.techjuice.pk/a-data-scientist-explains-odds-of-dying-in-a-terrorist-attack/Heck...pretty well the only risk that is lower than dying in a terrorist incident is getting hit on the head by a coconut or attacked by a shark. And there's slightly worse odds if you wanted to become an astronaut. (And those statistics are world wide...so if you eliminated countries that have real issues with terrorism....places we wouldn't travel to like Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq etc, the odds would drop even more) So, we have much more to fear from heart disease, cancer, ladders, dogs, fireworks, bathtubs and showers etc than we do from terrorism. But we have less to fear from coconuts. |
|
|
|
Post by purvis on Aug 21, 2016 16:13:33 GMT
Chech: Thanks for the reality check. Purvis
|
|
|
|
Post by Boop on Aug 21, 2016 17:19:25 GMT
Hi all, I have friends who are doing this Trafalgar tour in early September. They have picked up their tour documents and have a couple of questions. As I haven't travelled with Trafalgar before, I can't answer their questions. The first 1 is about the main luggage size and the 2nd about the carry on luggage. From your experiences, what has been the size of your main luggage (cm size or inches, which they can convert to cmO) and have you had problems with your carry-on being wheeled luggage with an extendable handle? Thanks in advance, for any responses Hi Pauline. I'm not as seasoned as a lot of travellers on this board, I've only done three tours with Trafalgar. On each tour I have taken a large suitcase and a wheeled carry on with telescoping handle. On my first trip I brought the wheeled carry onto the bus and just sat it on the seat next to me as I travel solo. On all three trips the solos had an extra seat next to them, but that may not always be the case. On my second and third trips, the driver had a special section for all the carryons apart from the main luggage and he simply put my second case under the bus along with all the other carryons. On my first trip to Italy, being a real novice I packed a suitcase inside my large suitcase and brought a wheeled carryon. As my shopping progressed I had to bring the second case out of my first case and I was responsible for bringing it down to the bus along with my carryon and the driver loaded my second case below the bus and insisted on bringing my carryon and placing it on the seat next to me. That is what I call Trafalgar service!! I will never bring three cases again, too much hassle in the airports but I will bring fewer clothes because I would never compromise the amount of shopping I like to do!  |
|
|
|
Post by bet on Aug 22, 2016 6:48:58 GMT
I like your way of thinking Boop, can't compromise when it comes to shopping, it's one of the joys of travelling for me as well. You travelling with 3 suitcases reminded me of my first trip to Europe I was studying and did some backpacking as well, by the end of my trip I had 3 heavy bags totalling a massive 60kilos, I'm not sure how I managed to carry it around with me, apart from with great difficulty. I was so lucky I didn't pay a single cent in excess luggage either, which was good as I was totally broke by the end of my trip. I haven't been as ridiculous since but still struggle with travelling light.
|
|
|
|
Post by tiffany on Aug 22, 2016 12:05:10 GMT
I don’t know if anyone has check out the Trafalgar website lately, but the 2017 preview prices are lower than the 2016 prices. My Eastern Europe tour is $449 Cdn cheaper in 2017 than it was in 2016. My travel agent told me that it’s because less people are travelling to Europe right now. She told me that flights are going down in price as well. I guess it’s a good time to book a trip to Europe. The Northern Spain tour I’m planning on booking for next year is not part of Preview pricing, but it’s not an expensive tour to begin with. I hope the prices goes down though, as it doesn’t look like my friend will be able to come with me, which means I’ll be paying the single supplement.
|
|
Pauline
Full Member
Normandy, Brittany & the Loire Valley, WW1 Battlefields and Northern Spain in Sep 2023 with Insight
Posts: 210
|
Post by Pauline on Aug 23, 2016 0:33:20 GMT
Thanks Boop. I have decided that I'll just send her the link to this website and she can read for herself, all the suggestions and comments.  |
|
|
|
Post by purvis on Aug 23, 2016 2:57:25 GMT
Pauline: Good Idea.
|
|
|
|
Post by bet on Aug 24, 2016 10:42:33 GMT
I don’t know if anyone has check out the Trafalgar website lately, but the 2017 preview prices are lower than the 2016 prices. My Eastern Europe tour is $449 Cdn cheaper in 2017 than it was in 2016. My travel agent told me that it’s because less people are travelling to Europe right now. She told me that flights are going down in price as well. I guess it’s a good time to book a trip to Europe. The Northern Spain tour I’m planning on booking for next year is not part of Preview pricing, but it’s not an expensive tour to begin with. I hope the prices goes down though, as it doesn’t look like my friend will be able to come with me, which means I’ll be paying the single supplement. Hi Tiffany I haven't looked at any of the Trafalgar preview tours yet, but I spoke to a travel agent a few months ago, he said there's been a big drop in European travel in recent times, with the planned Europe Travel expo being cancelled with a USA expo held instead. The regular Trafalgar emails listing all their specials are probably a good indication that bookings are down. I've even seen flights to Europe for as low as $1000 that's very cheap for us. It might pay to hold off booking and keep an eye on any specials |
|
|
|
Post by bet on Aug 24, 2016 10:49:02 GMT
I understand Globus/Cosmos have cancelled their Turkey tours for the rest of the year, simply listing them as 'not available'.
|
|
|
|
Post by tiffany on Aug 24, 2016 11:40:06 GMT
I don’t know if anyone has check out the Trafalgar website lately, but the 2017 preview prices are lower than the 2016 prices. My Eastern Europe tour is $449 Cdn cheaper in 2017 than it was in 2016. My travel agent told me that it’s because less people are travelling to Europe right now. She told me that flights are going down in price as well. I guess it’s a good time to book a trip to Europe. The Northern Spain tour I’m planning on booking for next year is not part of Preview pricing, but it’s not an expensive tour to begin with. I hope the prices goes down though, as it doesn’t look like my friend will be able to come with me, which means I’ll be paying the single supplement. Hi Tiffany I haven't looked at any of the Trafalgar preview tours yet, but I spoke to a travel agent a few months ago, he said there's been a big drop in European travel in recent times, with the planned Europe Travel expo being cancelled with a USA expo held instead. The regular Trafalgar emails listing all their specials are probably a good indication that bookings are down. I've even seen flights to Europe for as low as $1000 that's very cheap for us. It might pay to hold off booking and keep an eye on any specials I guess it’s a good time to travel to Europe, unless you’re afraid to go there right now, like some people are. Travelling was getting so expensive, that I’ll take any break in price that I can get! |
|
