Nancy
New Member
Posts: 10
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Post by Nancy on Nov 2, 2016 20:51:21 GMT
Hello ALL,
I have narrowed things down a bit on where I would like to take my first Trafalgar tour around March 2018. Yes I know it is still some time out, and the brochures are not even out yet. It may take me that time to figure things out on where I want to go! So many places to choose from. How do you narrow things down? I know Paris is a must see place on my list. I always thought of London and Paris together, but for some reason I have always been in awe of Paris. I thought the Treasures of France would work, but it is not scheduled on the time I want to go, so then I thought Wonderful France. Now I am looking at The Highlights of France and Barcelona! that one is really catching my interest, and made it to the top of the list. I am asking for two weeks of from work anyway. So the 10 day tour would work for me. Then there is all these other tours that come up Imperial Europe, Turkey. Italy. How do you narrow down your time, and is there any good time to book the Trafalgar tour with the discounts? This is my first tour. (edited the misspelling of Decisions,(lol).
Thanks, Nancy
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Post by chech on Nov 2, 2016 21:29:23 GMT
It sounds like you know what you want to do first - Paris. The rest will come in time. Pretty well the first thing that I look at when booking is weather. March isn't the best time to go to France. It's spring weather which could be wet and cool. I notice that a lot of the France offerings are only between April and October. If I were going to go to France, I'd go in May or Sept/Oct. If March was a must, you might consider Spain, Italy or Greece but in either case you want to avoid Easter Week. (Sites are crowded and some are closed). Turkey is a good destination in early spring, but being your first tour, you probably want something that is less of a culture shock. And I prefer regional tours that have a limited amount of time on the road. After my first tour (Bohemian Highights) which had long bus days while visiting five countries, I like to aim for keeping my choices to a smaller area. Picking due to weather helps narrow down my choices. And now that I travel with small group adventure companies, they tend only to offer one or two dates a year (for optimal weather usually), so it's usually easy to pick and choose.
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Nancy
New Member
Posts: 10
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Post by Nancy on Nov 2, 2016 21:39:04 GMT
Thanks Chech, It is not a must to go in March, I guess I can celebrate my birthday any time of the year. May was going to be my second choice. I didn't want to wait so long to go in September. I work in retail as a Pharmacy Technician, so our vacation block out dates, are from October to December. No Christmas Markets for me, . I might consider May as an option. Yes, I also did not want to spend the whole tour on the bus. I did not see those At Leisure brochures anymore, are they still available? I do not mind being on the tour bus and getting to the places, but like to walk around and explore a bit, and not be so stuffy on the bus. If I change the time to May, I might be able to do the Treasures of France and staying a few days in Paris, before or after the tour. Thanks in Advance, Nancy
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Post by chech on Nov 2, 2016 23:56:32 GMT
Yeah...Treasures of France looks like a nice tour and you're not spending long days on the bus. I haven't seen an At Leisure brochure but there are 38 At Leisure tours listed on the TT site.
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Post by bet on Nov 3, 2016 0:22:24 GMT
A work colleague has just come back from Paris, she's been there before but she was shocked at the filth and rubbish this time. Mattresses and the like on the streets from the migrant crisis, there's a place set up near the Eiffel Tower. I hope it doesn't taint your experience or impressions. Im with Chech, choose a particular region or country, unless it's a once in a lifetime trip. Planning trips is half the fun.
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Post by tiffany on Nov 3, 2016 11:58:19 GMT
Hi Nancy, it’s great that you are taking your first Trafalgar tour! I hope you enjoy it. There’s a lot to consider when booking a tour, like how busy you want to be, how much free time you want, how much you want to spend, what you want to see, etc. I, personally, like to pick tours that go to one country at a time. In 2008, I went on Insight’s Best of Spain and Portugal, and while I felt like I saw a lot of Spain, I really didn’t see enough of Portugal, and ended up going back. I went on Trafalgar’s Best of Portugal a few years ago, and it was one of the best tours I’ve been on to date. I also like a fast-paced tour, as I like to see as much as possible while I’m on tour. This means that I never really look at the “at leisure” tours. If you like a slower pace though, then you may want to consider the “at leisure” tours. Right now, I’m looking at a tour of Croatia for 2017, and I’m trying to decide between the cost-saver tour (which is really inexpensive) and the first class tour (which is not inexpensive). I like the itinerary of the first class tour better, and it spends two extra days in Croatia, however, I’m trying to decide if that is worth paying the extra money. I’ve only done one cost-saver tour, which was in Germany, and while I enjoyed the tour, I did notice some differences. The cost-saver tour stayed at hotels that were about 45 mins away from the city centre (with the exception of one hotel), had less included, and only offered us a city guide in one city (Berlin). I have to admit, I missed having a city guide show us the sights in the major cities. Also, the cost-saver tour had more optionals, some of which were included in the first class tour.
In regards to when to travel, I personally like to go to Europe in May or at the end of September, beginning of October. I found that the weather is usually nice at these times, and there are not as many tourists. That being said, I may have to go to Northern Spain at the beginning of April next year, as it’s the only tour date that works for both me and my friend.
If you’re looking at France, I went on Trafalgar’s Best of France tour a few years ago, and loved it. I did add 3 extra days in Paris though, as there is so much to see, and the tour can’t take you everywhere. I posted a tour tale, but I am not sure if it was carried over from the old Trafalgar board. I went on this tour at the end of September, beginning of October, and the weather was nice temperature wise, but we did get a lot of rain. I have a friend who went on the cost-saver version of this tour (Highlights of France), and he really enjoyed it, and didn’t think he missed anything by booking the cost-saver tour.
I’m sure you’ll pick the right tour for you. Keep us posted regarding what you decide.
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Nancy
New Member
Posts: 10
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Post by Nancy on Nov 20, 2016 2:09:48 GMT
Thanks everyone for your input, I am still looking and deciding. I have been browsing through the cost saver tours, and tempted, but I like the bells and whistles that come along with the first class tours, and think I will stay with that. My brother went to Paris not too long ago, and I asked him how it was, and to my surprised, he compared it to Oakland, California. So many places to choose from. I am looking at also the European Traveler, but after reading the travel tales, oh my the early mornings! guess it takes it though to get to the places and still have time to do stuff. Then, I am considering Imperial Europe with a couple of days before to see the Neuschwanstein Castle. I am considering May time for traveling. I've looked at a few Ireland tours. I think it is a toss up between Imperial Europe and The European Traveler. Let's see what I finally decide. I appreciate everyone's advice. The more I look, the more I am thinking of trying the Imperial Europe tour, lol. Decisions, decisions!! I'm just a little jittery about flying too far out by myself to unknown parts of the country. We'll see where I end up.
Thanks, Nancy
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Post by purvis on Nov 20, 2016 4:43:42 GMT
Nancy: I know how you're feeling taking a tour by yourself. I was 72 when I took my first European Trafalgar tour to Germany as a solo and was scared stiff but I'm glad I did it as I had a wonderful time and have in all taken 14 Trafalgar tours of which two more where as a solo. I'm hoping if my health is good to go on a Trafalgar tour to Ireland this coming spring as a solo but will at my age (82) wait until the last minute to book. Don't hesitate on going solo as once you join the tour you will no longer be solo but just one of the group. Purvis
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joyb
Junior Member
Posts: 59
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Post by joyb on Nov 20, 2016 15:39:50 GMT
Nancy, I've travelled solo with Trafalgar a few times and have thoroughly enjoyed all my trips. My first trip was Amazing Britain (I was 62 at the time and had never flown overseas before)...then I did Italy Bellisimo and my last trip was Best of Portugal. I did pay the single supplement and would highly recommend that. On the Portugal tour, 2 single ladies were paired up and did not get along. It basically ruined the tour for the both of them.
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Post by chech on Nov 20, 2016 17:15:32 GMT
Nancy, don't let the early mornings bother you. It takes a couple days to adjust to the jet lag and you adjust to the tour timings. Even though I used to wake up at 9 am and go to bed around 12:30 at home...I adjusted to waking at 6 am and going to bed at 10 while on tour. They keep you going and you have no problem getting good night's sleep. And I agree with Joy...I'd never share a room. I've heard too many horror stories, including some that happened on tours that I took. The few hundred you'd spend on the single supplement eliminates the risk that a bad roommate could mean you wasted thousands on a tour you can't enjoy. And if I had to choose between Imperial Europe and European Traveller, I'd take Imperial Europe simply because the drives are shorter and you get two nights in all the major cities. With the European Traveller, the cities between Paris and Rome are one night stops and places like Florence and Venice simply cannot be enjoyed in such a short time. In this tour you'd arrive at the cities either at midday and get a quick tour in the afternoon or arrive late in the day and get a quick tour in the morning. That's not even a full day in those cities! The same with Switzerland. That is a country that should be seen on its own. It has so much to offer. Imperial Europe on the other hand gives you a more intimate look at a smaller region. The drives are shorter and so many two night stops mean you get full days in the big cities and you can't beat that. If you really want to see Paris, why not fly to Paris, spend a couple days and then fly on to Munich for the Imperial Europe. That would also help you adjust to the time zone.
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Post by tiffany on Nov 21, 2016 12:45:39 GMT
Nancy, I’m sure you will make a decision regarding what tour to book soon, and, like other’s have said, don’t worry about travelling solo. I’ve been on many tours as a solo traveler, and I have never had any problems. Most of the people you will meet on tour will be friendly, and you will always have someone to eat meals with and hang-out with, if that’s what you want.
I agree with what others are saying regarding paying the single supplement. I have heard too many horror stories regarding people who have room-shared, and it’s not worth taking the risk. I know that the single supplement is expensive, however, if your trip is ruined because you are put in a room with someone you don’t get along with, it’s like throwing the money you spent on the trip out the window. My friend just did her first room share, as I had to cancel our trip at the last minute due to medical reasons. At first they told her that she would have a room to herself, as there were no other single women on the tour, however, at the last minute, an Insight tour got cancelled, and some of the people on that tour were transferred to my friend’s tour, and one of them was a single women who didn’t pay the single supplement. She ended up being my friend’s roommate, and, while my friend said she was not that bad (despite lacking common sense and being a little clingy), my friend said she would never share a room with a stranger again.
Keep us posted regarding what tour your pick.
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