Group Tours

A friend is considering traveling to Italy and asked for recommendations about group tours. I wrote something up and probably gave him more than he bargained for, But the information may help others as well. So here it is.

When we want to travel to a non-English-speaking country like Italy, we prefer to use group tours. There are all sorts of group tours out there, but we have used four: Cosmos, Globus (actually, these two are the same company), Trafalgar, and Gate1. They all go all over the world, and these four are slightly less expensive than some of the others. There are cheaper options as well.

 

With one of these kinds of tours, you get a detailed itinerary, a tour director (they’re usually very good), a bus and driver to take you from place to place, all lodging and baggage handling, Entry to attractions and sites, daily breakfasts, and a couple dinners. The expenses we’ve paid on top of the tour fee include air (although sometimes that can be part of the package), meals not covered, tips for side tours, tips for the driver and tour guide (often quite a lot), and other incidentals. 

 

We like Gate1 the most at this time. The others are absolutely fine, but we’ve had at least one bad experience on Globus and Trafalgar. Gate1 seems very customer-focused. If you’re still with me, you can sign up for regular email notifications from most tour operators. Occasionally you’ll find a pretty good price reduction for a place you want to go. 

 

For Gate1, you have to book a tour directly through their website or by phone. For the others, you’re much better off using a travel agency that provides discounts. For this reason, when we do something like this (except Gate1), or a cruise, we always use one: Pavlus Travel. Let me know if you plan to contact them. They give a referral check, and I’d split it with you. 

 

My biggest complaint, by far, with group tours is that you’re always on the go, packing and unpacking from hotel to hotel. We therefore look for tours with more 2 and 3-night stays, rather than just a bunch of 1-nighters. Also, if you want smaller groups, you’ll of course pay more.