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.

 

2023 U.P.

The goal is Isle Royale, and it's our second attempt. This time, we're serious, and we really mean it. Keen readers and those who actually listen to our stories will be aware that the last time we tried this, it didn't quite go so swimmingly. 

Driving in a westerly direction takes us through Chicago, and we visit daughter Valerie and her husband Dan. In between the raindrops, we have lunch and see their new apartment. As we drive on into Wisconsin, the rain gets worse, but we manage to get up to Oshkosh for the night. We learn that Chicago had been hit by tornadoes just as we were getting out of town. Thank goodness for near misses.

Our next stop is Wakefield, Michigan. It's at the Western edge of the U.P., and it's where niece Jen and her husband Chris reside. They have a nice house there and we enjoy lunch on a nice day. We had, by the way, ordered the weather.

Finally, we arrive at Copper Harbor, Michigan. It's the tip-top of the Keweenaw peninsula of the U.P., as far North as you can go. But (after a night's rest where the expected aurora borealis did not appear) we're going even farther; we get on a ferry, the Isle Royale Queen.

Boarding the Isle Royale Queen

After three and a half hours on the boat, we set foot on Isle Royale at Rock Harbor. Us day-trippers only have about three hours on the island before re-boarding for the return trip. Other passengers will be backpacking, camping, or staying in the lodge. There is an orientation by the National Park Ranger, and then we're off on our hike.

Rock Harbor arrival

Stoll Trail

Stoll Trail

Isle Royale National Park is an archipelago of 200 islands. It's famous for its wildness, with its moose and wolf populations. The large main island has hiking trails galore. We are on one of the most popular, the Stoll trail. Popular here means that we may encounter one or two people per hour of hiking. There are probably more moose than people about. We spot the moose droppings, hoofprints, and discarded antlers, but no live specimens. The trail ends at Scoville Point, the tip of one of the peninsulas here.

The trail and surrounding scenery are wild and beautiful, just as I'd imagined. Lady Adventurer and I  enjoy the strange (to us) flowers and other flora as well as the views of Lake Superior's rocky shore. We remark about the absolute quiet and the clean, fresh air. Although the trail is considered moderate, the footing is bad at times and we are moving fairly slowly. And of course, we stop to admire the views and the flowers. 

At some point, we determine that at this rate, we cannot make it all the way to Scoville Point and back in time to catch our ride home. Lady A. decides to turn back early, just to ensure that she can get back to Rock Harbor in time. Determined to get to Scoville Point, I soldier on. I scoot, walk, and run, but mostly shuffle my way on the rocky and sometimes difficult trail. I spot a bald eagle, a snake, plenty more moose droppings and hoofprints, and (of course) flies and mosquitos. At two and a quarter miles out, I manage to get to the point before quickly turning back. I have to shuffle quickly in order to make it.

Found along the trail upon returning from Scoville Point

Lady A. is sitting at a table waiting for my return. We are in good time, so we don't miss the boat. It had been a great and memorable hike.

The three hour, forty-five minute trip back is a little uncomfortable, but the sea is calm. As we get back to Copper Harbor, we notice that due to the haziness, the sun is just a bright spot in the nighttime. It's not really so bad just yet, but what's happening is that the Canadian wildfire smoke is beginning to move back in. Of course, that's not good, but at least we were able to enjoy Isle Royale before it got here.

The smokey trip home takes us across and through Michigan's Upper and Lower Peninsulas. Looking back, we were so very fortunate to get through Chicago ahead of the tornadoes, and to Isle Royale ahead of the smoke. What a nice little road trip.

Some of the unique flowers we saw: