We have always done all our own travel but dh wants to do a package tour. I am thinking Europe- somewhere. I had thought of a river cruise but keep hearing of the high covid rates and I really don’t want to get sick on a boat. So, now I am looking at OAT & Rick Steves but should I look at some other company? I want a mid range tour (we aren’t luxury trip people) and smaller size tours. I haven’t put a date in yet as that is still up in the air. So in general, what organized tour company do you like/dislike?
Thanks and am I blowing the covid thing out of proportion?
It would help to know what you want to do.
We like to bike, and we would use Backroads, VBT, Trek or some other companies that specialize in active vacations.
I’ve heard really good things about Rick Steve’s, and we would consider them for a less activity based tour (I’ve heard they are plenty active).
1 Like
Did not use them for years but Comos tours can be theoretically right fit. Agency is called Globus and Cosmos. Globus is more luxurious.
We just went on a cruise on a large ship. It was also a 10 day cruise, and yep, my husband came home with Covid. The other three in our party were fine and my husband’s case was mild.
We also went on a trip to Costa Rica in January and we used KimKim to make all of our arrangements. We thought the company was excellent. We had all transfers arranged for our four locations and the perfect mix of scheduled activities and downtime. It was one of the easiest trips we’d ever been on. The tours were either private or very small groups <10.
2 Likes
I’ve heard good feedback about both. Not sure though if the Covid risk would be any less on a bus tour than river cruise.
2 Likes
My 17 year old daughter and I just got back from a 13 day Rick Steves’ My Way tour in France. It was fantastic, exceeded all expectations and I look forward to doing another one in the future. They book all hotels and transportation (not flights) for the trip and provide a tour manager who can help with logistics and orientation to each new city. Breakfasts included. Hotels centrally located. We are usually independent travelers (dislike traditional tours) but enjoyed the little bit of hand holding provided, and the wisdom of the tour manager who really had so much dialed in and helped us tailor our days to what we were interested in doing. Traveling with my teen daughter, I was able to relax knowing that the big details were taken care of. They offer 4 locations for the My Way tours - Alpine Europe, France, Italy and Spain. I’m happy to answer questions if you want to message me.
4 Likes
We’ve enjoyed several Road Scholar active tours – multi sport Acadia NP, Hiking in Yellowstone, Kayaking on the Columbia River and Galapagos. It is a non-profit and accommodations are decent and groups are usually under 24. The guides have been fabulous – locals who are passionate about the area.
2 Likes
I looked at those and thought they looked great. They are all booked for this year but maybe next year… I like doing my own thing and am not sure about group tours yet.
@LeastComplicated - I originally had a plan roughed out for Costa Rica but my husband is pushing for Europe first. I am going to keep KimKim in mind though.
2 Likes
I will check them out!
1 Like
Insight Vacations and Gate 1 Travels.
1 Like
KimKim can arrange trips to tourist locations worldwide.
1 Like
Yes, I like doing my own thing too, and would never have considered a tour before, but this was perfect for us.
If you book a Rick Steves (or other) tour - be sure to get trip insurance! I know someone recently who did not - husband got very sick night before the long-awaited/long-saved for trip - they lost half their money. 
1 Like
I can comment on several tour companies.
Rick Steves–have heard good things, but one must be aware that they stay at smaller hotels that may not have elevators, and one is expected to carry you luggage onto the bus and up to the hotel room. If the bus cannot enter the city center, there may be a decent walk involved.
Most others handle the porterage.
OAT–we have a family friend who loves them, she likes how they cater to her as a single female traveler.
Trafalgar Tours–good tours, what rubs me a bit the wrong way with them is that there are always optional excursions that cost extra. Ex: in Scotland, they will bring you to Pitlochry the town on the Isle of Skye but if you want to actually tour the island, that costs extra.
Collette Tours–have used them twice, all excursions included with them best I can gather. There were no extra costs when we went to Canadian Rockies and Iceland with them.
CIE Tours–they only cover Ireland, Great Britain, Iceland and Italy. Very old established Irish company. All is included. We did Scotland with them and liked them so much we’re doing 2 weeks in England/Wales with them in a couple of months.
We are contemplating a trip with Globus, as they have an itinerary no one else has–a relative traveled with them 20 yrs ago and was pleased. They also have been around a long time.
Another thing to look at—airport transfers. Some companies offer them to all passengers, and some only to those who purchase air from them. We tend to purchase air from the tour company, as (a) we don’t have airline points to cash in and (b) it seems we can’t get air for as cheaply as they can–they have also allowed us to suggest flights.
3 Likes
It’s nice to have airport transfers, and that worked out especially well for us this year in Puerto Vallarta (new place for us; company put a person in taxi line for us when our flight landed). But sometimes you will have to wait - in Ireland years ago we were on a bus for more than an hour (others longer) while the drier gathered up many people landing at various times.
When traveling with another couple for Viking trip this fall, we have self-arranged 2 days in Amsterdam. So no Viking transfer. We’re hoping it will be pretty easy to just get a cab (or maybe Uber) to our hotel, split the cost.
If you want a little more luxury and service than Globus and Trafalgar, try Insight or Gate 1. We started with Trafalgar/Globus over 30 years ago and have graduated to Insight, less people, bigger better buses and top hotels. We tried Gate1 to Machu Picchu (one night at the Sanctuary Lodge included) because Insight did not go there and were happy with them also.
2 Likes
We just finished the Viking GE trip from A to B. We spent 3 nights in Amsterdam on our own but we’ve been there several times before. You can just take a train from airport to central station if your hotel is close to central station. It’s very easy.
1 Like
I’ve heard this too! I do know people who’ve done Rick Steves tours and the part about carrying your own luggage to and from the hotel room, didn’t bother them at all. But some people might not like that. That said, everyone I know who has done a Rick Steves tour has raved about it and had nothing bad to say. Even my colleague who normally packs heavy and usually hates carrying her luggage, had nothing but good things to say about her Rick Steves tour. She’s a Rick Steves convert now!
I’ve heard of OAT, but don’t know much about them and don’t know anyone who has used them.
We have some family friends who did Trafalgar and they liked it, but they did say some of the hotels, while nice, were kind of boring and run-of -the-mill. They also had the same complaint about the optional excursions. Other than that, they had a great time on their tour with Trafalgar.
Collette: my parents took a Collette tour a long time ago and enjoyed it. I don’t know anyone who has done a tour with Collette since.
CIE Tours: my SIL and her husband did an Ireland tour with CIE and they had a wonderful time. Being an Irish company, they really know Ireland. My SIL and her husband aren’t tour people, but they loved their CIE tour and wouldn’t mind going with that company again. Another good tour company for Ireland and the British Isles is Brandon Vacations. H’s co-worker did a trip with them and had nothing but good things to say. I’d say Brandon would be CIE’s direct competitor.
I don’t know much about Globus and Cosmos, but I’ve never heard anything bad about them.
VBT and Backroads are great if you love physically active vacations. H used to work at a sports/outdoor magazine and Backroads and VBT were/are two of their biggest advertisers. In fact one of their reporters did a VBT tour and wrote a review in the magazine, she had a fun time from what I can remember.
My parents loved Tauck, but that’s luxury and very expensive. But, everything is included and from what my parents said, you do get your money’s worth. Abercrombie and Kent, Alexander and Roberts, and Luxury Gold are all top of the line and expensive.
National Geographic does adventure tours, but I’ve heard they’re quite expensive.
Intrepid is another not too expensive company that does more adventure type tours. They go to a lot of places that other companies don’t. They do tend to attract a younger crowd, but older people do their tours too.
1 Like
I have many friends who have used OAT tours, and adore them for the very local involvement, visiting schools, factories, families, etc to get to know a place and culture.
This fall I am going on a boat tour, 6 days on the Dalmatian Coast. I am getting concerned about Covid as well. To the OP, no, your concern is not excessive as it ruins a lot of vacations. Mask on the plane above all, removing only briefly. I have had Covid twice, related to plane travel, mine and others. Don’t want it in Europe! Bring tests and appropriate masks as well as insure your trip.
I have only one data point on Rick Steves hotels, from 2015 when we encountered a tour group at our Madrid hotel (possibly picked with the help of Rick Steves book). Looking at their daily itinerary posted in lobby was fun. It was quite lovely hotel, fabulous location near subway station and HOHO bus. (We splurged a bit for balcony room, though I assume the RS group had more basic rooms.) Hotel Europa | Puerta del Sol, Madrid - Official website