Group Holidays? What do you think?

V

valerie

New Member
Opinions on group organised holidays? I have thought of them but am put off because I might like to do something on my own without a group. However they might be beneficial as far as a tour leader who knows the area history well? Just wondering if others like them or not?
 

Ive done a couple of group holidays and they went very well. The thing is to plan it where there are a few side trips that you can take. Some may want to go and some may not. That way you can get time for yoursef alone or with fewer people. This allows you to relax some. We went on one wher ewe had 2 different side trips besides being able to tour the area by ourselves. I ended up going on a wine tour by myself and thoroughly enjoyed it even though I am not a wine drinker lol.
 
A group holiday or get together for a picnic (good weather, of course) would be great. However the functions would have to be near by as I am not able to travel very far. :)
 

I've been on two group tours. Both worked out very well as they were smallish groups and luckily, it was a very congenial group of people on both trips. It's a good way to get a first taste of a country and see as much as possible in a short time so you know what you want to come back to on your own at a later time. It's also a great way to meet people from all over the country. We're leaving on another one in a little more than a week. The whole trip including airfare, transfers, hotels, some local tours, all breakfasts and most dinners, is only 50% more than the airfare alone would cost.

In my younger days, I liked independent travel. It wasn't the end of the world if I missed a train....I've slept in train stations and worst spots than that. Now that I'm ....um....more "mature" and things hurt more.....I kind of like being "taken care of". There are still opportunities to go off on your own and not take the scheduled or optional tours.
 
I haven't done long distance ones out of the country, just local within the US. I have to admit one very local one a brawl did nearly break out. I was shocked by the women involved. I have a picture of where we were at the time, aside from that incident, it was a fun trip.
 
I've often thought of it:) I think it would be worth trying out, maybe a shorter, than longer, one to start. I'll bet you'd meet nice folks, and you would probably see a lot of things you might miss if you weren't familiar with the place, and know how much time it takes to see a lot;) denise

LOL I wanna see the pic April, I'm sorry I laughed but omg, a brawl!!
 
We did have one guy on our last one who ended up picking an argument with just about everyone on the trip. He had some serious psychological problems and we couldn't figure why he'd go on a group tour if he hated people so much. It was jokingly suggested that maybe it was a "court-ordered" vacation.... Our tour leader pretty much kept him isolated during the last half of the trip.
 
They should have tied him up top with the luggage jujube:playful: Hmm, I may not do so well on a group thing, LOLLLLLL!
 
We much prefer independent travel, but in 2010 we did an 11 day coach tour with my sister even though we swore we'd never do one. Wasn't perfect but overall we did enjoy it. My sister came to spend a month with us, and the coach picked us up just a ferry ride away from where we live, took us on the ferry from Newcastle to Amsterdam with stops along the way to our final destination of Rome. The coach was only half full which was nice in a way, but that meant the company was suffering so they changed some of the hotel bookings to cheaper ones. The hotel in Rome was very close to the Vatican but had not been redecorated since Caesar's time! The food was awful! But the main reason we wanted to go was to tour the Vatican and we loved it! And Pompeii, and Florence, and stopping at a few places in Switzerland on the way back.

I mentioned to my husband this morning that maybe when we are about 90 we could do coach trips instead of independent and he said 'no way'. I guess when we are too old to rent cars any more we'll do trips involving trains.

My sister is coming again in 2016 and we are thinking about a river cruise up the Rhine. Need to research that as the big company, Viking, is very expensive.

The tours that used to be called Elderhostel and are now Road Scholar(?) looks awesome! I'd love to do some of those as they are done by what you are interested in, where you want to go, activity level, etc. Anybody done one?
 
I did a coach tour of New Zealand for 18 days.
it was just brilliant; I saw stuff I would never have found on my own, and there were plenty of people, so I could pick and choose my companions....mostly Australians!
i am so glad I did it.
independant travel is great if there are two of you; but I don't enjoy it so much on my own....
 
Vivjen said:
I did a coach tour of New Zealand for 18 days.
it was just brilliant; I saw stuff I would never have found on my own, and there were plenty of people, so I could pick and choose my companions....mostly Australians!
i am so glad I did it.
independant travel is great if there are two of you; but I don't enjoy it so much on my own....
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Except for a two week trip on my own to Ireland before I met my husband, I've only taken short trips on my own. If husband goes before me, I'll probably think about group trips.
 
Ameriscot said:
The tours that used to be called Elderhostel and are now Road Scholar(?) looks awesome! I'd love to do some of those as they are done by what you are interested in, where you want to go, activity level, etc. Anybody done one?
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Many, many years ago I did a woodworking/craft one. Because it centered around a common interest, I truly enjoyed it. If I could afford them, I would take many, of that type LOL
I have taken cruises with groups of friends and found myself letting them go their ways. While I just found pleasant corners to just read and enjoy solitude.
 
ndynt said:
Many, many years ago I did a woodworking/craft one. Because it centered around a common interest, I truly enjoyed it. If I could afford them, I would take many, of that type LOL
I have taken cruises with groups of friends and found myself letting them go their ways. While I just found pleasant corners to just read and enjoy solitude.
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There are loads of them I'd like to take. Historical, biking, grandparent/grandchild.
 
We always liked to get away from people and travel independently too. When we were in Hawaii a couple of times, we would rent a car and go off the beaten trail to get away from the tourists and enjoy the beach and scenery in a quieter way. If I was completely on my own, I would consider doing something with a group perhaps.
 
SeaBreeze said:
We always liked to get away from people and travel independently too. When we were in Hawaii a couple of times, we would rent a car and go off the beaten trail to get away from the tourists and enjoy the beach and scenery in a quieter way. If I was completely on my own, I would consider doing something with a group perhaps.
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Yes, that's the difference. You can't really go exploring on your own. I rented a car in Ireland - my first trip abroad - scary but I could go where I wanted. I remember stopping at a view point on a the side of a road right behind a tour bus full of Americans. Chatted with a man and he said he'd be too afraid to drive there, but he understood the sense of freedom of being able to go exactly where you want.
 

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