Agent for World Tour (restrictions, cruises, best, hotel)

[goldengrain]

We are ready to retire, sell our house, and move.
We have saved, invested, and are lucky to have gotten out of the market just in time.

While we are still in fairly good condition, we thought we might travel. We have rarely taken vacations in the past, have no children, and have lived very frugally, below our means actually. We think it is time for us to splurge.

Cruises seem like a good thing to do when we get older, but we like learning and the arts more than spas, sports, eating and drinking and we thought of a series of tours.

Since we will have no 'home' in the states to keep returning to, and we will be having all the time in the world, the thought hit us 'Why pay for all those fares, back and forth between various countries and the US? Why buy a house when we want to travel? Why not just stay across the seas until we get sick of it?'

It's just that we would like a bit of hand holding in the process, the friendly voice of an experienced person who can give advice and soften the rough edges, smooth the path ahead of us.

We would like to visit England, take a tour or two, meander around by ourselves, and when that gets boring, go on to Spain or Italy, Switzerland, Thailand, Japan, Turkey, Greece, etc, and just repeating that.

We only speak English.
We were wondering if there is a good travel agency who operates the world over whom we could just call to get hotel suggestions, make reservations, give instructions on how to get there, arrange for tours, etc, for each country as we go from place to place or until our money runs out.

We are thinking we could just call our contact at the agency and arrange for the next leg of the trip. Are there agencies who are operable/knowledgeable around the world and can do this? Do they do 'deals' if you do a certain amount of business with them?

This would be akin to booking many vacation tours, end to end, but we would not be locked in to someone else's timeline and we would be saving all that back and forth airfare.

We already have retirement health insurance that is transportable around the world.

Yes. We are lucky, but we have made many sacrifices to get to where we now are. We don't live in a great neighborhood, but our property taxes are low. We have an older car. We have not shopped in the best of stores for our clothing. I cut our hair, and have never stepped foot into a nail shop. We frequent our excellent library often. We get their dvds rather than renting them or going to movies.

Does anyone know of a travel agency that operates and is comfortable throughout the world? One that is flexible enough to suit our needs? We have between one and two years.

[BlueWillowPlate]

Good for you! You've earned this wonderful opportunity.
You could probably do it as you go along.
And you probably don't really need a travel agency.
If you *must* use a tour, I'd go with Rick Steves. You sound like intelligent folks who might already have a pretty good idea of what you would like to see.
Shoot, maybe I (or a combination of CDers) could help ya!

[toobusytoday]

I think a big part of my enjoyment of traveling is planning the trip. However, I have heard of some tours that sound so unique that I would do them. A friend just got back from China and used this company- Country Walkers > Home Page She and her husband have also gone on tours with them in Canada and I think South America. Between tripadvisor.com and so many on-line sources, not to mention interesting travel books, I would have a hard time paying someone for something I could do (with joy!) myself.

I've hired guides in Europe and China just from reading reviews and figuring out what I wanted - it's worked out very well.

[CRock]

This sounds so exciting!!! Good luck with your travels and keep us posted.

It might be nice to have an agent here in the states as a fall back but I think you might get the best value by planning as you go. It seems that most mid-large sized cities have quite a few travel agents, they often post "deals" in the windows like Real Estate Co's post house's for sale. Like the previous poster said planning the trip is part of the fun! Also don't underestimate the power of the internet. It is available almost anywhere you go! Check out LonelyPlanet.com and their Thorn Tree Travel forums, lots of useful info there. Good luck with your trip!

[wastina]

You plan sounds like an excellent one! Good for you!

I am an expat living overseas. With the exceptions of certain countries (Egypt), I've found that the internet is a lot more responsive than travel agents. Nowadays, with e-tickets and 24-hour access, travelocity (for tickets) and web-reviewing for hotels open up a lot more options than being tied to one person. If you are spending long amounts of time in a given place, you'll be getting good insight from people you meet. Get a cell phone with a GSM card (which you can swap out for local cards), take a wifi laptop computer, and do it all yourself: banking, tickets, research, etc. You'll be able to plan your own future, won't be tied to dependency on agents (who likely specialize in certain regions, and may not tell you what they don't know), etc.

And fora like this (and a few others) can always answer your general (and even specific!) questions, too!

Have fun with it, and be the makers of your own reality. While having a travel agent may be a matter of comfort, if the person isn't there with you making all the arrangements, the space/time divide will be frustrating.

[azoria]

"We would like to visit England, take a tour or two, meander around by ourselves, and when that gets boring, go on to Spain or Italy, Switzerland, Thailand, Japan, Turkey, Greece, etc, and just repeating that."


These are all places where English is fairly readily found and that have well developed tourist industries. None of them are difficult travel countries like say, Kazhakstan or Russia.

You can plan this by yourself without enlisting a travel agent who has a vested interest into booking you certain hotels and resorts.

I've been to several of those places and put the whole thing together myself. Sometimes I have rented apartments, stayed in B & B's, pensiones, small inns. If you travel during the destination's off season there is a much greater selection of accommodation, more flexibility, and fewer crowds.

High season in Thailand is winter. Europeans go there by the zillion to escape winter. So you would want to avoid Thailand then. High season in Greece is June, July, and August. Room prices skyrocket and the islands are overrun with foreigners. In the off season you can get a beautiful place for 1/4 what it costs in August.

I did all my arrangements through the internet. Sometimes I had no arrangements at all, I just showed up at the destination with some options in mind and followed my nose. Never had a problem finding a decent place. And I am well decades past college age vagabonding.

Part of travel fun is being free. Free to stay where you like it and free to leave a place if it doesn't interest you. On a booked tour there is no freedom. You cannot wander, you cannot linger, you cannot investigate. You are on a schedule, a schedule decided by someone else.

Just start googling. Decide on a basic plan say--Spain Portugal, Italy, Greece Turkey. Decide how much time you'll have overall and how much you're willing to spend. Google public festivals, various towns, museums, and attractions. Then start googling short stay apartments, pensiones, inns.

Transportation in foreign countries is often more extensive and varied than you will find posted on the internet. Many countries only post major bus and train routes. Often there are lots of other transit options you don't know about till you get there. Ferries, local buses, point to point train tickets.

It's not as difficult or intimidating as you think. You can do this yourself, make your own tour!

[goldengrain]

Thank you for the advice.
I feel more encouraged in doing much of this ourselves.
We still have a year or two before this becomes an actuality, and a lot can happen between now and then.
I have mapped an itinerary, 36 stops, about 54,000 miles. The other half will want to adjust it when he gets time, I'm sure.
My thought is to stay at hotels where I believe we will have a bit more safety and more assurance of English speaking help.
In large cities, though, we may still do a tour package because of cost savings. I have been told that there are many places, especially in Italy, that do not publish prices. There is one price for tourists (especially Americans) and another for locals.
The person I spoke with said Rome was particularly bad at this, and I actually saw a travelogue on tv which suggested prices in Venice are 5 times as high for outsiders.
I am sure tours can dicker for better deals.

The mileage I calculated was in just following the shortest route.

Does anyone know if there is a site that lists things like busy or rainy seasons for various countries?

I am thinking of, in country A, booking a hotel in country B and, once there, either scooting around on public transport or doing arranged day tours, the only exception being major cities in Italy, France, etc, where there is more of a chance of overpaying on one's own.

Is this logical?

[wastina]

Hi Goldengrain,

I tried to Direct Message you, but apparently I can't. I'm an expat who has lived overseas for 15+ years (in all the funky countries, so I've got Russia and Kazakhstan covered. I'd put Russia on your list, but leave Kaz out. Uzb is worth a go, for Bukhara and Samarkand). I'd be pleased to give you a summary of some of the more remote countries (Central and Eastern Europe, Former Soviet Union, and parts of Asia and South Pacific) if you want to share your dream list.

As for rainy seasons, countries which have them tend to experience downpour times at certain times of the day, not necessarily 24 hour, 7 day a week downpours (which is what I always thought). "Busy" seasons may not be the issue as much as.... the month of August in certain European countries (France), which shut up shop and vanish, as I understand.

You can do an "around the world" ticket on an airlines, but then you're tied in to a particular airline. I've actually found that once in a country, there are all sorts of great ticket deals on airlines which don't exist on Travelocity (like Philippine airlines, for example). If freewheeling suits you, you may find that once you get to a place, you can jump to another one for a lot less than you think planning by remote in the US.

The one thing to consider in advance is the extent to which you'll need a visa. Not an issue in Europe, but depending on where you want to go, you may have difficulty getting a visa in Egypt (which i HOPE is on your list! I can hook you up with an Egyptian travel agent which will have you "do" Egypt fabulously) for Papua New Guinea (where you can actually get a visa upon arrival, if you're American, but finding that out in advance may be difficult). Some countries, like the Philippines, let you in for up to three weeks without a visa, but you need an onward ticket to show at arrival. Other countries, like Russia, Uzbekistan, etc., are a bit trickier.

If Georgia (Republic) isn't on your list, pencil that in for October, and enjoy the grape harvest and winemaking. It's a fabulous little country, no visa needed, and you can do that before or after Turkey.

Thailand hotel websites will show you the high season: their rates change (in Phuket, for example). AsiaHotel.com : Travel to Asia home is a quick fix into hotel prices in Thailand and Asia.

[CRock]

I did a 3 month round the world trip in Summer '06. I never had a single hotel reservation. Travel light and just go with the flow. Consider hostels as an option for accommodations. Many have rooms for two w/a private bath. To make my $ go further I avoided countries on the Euro. Consider traveling off the beaten path and off the tourist trail. I would highly recommend Croatia a beautiful country and great food and friendly people. (They will be on the euro soon if not already, I think) While in Croatia hop over to Slovenia, I loved Ljubljana and the Lake region. Turkey is very budget friendly and beautiful. Although it is a huge country, to travel by mini bus is cheap, but airfare is high there.

I would love to go to Macedonia and Albania, I hear the coast is beautiful. I heard mixed opinions about Romania, Bulgaria, and Yugoslavia. Someday I will go back to Southeast Asia and travel to Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam.

When planning your air travel consider trying to fly a "Star Alliance" airline, they are the largest alliance and just about have the "world" covered. Travellers - Star Alliance You can rack up tons of points and get free miles. Maybe consider and around the world ticket then you can add other flights as you go.

Ahh I am so ready to travel again!!!!

[goldengrain]

Originally Posted by wastina

Hi Goldengrain,

I tried to Direct Message you, but apparently I can't. I'm an expat who has lived overseas for 15+ years (in all the funky countries, so I've got Russia and Kazakhstan covered. I'd put Russia on your list, but leave Kaz out. Uzb is worth a go, for Bukhara and Samarkand). I'd be pleased to give you a summary of some of the more remote countries (Central and Eastern Europe, Former Soviet Union, and parts of Asia and South Pacific) if you want to share your dream list.

As for rainy seasons, countries which have them tend to experience downpour times at certain times of the day, not necessarily 24 hour, 7 day a week downpours (which is what I always thought). "Busy" seasons may not be the issue as much as.... the month of August in certain European countries (France), which shut up shop and vanish, as I understand.

You can do an "around the world" ticket on an airlines, but then you're tied in to a particular airline. I've actually found that once in a country, there are all sorts of great ticket deals on airlines which don't exist on Travelocity (like Philippine airlines, for example). If freewheeling suits you, you may find that once you get to a place, you can jump to another one for a lot less than you think planning by remote in the US.

The one thing to consider in advance is the extent to which you'll need a visa. Not an issue in Europe, but depending on where you want to go, you may have difficulty getting a visa in Egypt (which i HOPE is on your list! I can hook you up with an Egyptian travel agent which will have you "do" Egypt fabulously) for Papua New Guinea (where you can actually get a visa upon arrival, if you're American, but finding that out in advance may be difficult). Some countries, like the Philippines, let you in for up to three weeks without a visa, but you need an onward ticket to show at arrival. Other countries, like Russia, Uzbekistan, etc., are a bit trickier.

If Georgia (Republic) isn't on your list, pencil that in for October, and enjoy the grape harvest and winemaking. It's a fabulous little country, no visa needed, and you can do that before or after Turkey.

Thailand hotel websites will show you the high season: their rates change (in Phuket, for example). AsiaHotel.com : Travel to Asia home is a quick fix into hotel prices in Thailand and Asia.

Thanks for the country suggestions, but I have not discussed the list yet with my husband and that in itself will probably be a nice debate with compromises, so I would not wish to introduce additional items - yet.

I appreciate the weather and August country closing info, too.

Yes. I scanned through the 'around the world' airline deals, but some of them have esoteric sets of rules, and I would not want such restrictions. I also heard that some smaller local airlines might also be less costly.