Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Bus tours, contrary to what some have said here, are very popular, especially for European trips. We've been on two previously and are planning another for this year.
As someone who normally avoids group tours, I was pleasantly surprised that I actually enjoyed my first bus tour when I visited Portugal a few years ago. I wanted to see the countryside but I didn't feel like driving, nor did I feel like taking public transport to all of my destinations. So I went on this small van tour (there were only 4 in the van: me, my husband, another tourist from Brazil, and the driver), and we went on a day tour to see some beach towns, countryside, stopped for lunch at a little hole-in-a-wall seafood hut, it was fantastic! Now, I wouldn't exactly start booking for my next bus tour just yet, but I would totally sign up for a small tour like that again.
I find Trip Advisor forums to be invaluable, not just the reviews. There are regulars that hang out there, many locals, that help travelers with all the details and ideas. I have learned so much about places I am traveling from these forums.
We did five weeks in Scotland. Searched for places we wanted to see, guessed how long each place, checked with ferry seduces as needed 14 trips on them and then found most b&b and booked them left a few nights as floaters. As it turned out it was almost prefect other than the weather being unseasonably cold. The longest planned tour we have ever done was a single day outing from Havana and it was nice running into angle hones as few in most days in Havana. For out trip back to Scotland there will be one or two one day trips planned otherwise it is pick up the map, head out and turn off the GPS first time she tells us not to stop at a scenic spots forcing her to recalculate. And we might buy one here so Ms GPS does have a Scotia acent.
Next year we'll be heading to Italy/Paris so I'll do all my research online and book asap. My bf and her husband are going at end of April but on a tour. I don't want to do that but she can also give me good advice.
A five year old knows the Grand Canyon is beautiful, but it takes education, culture, knowledge of history curiosity to appreciate cities such as Istanbul or Kyoto.
lol haha
As blunt as some may think you are, but I like your posts. Crude and raw with a subtle humor.
I find Trip Advisor forums to be invaluable, not just the reviews. There are regulars that hang out there, many locals, that help travelers with all the details and ideas. I have learned so much about places I am traveling from these forums.
Trip Advisor is good, except for restaurant suggestions. For that it stinks. Its a good way to eat at subpar places. The last people I would rely on for where to eat is tourists, exactly the people doing the reviews there.
Quote:
Originally Posted by botticelli
A five year old knows the Grand Canyon is beautiful, but it takes education, culture, knowledge of history curiosity to appreciate cities such as Istanbul or Kyoto.
I've never ever used a travel agent, I love doing research myself as that is part of the fun. And the resources available on the net are far superior to any travel agent, you can discuss first hand on forums with people who have already been there, get tips and tricks and find off the beaten path spots that no travel agent can ever tell you.
My itineraries are usually very customized and complex so I prefer to attend to each detail myself so I know what is going on. For instance my trip this August is to Kenya and Tanzania open jaw with 8 different flight segments to maximize the paltry vacation time I have from my job.. but also has buffers built in incase things go haywire (and any experienced traveler will tell you that you always have to have a Plan B ready to execute!). A travel agent may not be able to plan something in such detail or may not care.
Travel agencies are still useful for people who are highly inexperienced with traveling (and there are a still a humongous number of those people surprisingly!!).
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
