We are taking our third Globus Tour in two weeks. We have also taken tours with Collette and Insight.

After looking closer at the tour and the optionals, I have just about decided this is my last tour with Globus even though I have absolutely no problems with the guides or service.

In pricing the optionals, we have figured the trip will cost us probably another $2000. $190 per couple for a 'special' dinner is getting to be a bit too much. Cruises on rivers can be booked on site at less than half the cost of the optional price, including taxi fare in most cases. Trips to optional museums or castles that have costs of less than 10 Euros if booked separately.

There seems to be less and less included in the tour price. Both Insight and Collette had more included and less optionals while keeping pretty much to a comparable price.

You might ask why I picked Globus instead this time. It was purely my choice of countries to visit, the others didn't have an itinery that was close.

I will shortly be taking my 4th Globus tour,5th time to Europe. This time we will be on the Leisurely Italy tour which has 3 days in each city. I could not travel to Europe for the same price that I am paying for this tour. The dollar has totally tanked against the Euro which makes a tour a bargain this year.
I agree that the optional costs are pretty high which is just one of the reasons we don't do very many of them.The other reason is we need time on our own . . Since my second trip to Europe I have done my research before I traveled and determined the things I wanted to see on my own. I also check tripadvisor,chowhound and Fodors for information on hotels and restaurants. I have several good tour books which I make good use of.We also go a couple of days early,never staying in the Globus hotel and sometimes stay a couple of days at our last city to make sure we see and do as much as possible.I think your tour is what you make of it and I am sure there are ways to make good use of your money. The planning is half the fun for me and I start planning my next trip on the plane on the way home from my last vacation!!

I agree with Letsgo that there are a lot of optional tours with Globus but they are no more expensive than with most other tour groups.

We are leaving Saturday for our 3rd Globus tour . .. .. . this time it is a European River Cruise from Amsterdam to Budapest (Letsgo took a similar tour last year from Budapest to Amsterdam). . With a river cruise, all meals are included . .. .. . and daily tours. There are optional tours available but with the dollar value against the euro, I don't find them too expensive. That said, I do not think that we will take more than 1 or 2 optionals, spending our time wandering around the villages.

I hope that you enjoy your tour.

I don't believe that I am complaining so much about the cost of the optionals as the fact that there seem to be more of them than there used to be. They have moved some of what used to be included to the optional column.

Yes, I agree that the fun is in the planning and I always pick my tour a year in advance.

As a matter of fact, I have what I call my 10 year plan for overseas travel. Since we can only afford to go overseas every other year, that means my next five trips are in the 'trip dock'. .

Hi Pat,

Oh my goodness the time is here for your rivercruise! I hope you have an absolutely wonderful time. I know you will as there is nothing better than a rivercruise. If only there were rivers everywhere!!!

Can't wait to hear all about your cruise when you return! We did not do any optionals on our cruise and were never for 1 second bored!! I would go again in a heartbeat!!

Letsgo

Don't mean to hijack the post just want to wish Pat bon voyage!

zrealtopcat,
I wonder if they moved some things to optionals because of the value of the USD to the Euro?