I have just returned from the British Heritage Tour. Is anyone interested in a "review"/summary of this tour?

I would love to hear all about your trip!

Debbie

The tour sounds like it was very interesting. Having 14 days in one country would certainly give you more time to learn things in depth.

I sure do not know very much about British history and imagine a lot of people are like me.

Sounds like you had a great time.

Debbie

Hi,
I would also like to hear more about your trip. I am thinking of taking this trip next summer. I may also be going alone, but I hate to pay the single supplement. Tell me what optionals you took and approx. how much extra money you needed for the trip(optionals, food, ect). . What did you like best about the tour and is there anything you wish you had done if you had it to do over?
Felicia

We (my wife and two daughters - 18 & 16) are planning a trip to the UK in June and have just about decided on Globus - BHT. We like the fact that most of the hotel stays are for 2 or more days (not having to deal with as many moves as other long tours). . Plus BHT appears to be very comprehensive, not leaving mmany of the top attractions out.

My questions to you or anyone else are as follows:

1. Did you investigate any optional tours outside of what was offered by Globus? And were you satisfied with the quality in relation to the cost of these tour? It is my understanding that Globus does not provide the list of optional tours until "late in the game", which makes the evaluation process somewhat difficult.

2. On average, how much free time was made available each day? It appears from the literature, most of the evenings were available for optional activities. Is this correct?

3. Did you book the air through Globus or independently? I am concerned as to the number of stops, since they cannot guarantee a direct / nonstop flight. We live in New Jersey.

Thanks in advance for your feed back!

Has anyone researched the best value for trip insurance. The plans made available thru Globus seem skimpy for the price being charged (e.g. the maximum levels of reimbursement are very low accross the board - medical expense - only $10k, accidental death - only $25k, , etc.). .

My feeling is that we obviously all need this insurance and hopefully never have to use it. Bottom line, the limits and coverage should be much better. The insurance companies and Globus are making a killing on this product.

I checked out the web and found several sites that quote and compare much better coverages for the same if not less.

Does anyone have a suggestion . .

>1. Did you investigate any optional tours outside of what was offered by Globus? And were you satisfied with the quality in relation to the cost of these tour? It is my understanding that Globus does not provide the list of optional tours until "late in the game", which makes the evaluation process somewhat difficult.

I've written about the From the Thames to the Tiber trip we took last summer. We only took two of the optional tours on the whole trip. Everything else we did on our own. I was satisfied with the two we took (both in Rome) but we were able to do things on our own much cheaper. And we enjoyed the adventure of figuring things out on our own. To us, that was half the fun.

The Globus brochure didn't come until a few weeks before we left. However if you post your tour, maybe some one can come up with the optionals that have been offered on it before. Someone also occasionally posts a certain website that lists them all.

2. Our tour had 3 nights in most cities. For them, there was usually a half day tour on the first full day and then the rest of the time was free. However if you are traveling from city to city, that will take up part of the time. The travel stuff that we got a few weeks before leaving did tell how long the bus rides were from place to place.

3. We booked air through Globus. They provide transportation to and from the airport if you do that. When I was checking prices, I didn't have any luck finding good airfares and I was also concerned about booking the trip and then not being able to get an appropriate flight.

Debbie

Sorry I have haven't checked the board in a while.. .. .

This is in response to Felica's question. Concerning the question of money, I took 1 hundred pounds with me and then pulled out another 200 pounds out of an ATM while I was there (by the way, I had no problems with ATMs; if you are looking to exchange money, Marks and Spencers--a local supermarket--is the best place to go; it is across the street from the Hilton in London). . As far as optionals, I really enjoyed the dinner and play (Lion King) which cost only 135.00 US--this is a great deal. The dinner was at a four-star restaurant and the play was fantastic! I also took three other options: The Ruthin Castle dinner (medieval dinner, very entertaining), Scottish Evening (haggis, yummy) and the Pub dinner at Castle Combe in Bristol. I enjoyed all four, but the dinner/play was the best (and I would go on this optional if I had the chance to go on this tour again). . All the options cost me around 350.00. I really liked the opportunity to see both the countryside and the city and the leisurely pace of the tour. It also helps if you have a great tour guide. We did. Again, I highly recommend this trip.

Thanks for responding! I appreciate the information!
Felicia

In reponse to RonShal's post, I agree with everything Debbie had to say.
On the BHT, we would sometimes leave the hotel at 8 am and arrive to our destination anywhere between 5-6 p.m. Plently of stops in between, especially for lunch and shopping. When we had time to explore a city (usually two or three nights), we would have a morning tour and then be free to see the city for the rest of the day. I booked my travel through a local travel agent. It worked out fine.

[quote="Sking"]I have just returned from the British Heritage Tour. Is anyone interested in a "review"/summary of this tour? [/quote][quote][/quote][quote][/quote]

I'd love to hear about your tour.
Debbie