We did it!! Italy here we come!!

[Julie A. Hurst]

I hope I did everything right! So much research; so much planning!

Today I called Affordable Tours & scheduled the Globus Best of Italy tour for October 22, 2005 for myself, hubby & adult son (two rooms). . Also got our own air via Delta. Next I need to contact CSA & get travel insurance.

We are more excited now that it is actually scheduled, than we were while doing all of the planning. We have traveled a lot in the U.S. & Mexico, but never to Europe. This will be a great new experience.

Thanks to everyone who posted info. We got lots of good advice from this message board & others.

I'll let you know about our trip. We are sure it will be wonderful, because our purpose is not to experience great cuisine or lodging, so no disappointment there. We are going to see Italy, even if we don't get to spend as much time as we want in certain places or see everything we want to see. We are also looking forward to meeting the wonderful folks on our bus and along the way.

I hope anyone scheduled for our trip will let me know. Also, any advise anyone wants to give will be appreciated.

[Guest]

Enjoy, Julie . .. .. . you'll love Europe and Italy.

Taking the first step (reserving) is the hard part along with counting the time until departure.

Will be eager to hear your experience with Affordable Travel too. Have always used a local travel agent . .. .. . she seems to know all the right things to ask and do.

[Janet]

I went on the tour you booked and had a wonderful time. Globus takes care of all the details. I would highly recommend that you get the airport transfers to and from the airport through Globus. (They run $20/person each way if you haven't booked the air with Globus. ) Globus representatives will meet you at the airport and get you to your first hotel without any hassle. We paid for the transfers and were glad we did. Others on our tour went by taxi to the hotel and paid between 60 and 70 Euro one way for a taxi, not to mention some difficulty with communication. Also-I have booked 3 tours through Affordable Tours.com without any major problems to speak of. The agents are not that knowlegeable about the ins and outs of a destination, (but they can answer questions pertaining to the tour companies). . The agent I worked with told me I could easily take the train from the airport to the hotel in Rome. I would definitely not recommend doing that as you will have to carry all your luggage, you'll be very tired after a very long flight, and you will be an easy target for the pickpockets who scout out the weary tourists. Another problem with the Affordable Tours agent was that she did not return my emails concerning some minor questions I had. Overall, if you've done your own research, it is worth it to save several hundred dollars booking through Affordable Tours. Enjoy your trip!