I didn’t really intend on writing the travel version of War and Peace, but apparently I have a lot to say. Anyone who knows me will laugh at that last sentence because I always have a lot to say, I don’t know why I’m surprised by it. I should be a tour guide...yeah, I am (visit Great Explorations Tours to see my tours).
What I’m getting at is that this entry won’t be any shorter. That’s because some of my fondest travel memories involve dining in a restaurant or having a drink in a pub. The problem that most people run into is that they are nervous about walking into strange, unknown places in a country they’re not familiar with. Therefore they end up with a sub-par meal or drinking in whatever country’s version of an American bar. Those can be memorable too, but not usually in a good way. I’m hoping that knowing what to expect will make you more comfortable when trying out a new place.
What I’m going to do is break it down by country and, as I said in the beginning of my hotels post, I’m going to focus on the countries that we run tours to (Ireland, England, Scotland, France, Germany, and Italy). The reason I’m doing this is because there are subtle (and less subtle) differences between many of those. Before I get into that, here are some generalities with restaurants and bars in Europe:
- Smaller is usually better. I’m not saying that the big, popular places are bad, but usually the quaint, family-run establishments are where you get the best mix of quality and service. Plus, they’re not as used to foreigners (especially Americans) so they tend to be excited to talk to you...really.
- Locals know best. The way to find a good place is just by looking in the window. If it’s reasonably crowded and it seems like a lot of locals, that’s a good place. If it’s dead, that’s not a good sign, no matter what country you’re in.
- Cleanliness. This is a gimmie, because no one is going to walk into a dirty restaurant to eat. What you have to look at though is that you’re not mistaking age for dirtiness. Some European restaurants are 600 years old, therefore may have exposed stone walls or wood beams. What you want to make sure of is that the wait staff’s uniforms and the tables are clean because those better not be 600 years old too.
- Service. A lot of people find the service sub-par in European restaurants and bars. I actually find it to be of a higher quality generally. The difference in opinion comes from understanding the differences. The big one is that Europeans consider it rude to interrupt diners, so they will wait to be summoned if you need them. Americans are used to getting the food, being asked if everything is okay, getting drink refilled, etc, so when they dine in Europe they think they’re being ignored. That is not the case, the wait staff will be there immediately upon request, but not before. In bars, there usually is no wait staff, you have to go to the bar to order everything and then the bartender will bring it to the table.
- Language. For those countries that don’t speak English as a first language, many people worry about reading the menu. For the most part this is not an issue. I have found that most restaurants print descriptions in English, and even those that don’t usually have staff members that speak enough to explain things to you. Of course, if you’re adventurous, you can just pick something and figure it out later (I’ve done this before and been pleasantly surprised).
- A word on prices. I’m not going to discuss pricing because it has so many variables to it. Like everywhere, you can find bargains and expensive meals. One advantage to European restaurants is that in most countries they are required to post their menu outside, so you know the prices before you go in. Bars are easier to tell the price because, let’s face it, we all know a cheap dive bar when we see it.
- Specific dishes. I’m also not going to get into any specific dishes or styles of cooking because inside any given country the food ranges greatly depending on where you are. This is long enough already without me going through the difference between Parisian and Provencal cooking.
Okay, now to the country breakdowns. There are two categories here, countries that are food and wine oriented (France and Italy), and countries that are beer oriented (Ireland, the UK, and Germany). I’m going to start with the food and wine.
Italy
Restaurants
Everyone has been to an Italian restaurant. For the most part, saying an Italian restaurant in America is just like a restaurant in Italy is like saying you and your cousin are the same person. What I mean is that you can see some resemblance, maybe even the same name, but it’s a whole different thing.
The similarities: Pasta, sauce, meat, desserts, wine. These items are all found in Italy, but they may not be exactly the same as what you’re used to.
The differences:
Pasta - Many different types of pasta that is usually handmade
Sauce - the sauce is used as a compliment to the pasta, not to drown it; the sauce is usually very sparse and very rarely tomato based
Meat – This is pretty much the same except that you’ll see meats that aren’t as popular in the US like veal and lamb.
Desserts – very similar
Wine – Also similar due to the prevalence of foreign wines in America now. The advantage is that most Italian restaurants offer a house wine, served in a jug (often straight from the cask), that is cheap and excellent.
There are two main differences between eating out in the US vs. Italy, and they both have to do with timing.
1. The way you order is a little different. Eating in American restaurants, there are generally three courses; appetizer, main course, dessert. In Italy, there are more courses; appetizers, pasta, meat and fish, dessert, cheese or aperitif. These will vary slightly depending on the region and restaurant, but they’re close. Most restaurants expect you to order several courses and I’ve received the odd look for only doing two of them, but they would never say anything, it’s just what they’re used to. As a side note to this, there are also no side dishes; everything is ordered (and priced) separately.
2. You’re probably wondering now how you can eat five courses every night. Well the other difference is that the Italians eat very late and for a very long time. Many restaurants don’t even open until 7pm, and those that open before that may be tourist traps so beware. Italians don’t usually eat until around 8, and it is not uncommon for them to sit at the table until 10 or 11. Dining out is a very social experience in Italy. People chat and socialize and have a generally good time. It is a very enjoyable environment, even if you don’t know what they’re saying. Once they find out you’re an American though, you may get some interest (in a good way), such as the time we were in Venice and had a very long conversation with a restaurant owner about Jack Daniel’s Bourbon vs. Grappa. He used to live in Texas and insisted that Grappa was better, although you’ll have to wait a few weeks until my alcohol post for my feelings on Grappa. Anyway, we had a very nice time (and he gave us two free shots, although afterwards that wasn’t so nice) and all because we were in a small place immersing ourselves in the culture.
Bars
I don’t have a lot to say (imagine that) about bars in Italy because I usually just like to have my wine with dinner and go to bed shortly afterward. If you are the night owl type, there are many dance clubs in Italy (and all of Europe) that are open much of the night. There are not many of what Americans consider “bars,” and I think that’s because they just don’t drink a lot of beer. You will see Irish and English style pubs in many places, which can be an interesting experience in itself.
You can see our tours to Italy by clicking these links:
Rome, Venice, and Florence Tour
Mediterranean Italy including the Amalfi Coast, Isle of Capri, and Pompeii
France
Restaurants
Most people have a preconceived notion of what a French restaurant is. If you’re one of those people (like I was once), you’re picturing a very fancy, very expensive place with white tablecloths, snooty waiters in tuxes, and very pretty food that is about the size of a hockey puck. I’m not going to say that you’re wrong if that’s what you’re picturing, but you’re not right either.
If you want to spend $1,000 on one meal and eat some of the fanciest food you’ll ever see, you can absolutely do that in some restaurants in France (and especially Paris). However, if you just like earthy, home-style, good quality food (and who doesn’t) you’ll be very pleasantly surprised by the majority of French cuisine. Like everywhere in the world, French food is derived from the home kitchen, and you can still find those fantastic dishes in restaurants and bistros throughout France. A few notes:
- Like the Italians, the French eat dinner late and eat for a long time. 8 or 8:30pm is the common dinnertime, and it may last until 10 or 11. As far as lunch is concerned, the French also take their time, often taking a 1 or 2 hour lunch break.
- Also like the Italians, French menus are compartmentalized. If you want a side of potatoes, you have to order it separately. If you order a steak, you get a steak, nothing else.
- Speaking of steak, the French like their meat rare. They offer three choices of doneness; Well done, Medium, and Rare, there is no in-between like Medium Rare. Be aware that French cooks will not actually cook meat to what we consider well done, in fact it will be closer to medium than well done. Medium will be closer to rare and frankly I like meat on the rare side, but even I’ve never been brave enough to see what they consider rare.
- This is where it gets odd. The French “attitude” is well known, although a little misunderstood. You will see it most often at mealtimes because no one takes food as seriously as the French do. They invented many of the techniques used in cooking around the world and they strongly believe those techniques to be superior (and they’re right in many cases).
What you must remember is that the French cook to honor the food, not the customer. When a Frenchman sees a steak, he sees an opportunity to honor that animal by cooking it perfectly and applying the perfect sauce. If you request something that would dishonor the food, they will simply refuse. If you ask to cook a steak longer, they will request that you order something else. If you ask to hold a sauce, they will insist that it’s better with the sauce and that you try it. If you ask for dessert to be brought early, they will refuse. And yes, I’ve personally seen all of these situations.
They are not being rude (in their minds, anyway), they are simply trying to give you the best food. The best way to approach it is to assume they know better than you and let them do what they do. That may not be what everyone wants to hear, but I’ve had very, very few bad meals in France, so they may actually know better.
Bars
What I said about bars in Italy applies in France too, that traditional bars are not common, but night clubs can be found, especially in the big cities. One thing I will mention though is that due to the proximity of Paris to Belgium, it is possible to find places that have fantastic Belgian beers on tap if that interests you like it does me.
You can see our tours to France by clicking these links:
Paris Plus Tour also includes Versailles, Normandy, and Champagne
The French Riviera includes Marseille, Nice, Monaco and the rest of the Cote d’Azur
Ireland and the United Kingdom
I lumped Ireland, England, and Scotland together here because, as much as they would all hate to admit, they are pretty similar when food and drink is concerned.
Restaurants
This will be a short section because none of these countries are known for their food. Restaurants in all of them are more like what Americans are used to in style and service, and the food is often nondescript. Traditional food is hearty and yes, potatoes and stews are pretty prominent. There is a more recent movement toward continental cuisine (especially in Dublin, London, and Edinburgh) and you can also find many restaurants specializing in food from around the world.
Bars
This is where the Irish, English, and Scottish excel. To fully understand why I’m going to have to give a little history lesson (sorry). Pub is short for Public House and they are called that because a long time ago most houses did not have a reliable heat (or light) source, so people would head to the pub to relax, get warm, get their local news (gossip), and of course have a pint. Pubs were more like an extended living room where meetings were held, uprisings were started, and parties were ongoing.
To a certain extent, the old public house is still just that, a place where people go to socialize and have a pint. Sure there’s less official business done there (not none, but less), but it’s still part of the culture. A visit to at least one pub is a mandatory part of any tour to the UK or Ireland because of this. It’s not just a place to drink, but to meet people and enjoy the spirit of the country.
Beer is the drink of choice in all of these countries, although Ireland and Scotland certainly have a whiskey (or in Scotland, whisky) inclination too. Their beers tend to lean toward the dark, strong side to combat their rich food and cool weather, although you can find lighter beer (or foreign beers, if you must).
Bar food is also found everywhere in the UK and Ireland and it is usually pretty good and certainly well priced. One thing to note is that you order everything from the bar, pay up front, and then your food and drinks are brought out to your table. It’s actually a system I prefer, but a lot of time can be wasted sitting at a table expecting a waiter.
If you’re lucky, you may even be in a pub during a ceili (or ceilidh in Scotland), which is a gathering involving music and singing. It is a very intoxicating atmosphere.
You can see our tours to Ireland, England, and Scotland by clicking these links:
Gateway to Ireland is a perfect introduction to the best of the Emerald Isle
Our London Plus tour also includes Stonehenge, Bath, and Oxford
Discover Scotland on this tour of Edinburgh and the beautiful highlands
Germany
By Germany I really mean southern Germany. Our tour only encompasses Bavaria and a little bit outside of it (Heidelberg is in the region of Baden-Württemberg and Innsbruck is in Austria), so that’s what I know.
Restaurants
The Bavarians love sausage. You will see many kinds of sausages (wurst in German) all over and served with sauerkraut, potatoes, radishes and anything else that is stereotypical German. You will also see plenty of other well known dishes such as Sauerbraten and Weiner schnitzel. There isn’t a lot of variety in traditional German restaurants although, like everywhere these days, you can find all sorts of non-German food places.
The Germans are also fairly stereotypical when it comes to service, and I mean that in a good way. They are punctual, efficient, and clean. They do not engage in small talk if there is a job to be done. This is not because they are rude, they just have a very good work ethic. If your waiter has a minute to talk to you, you will find them to be very friendly.
Bars
Bavaria produces a lot of beer, and they consume a fair amount too. There may be no better place on Earth for having a beer than Munich with its beer halls and gardens. The Germans look at beer as an expression of life and they are not ashamed in any way if they spend the afternoon sitting in a beer garden with a few liters.
Beer halls large and small are found around Bavaria. On quiet nights they are very similar to American bars, but on rowdy ones they explode into a festival of music and singing. It really is something to experience. The beer gardens are outdoor bars, usually lined with trees that, at one point in history, kept the beer cooler when it was stored underground. The beer gardens were developed because no one wanted to walk too far to refill.
One word of warning if you get a beer; the standard size is 1 liter, which is 33.8 ounces. Most places you can get a smaller glass, but they refer to this as the ‘ladies size.’ Use that information however you will.
You can see our tour to Bavaria, Germany by clicking this link:
Our Bavaria tour includes Munich, the Alps, and Innsbruck, Austria
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Friday, January 22, 2010
Hotels...lots and lots about hotels
So here’s my first of many detailed posts. It’s a long one (2,000+ words) and I’m sorry about that, but if you’re going to be traveling in Europe or would like to travel there, this blog will prepare you as well as any words can.
One more thing before I get into the meat of this I want to remind you that I own and operate a company that organizes and runs escorted tours of Europe called Great Explorations Tours. The following is a few things that are a result of my business orientation:
1. I will be abiding by the rule that if I don’t have something nice to say, I’m not going to mention the hotels name. It’s simply because I have to deal with hotels...a lot of hotels, and I don’t want them to think that I’m taking shots. That’s just the way it is.
2. You will see plugs for my website (www.GreatExplorationsTours.com) as well as mentions of some of the hotels we stay at (the good ones anyway).
3. For now, I will be limiting my advice to the places that Great Explorations Tours runs tours of. The tours for this summer are Ireland, Italy, and France (Paris and environs) so those will be mentioned the most. Upcoming tours include Scotland, Germany (the Bavarian region), Italy’s Amalfi Coast, the French Riviera, and England (London and environs). If you have specific questions about somewhere else I will be happy to answer them.
4. This blog is an extension of my company site. My goal is to help all travelers, but I am specifically catering to those who are traveling, or are considering traveling, on my tours. I try to make it not seem like a 5,000 word sales pitch and I apologize for the small parts that do.
Now that we’re past that, let’s get to the hotels. The way I look at it, there are five levels of hotels in Europe:
- Hostels – this is where you stay when you are really trying to do Europe on the cheap. They are usually pretty nice for the money but they’re very basic and usually skew very young. There’s nothing wrong with staying in a hostel, but when you’re only paying 6 Euro for a room you know what to expect so I’m not going to add anything else.
- Cheap Hotels – The worst option. They’re more expensive than hostels, but equal or worse in quality. Now, I am not talking about the great deals that you can find on nice hotels, but the places that charge so little because they’re unclean or just plain awful. The places I mean by Cheap Hotels are the ones you find that are ¼ the price of all the other hotels in the neighborhood and seem too good to be true (they are). You’re better off spending a little more on a better place or going cheap and using a clean hostel.
- Bed and Breakfasts – This is a great option for independent travelers. These are very small places (usually only a few rooms) run by a family. B&Bs are very prevalent in the UK and Ireland and are quaint, cheap options.
- Luxury Hotels – This is where we would all stay if money was no object. These include the Four Seasons and Ritz-Carlton’s as well as castle hotels and manor houses. The rooms are spacious and fabulously appointed, the service is spectacular, and the food is first-class. Unfortunately most people cannot afford such places, but they don’t want to risk the cheap route either, so that leaves us with...
- Everything Else – What a nice specific category, huh? How do we separate the thousands and thousands of hotels that all look and sound the same? That’s why I’m here, read on.
The first rule of European hotels is that you don’t talk about...oops, wrong rule. The first rule is that you’re not looking at American hotels. I know that sounds kind of dumb, but it’s something that a lot of people have trouble with. As Americans we’re used to a few automatics when we’re staying at a hotel. Those include big rooms, queen or king size beds, carpeted floors, and bathrooms. Believe it or not, Europeans don’t consider any of those automatic inclusions. In fact in many, if not most, European hotels you will be hard-pressed to find anything but small, tile-floored, small-bedded rooms.
I know I’m not exactly selling the European hotel right now, but it’s really not that bad. The hotels in Europe tend to be charming, well run, and clean. Sure they’re a little tight, but that brings us to rule number two:
How much time are you spending in your hotel room anyway? That’s not really phrased as a rule, but it’s a valid question. My first question when people complain about the size of their room is; why do you need it to be bigger? Most people have trouble answering that question with any response other than; I just do. If you’re the type that just wants to get away and sit in a nice hotel room watching TV, then maybe you’re wasting money flying all the way to Europe. If you’re going to Europe, you should be out seeing and experiencing things, not sitting in a hotel room. Personally, when I walk into my room that means that I’m ready for sleep (that’s why I love WiFi, because I can even do my work from the hotel bar).
What you’ll find in a European Hotel
- Bathrooms – if you’ve booked an en-suite room, you will find a bathroom, also called a washroom or water closet (W/C), in there. Now what exactly will be in the bathroom is a different story. Don’t worry; there will be at least a toilet, sink, and shower. That may be it though.
Europeans are very used to making the most of small spaces and their bathrooms are no different. On the smallest end of the scale you’ll have a shower that consists of a drain in the corner, a removable showerhead on the wall, and a shower curtain. Personally I don’t mind these because it’s not confining. Of course the downside is that the floor can get pretty wet.
A little better will be a small walk-in shower which keeps water in, but can be awkward depending on the size of the person (and I’m not a particularly small person). At the large end of the scale is a full bathtub that also has a removable showerhead. To be honest, I’m not entirely sure what to do with those because the showerhead is only about 1 foot above the tub. You can stand in them, but they are easy to fall in (ask my wife about concussing herself in Germany sometime), so I usually kneel.
As you can see, none of these options are perfect, but it has never been an issue with me and there are usually funny moments (non-concussion related). Of course, I have also stayed in hotels with full American-style bathrooms, but I wouldn’t need to prepare you for those, so go in expecting tiny and be pleasantly surprised.
- Beds – Beds in a European hotel are as advertised, no more, no less. In the US, hotels typically have either one king size bed or two queen/full size beds. In Europe, there are several different types and they’re categorized by how many they sleep.
Single Room – contains one single/twin bed...that’s it.
Twin Room – contains two single/twin beds, sleeps two.
Double Room – contains one double/full size bed, sleeps two. Preferable two that are comfortable with each other.
Triple Room – contains one double and one single bed. Not all hotels have these.
Quad/Family Room – contains two double beds or more. These are very rare.
You can’t go into a European hotel expecting to squeeze extra people in there unless they like sleeping on the floor (and there’s not always a lot of floor space either).
- Amenities – by this I mean a few other things that we’ve come to assume are in every hotel, things such as air conditioning, television, and coffee makers. While most European hotels have these, it is not a given. Air conditioning is common now, but if you’re traveling in the summer you should check. Television is almost a given, but I’ve stayed in hotels without and while I don’t spend a lot of time in the room, it’s still nice to have something to do while you’re getting ready in the morning. Coffee makers are almost never found...sorry, they just don’t do coffee like we do. They see drinking coffee (or tea) as drinking a beer, it’s a social thing, not something to do in a room by yourself.
- Elevator – There’s good news and bad news with this one. Good news: Most European hotels are very old and therefore only about 5-6 stories maximum. Bad news: They are very old and may not have an elevator. Good news: Many have retro-fitted elevators into their plans. Bad news: Those elevators are usually big enough for either you or you luggage, not both.
One more note while I’m here: The way floors are read in Europe is a little different. What we consider the 1st floor, they consider the ground floor, with the 1st floor being the one above it. Therefore if you have a room on the 3rd floor, it is actually what you would normally think of as the 4th.
- Location – For me this is what makes or breaks a hotel. If you’re only spending a few nights in a particular place, do you really want to waste time in taxis, on the subway, or on a bus traveling to and from the city center? With very few exceptions, cities in Europe are very centralized. This is owed to their history of being founded prior to the widespread availability of reliable transportation. Because of that centralization, European cities are best traveled on foot, which is why we love walking tours at Great Explorations Tours.
Obviously, if walking is the best way to see an area, it is logical that you would want to be within walking range of the sights. [SALES PITCH ALERT] With a lot of escorted tours, they house you in hotels that are outside of the city as a money-saving move. At Great Explorations Tours, we do our best to put you right in the center of the action, which allows you to explore at your convenience [END OF PITCH].
When you are able to comfortably walk to sights, that allows you to avoid crowds (by going earlier or later), eat in better restaurants (because of the wider variety of options), and experience more of the city life of another country. After all, you’re there to experience that country, not that country’s hotel.
Okay, one more sales pitch. Here are the three upcoming tours we are running along with the hotels we are staying in. These are some good locations.
Ireland – www.GreatExplorationsTours.com/ireland.htm
Dublin – Temple Bar Hotel and Arlington Hotel Temple Bar – We stay 2 nights in Dublin (the first and last) and due to a scheduling conflict, we stay in 2 different hotels. The two hotels are about 2 blocks away from each other, both in the Temple Bar area, which is the heart of the remodeled Dublin with a lot of restaurant and pub options. Temple Bar is only about 1 block from Trinity College, 3 blocks to St. Stephen’s Green, and 3 blocks to St. Patrick’s Cathedral.
Killarney – Scott’s Hotel – “Downtown” Killarney is about 6 square blocks, but that means there are not a lot of hotels there either. Luckily Scott’s is one of them.
Galway – Galway Bay Hotel – This is the only hotel on this tour (and most of our tours) that isn’t downtown. It is in a beautiful location along Galway Bay and its boardwalk (where there’s still plenty to do). We figured everyone would enjoy the scenery.
Bunratty – Bunratty Castle Hotel – Basically the only reason the tour stops in Bunratty is because of its wonderful castle and medieval dinner. This hotel is literally across the street from the castle (and Durty Nelly’s pub) and next to the shopping area called the Blarney Woolen Mills.
Italy - www.GreatExplorationsTours.com/italy.htm
Rome – Cesari Hotel – We spend 3 nights in Rome (the first and last two), which is a little more spread out due to its major status in ancient times. This hotel couldn’t be any better located. It’s 1 ½ blocks from the Pantheon, 2 blocks from the Trevi Fountain, 2 ½ blocks from Piazza Navona, an easy walk to the Spanish Steps, and a longer (but do-able) walk to the Roman Forum and Coliseum.
Venice – Hotel Abazzia – At first glance this hotel looks like a bit of a distance from the main tourist spot in Venice (Piazza San Marco...the one with all the pigeons). On closer inspection, it is only about a 10 minute leisurely walk because Venice itself is so small. This hotel is in Venice proper meaning that you won’t have to worry about traffic...except of the boat variety.
Florence – Hotel de Lanzi – Florence is one of the easiest cities in Europe to see on foot. All of the major tourist attractions are within about 10 minutes walk of each other with the massive Church di Santa Maria del Fiore (the Duomo) being the main focal point. This hotel is located within a stones throw of the Duomo (literally...you could hit it with a rock...but don’t). Specifically it’s about ½ block from the basilica.
Paris - www.GreatExplorationsTours.com/paris.htm
Paris – Hotel Mansart – Paris, like Rome, is a little bit spread out due to its long history. For our four nights in Paris (first and last three) we’ll be staying right in its heart. This hotel is along the Place Vendome, 1 block from the Jardin (gardens) des Tuileries, 2 blocks from the Louvre, and an easy walk to the Musee d’Orsay, Champs-Elysees, or Notre Dame.
Honfleur – Hotel Cheval Blanc – Honfleur is a small Normandy fishing village with a very picturesque harbor that has inspired many artists (Claude Monet being the most famous). Our hotel here is right on the harbor.
Reims – Hotel de la Paix – Reims is the largest city in the Champagne region and is known for its fantastic gothic cathedral and its miles of underground caves used to mature the region’s namesake bubbly. This hotel is in the city center, an easy walk to the cathedral.
Price – If you look at that list above and think, ‘he’s right, I want a clean, well located hotel that’s en-suite,’ what should you expect to pay? If you’re flexible with some of the other things (number of rooms, size of rooms, size of bathroom), you can usually find a room for under $200 per night. You’re right, that is a lot and it depends on where you’re looking. Obviously big cities like London, Paris and Rome are closer to that $200 mark where smaller cities and towns are much lower. I’ve gotten a room in London for $200, a room in Dublin for $160, a room in Munich for $130, and a room in a smaller village in France for $90, all in walking distance to the sights.
The trick to finding well priced rooms is that there is no trick. You just have to set aside some time to look for them. With the internet bringing hotel info right to your computer, you only have to look around to find hotel deals and reviews. Of course if you don’t have the time or the will to plan your whole vacation you can travel with me and Great Explorations Tours (www.GreatExplorationsTours.com). Thanks again for reading and feel free to fire away with the questions and comments.
One more thing before I get into the meat of this I want to remind you that I own and operate a company that organizes and runs escorted tours of Europe called Great Explorations Tours. The following is a few things that are a result of my business orientation:
1. I will be abiding by the rule that if I don’t have something nice to say, I’m not going to mention the hotels name. It’s simply because I have to deal with hotels...a lot of hotels, and I don’t want them to think that I’m taking shots. That’s just the way it is.
2. You will see plugs for my website (www.GreatExplorationsTours.com) as well as mentions of some of the hotels we stay at (the good ones anyway).
3. For now, I will be limiting my advice to the places that Great Explorations Tours runs tours of. The tours for this summer are Ireland, Italy, and France (Paris and environs) so those will be mentioned the most. Upcoming tours include Scotland, Germany (the Bavarian region), Italy’s Amalfi Coast, the French Riviera, and England (London and environs). If you have specific questions about somewhere else I will be happy to answer them.
4. This blog is an extension of my company site. My goal is to help all travelers, but I am specifically catering to those who are traveling, or are considering traveling, on my tours. I try to make it not seem like a 5,000 word sales pitch and I apologize for the small parts that do.
Now that we’re past that, let’s get to the hotels. The way I look at it, there are five levels of hotels in Europe:
- Hostels – this is where you stay when you are really trying to do Europe on the cheap. They are usually pretty nice for the money but they’re very basic and usually skew very young. There’s nothing wrong with staying in a hostel, but when you’re only paying 6 Euro for a room you know what to expect so I’m not going to add anything else.
- Cheap Hotels – The worst option. They’re more expensive than hostels, but equal or worse in quality. Now, I am not talking about the great deals that you can find on nice hotels, but the places that charge so little because they’re unclean or just plain awful. The places I mean by Cheap Hotels are the ones you find that are ¼ the price of all the other hotels in the neighborhood and seem too good to be true (they are). You’re better off spending a little more on a better place or going cheap and using a clean hostel.
- Bed and Breakfasts – This is a great option for independent travelers. These are very small places (usually only a few rooms) run by a family. B&Bs are very prevalent in the UK and Ireland and are quaint, cheap options.
- Luxury Hotels – This is where we would all stay if money was no object. These include the Four Seasons and Ritz-Carlton’s as well as castle hotels and manor houses. The rooms are spacious and fabulously appointed, the service is spectacular, and the food is first-class. Unfortunately most people cannot afford such places, but they don’t want to risk the cheap route either, so that leaves us with...
- Everything Else – What a nice specific category, huh? How do we separate the thousands and thousands of hotels that all look and sound the same? That’s why I’m here, read on.
The first rule of European hotels is that you don’t talk about...oops, wrong rule. The first rule is that you’re not looking at American hotels. I know that sounds kind of dumb, but it’s something that a lot of people have trouble with. As Americans we’re used to a few automatics when we’re staying at a hotel. Those include big rooms, queen or king size beds, carpeted floors, and bathrooms. Believe it or not, Europeans don’t consider any of those automatic inclusions. In fact in many, if not most, European hotels you will be hard-pressed to find anything but small, tile-floored, small-bedded rooms.
I know I’m not exactly selling the European hotel right now, but it’s really not that bad. The hotels in Europe tend to be charming, well run, and clean. Sure they’re a little tight, but that brings us to rule number two:
How much time are you spending in your hotel room anyway? That’s not really phrased as a rule, but it’s a valid question. My first question when people complain about the size of their room is; why do you need it to be bigger? Most people have trouble answering that question with any response other than; I just do. If you’re the type that just wants to get away and sit in a nice hotel room watching TV, then maybe you’re wasting money flying all the way to Europe. If you’re going to Europe, you should be out seeing and experiencing things, not sitting in a hotel room. Personally, when I walk into my room that means that I’m ready for sleep (that’s why I love WiFi, because I can even do my work from the hotel bar).
What you’ll find in a European Hotel
- Bathrooms – if you’ve booked an en-suite room, you will find a bathroom, also called a washroom or water closet (W/C), in there. Now what exactly will be in the bathroom is a different story. Don’t worry; there will be at least a toilet, sink, and shower. That may be it though.
Europeans are very used to making the most of small spaces and their bathrooms are no different. On the smallest end of the scale you’ll have a shower that consists of a drain in the corner, a removable showerhead on the wall, and a shower curtain. Personally I don’t mind these because it’s not confining. Of course the downside is that the floor can get pretty wet.
A little better will be a small walk-in shower which keeps water in, but can be awkward depending on the size of the person (and I’m not a particularly small person). At the large end of the scale is a full bathtub that also has a removable showerhead. To be honest, I’m not entirely sure what to do with those because the showerhead is only about 1 foot above the tub. You can stand in them, but they are easy to fall in (ask my wife about concussing herself in Germany sometime), so I usually kneel.
As you can see, none of these options are perfect, but it has never been an issue with me and there are usually funny moments (non-concussion related). Of course, I have also stayed in hotels with full American-style bathrooms, but I wouldn’t need to prepare you for those, so go in expecting tiny and be pleasantly surprised.
- Beds – Beds in a European hotel are as advertised, no more, no less. In the US, hotels typically have either one king size bed or two queen/full size beds. In Europe, there are several different types and they’re categorized by how many they sleep.
Single Room – contains one single/twin bed...that’s it.
Twin Room – contains two single/twin beds, sleeps two.
Double Room – contains one double/full size bed, sleeps two. Preferable two that are comfortable with each other.
Triple Room – contains one double and one single bed. Not all hotels have these.
Quad/Family Room – contains two double beds or more. These are very rare.
You can’t go into a European hotel expecting to squeeze extra people in there unless they like sleeping on the floor (and there’s not always a lot of floor space either).
- Amenities – by this I mean a few other things that we’ve come to assume are in every hotel, things such as air conditioning, television, and coffee makers. While most European hotels have these, it is not a given. Air conditioning is common now, but if you’re traveling in the summer you should check. Television is almost a given, but I’ve stayed in hotels without and while I don’t spend a lot of time in the room, it’s still nice to have something to do while you’re getting ready in the morning. Coffee makers are almost never found...sorry, they just don’t do coffee like we do. They see drinking coffee (or tea) as drinking a beer, it’s a social thing, not something to do in a room by yourself.
- Elevator – There’s good news and bad news with this one. Good news: Most European hotels are very old and therefore only about 5-6 stories maximum. Bad news: They are very old and may not have an elevator. Good news: Many have retro-fitted elevators into their plans. Bad news: Those elevators are usually big enough for either you or you luggage, not both.
One more note while I’m here: The way floors are read in Europe is a little different. What we consider the 1st floor, they consider the ground floor, with the 1st floor being the one above it. Therefore if you have a room on the 3rd floor, it is actually what you would normally think of as the 4th.
- Location – For me this is what makes or breaks a hotel. If you’re only spending a few nights in a particular place, do you really want to waste time in taxis, on the subway, or on a bus traveling to and from the city center? With very few exceptions, cities in Europe are very centralized. This is owed to their history of being founded prior to the widespread availability of reliable transportation. Because of that centralization, European cities are best traveled on foot, which is why we love walking tours at Great Explorations Tours.
Obviously, if walking is the best way to see an area, it is logical that you would want to be within walking range of the sights. [SALES PITCH ALERT] With a lot of escorted tours, they house you in hotels that are outside of the city as a money-saving move. At Great Explorations Tours, we do our best to put you right in the center of the action, which allows you to explore at your convenience [END OF PITCH].
When you are able to comfortably walk to sights, that allows you to avoid crowds (by going earlier or later), eat in better restaurants (because of the wider variety of options), and experience more of the city life of another country. After all, you’re there to experience that country, not that country’s hotel.
Okay, one more sales pitch. Here are the three upcoming tours we are running along with the hotels we are staying in. These are some good locations.
Ireland – www.GreatExplorationsTours.com/ireland.htm
Dublin – Temple Bar Hotel and Arlington Hotel Temple Bar – We stay 2 nights in Dublin (the first and last) and due to a scheduling conflict, we stay in 2 different hotels. The two hotels are about 2 blocks away from each other, both in the Temple Bar area, which is the heart of the remodeled Dublin with a lot of restaurant and pub options. Temple Bar is only about 1 block from Trinity College, 3 blocks to St. Stephen’s Green, and 3 blocks to St. Patrick’s Cathedral.
Killarney – Scott’s Hotel – “Downtown” Killarney is about 6 square blocks, but that means there are not a lot of hotels there either. Luckily Scott’s is one of them.
Galway – Galway Bay Hotel – This is the only hotel on this tour (and most of our tours) that isn’t downtown. It is in a beautiful location along Galway Bay and its boardwalk (where there’s still plenty to do). We figured everyone would enjoy the scenery.
Bunratty – Bunratty Castle Hotel – Basically the only reason the tour stops in Bunratty is because of its wonderful castle and medieval dinner. This hotel is literally across the street from the castle (and Durty Nelly’s pub) and next to the shopping area called the Blarney Woolen Mills.
Italy - www.GreatExplorationsTours.com/italy.htm
Rome – Cesari Hotel – We spend 3 nights in Rome (the first and last two), which is a little more spread out due to its major status in ancient times. This hotel couldn’t be any better located. It’s 1 ½ blocks from the Pantheon, 2 blocks from the Trevi Fountain, 2 ½ blocks from Piazza Navona, an easy walk to the Spanish Steps, and a longer (but do-able) walk to the Roman Forum and Coliseum.
Venice – Hotel Abazzia – At first glance this hotel looks like a bit of a distance from the main tourist spot in Venice (Piazza San Marco...the one with all the pigeons). On closer inspection, it is only about a 10 minute leisurely walk because Venice itself is so small. This hotel is in Venice proper meaning that you won’t have to worry about traffic...except of the boat variety.
Florence – Hotel de Lanzi – Florence is one of the easiest cities in Europe to see on foot. All of the major tourist attractions are within about 10 minutes walk of each other with the massive Church di Santa Maria del Fiore (the Duomo) being the main focal point. This hotel is located within a stones throw of the Duomo (literally...you could hit it with a rock...but don’t). Specifically it’s about ½ block from the basilica.
Paris - www.GreatExplorationsTours.com/paris.htm
Paris – Hotel Mansart – Paris, like Rome, is a little bit spread out due to its long history. For our four nights in Paris (first and last three) we’ll be staying right in its heart. This hotel is along the Place Vendome, 1 block from the Jardin (gardens) des Tuileries, 2 blocks from the Louvre, and an easy walk to the Musee d’Orsay, Champs-Elysees, or Notre Dame.
Honfleur – Hotel Cheval Blanc – Honfleur is a small Normandy fishing village with a very picturesque harbor that has inspired many artists (Claude Monet being the most famous). Our hotel here is right on the harbor.
Reims – Hotel de la Paix – Reims is the largest city in the Champagne region and is known for its fantastic gothic cathedral and its miles of underground caves used to mature the region’s namesake bubbly. This hotel is in the city center, an easy walk to the cathedral.
Price – If you look at that list above and think, ‘he’s right, I want a clean, well located hotel that’s en-suite,’ what should you expect to pay? If you’re flexible with some of the other things (number of rooms, size of rooms, size of bathroom), you can usually find a room for under $200 per night. You’re right, that is a lot and it depends on where you’re looking. Obviously big cities like London, Paris and Rome are closer to that $200 mark where smaller cities and towns are much lower. I’ve gotten a room in London for $200, a room in Dublin for $160, a room in Munich for $130, and a room in a smaller village in France for $90, all in walking distance to the sights.
The trick to finding well priced rooms is that there is no trick. You just have to set aside some time to look for them. With the internet bringing hotel info right to your computer, you only have to look around to find hotel deals and reviews. Of course if you don’t have the time or the will to plan your whole vacation you can travel with me and Great Explorations Tours (www.GreatExplorationsTours.com). Thanks again for reading and feel free to fire away with the questions and comments.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Schedule of Posts
Okay, I’m back. I think I’ve devised a plan for this thing, which is necessary because if I don’t keep organized this will end up just being a running monologue of my thoughts and you don’t want to read that. I go off on enough tangents when I am organized. Anyway, here’s the rough schedule I’m going to try to stick to. My posts may be off by a day or two and there’ll be some random mini-posts here and there, but for the big stuff, here’s the syllabus:
- January 21 – Hotels – Everything you ever wanted to know about hotels in Europe. Oh who am I kidding, it’s a lot of stuff you didn’t want to know too. I’m going to cover the rooms, the service, the location, well, everything.
- January 28 – Restaurants and Bars – This is going to be a biggie because I like to eat and drink and I get a little too offended when people give money to second-rate establishments and ignore the cheaper, better option. I’m already getting worked up, I’ll save it for the full post.
- February 4 – Seeing the Sights – This will cover general impressions along with some specifics about what you should see where.
- February 11 – Ways to get around: Buses, Cruises, Flights – Because none of these is worthy of a full post I compressed them into one.
- February 18 – My favorite places – This is a simple one. I’m going to talk about the places in Europe that I love.
- February 25 – Alcoholic beverages – I told you that I like a drink and I feel like I know a bit about beer, wine, and whiskey (and whisky...I’ll get into the difference). This is going to be a long one too, but I’ll make sure that starts with the things every traveler who plans on having a drink should know. I’ll also try to sound like less of an alcoholic.
After February I don’t know the schedule, but I’m sure I’ll find more to talk about. If you have any suggestions let me know. The Hotels post should be up tomorrow.
- January 21 – Hotels – Everything you ever wanted to know about hotels in Europe. Oh who am I kidding, it’s a lot of stuff you didn’t want to know too. I’m going to cover the rooms, the service, the location, well, everything.
- January 28 – Restaurants and Bars – This is going to be a biggie because I like to eat and drink and I get a little too offended when people give money to second-rate establishments and ignore the cheaper, better option. I’m already getting worked up, I’ll save it for the full post.
- February 4 – Seeing the Sights – This will cover general impressions along with some specifics about what you should see where.
- February 11 – Ways to get around: Buses, Cruises, Flights – Because none of these is worthy of a full post I compressed them into one.
- February 18 – My favorite places – This is a simple one. I’m going to talk about the places in Europe that I love.
- February 25 – Alcoholic beverages – I told you that I like a drink and I feel like I know a bit about beer, wine, and whiskey (and whisky...I’ll get into the difference). This is going to be a long one too, but I’ll make sure that starts with the things every traveler who plans on having a drink should know. I’ll also try to sound like less of an alcoholic.
After February I don’t know the schedule, but I’m sure I’ll find more to talk about. If you have any suggestions let me know. The Hotels post should be up tomorrow.
Thursday, January 14, 2010
My Seemingly Never-ending Rant on Traveling – Part 1
[Note: This post is an overview of my feeling on traveling and a glimpse of what traveling with my tour company is like. If you would like to read my much more detailed posts you can click on European Quest above to see them all or sort through the menu on the left hand side. Thanks in advance for reading.]
This entire blog is going to be much more opinion based that the Travel Tips section of my company website. There you’ll find more fact mixed with a little bit of conjecture and you can see those at www.GreatExplorationsTours.com/tips (ha, snuck a plug in there on you).
I could go on and on and on about traveling (as you’ll find out if you keep reading), so we’ll start with an outline. This is just the tip of my proverbial iceberg of opinions on the subject that I’ll flesh out in the coming weeks. As always if you have comments, suggestions, or questions please leave a comment or you can Email me through Great Explorations Tours by going to our Contact Us page.
[As a warning, the Escorted Tours bullet is a long one, but if you’re only going to read a little bit of this, please read that. That’s the section that tells you the most about me and Great Explorations Tours.]
- Hotels – Here are my necessities in a hotel: must be clean, must have bed and bath...and that’s pretty much it. Sure I would prefer a television and a free breakfast and, all things being equal, I would pick the extravagant, fancy hotel but I travel to see things and the inside of the hotel is not one of those things.
- Location, location, location – This is one thing I always look for in a hotel. There is no way to measure the joy of walking out of your hotel and walking smack into the Pantheon or the Louvre. I know it’s cheaper to stay out by the airport, but I don’t care. I don’t want to take a bus and two subways to get to the things I want to see.
- You'll need comfortable shoes - This goes along with the location note as well as the sights note below. The best way to see a European city is on foot. That is an indisputable fact. The cities are very compact (usually) and walking them is not much of an issue. Sure you'll have to find another way sometimes because cities like London and Paris are just too big, but for the most part, on foot is the only way to go.
- Restaurants – Naturally you’re going to be eating out while you’re on a vacation, the trick is finding the right places. I’ve heard people claim that they didn’t find a good meal in places like Florence or Paris and that’s just wrong (actually in those two cities it’s probably harder to find a bad meal, but I digress). Many tourists look for the big, flashy restaurants that have English menus and a lot of other tourists. Trust me, when the locals don’t eat there, that’s a sign. Think about your favorite places in your hometown, are they more likely to be a chain like Applebee’s or a small, family owned place. I thought so. There’ll be a lot more on this subject in the future, so I’ll stop here.
- Bars and Pubs – I’ll admit it, I enjoy a drink now and then...well, mostly now. No, I’m not an alcoholic, but I tend to subscribe to the European attitude towards alcohol. Basically that is that it’s good, it doesn’t hurt you in moderation, and it goes very well with food. Anyway, that leads me to the pubs, which are fantastic places to get to know some of the locals (this applies to cafés too). The same rules apply as with restaurants though, the less other tourists, the more authentic the experience.
- Tourist Sights – This is a tricky one because while you’re in Rome, you want to see the Coliseum, right? Of course that’s also where it’s crowded with other tourists, which isn’t necessarily the most fun thing you could be doing. Here’s what I do, I see all the main sights, usually as quickly as I can (unless I can be there very early or late, then I take my time). Then, if my hotel is well located (see above) I go back either early in the morning or in the evening, when the attraction is closed. I know you can’t get into it then, but with some things (Roman structures, major monuments, church exteriors) it doesn’t matter. When there are only a few people milling around Notre Dame and you can take a nice, peaceful walk around looking at the wonderful architecture and detailed stonework...that is when you can truly appreciate a monument’s monumentalness (yep, not a word, I know).
- Other Sights – What in the heck do I mean by “other” sights? What I mean is the little things that you didn’t expect and that you may not have many pictures of, but are what you remember most. These moments come while you’re sitting at a café, or on a park bench, or when you come across a wandering sheep in a village. These are the times when you realize that you’re not at home and that the place you are visiting is special and unique. These are the moments I encourage and the only way to see them is to slow down a little and look around. Traveling isn’t just about completing your checklists of sights.
- Transportation – Personally I like to do everything myself, so I’m definitely a car rental enthusiast, but that’s not for everyone (especially in the left hand driving countries). Buses can be fine ways to get around a strange place, but you have to make sure that you’re not just seeing everything through the bus windows. I know of some tours that have you on the bus for long stretches, which doesn’t seem very fun to me.
- Escorted Tours – Okay, this is going to sound like a conflict of interest being that I own an escorted tour company, but I’m not a big fan of the escorted tours. Wait, hear me out. The reason my wife and I started Great Explorations Tours is because we thought that people were getting a bad deal from other companies.
I don’t mean that any other company is ripping people off, but I think they like to put people on the bus, go from point A to B to C and say good day. They don’t let you appreciate or help you discover things for yourself, which is the heart and soul of traveling. If you just want to say that you’ve been to the Eiffel Tower or Blarney Castle, then other companies’ escorted tours are perfect. If you want to say that you’ve traveled in France or Ireland, then you want to go with me.
I know this sounds like a pitch, and it is, but that doesn’t mean it’s not true. Look at the list above. Do you find yourself agreeing with my points? Now look at some other escorted tour companies’ itineraries. Where are the hotels located? Usually they’re outside the city, leaving you to find your way in on your own. How much free time do you get? This varies, but think of it this way, if your hotel is outside the city, what will you do with your time off? Do they offer walking tours so you can immerse yourself in the cities or is it all seen from a bus? Yep, bus. Do these other companies give you information on local restaurants, bars, cafés, and ways to get around? You know the answer by now.
Yes, of course I think that Great Explorations Tours is better, that’s why I’m doing this. I’m not trying to show people Europe, I’m trying to get them to experience it.
One more plug, if you haven’t already visit www.GreatExplorationsTours.com. Thank you for reading.
This entire blog is going to be much more opinion based that the Travel Tips section of my company website. There you’ll find more fact mixed with a little bit of conjecture and you can see those at www.GreatExplorationsTours.com/tips (ha, snuck a plug in there on you).
I could go on and on and on about traveling (as you’ll find out if you keep reading), so we’ll start with an outline. This is just the tip of my proverbial iceberg of opinions on the subject that I’ll flesh out in the coming weeks. As always if you have comments, suggestions, or questions please leave a comment or you can Email me through Great Explorations Tours by going to our Contact Us page.
[As a warning, the Escorted Tours bullet is a long one, but if you’re only going to read a little bit of this, please read that. That’s the section that tells you the most about me and Great Explorations Tours.]
- Hotels – Here are my necessities in a hotel: must be clean, must have bed and bath...and that’s pretty much it. Sure I would prefer a television and a free breakfast and, all things being equal, I would pick the extravagant, fancy hotel but I travel to see things and the inside of the hotel is not one of those things.
- Location, location, location – This is one thing I always look for in a hotel. There is no way to measure the joy of walking out of your hotel and walking smack into the Pantheon or the Louvre. I know it’s cheaper to stay out by the airport, but I don’t care. I don’t want to take a bus and two subways to get to the things I want to see.
- You'll need comfortable shoes - This goes along with the location note as well as the sights note below. The best way to see a European city is on foot. That is an indisputable fact. The cities are very compact (usually) and walking them is not much of an issue. Sure you'll have to find another way sometimes because cities like London and Paris are just too big, but for the most part, on foot is the only way to go.
- Restaurants – Naturally you’re going to be eating out while you’re on a vacation, the trick is finding the right places. I’ve heard people claim that they didn’t find a good meal in places like Florence or Paris and that’s just wrong (actually in those two cities it’s probably harder to find a bad meal, but I digress). Many tourists look for the big, flashy restaurants that have English menus and a lot of other tourists. Trust me, when the locals don’t eat there, that’s a sign. Think about your favorite places in your hometown, are they more likely to be a chain like Applebee’s or a small, family owned place. I thought so. There’ll be a lot more on this subject in the future, so I’ll stop here.
- Bars and Pubs – I’ll admit it, I enjoy a drink now and then...well, mostly now. No, I’m not an alcoholic, but I tend to subscribe to the European attitude towards alcohol. Basically that is that it’s good, it doesn’t hurt you in moderation, and it goes very well with food. Anyway, that leads me to the pubs, which are fantastic places to get to know some of the locals (this applies to cafés too). The same rules apply as with restaurants though, the less other tourists, the more authentic the experience.
- Tourist Sights – This is a tricky one because while you’re in Rome, you want to see the Coliseum, right? Of course that’s also where it’s crowded with other tourists, which isn’t necessarily the most fun thing you could be doing. Here’s what I do, I see all the main sights, usually as quickly as I can (unless I can be there very early or late, then I take my time). Then, if my hotel is well located (see above) I go back either early in the morning or in the evening, when the attraction is closed. I know you can’t get into it then, but with some things (Roman structures, major monuments, church exteriors) it doesn’t matter. When there are only a few people milling around Notre Dame and you can take a nice, peaceful walk around looking at the wonderful architecture and detailed stonework...that is when you can truly appreciate a monument’s monumentalness (yep, not a word, I know).
- Other Sights – What in the heck do I mean by “other” sights? What I mean is the little things that you didn’t expect and that you may not have many pictures of, but are what you remember most. These moments come while you’re sitting at a café, or on a park bench, or when you come across a wandering sheep in a village. These are the times when you realize that you’re not at home and that the place you are visiting is special and unique. These are the moments I encourage and the only way to see them is to slow down a little and look around. Traveling isn’t just about completing your checklists of sights.
- Transportation – Personally I like to do everything myself, so I’m definitely a car rental enthusiast, but that’s not for everyone (especially in the left hand driving countries). Buses can be fine ways to get around a strange place, but you have to make sure that you’re not just seeing everything through the bus windows. I know of some tours that have you on the bus for long stretches, which doesn’t seem very fun to me.
- Escorted Tours – Okay, this is going to sound like a conflict of interest being that I own an escorted tour company, but I’m not a big fan of the escorted tours. Wait, hear me out. The reason my wife and I started Great Explorations Tours is because we thought that people were getting a bad deal from other companies.
I don’t mean that any other company is ripping people off, but I think they like to put people on the bus, go from point A to B to C and say good day. They don’t let you appreciate or help you discover things for yourself, which is the heart and soul of traveling. If you just want to say that you’ve been to the Eiffel Tower or Blarney Castle, then other companies’ escorted tours are perfect. If you want to say that you’ve traveled in France or Ireland, then you want to go with me.
I know this sounds like a pitch, and it is, but that doesn’t mean it’s not true. Look at the list above. Do you find yourself agreeing with my points? Now look at some other escorted tour companies’ itineraries. Where are the hotels located? Usually they’re outside the city, leaving you to find your way in on your own. How much free time do you get? This varies, but think of it this way, if your hotel is outside the city, what will you do with your time off? Do they offer walking tours so you can immerse yourself in the cities or is it all seen from a bus? Yep, bus. Do these other companies give you information on local restaurants, bars, cafés, and ways to get around? You know the answer by now.
Yes, of course I think that Great Explorations Tours is better, that’s why I’m doing this. I’m not trying to show people Europe, I’m trying to get them to experience it.
One more plug, if you haven’t already visit www.GreatExplorationsTours.com. Thank you for reading.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Why am I doing this?
Hello everyone. Okay, maybe saying "everyone" is inaccurate because as of now no one reads this but me. That'll change though, so for those of you reading this from the future, here's an update on me.
Two years ago (almost to the day) I decided to start a blog about European travel. The post below explains why. In the following two years I, along with my wonderful wife, have started a business that organizes and operates tours of Europe. When I wrote the oddly prophetic entry below I had no idea that I would actually be able to fulfill my dream of helping people travel for a living. I had led small groups of mostly friends and relatives before, but that was just a hobby that I was very good at. I don't know what clicked between then and now, but something made me believe that I could run these tours as a full time job and, well, here I am.
Now this blog isn't just going to be a repeating ad for my tour company (although I will through some shameless plugs in now and then...like now. Check out Great Explorations Tours at www.GreatExplorationsTours.com). On our company website I try to remain as professional as possible while still getting across all the things I love about travel. I hint at some of my travel beliefs including how I feel it should be done and what many tour companies do wrong, but I don't go into much detail because the average person just plain doesn't care what I think. This blog is where I bare my soul (well my travel-related soul) to let you know a little more about my thoughts and what is behind Great Explorations Tours.
Hopefully you’ll enjoy reading my theories on travel (with the occasional smattering of English soccer and ABC’s LOST...I can’t help myself), and whether you agree or not, I’d love to hear from you. And if you enjoy my writings so much that you want to travel with me, check out my tours at www.GreatExplorationsTours.com (shameless plug alert).
Two years ago (almost to the day) I decided to start a blog about European travel. The post below explains why. In the following two years I, along with my wonderful wife, have started a business that organizes and operates tours of Europe. When I wrote the oddly prophetic entry below I had no idea that I would actually be able to fulfill my dream of helping people travel for a living. I had led small groups of mostly friends and relatives before, but that was just a hobby that I was very good at. I don't know what clicked between then and now, but something made me believe that I could run these tours as a full time job and, well, here I am.
Now this blog isn't just going to be a repeating ad for my tour company (although I will through some shameless plugs in now and then...like now. Check out Great Explorations Tours at www.GreatExplorationsTours.com). On our company website I try to remain as professional as possible while still getting across all the things I love about travel. I hint at some of my travel beliefs including how I feel it should be done and what many tour companies do wrong, but I don't go into much detail because the average person just plain doesn't care what I think. This blog is where I bare my soul (well my travel-related soul) to let you know a little more about my thoughts and what is behind Great Explorations Tours.
Hopefully you’ll enjoy reading my theories on travel (with the occasional smattering of English soccer and ABC’s LOST...I can’t help myself), and whether you agree or not, I’d love to hear from you. And if you enjoy my writings so much that you want to travel with me, check out my tours at www.GreatExplorationsTours.com (shameless plug alert).
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