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.
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