Lexma90

Spouse and I have had many wonderful trips to many countries in Europe, all traveling independently. However, now I'm considering a very niche small group tour, and welcome input on whether this is a good choice.

Years ago, I listened to a fascinating Great Course about Angle Saxon England. That professor leads tours through a small group operator on this topic (Scholarly Sojourns). It will be 9 days, a maximum of 16 people. I love the idea of being with a small group of people as interested in this niche area of history as I am, led by this professor, and I like the idea of having other people to talk to. Hubby is a nice guy, but he's not very sociable and doesn't much like talking to strangers. He may or may not accompany me on this trip.

I know I would be giving up flexibility and independence, and I know that hubby and I could drive to all of the sites on the tour on our own, but we would miss out on hearing this professor talk. I would probably add on days at the beginning or end of the trip.

Anything that I might not have thought of if I choose what, for me, is outside the box?

AlessandraZoe

Wow, I sure know what it's like to be afraid to pull this trigger.

We've mostly traveled independently throughout Europe both as a couple and with kids. However, we tried a group trip for a Switzerland hiking adventure, and we then found it was to our advantage for certain types of trips to book a tour. A big plus is that it allowed each person in the group to decide what he or she would participate in that day and give each other a break from each other's constant company. It also removed so many key travel burdens:

• As the major trip planner, having most arrangements already made took a big weight off my shoulders
• As the usual trip driver, my husband was able to view the scenery.

As to your non-social husband....My husband considers himself to be "non-social", yet he probably enjoyed all the socializing the most out of our family. He'll deny that, but my daughters were witnesses to the fact and often kid him about it.

Yes, we still traveled independently a few days before and after these trips, and we never ditched our tendency to do our own independent trips in addition to these.

Tips:
While you will not be in lockstep all the time, if you start FEELING that way on the trip, just keep in mind that you can opt out of some things. it's amazing what an hour's breather can do.
You probably know how to pack light, but that becomes more essential on these types of trips. We always found that the lighter we packed, the more readily we could access what we brought, too.

Good luck with your decision!
AZ

Jean

"Anything that I might not have thought of if I choose what, for me, is outside the box?"

I think you've thought of the main pros/cons. I would drill down on the details. How early will each day begin? I like to have a daily plan that's pretty full, but I wouldn't be happy with early starts day after day after day for 9 days. You OTOH may be an early riser by nature and have no problem with that. What about the lodging? I'm not terribly picky, but I really dislike big, chain-type hotels that are popular with tour groups of all sizes. I prefer a small-ish, boutique-y hotel that is in the center of a town. You OTOH may like the amenities a large hotel usually offers. The stops on your tour may not offer much choice in the matter, but I'd want to know what to expect. I'd also want to know the specifics of the sightseeing. I'll never forget a day tour by bus from London that I took as a teenager. I wanted to see Stonehenge. Well, I saw it but only through the windows of the bus as we passed by. On the subject of bus rides, I assume there are some in the itinerary. Would there be bus rides every day? Would you be happy if you're not sitting by a window? Do you have any problems with motion sickness? If the group becomes so small that the transport is switched to a van, I'd probably opt out unless the transits are really short rides. Sitting in a van for longish periods of time each day would drive me nuts.

Have you found any reviews on the company and/or the specific tour you're contemplating?

Lexma90

Thanks for the input!

I've already thought through some, but not all, of the points you raised. I am an early riser, but yes, some of the days (but not all) will start pretty early - I need to check into that. Most of the nights are one-night stays, which I don't like, but for 9 days and what we would be seeing, being willing to do that will be part of the decision-making. I checked on the "drive by" vs. visit, and it sounds like we will actually visit and spend time at the places that they list. Also, no visits to sweater-weaving stores or olive oil pressing mills, which is good in my eyes, though I know many people like those places.

In terms of planning and driving, I tend to enjoy planning, so that's not a factor here, though I really like the places the tour will visit, and all on a very focused theme, which is appealing. The journeys between locations aren't too long for me, and it sounds like we'll be in a small bus (I think), and I don't get motion sickness. I'm usually the driver on our trips, but I'm ok with being driven too.

The lodging seems to be what we prefer, smaller family-owned places with character. And the meals are the same, and it looks like a smaller percentage of meals are group meals, which is preferable to me.

There aren't a lot of reviews out there, but I've read what I've found and they are positive. It seems like there are a lot of repeat customers, which seems like a good sign. I've talked to the tour company, another thing I asked about is the age range of the participants and the activity level. It sounds like a good age range, and perhaps a lesser activity level than I'm used to, I think there will be enough free time for me to take a brisk walk, or whatever.

I'm probably overthinking this, and need to just do it. (Also, 2023 will be one of those birthdays ending in a 0)

AJPeabody

(This post written before the OP's above reply)

Sixteen is not such a small group. Find out the seating arrangement in the transport. If half the seats are on the aisle, half the time you will not see much out a window. Will there be a toilet on the transport? (Probably not on a small bus or big van.) Read the itinerary details very carefully. There is a very significant difference in meaning among the terms used. "Tour" is much more than "Visit" and "See" can be a look out the window or a 5 minute stop for a photo op. Meals are another concern. Group meals will be at a place that can serve 16 simultaneous walk-ins, perhaps in a back room, and will be blanded down as not to offend the inevitable non-adventurous eaters. On your own meals will be limited to what you can find in the time allotted near the drop-off/pick-up point.

KTtravel

We, too, are usually independent travelers but have taken a few group tours and really enjoyed them. We took two Road Scholar tours and appreciated the academic focus of those trips. We learned so much and it was nice to just sit back and enjoy what we were doing without worrying about driving, parking, hopping on the train, etc. We had some free time, which was nice, but were mostly on the go which suited us well. The other tour members were 95% like-minded and we made some good friends we are still in touch with.

We did decide to arrive early for both trips and had some time to visit places that weren't on our itineraries. It was great to already be over jet lag when it was time to be social.

I think this tour sounds terrific for you.

Addendum: I just signed up for e-mails from Scholarly Sojourns as several of their tours really appeal to me!

shelemm

An educational trip like this sounds great to me, and I am strictly an indie traveler. I am sure you will have an awesome experience. If your husband doesn't want to go, 100% you should go.

bilboburgler

As I get older I think about things that go wrong

Feeling sick, migraines, travel sickness
Needing to go to the loo
Food/drink I don't want
People who like to "take charge" of others
People who insist on spraying perfume, not washing, smoking on buses
People I don't know hugging me
The gentle hand that helps me down from tthe bus or into a boat
The person who always gets back late to the bus, saying "I'm so sorry I know we agreed to meet by 10 but I'm special"
The racist who thinks they are a liberal who insists on sitting next to me and tells me about how "those people should do...."

if you can manage all of this, you'll do fine

AlessandraZoe

I agreed with so many of KTtravel's remarks. I've never gone on a Road Scholar tour, but friends with whom I have so much in common do go on these types of tours. I enjoy working with these people, and I know I would enjoy traveling with them. And these tours were not "drive by" or "if it's Tuesday it's Belgium" type tours. As you said, you will not be forced into buying crystal, sweaters, or olive oil either.

Yes, one has to be careful how long you are on any bus and yes, the one night stays are a problem, especially since I'm pretty sure an independent traveler like you probably tries to do 3-day stays by now. However, as I mentioned in my post above, packing light for these trips means packing efficiently. The trips where we had to "shuffle" just meant that my packing lists had to be perfect and my suitcase layering had to be supremely logical. And they were!

As to bilboburgler's remarks, yes, there are some truths. But in all of our years with biking and hiking tours, even with post-bike exhausted sweaty people, everyone washed before dinner. No one smoked. No one hugged. The hand that helped me was welcome. Political discussions were easily tabled with, "Let's leave all this until the last night if you insist..." (and often people you thought would vote one way actually were voting another). No food or drink was forced on me. No person could control me because I sure would never let them--and I sure warned everyone that I was not a breakfast conversationalist and not to take that personally (in other words, leave me alone in my corner until I've had three cups of coffee).

Instead, we found people who enlarged our world, whose experiences became enlightening to us, whose outlooks informed us, and whose laughter we will always remember. We keep in touch with around 20 people from various trips to this day.

Hoping your decision becomes easier,
AZ

Lexma90

Thank you all for your comments. I went through the trip itinerary last night, and the travel between the various locations was about what we would do when travelling by car, so I'm reassured on that front. They also name some of the hotels, and I checked those out.

I'm looking forward to meeting new people, and I think that anyone who chooses this type of tour has to be very interested in the topic, because otherwise they would be bored or unhappy (this might include my husband, and is why he might not go). So I think there's a higher possibility of people with the same interests in history. As for the politics, that's another matter, but I can handle that for the length of this tour.

dreamon

I agree with much of what's been already said. There are good tours and (what I would call) bad tours. In your case, with this tour, having a great guide who is able to add to your experience and knowledge would be an important factor.

One factor that hasn't been mentioned is cost. Whenever I look at doing a tour, the cost deters me because I could usually do it much cheaper (and just as comfortably) independently - and cost is significant for me.

MissGreen

I am doing my first tour group tour. I have either gone alone or had a private guide. I booked a Tauck tour to Italy. Like you I am a bit hesitant about the people in our group. Are they going to be nightmares or will I enjoy it. We will know soon enough!

HappyTrvlr

If any of your tour mates cause problems, it is up to your guide to deal with them. If they are really badly behaved, then the guide should kick them off the tour!

Lexma90

I recently returned from my tour, on the topic of Anglo Saxon England (so embarrassed about my typo above). I'm very happy that I went, and while I will continue to travel independently, I will also travel with this company in the future. My spouse stayed at home and took care of our pets. As I said, this company and this tour are for people who are interested in this specific topic. Most or all of the other tour participants had joined this specific tour because they were already interested and knowledge about the topic. The specific topic of the tour and the style of travel offered by this company are what drew me to it.

One of the pros that I appreciated was having the tour leader, an academic in the area, being able to tie together the various locations we visited and the historical figures and documents associated with those locations. I could have visited these locations on my own (though it would have been a slog), but wouldn't have been able to make those connections like he could. All of the more informal conversations with the professor and other tour participants were equally interesting.

All of the tour participants were pleasant, though there were some, I'm sure, that had differing political positions. Those who were "singles," as in they didn't have a Significant Other or that person wasn't on the tour, tended to do more activities together. That, especially, fulfilled my social needs. Especially at breakfast, I felt totally comfortable and welcomed at any table that I joined.

The food wasn't fabulous, but I knew that would be the case beforehand (and we were in England after all). I had plenty of opportunities to enjoy my English favorites (afternoon tea, Indian food, scones, pasties, etc.) The hotels were good, and I had already checked out those that I could, and they were generally the type that my spouse and I stay at for independent travel.

I am an active person, and this was listed as being NOT an active tour. That being said, there was quite a bit of walking at times to get to sites. I always had time in the morning or evening to take a walk on my own, or with other tour participants. With that, I was satisfied with the activity level, and the locations were beautiful.

Pros that I didn't know about: Being able to arrive at a hotel and not have to spend lots of time checking in, or out. Having someone else drive me around was nicer than I expected; I have done lots of driving internationally, but some of our destinations on this tour were pretty out of the way, so if it was just me and my husband, we probably would not have gone to all of these destinations.

So there's room in my life for independent travel and guided tours! Thanks for the input from everyone who responded to my initial questions.

starrs

Thanks for the update! I'm going to check out this company!

I've always been an independent traveler but I am considering small group tours. I'm especially interested in NOT driving "on the road side of the road" again. I did fine 30 years ago. I don't really want to now. My friend and I were signed up for a women's only tour of Ireland last year but decided not to go when Omicron reared its ugly head. We took a domestic trip instead.

Thanks again for the details. Off to check out the company!

Adding - I signed up for more info and their newsletter. There are several trips I would be interested in. Thanks!

bilboburgler

"The food wasn't fabulous, but I knew that would be the case beforehand (and we were in England after all)."

drums fingers

KTtravel

I am glad you had a good trip. Thanks for the update!

TPAYT

Such a familiar subject. My husband and I traveled independently across much of Europe, Ireland, etc.

Last September I went to South Africa with 8 women. He didn’t want to go…too structured.
Do you know what? I loved it! I didn’t have to plan anything, so no stress. Small van for 8 so no big buses. A knowledgeable guide at every stop.

Yes, we liked the freedom of stopping for whatever time and where, BUT I can’t even begin to tell you how great it was not thinking about where/when to go and just enjoying the experience.

My next small tour group is in a month from now to Croatia (12 of us) and I can’t wait to hand over the reins.

janisj

Bilbo

Glad you enjoyed the tour - but what a shame if the food wasn't good. Dining should be an enjoyable part of ant trip. It is actually pretty difficult to find bad meals in most parts of the UK. IMO if a tour includes meals and the food is meh, blame the tour company and its choices/cost cutting - not the country. And if a traveler is arranging their own meals, blame themselves - not the country

starrs

Yes!

I was concerned about a large bus tour in Israel, but it was being led by a friend of mine and I already knew the two co-leaders. I didn't like the big bus part of it (although there were only 16 of us on the bus) but REALLY liked the sitting back and not worrying - nor even thinking - about all of the details! I had no idea I would enjoy. it that much!

I see a lot more small group tours in my future too!

(TPAYT - what was the company name for your trip?)