Are You a Globus Traveler?

I know there are people out there who do not like cruising and others who have never been on a cruise but have a feeling that they would not like it.  I am not going to pretend to understand that since I don't.  But I will tell you today about some amazing travel options that do not include sailing anywhere.

Ever heard of the Globus family of travel?  Globus is the original company in this group.  They specialize in tours.  They have been around for 85 years and with them you can travel Europe, Asia, Africa, the South Pacific and they have various tours in the USA in case you have an aversion to flying across an ocean.  If you want a land based vacation to just about any location you can imagine that requires no thought from you once you finish packing your bags, Globus might be for you.  Planning a vacation with Globus can be as simple as deciding on a location to visit and a date to leave and then allowing someone else to take over.  From there your vacation can be totally planned out for you down to tours, dinner times and cocktail hours.  You are personally guided through the entire experience and it is all included in the price of your vacation.

If that sounds like a little too much of the control has been taken away from you, you might opt for Cosmos which is also a part of the Globus family.  With Cosmos, your hotels, transportation, some meals and some or all tours are also included in the price of your package, but you have more options of spending time on your own.  You can opt out of tours or opt in.  It is your call.  As with Globus you still have the world class tour directors at your disposal, but it is your choice whether or not to use them.

If you like the idea of being more on your own but want to plan things out before you leave rather than winging it during your journey, you might be interested in Monograms.  It is more for the independent traveler who wants to be in control of their vacation while still having the benefit of a travel professional available during the trip.  With Monograms you can personalize every aspect of your trip and still get the great group rates that come with Globus travel.

Globus also owns Avalon Waterways which is a river cruising supplier and since we are steering away from water today, I won't mention them beyond just saying that if you are interested in a river cruise just about anywhere in the world, Avalon might be for you.  You can also combine your Globus, Cosmos or Monograms tour with an Avalon package for your trip of a lifetime.

Let's spend today talking about Globus specifically.  First of all, your Globus vacation can be planned either with or without air included.  If you need to fly to your location, Globus will coordinate flights that best suit your tour and since they are an independent travel company, they will work with all airlines to ensure that they find the least expensive flight options for you.  If any changes are made to your trip either by you or Globus, they then will rearrange flights to ensure that you don't miss a thing.  No effort from you is required in getting this done.

Some of the inclusions on a Globus tour are:  sightseeing, transportation including high speed trains, deluxe motorcoaches and transfers, many meals from wine tastings to traditional meals at local restaurants to help you experience all that your location has to offer, top hotels, tour directors and local guides.  On some days, almost every moment of the day is planned out, but on others, you have free time in which you may simply rest or you can plan other activities at an additional charge.  Also, some meals will be on your own.  Breakfast is almost always included in the price of the trip.  Lunch is almost always not included and dinner varies.  But you will know prior to leaving which days you will be fending for yourself as far as meals go so that you can make your own plans.

They offer over 400 locations in more than 70 countries.  So your only problem might be in deciding where to go.  For today's purposes, let's just say that you have 11 or 12 days available and you would like to see all that England and Ireland have to offer.  If that is the case, you might decide to do the Essential Britain and Ireland tour which is 10 days long but will require an additional day for travel to London making it 11 days total for travel to and from London.  This package is available for travel from March 19, 2013 through October 29, 2013.  March and April departures are the least expensive starting at $1,889 per person, double occupancy without air with the price going up to $2,189 for departures in the first two weeks of August since travel during this time also includes an Edinburgh Military Tattoo ticket for each traveler.

On this trip you will see Stonehenge, Salisbury and Bath.  You'll have a welcome dinner at Newport.  A guided tour of Cardiff Castle is included as well as a crossing of St. Georges Channel by ferry.  In Waterford, you will enjoy a guided tour of the House of Waterford Crystal and an Irish Coffee because how can you go to Waterford without experiencing the coffee????  At Avoca you will have a guided tour of the handweaving mill.  At Glendalough there is a guided tour of the St. Kevin's center of Irish Christianity.  In Dublin, you will visit Trinity College.  From Belfast, you will take a ferry ride across the North Channel to Cairnryan and then you'll go on to Edinburgh where you will have a guided tour of Edinburgh Castle.  You will also visit Jedburgh, York, Stratford-Upon-Avon where you can see Anne Hathaway's cottage and Shakespeare's birthplace.

Hotel accommodations include stays in London at the Hilton London Metropole, Newport Hilton, Waterford Tower, Dublin Clarion IFSC, Edinburgh - The George and York at the Novotel.  Breakfast is included each day.  Three 3-course dinners are included with your choice of menus.  All motorcoach and ferry transportation is included.  By the way, all motorcoaches have free WiFi.

On your first day, you arrive in London and have the afternoon to yourself.  The optional Taste of London excursion is recommended which includes dinner followed by a guided illuminations cruise on the River Thames.  The second day of your trip sightseeing begins at 8 a.m. when you meet your tour director and leave for a day visiting Stonehenge, Salisbury, Bath and finally Newport, Wales where you will have a welcome dinner with your traveling companions at the Newport Hilton.  Day 3 is spent in Newport, Cardiff and ends in Waterford Ireland where you will be treated to dinner followed by Irish Coffee.  On day 4 after your guided tour of the House of Waterford, you travel around Ireland ending the day at Dublin where you can finish your day off with the optional Irish cabaret evening including dinner, dance, song and laughter.  Day 5 will be spent entirely in Dublin with tours in the morning followed by an afternoon at leisure.  You might choose to take in an optional dinner outing to the Guinness Storehouse.  I know I would!

On Day 6 you will leave Dublin and head on to Belfast, Northern Ireland.  Leaving Belfast you will take a ferry to Scotland's southwest coast followed by a drive through the country to Edinburgh.  You might choose to end this day with an optional Scottish evening with Highland dancers, bagpipers and the Ceremony of the Haggis.  Day 7 is spent entirely in Edinburgh with tours of New Town and Old Town as well as the Castle.  For the afternoon you are free to explore Edinburgh on your own.  If you are traveling during the first two weeks of August, at this time you will have tickets to the world-renowned Military Tattoo which is a spectacle of massed Scottish pipe bands that takes place in the arena on the esplanade of Edinburgh Castle.

On Day 8 you will leave Edinburgh heading to York, England.  On this day you will visit the house of Mary Queen of Scots, Northumberland National Park and a section of Hadrian's Wall.  You will have a dinner in York.  On Day 9 you will leave York traveling to Stratford-upon-Avon where you can take pictures of Anne Hathaway's house and visit Shakespeare's birthplace returning to London in the middle of the afternoon.  Day 10 following breakfast you are on your own in London as you prepare to travel home.

As you can see from this example, you are not left to your own devices too much during a Globus tour which for many would be a great relief if you are intimidated by being own your own in a foreign country.  You will spend most of your time with a large group of people who you can get to know quite well during your visit.  Additionally, you will be working with a tour director each day so that if questions or problems arise, you have a "go to" person.  Tomorrow we will talk about travel from Globus that is a little more independent.  If you have questions in the meantime about Globus, let me know.  I'm here to help.