I told you a few days ago about the greatness of Globus, a tour company that takes the hassle out of travel. Today let's talk about one of the other companies under the Globus umbrella, Monograms. Monograms also provides travel packages but with a lot more freedom for you to decide what you will do.
Instead of putting you in the hands of a tour guide or director at all times, you have a "Local Host" in each location who will welcome you to the city and give you any advice you might need along with suggestions for meals, excursions and help getting around town. They will then take you on a 1/2 day or shorter sightseeing and orientation tour hitting the biggest landmarks and monuments with a group. Once that is completed you will be left on your own until you reach your next destination. You can call the Local Host if you need further help during your trip. But otherwise, you won't see the Local Host again unless you need him or her.
A sample trip with Monograms might go like this.... Let's say you want to go to Vienna and Prague and only have a week to spend there. On Day 1 you would arrive in Vienna, Austria and be welcomed by your Local Host who would provide you with your Destination Guide, city information and answer any questions you might have right away. On Day 2 you would have a morning guided tour which would include Schonbrunn Palace. You would also see Prater Park with the giant Ferris wheel, monuments along the Ringstrasse, Heldenplatz with Hofburg Palace and the National Theater. Once that tour is complete you would again be left on your own to continue exploring Vienna. Day 3 would be a full day on your own in Vienna.
Finally, on Day 4 you would journey on the high speed train (first class) to Prague arriving in the middle of the afternoon. On the morning of Day 5 you would have your guided tour visiting Hradcany Castle, walking the Castle Courtyards. You would visit Staromestske Square, you would visit the Astronomical Clock and go to Charles Bridge, one of the oldest bridges in Europe. Days 6 and 7 would be spent on your own in Prague with your flight leaving sometime during day 7.
In each city Monograms offers dozens of excursions at an additional charge or you can simply choose to tour on your own with your trusty Rick Steve's guide book. A hot breakfast is included each day. You are on your own for lunch and dinner but thanks to your Local Host, you will have many suggestions on places to go. Your hotels include the Hilton Vienna Am Stadtpark and the Hilton Prague Old Town, both 4 star accommodations. You can choose to stay additional nights at either location with the Monograms rate. If you book your flights through Monograms, your ground transfers to and from the hotel will be covered. Your high speed train pass is covered along with hotel transfers on that day.
This 7 day trip is available March through September and pricing starts out at $1,515 per person / double occupancy prior to adding the flight. As with Globus, Monograms will work to get you the least expensive available flights and will rearrange them for you if anything changes with your trip so that once you decide to book your flights with Monograms, the worry is all theirs.
Obviously, the Globus trip that I told you about on Wednesday and this Monograms trip could both be done on your own and each could probably be done cheaper than through Globus and Monograms. But when going through the Globus family of companies, worrying about train schedules and transfers becomes someone else's problem. You are able to stay in a nice hotel at a lower price thanks to the negotiated rates that they are able to get. Plus you have a contact in each city with Monograms while with Globus you are traveling with a tour director and a group of other tourists for added peace of mind.
As with Globus, Monograms has hundreds of tours to choose from so your possibilities are endless. If you are interested in learning more about either of these companies, let me know. I'm always here to help.
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