International Travel News
My letter to the Editor
awaiting publication
Group Travel in a Big Bus
Published June 2007 pages 36 -38
Many of us prefer to travel with a group since it is cost
effective. This often means, especially during busy travel seasons, being tight
packed (up to 48 people) in a big bus.
In the last six months we have taken three such tours.
Grand European, “Grand Tour of France” 17 days $3599 pp,
$180 optional tours pp. (September for us)
Grand Circle, “Dubrovnik & Beyond, From the Adriatic to the Alps” 15 days $2395
pp, $280 optional tours pp. (October)
Grand European, “Alpine Christmas Markets” 10 days $1959 pp, $200 optional tours
pp. (December)
Each had a Professional guide with many tour experiences and different Discovery
events. In each case the sights and sounds were fantastic. Such as:
Versailles Palace
Pont du Gard
Arena in Nimes
Arena in Pula
Lake Bled
Dubrovnik
Christmas markets
Accommodations were the usual hotels frequented by group tours, easily
identified by the presence of a tour group from Japan. There were obvious
differences. In Nice (Grand European) we were lodged in an “Equivalent” hotel,
not on the itinerary, which had extremely small rooms and bathrooms, where it
was difficult for both of us to stand at one time, whereas, in Opatija, Croatia
(Grand Circle) we had a spacious two-room suite. Maybe, given to us because of
our “Inner Circle” status.
Included meals ranged from sumptuous evening dinners to disasters. Our best
included meal (Grand Circle) was in a small town in Slovenia The most
unfortunate one, was when we arrived in Bordeaux (Grand European) to find that
the promised hotel dinner, whose elegant menu we had been presented, had not
been prepared. Rather than finding an alternate restaurant, we had to wait for
the hotel restaurant to clear, and after a three hour wait served only a soup
made from dry materials, and spaghetti. No apology or refund obtained from Grand
European.
Breakfasts were included. The Buffets was extensive, but often after taking a
portion, the “Dining Room Witch”, identified you as a “Groupie” and quickly
moved you to a back room, so as not to mingle with the hotel’s preferred
clientele.
Our favorite lunch was a baguette or brotchen filled with ham and cheese, and a
piece of fruit from the breakfast buffet. With this in hand we choose some of
the most delightful lunch places, such as the Tuileries Gardens in Paris, the
shore of Lake Bled, Slovenia, and on the trail in the Black Forest, Germany. By
limiting our choice to one big restaurant meal a day we not only cut down on our
calorie count, but in my wife’s case helped control blood sugar, and in my case
reduce sodium intake.
Many of the optional (extra cost) tours included a large lunch or dinner from a
set menu. These were often reflective of regional specialties such as Kransky
sausages in Slovenia, and the Cassollet in Carcassonne, France.
One of the drawbacks of large group tours (up to 48 on a fully packed bus) is
that only a few people are able to hear the often soft-spoken required local
guide. After trying to bunch in, many also give up because they cannot
understand what the guide is saying. This is often less due to the guide’s poor
English, than to the means of expression. “Let me give you informations” is
often heard.
One notable exception was Nicky who guided us through Versailles Palace on the
Grand European tour. He used a microphone and we each had a headset so we could
hear from longer distances. This was especially good in the tourist packed
Palace.
This is an example that should be followed in more large bus group tours. It
allows all to be included, even those, like many of us, whose hearing tends to
be impaired at older age.
So as one who enjoys the cost effectiveness of large group bus tours, I
encourage my fellow travelers to endure the daily seat rotation, and find their
seat, without making a daily fuss, so that we can all enjoy those travel
delights which are on the list for the day. Note that European buses have a back
door, so the seats on the back door side are closer together than on the other
side. Seat rotation, thus insures that one is not always confined to those very
cramped seats just behind that second door.
Best of all is the tour with fewer participants (more like 30 than the full 48),
so that there is some extra space on the BIG BUS.
The World is a great place, full of “People and Places” to be seen. I love to
photograph them all.
Galen R Frysinger
My photos of these and other trips can be seen at http://www.galenfrysinger.com
