Planning a Trip to Europe: Tour Group, Cruise Ship or Self-Guided

Dec 27, 2010
Christina Gregoire

Go to Paris on Your Own - internacionale.co.uk

Here are my views on the different ways to approach a holiday vacation in Europe. There is no wrong way to see The Continent and each way has its merits.

The holidays are over and now it's time to think about the rest of the year. If one of your New Year's resolutions is to see The Continent, read this before planning a trip to Europe. If you are an American, I speak your lingo. If you are a Baby Boomer, you will love my frankness about tour group, cruise ship or self-guided travel.

Planning a Trip to Europe

Before considering costs or getting into itinerary details, you should think about what you want to get out of your vacation. Which one of these options is your favorite?

A. Lying on a tropical beach with a Mai Tai in hand.
B. Learning the history of a region and walking through the very sites where it all happened.
C. Checking your credit-card balances, grabbing your overnight bag, and jumping into your car to drive to the nearest big city.

This is an unscientific analysis, however, in general, if you answered A, you would probably like a European cruise or a river cruise; if you answered B, you would probably like a European land tour; if you answered C, you should buy a guidebook and a refundable plane ticket.

Disclaimer: My personal preference is a Rick Steves one-city tour, then exploring the area on my own (or going to Paris) for a week. My husband prefers cruising, so I know the pros and cons of that. I’m assuming that you are over the age of 30 and you don’t live for clubbing.

European Tour Group

Choosing the right tour company is the most important thing. I’ve been on an all-inclusive semi-luxury tour in China, a semi-luxury tour in Australia, two Rick Steves tours in Europe, a custom semi-luxury tour in Europe with a group of friends, and many cruise-ship excursions. If you are a single woman, I believe that you will like a European land tour more than a cruise unless you are older, have mobility problems, or are on a limited budget.

I don’t go on luxury vacations unless forced, so I have no firsthand knowledge of these highly-recommended companies:

Abercrombie & Kent: If you’ve never been to Europe before, consider one of their Italian trips.
Tauck World Discovery: All of their tours look fabulous. I've talked to one woman on an Oceania cruise who raved about Tauck.
Viking River Cruises: I used Viking in China and I know tons of people who love their European river tours. I know there are other good companies.
Europe has many top honeymoon destinations.

Rick Steves Tours

I’m a Baby Boomer about the same age as Rick Steves and from the same part of the world. I love his guides and itineraries. This tour company cuts out the tourist traps and, in exchange, you get:

Tours of worthwhile highlights and great historic background.
Tips about what to do during your free time.
Help navigating on your own: mass transit, train systems, where to shop, etc.
Meals at insider restaurants (half the meals are on your own).
A group of interesting tour-group pals.

Cons of Rick Steves tours:

You lug your own suitcase, so pack light.
Accommodations are not luxury hotels.
Multi-city tours include wasted hours on tour buses.

I had been to Europe several times before the Rick Steves tours, and though Europe is always great, I had a more satisfying experience with his great guides. Tip: Week-long single-city tours help you avoid tour-bus-syndrome. Also, I have heard great things about Grand Circle Tours and similar companies.

European Cruise Ship Tips

There are pros and cons to cruising in Europe and here is my list of pros:

More economical than many land-based hotels.
More highlights of Europe with less hassle.
Planned, well-scheduled itineraries.
Luxury oriented and relaxing.
All-inclusive.
Easy way to see Europe with kids or grandkids.
You only unpack once.

Cons of cruising in Europe:

You don’t experience any city in the evening. (River cruises are an exception.)
Someone else sets the schedule and the itinerary.
Cruise-ship excursions push tourist traps and expensive shopping traps. Guides are not always great.
If you plan your own excursions, you might miss the ship.

In my opinion, the Mediterranean is the best place to cruise and it makes the most sense because there are so many cool places like the Greek islands and Ephesus that you will probably never see otherwise. Big cruise ship or small cruise ship: which is better?

Self-Guided Tours of Europe

You can plunk yourself down in a hotel in Paris or Santorini and stay there until you get bored, or you can change cities every day. Also, you will meet more locals and other English-speaking tourists.

Once upon a time, in the '60s and '70s, Europe was a difficult place to navigate. Few people spoke English, signs were indecipherable, maps were useless, and you never knew if your hotel room had a bathroom. I have slept in a rental car more than once, so you can imagine how lost and messed up it was.

These days, Europe is about as difficult as going to Kansas, but much more fun. All signs in Western Europe are written in English and the local language. Back in the day, cell phones and GPS were nonexistent, but how lost can you get, now that you can call your hotel and have the clerk speak to your Italian cab driver?

For the best experience, I recommend train travel over rental cars. If you miss a train, there’s always the next one.

Rick Steves Guidebooks

Even though my husband speaks French and a little Spanish, and I can read German, we would have missed some incredible places without our trusty Rick Steves guidebooks. Really, the info is phenomenal. You can choose one of his hole-in-the-wall hotels or stay at the Hotel Negresco, however, for all-around information, these guidebooks are as necessary as your passport and Visa card.

As an American who has seen upscale Europe (6 months at Swiss Boarding School), as well as firetrap walkup hotels in London, I can tell you that Europe is the most fabulous place on earth. It has culture, history, beauty, art, cobblestones, architecture, food, wine, and Belgian chocolates with cherry liqueur. And, I love the people…even the snooty Parisians. If Europe is on your list, just go.

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