Three ways to travel

In a small local park in Barcelona that you likely would not see on a tour.

Three ways to travel.

1) Many people like to go on the internet or to a travel agent and book a tour. These are either all inclusive or a base price plus extras. The tour will show you the high points and major tourist attractions. We have taken seven tours through Road Scholar and they have been excellent.

2) You can arrange transportation and your own itinerary. Planning is nearly as fun as going. You read up on the location and set out what you want to see. You either rent a car, take the train, or bus. Your time is your own. We have done this several times especially in England, Scotland and Ireland where English (of sorts)  is spoken.

3) The third style is one we have used around Europe. We book a tour like Road Scholar and take it for 10 to 14 days. We book our flights to get us there 2 or 3 days in advance in order to get over jetlag. The tour teaches us about the country or area and even may help with the language. Then, we don't leave with the group. We schedule our own trip for a week or so following. 

One example is an African safari. It is a 25 hour flight to Johannesburg so we booked through Air France. On the way we spent 4 days in Brussels and on the way back we spent 4 days in Amsterdam. We used train and public transportation. Another example is a trip to Italy. We toured Rome, Florence and Venice. At the end we took the train to Verona for a couple of days and then rented a car and drove through the Dolomites, Austria, Liechtenstein, Switzerland and concluded at Lake Como and the other lakes of Italy. Yes, we have the time and resources to do this.

We have also done our own planning in several countries. We suggest that you explore the way that gives you what you want in the trip.