stress puppy

Hi,<BR><BR>has anyone taken the globus tour "madrid & country?" could you please tell me about your experience (hotels, tour group, etc...) my friend and I (both in our thirties and single) are planning a trip to spain.

xxx

Don't do it you will be with a bunch of middle aged people. Trust me once was enough for me. You are too young to subject yourself to that.

Mia

Nonsense, I have taken several Globus trips and loved them.There are people of all ages and interests on these tours. Good value and you are taken right to the door of hotels and sights to see.Plus groups do not have wait in long lines as you would without the tour and we always get to see more each day without waiting in 2-3 hour lines.Don't listen to the negative people here. You will love the tour.

Candace

I agree with xxx I hate organized tours because so many are made up of old age pensioners. Try to do it on your own, you will have a more interactive experience.

Philip

While I've not taken the exact tour you are taking, I have taken Globus tours. Tours are good if you don't want to do a lot of planning or worrying about how you are going to get from one place to another. Also as one of the people above said, you can get into big attractions faster because they recognize the "Globus" name.<BR><BR>The drawbacks are that several of the meals are at hotels and the food can be very mediocre. I've also noticed that sometimes they pick hotels that are a bit further out. Not a problem in the big cities because there is usually mass transit, but in smaller towns it may be a bit boring.<BR><BR>Globus really packs a lot of activities into their tours. On the tours I've taken, there have been a mix of ages. Yes, there have been several older people on the tours, but I actually found them to be a lot of fun.

Dianne

I took Globus' Spectacular Spain. I'm also in my 30's and had a great trip. We had a young group with only a few seniors and several other people in their 30's. <BR><BR>I looked up "Madrid and country", but they only do a day trip to Seville which I thought was the best city. The Spectacular Spain itinerary is better in my opinion. Have you looked at it? It doesn't go to Barcelona though.<BR><BR>I really liked our tour director who was honest enough to tell us she wasn't going to offer 2 dinner optionals because she said it was too expensive and unecessary. She said to go out and eat with the locals for much less money and good food.<BR><BR>Our hotel was in the same area as Madrid and country's. It was a short, cheap bus ride to the center. It was a nice safe neighborhood with lots of restaurants, little bars, etc.

Anne

We had taken a 10 day Globus Tour to Spain a couple of years ago which was outstanding. It was one of our best vacations, and we met some lovely people in our tour group. We are in our 30's. I would recommend it to anyone. And, Spain was delightful.

stress puppy

I've never taken a tour are you pretty restricted? Can you break away from a a tour if you want and join in later?

s

Don't do it, trust me go on your own,Spain is so much fun and easy to go around allmost everybody speaks english ,,,so no problem ,and a lot more cheaper if you do it by yourself ..you decide your food..you decide when to get up in the morning ...and not at 5:30 a. m. because the tour guide wants the evenings for herself...believe me they bring you to your hotel at 5 :00p.m. because the tour of that day finished, there is nothing else to do ...so that means ...the hotels are far away from the central part of the cities that you are going to visit because it is cheaper for them .. think about it ..you can save a lot more going on your own.And have much much more fun...

cooter

The last post is a little rosy. Planning your won trip is a lot more work, and can get more frustrating. It requires time and effort. You will run into some obstacles, especially if you do not speak Spanish.<BR><BR>With that said, there is no comparison between travelling on your own and taking a tour. On your own it is your trip, with your interests and priorities, not some canned, pre-digested version. If you at all have the time and interest to plan your own trip, this is the only way to see Spain, in my opinion. The rewards far outweigh the disadvantages. It can also be much cheaper.

Dianne

We never had to get up at 5:30am and every one of our hotels was near the center. Check out the hotel websites to make sure they're not out of the cities. <BR><BR>There was lots of free time on Spectacular Spain. I always do some of my own sightseeing on a tour, because I don't want to spend all day in a group. The tour guides don't care as long as you tell them you're going off on your own so they don't look for you. I do like to have all my accommodation and transport looked after when I'm travelling alone.<BR><BR>Make sure you know the details of a tour before you put any money down. Globus was really good about answering all my questions before I gave them a deposit. I always ask if there are any hotel changes.

Ana

We've taken 3 Globus tours . The last one was to Spain. We loved each of our trips. We are in our 40's and met people of all ages and from all over the world. We are planning to take our next Globus tour next March to Australia and New Zealand. We have kept in touch with many of our new friends. The tour guides are very knowledgable and is a free stress vacation. My husband and I are frequent travelers.We feel that traveling in a diverse group is most enjoyable! Have fun! Spain is great and so is the shopping!

Michelle

We just did a Globus tour of Spain last year. There was so much to see and do, that if we would not have been on this tour we would have missed so much. Spain is a wonderful country full of so much culture and history. The museums are some of the best in the world. We absolutely would recommend a tour if you would like to see as much as possible. If you are more laid back and just want to relax and enjoy, don't bother with the tour. You can just rent a car or use the rail system. We plan on going back to Spain this fall. Have a great time and enjoy the diverse cultures and wonders of this lovely country.

Dick

Just a short comment on the age of persons on Globus tour we took to Middle East in 2000. Had several families with teenagers and even one of two youths maybe 9 or 10 years old. A very nice mix. May have been a function of time of year June/July when school was out. And, the "old" folks did not slow down the group.

Julia

I went on "Spectacular Spain" a couple of years ago, and later traveled alone with friends. If this is your first time in Spain, a Globus tour is the way to go. You will see much more of Spain by skipping lines and not having to plan your itenary around train schedules. Although some of the hotels aren't in the center of town, taxis and buses are everywhere, and they are cheap. Most importantly, if Globus drops you off at the hotel early at night, don't make excuses to stay in. Gather a small group and go to town together. Take advantage of every minute you spend there.