# Anyone Taken a Bus Tour



## Jules (Nov 2, 2022)

We’re thinking of taking a bus tour.  Just looked at a few itineraries.  The provincial ones are places we’ve been so a short test run for a few days isn’t too appealing based on the prices.  

I’m not sure if this is for us. We’re not early morning people so being showered, dressed, fed and on the road by 9 AM may not be an enjoyable vacation. I don’t know any of these details yet so don’t want to rule it out.


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## hollydolly (Nov 2, 2022)

Jules said:


> We’re thinking of taking a bus tour.  Just looked at a few itineraries.  The provincial ones are places we’ve been so a short test run for a few days isn’t too appealing based on the prices.
> 
> I’m not sure if this is for us. We’re not early morning people so being showered, dressed, fed and on the road by 9 AM may not be an enjoyable vacation. I don’t know any of these details yet so don’t want to rule it out.


oh goodness I agree with Bowmore. If the American bus tours are anything like the UK.. you have to be up at the crack of dawn,, eat brekkie in a hurry, and be back on that bus.. ... and when you've done all that.. there's always one couple , who keeps the bus waiting for about 1/2 hour past it's departure time..because the rules don't apply to them...

Not for me.. did them years ago.. bus tours to Europe.. ( Paris, Belgium etc)


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## bowmore (Nov 2, 2022)

Jules said:


> We’re thinking of taking a bus tour.  Just looked at a few itineraries.  The provincial ones are places we’ve been so a short test run for a few days isn’t too appealing based on the prices.
> *
> I’m not sure if this is for us. We’re not early morning people so being showered, dressed, fed and on the road by 9 AM may not be an enjoyable vacation. I* don’t know any of these details yet so don’t want to rule it out.


Boy are you in for a rude awakening. On many bus tours they want your bags out by 7 AM and on the bus by 8 to 8:30


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## Jackie23 (Nov 2, 2022)

I have to agree with others, my late husband and I went on a 10 day fall foliage trip in the Northeast....it was a nightmare....the bus broke down, we sat on the side of the road for hours waiting for a replacement....not only did we have to be up very early but we had to pack a small bag for one change of clothes for the next day so they did not have to take the larger bags off the bus.
I had been on long bus tours in Europe and don't remember any problems but this Fall Foliage was not a good experience.


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## Lewkat (Nov 2, 2022)

Nope.


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## Bella (Nov 2, 2022)

I've never been interested in taking a bus tour. It's not for me. It's too regimented. I prefer to set my own timetable.


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## Pinky (Nov 2, 2022)

I wonder if there is a similar travel package via train?


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## Gaer (Nov 2, 2022)

Oh NO!  I agree with Bella!  I always travel alone!  Go where you want, when you want.


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## Jules (Nov 2, 2022)

Sure, we’d all love to do thing on our way. Sometimes you reach a point in life when health says you can’t


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## Jules (Nov 2, 2022)

Pinky said:


> I wonder if there is a similar travel package via train?


I looked at that one too.  $22K+.  It has pros and cons.  When we had a full day excursion in New Zealand, I was really ready to get off after 14 hours.


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## Sunny (Nov 2, 2022)

I've been on two bus tours that I can remember, and enjoyed both.

One was a Perrillo tour of Italy. It covered the whole country, stopped at all the famous places and some that were beautiful but not so famous, and stayed for a few days each in Rome, Venice, Florence, Naples, and Milan. The tour took about two weeks.

The other was a small group (14 tourists plus three very knowledgable guides) that started in London and took us to Cornwall, where we spent a week. We stayed in marvelous hotels, off the beaten path. For instance, one had actually been a castle. And we visited Doc Martin's house and the pharmacy in "Portwenn," which is really Port Isaac. Wonderful trip, possibly the best of my life.


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## Aneeda72 (Nov 2, 2022)

I would not do it.  Covid, the flu, colds, and trapped on a bus.  Nope, not me.


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## jujube (Nov 2, 2022)

The last bus tour I took was in India and at times it involved the bus driver thinking he was in the Daytona 500 over narrow mountainous roads with homicidal/suicidal truck drivers and motorcyclists.  

That said, yes, I'd take another.  Even in India.  I like bus tours.


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## bowmore (Nov 2, 2022)

I will tell you what we have been doing. We find a tour itinerary that we like and then do it ourselves. This worked great in Switzerland and in New Mexico.
In fact, we used the Tauck itinerary in New Mexico. We had lunch at a nice restaurant in Chimayo, and were about ready to leave, when the Tauck tour bus pulled in. I turned to my wife and said,"I wonder how long it will take them to get fed".


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## hollydolly (Nov 2, 2022)

bowmore said:


> I will tell you what we have been doing. We find a tour itinerary that we like and then do it ourselves. This worked great in Switzerland and in New Mexico.
> In fact, we used the Tauck itinerary in New Mexico. We had lunch at a nice restaurant in Chimayo, and were about ready to leave, when the Tauck tour bus pulled. I turned to my wife and said,"I wonder how long it will take them to get fed".


we used to do that very thing in Spain.. we once took a tour bus to see some mountainous area.. and there was some gorgeous mountain restaurants.. but all the coaches stopped there as their lunchtime stop.... so after the first and only time we took the coach, ever after that we drove ourselves to that mountain restaurants and always got there before the coaches and watched as they all piled off the buses , and took a long time to get sat down with their food..


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## squatting dog (Nov 2, 2022)

Only when it was my own bus.   I much prefer my own kitchen, bath, bed, and not worried about lost luggage.


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## Teacher Terry (Nov 2, 2022)

_I took my first bus tour in Ireland and really enjoyed it. We stayed 2 nights in each place and didn’t get on the bus in the morning until 9 so we would get up at 7:30 and have plenty of time to get ready and have breakfast. We showered the night before and put our bags out at 8 am. All the hotels had buffets so breakfast was fast. _


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## Murrmurr (Nov 3, 2022)

My son and his wife vacationed in Italy this year....two weeks, I think. They reserved 2 bus tours. During the first one, they stuck with the program all the way through and it was pretty enjoyable, they said. But for the second one, they hired their own personal guide, a guy who gives tours for a living. They preferred the second tour by quite a margin. Their guide gave way more history and lots of little-known details about the sites, showed them a bunch of cool stuff that the bus's tour guide ignored, and suggested better restaurants because he bothered to ask them particular Qs about foods they like and described each restaurant's fare vividly. They said his fee was way less than they expected to pay, and they got more than their money's worth.

So, that's how they do it in Italy, apparently.


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## Warrigal (Nov 3, 2022)

Yes. Bus tours of Greece and Turkey and several in outback Australia.
I even fronted up for a bus tour to Ayers Rock (now referred to as Uluru) with three nuns and 43 adolescent school students. We camped in 4 man tents every night. Now that was the bus trip from hell, but a good memory, nevertheless.

I have also been on several small plane tours; one across northern Australia (known as the Top End) and another to Papua New Guinea. You can cover a lot more territory in a small plane than you can by road. This is a plus when there is nothing but desert and spinifex to look at for hours on end from the bus.


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## Alligatorob (Nov 3, 2022)

Jules said:


> Anyone Taken a Bus Tour?


Not me, but years ago I had a friend who was a driver for one.  Listening to his stories cured me of any desire to do so...


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## Been There (Nov 3, 2022)

I was home in Ohio on leave when I ran into an old female classmate. After we had talked for maybe 20 minutes, she said she was going on a bus trip on Saturday to the Ohio Zoo. She said her partner backed out, but was looking for someone to go along. It sounded pretty nice, so I agreed to go.

The Zoo was great, the bus trip was fine because we talked a lot catching up, but the people were so slow getting on and off the bus, the “snacks” they served on the bus was a huge let down. We had animal crackers and a cup of juice. This was an adults only trip sponsored by a church. We stopped for lunch before we got to the zoo at a Cracker Barrel, which is not one of my favorite restaurants and then dinner on the way home at a Western Sizzler, which was fine. We weren’t at the zoo very long. Only about 4 hours. But, I swore off bus trips after that. They passed a box through the bus to collect tips and I put some money in along with a note saying, “I don’t know how you tolerate doing this job every weekend, but God Bless You.


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## Manatee (Nov 6, 2022)

We would stay in a hotel and take local one day tours, worked well.  We visited Tangier, Granada, Gibraltar on our trip to Spain.  In Australia we went by train from Melbourne to Sydney by train and then flew to Cairns where we snorkled on the Barrier reef.  In Costa Rica we went up to the top of a volcano, down to a banana plantation and around San Jose the same way.


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## hollydolly (Nov 6, 2022)

Manatee said:


> We would stay in a hotel and take local one day tours, worked well.  We visited Tangier, Granada, Gibraltar on our trip to Spain.  In Australia we went by train from Melbourne to Sydney by train and then flew to Cairns where we snorkled on the Barrier reef.  In Costa Rica we went up to the top of a volcano, down to a banana plantation and around San Jose the same way.


Surely you went on a boat (Ferry)  to Tangier from The southern tip of Spain..  I've done that trip myself, from the Costa del Sol.....drove to the port and got a ferry to Tangier.. drove to Gibralter myself from the Cota Del Sol... and 3 times drove myself to Granada.. twice from The Costa Del Sol.. and once from the Costa Blanca.. that was 6 hours... .. never taken a coach to any of those places.. but I did take a coach within the Costa Blanca to the mountains..


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## funsearcher! (Nov 6, 2022)

England, Ireland and Scotland with a bus group. Hurt my leg going down 5 flights of stairs to get down to the bus when the ferry was ready to disembark and leg has never been the same. The other frustration was the pacing up every night so bags could be gathered at 6 AM outside my room.


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## bowmore (Nov 6, 2022)

One of my gripes is the amount of time it takes to load and unload the bus. If you figure an average of 30 seconds a person, it takes 20 minutes to load or unload a 40 passenger bus.
If you have multiple stops, it really adds up. And you always have one or two that are habitually late.
What we discovered while on a cruise, you can go to Cruisecritic, look for  your specific cruise, and see if anyone is putting together a small group tour. We did this in Lisbon and Lima, among other places. These tours are for around 8 people in a small bus, and can be customized.


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## Jamala (Nov 6, 2022)

I always believe in seeing for oneself Jules. What is good for someone may not work for another. We travelled across Canada and were it not for some of the best bus tour operators and train rides, we could not have done it in the time we allotted.

For city sightseeing we did our own thing but for example the Rockies, Niagara, Alaska, Manitoba and other destinations, we used Discover Canada, Evergreen and Frontline. All wonderful and efficient. People were friendly and we made friends we have to this day. 
May I suggest try one and see how you go.


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## ManjaroKDE (Nov 7, 2022)

Took parents before both passing on a casino bus trip from SLC  UT to Wendover NV.  played bingo for a dollar.  Won twice ($10), then won the tire number game when arriving ($35).  Won almost a thousand at the tables.  Long trip home and my dad (who likes screw drivers),  was telling me how hard it was standing up in the tiny commode throwing up.


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## Packerjohn (Dec 31, 2022)

hollydolly said:


> oh goodness I agree with Bowmore. If the American bus tours are anything like the UK.. you have to be up at the crack of dawn,, eat brekkie in a hurry, and be back on that bus.. ... and when you've done all that.. there's always one couple , who keeps the bus waiting for about 1/2 hour past it's departure time..because the rules don't apply to them...
> 
> Not for me.. did them years ago.. bus tours to Europe.. ( Paris, Belgium etc)


I have seldom ever been on a bus tour.  Been on one years ago.  Yes, there was always a couple that was late and kept everyone waiting.  We called them "the lovers."  They were just full of themselves and did not know what planet they were on; least of all that someone was waiting for them!


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## Nemo2 (Jan 1, 2023)

2018......Sighisoara. Romania........we'd been walking around for a few hours, so grabbed a couple apples/bananas and sat on a bench in a park......next to us was an 'older' (older than me even) Israeli lady......she was on a bus tour.

"All they want to do is eat" she said......."They're over in that restaurant now"...pointing over her shoulder....."when are we going to have breakfast...lunch?"

She was unimpressed...........


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## timoc (Jan 1, 2023)

Anyone Taken a Bus Tour​
Jules, when I've walked down the aisle from the front of the bus, to the back of the bus and back again, I just see lots of seats and some with people sitting on them.


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## Nemo2 (Jan 1, 2023)

We've been doing "What ifs?" on a sporadic unregimented basis since this thread began;  gut reactions are "If we can no longer be autonomous then we ain't going".

Scenarios range from A) "What if we dislike everyone on the bus and we're stuck with them, (granted this is a one sided perspective, but if we don't like them, odds are they won't like _us_)........to......B) "They might be a great bunch of people"........(giving due consideration to _Murphy's Law_ of course with the latter option).

Right now we're leaning heavily towards "If it comes to that, naah, we'll stay home and find something else to do".


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## BC Flash (Jan 1, 2023)

In my younger days, I always did my research and travelled solo.  

Only did a tour twice (first and last time tour!! LOLOL)    My husband (now deceased) always wanted to go to Australia and New Zealand.   We did a day tour in NZ and the couple who sat in front of us were Germans, only the husband understood English.    His voice was not loud but we had constant translation in German.    

An aside:   I use to do house exchanges and was able to see many places without staying in hotels (longest was 3 months in Adelaide Australia.)    I could never afford to travel as much as I did without exchanging homes.


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## Nemo2 (Jan 1, 2023)

BC Flash said:


> Only did a tour twice (first and last time tour!!


I guess the only bus _tour_ we've taken was in Iceland.......part of a day, little or no interaction with other participants.....no probs.

The idea of being virtually incarcerated with a group, (on the bus, then in the hotel, rinse & repeat, yadda yadda), is unnerving.

Have never done house exchanges.......numerous airbnb's though.


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## funsearcher! (Jan 2, 2023)

3 weeks England, Ireland and Scotland  Exhausting never ending schedule Felt pushed


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## J-Kat (Jan 2, 2023)

Years (many years) ago my Mother invited me to go with her on a bus tour.  If I recall the length was about ten days and we traveled from Texas to Niagara Falls, NYC, and then to Boston and the New England area for the fall foliage and back to Texas.  I was probably the youngest one of the group but everyone was friendly and I had a good time and saw some lovely scenery.  I think we had to be on the bus by about  9:00 am - usual routine was to have our suitcases by our hotel room door by 8:00 so they could be loaded while we had a buffet breakfast.  It was a well planned trip and the guide/hostess was knowledgeable and entertaining.  My Mother enjoyed it immensely.  the


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## NorthernLight (Jan 2, 2023)

The first time I visited Beijing, China (in 2000), was with a Korean group. The travel agent advised me and my friend not to tour with the group because Koreans had a different idea of how a tour should be. So we looked around on our own. We actually spent a lot of time resting in our hotel room.

The second time was in 2001 with my fiance. The tour group was very small: just us, 2 women, the driver, and the guide. (I didn't think of this story earlier, because we were in a van, not a bus.)

The guide was young and handsome. At each stop, he gave us a brief intro and then spent all his time on his cell phone with a woman. She already had a boyfriend, but he was trying to win her over. We actually got to see her at one point, as she worked at one of our stops.

At one fancy restaurant with elegantly dressed waitresses, the guide complained about everything. Near the end of our meal, he ordered more rice for himself. After a few minutes, I asked him why he wasn't eating his rice. He said, "There is a small animal." Either the chef or the waitress had put a fly on the rice!

They took us on a set itinerary -- not necessarily places we wanted to go. Some were stores, and some were historic places and so on. At each touristy place, we were swarmed by people trying to sell postcards and other souvenirs.

I couldn't handle the constant pace and crowds. Toward the end of the day, we were at the Summer Palace, far from our hotel. I abruptly decided to walk back to the hotel on my own. I've written about that in some other thread.

At the end, we pooled what we thought was a generous tip, for the guide and driver. The guide said, "That's for the driver?"

EDIT: When we got back, I told the travel agent about the driver's dunning for tips. She said the guide and driver didn't receive any payment, and relied on tips.


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## Disgustedman (Jan 2, 2023)

Mom and I did Reno for fun tours. We'd visit three casinos, then off to our own nightlife. The 80's were some of the best times Mom and I had. 

While my past is fraught with "Issues, incidents and agony" it wasn't always gloom and doom.


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## Jules (Jan 2, 2023)

NorthernLight said:


> EDIT: When we got back, I told the travel agent about the driver's dunning for tips. She said the guide and driver didn't receive any payment, and relied on tips.


The travel agent should have informed you about this before the tour.


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## debodun (Jan 2, 2023)

Only the bus tour of historic sights in Boston.


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## Chet (Jan 2, 2023)

I agree with all the negatives posted here. I'll add that there will always be some loudmouth boorish fool to annoy you.


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## CallMeKate (Jan 2, 2023)

I've been on a few bus tours, but nothing for about 20 years now.  First was to Florida... the air conditioning on the bus decided not to work and it was over 100 degrees because it was the 4th of July.  A few times to D.C. and the major complaint there would have to be that there was never nearly enough time to see what I wanted to see before it was time to meet the group.  Good highlight of one of the D.C. trips was having lunch with a few senators at the Rayburn House office building.  Bad highlight was another trip and having to walk around a dark Capitol Hill looking for breakfast at 5:30 a.m. to catch the tour bus back... finally found a hole in the wall and there was a roach crawling around my fried egg sandwich.  Never again!


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## NorthernLight (Jan 2, 2023)

Jules said:


> The travel agent should have informed you about this before the tour.


Yes, I told her that.


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## Right Now (Jan 2, 2023)

Teacher Terry said:


> _I took my first bus tour in Ireland and really enjoyed it. We stayed 2 nights in each place and didn’t get on the bus in the morning until 9 so we would get up at 7:30 and have plenty of time to get ready and have breakfast. We showered the night before and put our bags out at 8 am. All the hotels had buffets so breakfast was fast. _


Yes, see below.


funsearcher! said:


> 3 weeks England, Ireland and Scotland  Exhausting never ending schedule Felt pushed


I did one bus tour in 2015 for 2 weeks in England and Scotland.  Up at 5, luggage outside room by 6:30, breakfast and on bus by 8.  It was constant except for the evening drinks at the bar.  Our bus guide was Irish, he was delightful, and encouraged me to go to Ireland next time.  He told me they are much more relaxed,  not  rising too early in the morning, an easier and enjoyable experience.
The above post confirms this.

Only when you are home have you realized how much was crammed into such a short time.  And can breath and admire your photos.


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## Teacher Terry (Jan 2, 2023)

*I checked out the tour company and time they started every morning, etc before booking because I didn’t want to be up too early. The company I used the guides are their employees. There were 33 people on the bus and we had some interaction with them but not a ton as half the meals were on our own in the evening. 

At most of the sites there was free time to explore on your own. My friend and I never ate lunch but used the time to explore where we were at. Lunch was never a group meal but one of the things you could do at the stop. 2 meals a day were plenty for us.  

Each tour has the sights listed that you will see plus when you have free time to go off on your own or you can take an optional tour.  Riding to the next destination always had beautiful scenery.  The company offered more than one itinerary to each country so you can pick whatever appeals to you. It was my first tour and I was so happy that I booked 2 more. *


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