[chachacha]

At the last Meet and Greet i brought up the subject of a group of us traveling together within the next year or two..many seemed interested...There are several ways this might be accomplished. The most obvious is for all of us to agree on a place we want to visit and book a guided tour in that part of the world. Since i am always touting Grand Circle Travel, i know that is relatively easy to do. The hard part is making the unanimous decision of where to go and when. Another possibility is all chipping in to rent a villa somewhere like italy or france, chip in to rent a van, and go off exploring on our own....this requires a bit more planning and coordination and knowledge of the area. Also the expenses are not all known right up front. So before i call a meeting to discuss possible trips, let's get some discussion on here of ideas for places, times, budgets, etc. some also like the train route with a backpack and staying at hostels or "couchsurfing" which may be fine for some but for a big group would probably not be doable....Any ideas or suggestions, please?

[rhsgypsylady]

I would not do hostels or couchsurfing for a group or at our age. If I were 20-30 maybe. Maybe if you put out some areas you're interested in, then we could go from there. We would also need to narrow down if we want to cruise, fly, or both.

[manaboutown]

The older I get the more stars I want in my lodging assessment. Right now that is four stars although for just the right centrally located clean and quiet hotel I might accept 3+ stars.

A certain website which will not come up on my post has been a great resource for me and I have found wonderful accommodations in both France and Italy as well as The Villages through them.

The larger the group the more difficult it becomes to gain agreement on "where we go, where we stay and where we eat". If the group becomes more than a handful in number it will bring more than a handful of conflicting opinions. Perhaps the best bet is to book a tour as a group. BTW, I have been happy with Globus but I have never tried Grand Circle which CHAx3 likes. Many of these companies book one guest free if a certain number are booked as a group. In my experience the organizer has gotten the free space for doing all the groundwork, which takes time, thought and effort.

[chachacha]

are you volunteering, Bob? another way to do it is to split the savings among those going. depends on how much is involved for the organizer. best tour prices are in the fall and winter or early spring when the weather is not optimal but airfares are less and no crowds to deal with. i traveled happily with my winter coat and hat the last two trips i took! there is a sale right now for a nov 9 departure which will come to about$1500 per person plus air for a 16 day tour called the Best of Eastern Europe, going to Berlin, Warsaw, Krakow, Prague and Budapest. will be cold weather but not awful and i have not been to a few of those places and wouldn't mind returning to the others just one example of a good sale if we get our act together. of course summer departures are more desirable for floridians but it will cost more. first point of discussion When?

[tomwed]

What follows is a post I made for a different thread but may work for your trip.

This was the deal we got:
18 Days Transatlantic - Discount Transatlantic Cruises - Carnival Cruise Lines - Carnival Destiny
Miami, Malaga, Barcelona, Livorno, Rome / Civitavecchia, Venice
1 departure date: February 4, 2013
Prices from:
Inside $499
Outside $649
Balcony $849
Suite $1749

From Venice we took a train to Florence, stayed for 3 days and then Rhome for 4 days before we flew home.

We upgraded to a balcony. Picked Rick Steve's recommended hotels and used frequent flier miles to fly home. All and all it was a pretty cheap trip. I had no complaints about the ship, food or service.

The beauty of this trip is that when you get to port the very active people can run all over the place and the not so active can do something else or even just stay on the ship.

There is no money to collect or bills to split. High rollers can book a suite and inside cabin people can still afford to go and eat with everyone else. A cruise is a lot like TV when you think about it.

[chachacha]

you were lucky you had decent weather...some friends on this forum just took a repositioning ocean cruise economically but the weather was awful and they lost four days. you bring up a good point, however, that a cruise is a lot like being in the Villages...i prefer to be somewhere else, as much as i love the villages, when i go for a change of scene it sounds like you added on Florence and Rome which i am sure added a lot to your experience. thanks for the input! i think a river cruise would be lovely but have never seen an economical one other than last minute sale.

[mixsonci]

I'm definitely in and open to what the majority wants. I have never been to Italy and would love to go. Have been to London but would love to go back. Have not been to eastern Europe and again would love to go. I like the idea of nice hotels and everyone chipping in for a group tour etc. Count me in and let me know if I can help in the planning.

[rhsgypsylady]

I like the Eastern Europe in Nov. Like manaboutown said, the more ideas the more conflict. Since we have an idea on the table I say let's have a meeting in push forward into investigating this idea.

[chachacha]

well, the sale on the eastern europe trip ends june 16 so would require a really fast decision not sure we are ready for that but if interested in that particular trip please pm me by sunday. check out the itinerary on gct.com search poland and it will come up. i am checking with my grandson this weekend if he wants to go...he is interested in WWll and i think he would like this. will plan a meeting for future travel if we get a few more responses here

[kittygilchrist]

Up for usa travel...parks, dance events, festivals, beach.

[rhsgypsylady]

Ditto on what Kitty said.

[gap2415]

Maui anyone?

[Bonnevie]

I've always thought it would be fun to go to the balloon festival in New Mexico in Oct.

[manaboutown]

Originally Posted by Bonnevie

I've always thought it would be fun to go to the balloon festival in New Mexico in Oct.

It takes place in Albuquerque and is spectacular. The Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta - Welcome to the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta

I have been to it many times.

[tomwed]

//////////////