Why I beloved my first Globus tour in Europe — and you’ll, too

Thank goodness I wasn’t the one doing the driving.

Our Globus motorcoach was winding alongside the banks of probably the most stunning lakes on the planet, Scotland’s iconic Loch Lomond, providing me and 40 different vacationers on board beautiful views of the mountain-framed, island-dotted waterway.

But when I had been within the driver’s seat, I by no means would have gotten the possibility to see it.

The slim, curvy highway alongside these “bonnie, bonnie banks o’ Loch Lomond,” because the well-known line within the Scottish ballad goes — “bonnie” being the Scottish phrase for good-looking — was the kind the place a driver cannot look away for a second.

As I rapidly found on the six-night Globus tour of Scotland that I used to be on, numerous the nation is like that.

From its hovering highlands to its rugged coasts, Scotland is a spot the place getting round usually means navigating fabulously twisty roadways with sharp bends, blind spots and steep inclines — all whereas driving on the left facet of the highway.

If you happen to’re an American like me, used to driving on the correct and on extra-wide interstate highways, it is most likely not the kind of motoring that you simply need to do. At the very least, that was what saved popping into my head as our impressively regular driver, Kenny, masterfully maneuvered us by way of the mountainous glens and moors.

It is only one purpose that, a bit to my shock, I quickly discovered myself loving this tour — my first group tour in years, not simply with Globus, however any tour firm.

A fastidiously curated exploration

Let’s simply deal with the elephant within the room immediately: Group excursions have … a sure fame. Some individuals, together with me till not too long ago, have considered them as being too structured or too jam-packed.

However what I discovered with Globus was completely different. My guided tour consisted of thoughtfully designed days that permit me see extra with out the stress or exhaustion of going it alone.

After per week of crisscrossing Scotland with Globus, one of many world’s greatest tour operators, I’ve a brand new appreciation for group excursions. In reality, you may simply name me a fan. And that is a giant swap for me, as till this journey, I used to be firmly within the camp of group-tour skeptic.

It is not simply that I did not need to do any of the driving.

It had simply as a lot (or much more) to do with how a lot I obtained to see.

To be on a modern-day group tour, as I quickly discovered — a minimum of, one with Globus — is to be on a visit meticulously crafted to maximise each second of your time within the vacation spot in a approach that can allow you to expertise extra and study greater than you’d touring by yourself.

The primary full day of the journey, as an example, included a morning tour of Glasgow, Scotland’s largest metropolis (the place we had spent the evening) and a ship experience on Loch Lomond (which is almost 50 miles to the north), plus a number of hours exploring Scotland’s iconic Stirling Fort (one other 40 miles to the east) and a whisky tasting at a close-by distillery earlier than a 30-mile drive again to Glasgow.

The second day of the journey was much more loaded with websites as we headed north into the mountainous splendor that’s the Scottish Highlands: the impossibly scenic Glen Coe valley (which famously served because the setting for James Bond’s property within the film “Skyfall”), the celebrated Isle of Skye and the fairy tale-like Eilean Donan Fort, to call a number of.

There is not any approach I may have completed all that in two days of touring by myself.

Truthfully, I could not even have conceived of doing all that by myself. And that is coming from somebody who travels for a residing.

The second day, which ended with an in a single day keep in “Outlander” filming location Inverness, concerned almost 260 miles of journey on a winding route that may have taken almost seven hours to drive with no stops. I undoubtedly would by no means have deliberate something like that by myself … a minimum of, not now, on the age of 56, with my stamina for lengthy stints behind the wheel beginning to wane. It could have been simply an excessive amount of driving.

However with our driver, Kenny, on the wheel and our educated information, Gavin, main the touring, it was considered one of my favourite days of the journey.

It was considered one of my favourite days, in no small half, as a result of Globus had seemingly thought by way of each minute upfront in nice element. It was crammed with completely timed stops that gave us simply sufficient time to see what we got here for with out feeling rushed — by no means too lengthy, by no means too brief.

At instances, it was like watching a wonderful ballet. Each second choreographed to perfection.

That was definitely the case after we pulled as much as the ferry to get to the Isle of Skye proper because it was about to depart — not 10 minutes early, not 10 minutes late. Or, after we had simply sufficient time on the best way to the ferry for a photograph cease at Glenfinnan, the lakeside website the place “the Younger Pretender,” Bonnie Prince Charlie, started the nice rebel of Scottish clans in 1745.

Full disclosure: I, and most of my fellow tourgoers, spent most of our time at Glenfinnan snapping selfies on the close by prepare viaduct made well-known within the movie “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets and techniques.”

If you’re in Scotland, there are priorities.

Talking of which, a brief cease alongside the banks of Loch Ness — the lake of Loch Ness Monster fame — was additionally artfully labored into the schedule that very same day. You may’t go to Scotland with out gazing over Loch Ness.

Alas, there was no Nessie sighting.

5 minutes for that cease was all we wanted. There have been extra sights to see and expertise.

Guided by an skilled

One of many the explanation why we have been in a position to see a lot on the tour was that our information, Gavin, set the scene with tales and historical past as we moved from place to position, so by the point we arrived at every vacation spot, we may dive proper in and join extra deeply with it.

On the highway to Loch Lomond, he regaled us with the story of the 2 Scottish rebels behind the centuries-old ballad that had made the lake so well-known — and performed the track for us — earlier than we arrived. On the best way to Stirling Fort, he recounted the dramatic exploits of William Wallace, who led the Scots to an epic victory over the English in 1297 on the river crossing just under it (should you’ve seen the primary large battle scene in Mel Gibson’s “Braveheart,” you realize what I am speaking about), in addition to the fort’s most well-known resident, Mary Queen of Scots.

To journey by way of Scotland is to not solely expertise among the most stunning countryside you will discover anyplace on the planet — notably within the little-populated highlands — however to be immersed in historical past. And Gavin, a self-described lover of historical past, expertly wove it into his commentary between stops every day in a approach that gave us a deeper understanding.

By the point we reached the well-known battlefield of Culloden on the third day of the journey, we knew all concerning the trials and tribulations of not simply Bonnie Prince Charlie — whose defeat on the website in 1746 modified the course of British historical past — however William Wallace, Mary Queen of Scots, Robert the Bruce and all the various kings named James whose exploits over the centuries led as much as that fateful day.

If you happen to’re an aficionado of Scottish historical past — or simply an “Outlander” fan who made it to Season 3 — you already know all about Culloden, which is just like the Gettysburg of Scotland.

I used to be particularly wanting to see the location. Like many thousands and thousands of Individuals — from former President Barack Obama to Taylor Swift — I’ve Scottish ancestry, together with a seventh-great-grandfather who supposedly was on the battle. So, the story that Gavin wove of the horrible bloodbath of Scots that passed off there was notably poignant.

And simply the correct quantity. Gavin talked to us concerning the battle for only some minutes. However then he allow us to wander, giving me time to stroll throughout the as soon as blood-soaked moor and ponder what it will have been like for my ancestor to be there that day.

Simple journey

One of many knocks on group excursions, as famous above, is that you simply generally do not have numerous flexibility in what you do on any given day. The schedule has been set upfront, and also you generally do not have a lot alternative however to tag alongside for no matter is deliberate, whether or not you need to or not — a minimum of, on the times when your motorcoach will probably be taking you from website to website on the best way to a brand new resort in a brand new location. Skip the tour, and also you’re skipping your transportation to your subsequent vacation spot.

That is all honest to some extent. However there’s an vital flip facet to that — one thing you do not completely get till you attempt a tour. It is not limiting; it is liberating. With all the pieces dealt with, touring this manner will be one of many best, most easy methods to journey.

It is simple since you principally do not have to consider a factor. Someone else has considered all of the little (and large) particulars of the journey, from which websites are the must-sees in each place you are going to the place you will keep, the place you will eat and the way you will get in between all of it.

I beloved that every morning of our journey, I principally simply needed to get myself up in time for the motorcoach’s departure. Gavin would take it from there.

All the things that we did and noticed for the remainder of the day was in his palms.

After we stopped for lunch breaks — lunches weren’t included on the tour — Gavin at all times had suggestions on the place to go. No want for me to scramble to discover a place.

After we pulled into a brand new resort — one thing we did 4 instances over six days as we moved from Glasgow to Inverness to Aberdeen to Edinburgh — Gavin had the keys to our rooms ready on a desk within the foyer. There was no must verify in.

After we had free time, Gavin made positive it was significant, pointing us towards one of the best retailers for tartan scarves or whiskies so we did not waste a minute.

Maybe extra importantly, Gavin additionally dealt with all of the logistics of stepping into the websites that we visited, together with particular entry, in some circumstances. At Scone Palace close to Perth, the place Scottish kings have been topped for hundreds of years, he led us to a again entrance for a non-public tea in one of many palace rooms earlier than a guided tour. Throughout a go to to St Andrews, the enduring golf mecca, he took us to the driving vary at one of many city’s well-known programs to whack a number of balls. Baskets of balls and drivers have been ready for us alongside a row of tee bins.

And it was Gavin — and Globus — that obtained us quick access to what might have been the spotlight of the journey: a night on the Royal Edinburgh Navy Tattoo.

The world-famous extravaganza of army band and drill crew performances on the base of Edinburgh Fort — full with extra bagpipers than you might think about — was each bit as sensational as I used to be anticipating. I imply, who would not love bagpipers? However I am unsure I’d have gone by way of the effort of getting tickets if I had been by myself.

If I had, I am fairly positive I would not have snagged seats within the eighth row, like those that Gavin had for us.

As famous above, our journey was notably filled with numerous actions, and that generally required early begins to the day. However that was the trade-off for becoming in Scotland’s large highlights in a short while.

For the document, Globus additionally presents numerous journeys that unfold at a a lot slower tempo, with extra free time in every vacation spot. As a brief tour of Scotland, my six-night journey was marked by frequent transfers between cities and accommodations. The concept was to see all of the nation’s highlights in only a few days — and on that notice, the tour delivered mightily — however the model additionally presents longer explorations of Scotland (and different locations) that deliver fewer strikes between accommodations and extra time by yourself. Globus presents journeys that embody extra alternative in actions, with a number of choices for outings on some days, too.

The concept is which you can choose the fashion of journey that matches the way you wish to journey.

A principally inclusive getaway

On the floor, the price of guided excursions with Globus may appear excessive, however once you take a look at all that is included within the costs, they’ll provide numerous worth.

Offseason departures of the six-night “Bonnie Scotland” itinerary that I did begin at $2,399 per particular person, based mostly on two individuals staying in a room. In different phrases, you will pay a minimum of $800 a day per couple.

Excessive-season departures for such journeys will be much more. Beginning charges for departures of the identical itinerary in August, after I did the tour, begin at $3,079 per particular person — or about $1,000 per day, per couple.

However the charges bundle numerous issues that you simply’d sometimes pay for individually should you have been reserving a visit like this by yourself. Along with a resort room every evening, the pricing for my journey folded in fairly a number of meals (breakfast every day, plus dinner on three of the six nights), transportation from place to position (no want for a rental automobile or for paying the exorbitant charges for fuel in Europe) and, maybe most notably, an in depth quantity of guided touring with all admission prices lined.

The latter isn’t any small factor, given how a lot the price of admission to castles, palaces and reveals just like the Royal Edinburgh Navy Tattoo alone can add up on a visit like this. The seats that we had on the Edinburgh Tattoo that have been included in our tour would have value us about $115 apiece if we had booked them on our personal, as an example.

However to me, the worth was even deeper than all of that. One of many large financial savings from signing up for a tour like this, to me, was in the price of my time. What number of hours would I’ve spent attempting to rearrange a visit with so many shifting elements by myself? What’s my time value? And, provided that I am no skilled within the historical past and websites of Scotland, nor its transportation system or lodging choices, what are the chances that I’d have gotten it proper? There is not any laborious greenback quantity on that, but it surely’s one thing large.

Backside line

After this Globus tour of Scotland, I can see why so many individuals grow to be followers of guided group excursions.

As I noticed on the journey, there’s something fantastic about simply sitting again and letting another person take cost of all the pieces associated to a visit, from route planning and resort reserving to buying timed tickets for websites and arranging transportation and guides.

As common readers know, I’ve spent a lot of my profession as a journey author targeted on cruise journey, which, at its core, is group journey in one other type. However whilst I’ve traveled the world on ships, I’ve at all times prided myself on making my very own preparations when on the land portion of my journeys. A lot of my private journey has been by myself.

I’ll admit to being shocked by how a lot I loved letting another person fear concerning the particulars on this Scotland journey. And should you join one thing comparable, you simply is likely to be, too.