The pros and cons of taking a guided tour through Europe (11 days with Cosmos)

         Hey guys! I've been meaning to make a post recapping my tour through Europe. That should be my next post, but this post is going to mainly be about the pros and cons of taking a guided tour through Europe. If you've recently been dreaming of traveling to Europe, whether this is your first time or not, I really do suggest taking a guided tour! I think there are more pros than cons. There are different companies such as; Trafalgar, Globus, Cosmos, EF ultimate break, and so on. If you're in college, in the age group between 18-29 I highly suggest trying EF ultimate break, although I have not personally been on one of these, because I went with my mom and you have to be in that age group, it is perfect for college aged people and I've only heard good things. They even have a payment plan to make your trip more affordable.
I basically wanted to make this post to show people how going on a guided tour through Europe is a wonderful experience. If you have been dying to go to Europe or to another country, but you're a little intimidated and have been procrastinating because it's such a big trip... a guided tour may be perfect for you. In my own personal opinion, it is just so much more easier, no hassle in finding transportation, hotels, things to do... because almost everything is already planned! Although in certain instances, if you only want to visit one country or stay in one general area, you would probably be better off booking your own trip and planning your own stay.
I know some people do not like having a set schedule and want to do their own thing. But if you're someone who is scared of venturing out there because you never have before, or if you are just a planner (with me) and like knowing what you're doing and what to expect, this makes things SO much easier!

But before I get into breaking down what it's really like the take a guided tour, let's talk about prices. I'm sure this is something everyone is curious about.

Pricing:
So last year, I took a trip with Cosmos. It's owned by Globus tours,  but Cosmos is just the more "affordable" tours, and it was so perfect. The tour I went on went to France, Luxembourg, Germany, Austria, Lichtenstein, Switzerland, and part of Italy. It cost around $1,800 for 11 nights, not including the flight, and yes, this was after taxes were added on. My mom and I both got insurance in case one of us got really sick and needed to be flown home, god forbid. So if you book your flight through the tour company, we actually found out it was cheaper. Only about $850 per person. Note that we went in June too, which is a pretty popular time of year to go because it's not cold and school is out. Having looked around a lot at different prices, this was an amazing deal. Also, to throw this in there, if you have never flown international, (we went on Delta), they serve you free alcoholic drinks and surprisingly REALLY good food. They basically feed your every three hours. At least that's what it felt like. They served us dinner, dessert, and breakfast and had snacks in between. As far as how many free alcoholic drinks you can get I'm not really sure if it's unlimited. I think it is? But not like you're about to get hammered on your plane... unless you do, then by all means order away! 
Also, depending on what guided tour you go on, they include a certain amount of dinners and breakfast is free every day.
With the tour and flight in mind... now you just have to think about how much you're going to spend once you're there. I personally took out.. I believe, $550? I used all of it and then used my card maybe only three times. So, in total, I spent about $3,300 for my whole trip in it's entirety. Also, it depends how big of a spender you are of course.

Here is a link to the Cosmos website for European tours. They also have other areas of the world, of course. Click here

With the money out of the way, let's get into it!

Pros of a guided tour:

1. All transportation and hotels are included. No need to worry how to get from one spot to the next. Like I said before, your tour bus/tour guide will drop you off at a certain location and let you venture out on your own. You may have the option of hanging out with your tour guide while she walks you through historic and monumental sites and explains them with great detail. Or sometimes she/he will tell you to scram and adventure on your own. If you want to stay out longer than the rest of your group, and you're staying at a hotel that night, you can just provide your own transporation back to your room at whatever time you desire. If not, your tour guide will tell you to meet back with her at, most likely the drop off location, so you can get a ride back to your hotel and prepare for your next exciting day!

2. Sometimes the views on the bus are much more spectacular than you expect. Oh my gosh. I realized this when we were driving through Switzerland. Germany, as well, the scenery was breath taking while we were driving through the Black Forest, but in Switzerland... just, wow. I will leave some pictures down below. NOTE: these pictures are ALL legit pictures I took FROM my window! No, I wasn't standing outside taking these. Also, to explain how amazing these views were, there is a train we took that is one part of the UNESCO World Heritage sites, and I SWEAR, the bus ride was even better. The only part I loved about that train was when we stopped in front of a view with a lake and the mountains (I'll leave it below, the one with my mom and I), that view honestly made the train ride worth it. But other than that, the bus was even more incredible. Also, if you don't know what the UNESCO World Hertiage sites are, they're pretty much the most important cultural sites in the world, I think.

3. Free breakfast every morning. This saves a huge expense in my eyes. They serve you buffet styled breakfast, things like eggs, sausage, bacon, fruit, cheese, yogurt etc. I can eat a big breakfast, and go without eating for a good rest of my day.

4. Included dinners. Depending on what tour you go on, you may have more included dinners. For example; the Trafalgar tour I went on as a kid, was more expensive and I believe there were five included dinners, that were really amazing, where as, on the Cosmos tour (this was honestly really my only personal con) we had three included dinners, two of them weren't very good but the last one we had was amazing. And it was a three course dinner.

5. You are STRESS-FREE from planning! Major pro. They send you a huge internary breaking your trip down for you so you know exactly what you'll be doing every day. With that being said, at the same time, you can still venture on your own without your group if you desire to.

6. You learn SO much. The two times I've been on guided tours both of my tour guides have been literally amazing and so knowledgeable. Our tour guide definitely spoke at least five different languages and knew so much about everything. This is something you won't get just traveling to Europe by yourself. And personally, I think it's really important to know the history and culture of the places you visit. And if you don't feel like listening to your tour guide, well you don't have to. And it's not an annoyingly amount of them talking by any means. They honestly provide so much random information about things, it's so fascinating. Like, did you know they still used the guillotine in France up until the 1977? It wasn't abolished until 1981. I had no idea..

*** The biggest misconception about guided tours: I think there's a big misconception when people think of a "guided tour" through Europe, they think you are on a strict schedule with no time to yourself and this is not true at all. Every day you are dropped off at a location, sometimes after following your tour guide and group for a bit, but not always, and you are free to venture out on your own for a certain amount of time or even for the whole day. Depending on how much of an importance this is to your trip, it can be anywhere from two hours to probably five. Or really, if you're staying at a certain hotel for more than one night, you can really just do your own thing if you don't want to hang out with your group. Catch a cab or train and adventure on. You basically just have to make sure you stick with your group when you depart from a hotel or else you're screwed, lol. But don't worry, they won't leave without you anyways. They always do head counts.

7. Being on a schedule, it motivates you to get up early and utilize your whole day. Because let's face it, most people like to sleep in. If you happen to be staying at the same hotel for a couple days and don't feel like getting up or participating with your group, you don't have to, but chances are you're going to want to. So the fact that you have to force yourself to wake up early (usually times we woke up ranged from 6:00am - 8:00am), this is a great motivator! Because trust me, you do NOT want to miss a thing while you're in Europe. You have to make the most out of everything!

8. There is usually always a surprise stop at a location, some may be breathtaking. While almost everything will be in your itinerary, there are some things you get to see that are surprises they don't put on there. I think it depends on how much time you end up having. For example; we had some extra time while driving to our hotel in Germany, so we got a surprise stop in the Black Forest at the world's largest cuckoo clock! AND, we got to have the famous "Black Forest cake" IN the Black Forest at a cute cafe next to the clock. It was delicious and um, how cool is that? Then when I was a kid, it wasn't on our itinerary at all, but we ended up going to Pompeii for a few hours and that was honestly one of my favorite moments. I love surprises.

9. Free Wi-Fi on the bus! Enough said. (Make sure you bring an extra battery for your phone since you'll be using it a lot)

10. Guaranteed access to sights. Certain places and certain times of year can be extremely crowded. Since you're on a tour, everything is set up for you early on, so access to things like; getting into the Sistine Chapel will be guaranteed, whereas if you had just shown up, you may not be able to get in during busy seasons. Of course, if you're going on your own, always purchase tickets ahead of time.

11. Cool excursions you may not think about otherwise. Excursions are usually extra of course, but there are some pretty interesting ones they plan for you that you may not think of otherwise. We had a champagne testing in Reims, France (which was included) were we went underground into a champagne cellar, learned the history and process of champagne making, and then tested some out. We also did an extra excursion of taking a cable car up a mountain. Omg incredible. Although, almost every other excursion sounded a bit lame, tbh.

Some pics of the excursions we went on. The cable car ride and the champagne cellar with our group (I'll post more pictures in my next blog post)

*** Another misconception about guided tours: Most of your time isn't spent on the bus like some people may think. This was something my mom and I were concerned about taking a "more affordable" tour, but it wasn't a problem. Usually it's a couple hours of being on the bus. I think the longest time period we were on the bus for, which was going through the forests of Germany, was about six hours.

Cons of a guided tour:

1. Less time spent at specific places that may be of importance to you. Honestly, this wasn't a problem for us. We got to see what we wanted to see with plenty of time. Like I said, they drop you off at the location you already know you'll be going to, and give you a few hours to explore. After a while, you're ready to go back anyways.

2. Be VERY careful of wording and the bold/italic/underlined/capitalized locations when reading the itinerary of your guided tour. At least that's how it is with Cosmos. So because you are traveling via bus, there are some sites that you see, but don't necessarily get off the bus for. There aren't many that you miss to be honest. What it tells you that you see in your handbook is pretty much all correct. The only thing I wanted to see closer up was the Eiffel Tower. We knew we weren't going to get to go directly to it, because of the wording of our itinerary. (I forget what it said now, but probably something like "look up to see the Eiffel tower as you're making your way to the city". I don't think we were going to stop, but our tour guide figured we would want to, so she said we would make a quick picture stop for it. We weren't directly in front of it, but over the river you could see it in the background and we got a good photo op.

3. It's gonna suck if you get sick on the bus. Yep, I know this from personal experience. I got sick when I went last year and it was honestly horrible. Thank god, I was only sick for two days, and I managed to survive, but it sucked being on the bus during this time. Of course, I was sick on one of the days where we had to travel on the bus for 6 hours. Lol, just my luck. I had a stomach virus, threw up, and the first day literally used the bathroom seven times. There is a bathroom on board your bus, but surprisingly, I don't know how, I didn't need to use it because of the bathroom stops we made along the way. I did throw up on the bus, but luckily someone was able to give me a shopping bag. But yeah, being in a confined area like that was not fun when sick.

Here's a very sick picture of me in Germany when I had that stomach virus. I felt like complete poop, but I persevered! 

4. Things can be rushed. You're on a timeline when you're traveling on a group tour, so you may not get to see everything you want. For example; when we went to the Notre Dame Cathedral, we wanted to go inside but we didn't have time to because the line was insanely long to get in and we needed to get back on the bus. Although, in Milan, we could have went inside the Duomo, but the line was also so long we just said "screw it".

5. You may not like certain people in your group. Eh, not really a huge deal to be honest. The two tours I've been on, almost every single person was extremely nice. I remember the first tour we went on, when I was a kid, we got very close with our tour group. I think my mom kept in contact with a couple via email for a few years. But, there is always one person who no one likes.

6. You may get a crappy tour guide. My mom has been on five Europe tours all together, and she has loved all of her guides except one. I think the lady was just kind of annoying. The tour I just went on though, our tour guide was amazing. Such a warm-hearted person and so genuine. When I got sick for two days, we ended up being the only people with a suite the last day I was sick. We told some people we got friendly with, and they all thought our tour guide must have done it. We mentioned something to her like "Wow, we got lucky" and she just smiled and I could tell in her smile that she did it on purpose. 

7. You may not get to do things you want to do. If you have your heart set on doing a bunch of very specific things that aren't included in a tour that you can find, maybe it's just best for you to not take a guided tour.

Alright guys, I think that's it!

I hope you've enjoyed this blog. I hope that my personal opinions and experiences have helped some of you after reading this, to decide if you would like to take a guided tour through Europe (Especially those of you who have never visited before). The world is so big and it needs to be explored. Don't waste your time. Put some money to the side, even if it takes a few years. No matter your situation. Just do it and travel the world! It's something no one ever regrets.

- Lots of love,

        Sammi

Fyi, there are random carousels all over Paris. This was taken there. :)

What to expect when traveling to Europe

Hey guys! I've been wanting to do a travel blog for a few days now and am finally getting around to it! I went to Europe last year, in May 2018, and went on a Cosmos tour with my mom.  It was a dream. We went to France, Luxembourg, Germany, a town in Austria, Switzerland, and part of Italy. When I was 11 years old I also went on a different tour with my parents throughout Italy and Sicily. Some people prefer going on their own in Europe and not having a set schedule, but for us it was perfect. I'll go more into what our tour was like, if you're deciding on whether you should take a guided tour throughout Europe on a different blog post.
Anyways, if you live in the United States and it's your first time there is a LOT to know about traveling to Europe, what to expect, what to bring, and more. Here are some of my tips on how you can be prepared. And if you're debating on going to Europe... oh my gosh, freaking DO IT. Seriously. You become so much more open to different cultures, history and really it's life-changing and that's the only way I can explain it.


(FYI: the picture at the top was taken in Lucerne, Switzerland. This was honestly my favorite city we visited on this trip and I may do an entire blog post on why to visit)

• Europe uses different outlets. Buy a compatible power adapter! And converter if needed! This one is very important and I literally did not remember at all from the last time I went. Did I even have a phone when I was eleven? I don't think so. But yes, look into this! The plugs are totally different and your charger won't fit into them. The volts are also different in Europe. In America, devices are designed for 110/120V and many other countries are 220/240V. Beware that your hair straighter or curler may not work so be sure you also have a converter (it literally converts the voltage). Most hair appliances, since they use heat, won't work with just an adapter, you also have to have a converter. If you don't and you plug in your straighter or curler, it can get fried! My mom had a really old adapter that didn't work with my straighter, so I had to buy one in France for cheap, only 5 euros.. it worked great for my phone but when I plugged my straighter into it, it started to shut off/on so I freaked out and unplugged it. I ended up just blow drying my hair instead, oh well. I've linked this picture down here to an adapter/converter that should work with hair appliances as well as your phone!

• Be aware of pick-pocketers. This does happen so do not, I repeat, do not for the love of God leave your cell phone or money in your back pockets, lol. Also, don't wear a backpack. It may seem convenient but think of how easy it would be for someone in back of your to just unzip a pocket, especially in a crowded area. This is mainly for major cities though, so like Paris and Rome. I never had anything happen to me, I kept my over-the-shoulder purse with the opening on the inside of my body. Also, refrain from bringing large purses.

• Exchange a certain amount of money for Euros before leaving for your trip. I did this at my bank weeks prior. Be mindful that it can take a week or two. So I would do this a month before your trip. Also, not all European countries use Euros.. for example; the Swiss use francs and the UK use pounds. Of course, if you don't exchange money beforehand there are plenty of ATMs that will except your credit card. I just don't like doing this because I like to budget, so I try not to spend more than the amount of cash I bring. I think I took out $550. I did use my card a few times near the end, but barely. (You also don't want leftover euros when the trip is over so don't bring too much cash)

• There are plently of ATMs in Europe that can exchange your dollars for euros. Like mentioned in the above point, there are plently of ATMs in Europe and they accept almost every type of card. Look for places that don't charge a commission/fee.

• Dollars and euros are valued differently. Right now 1 euro equals 1.12 dollars. 

• Don't forget to check the expiration date on your passport! Definitely important. It can take weeks for you to get a new passport so check months before your trip to be safe. Estimated time for a passport to get processed is 6-8 weeks!

• Don't carry a large amount of money on you at one time. You never know what can happen. I didn't keep more than 60 bucks on me at a time really, depending on how much dinner out may cost. I kept the rest of my cash in our hotel room in a safe (if they had one). 

• Most people in Europe speak English. But definitely brush up on the country's language that you'll be visiting. Most Europeans are friendly, so be courteous and at least brush up a month or so before leaving on your trip on the language(s) of the country you'll be visiting. I honestly just think it's so ignorant to go to a different country and not know squat about their language. I've been in a restaurant and have heard Americans rudely get annoyed at a waiter because he couldn't understand what they were saying. Like, really? I jotted down some simple phrases for each country I was in so I know beforehand. Maybe even carry around a pocket-sized book! Nothing wrong with that. This Rick Steves one is awesome. Highly recommend. 

• Be conscious of gratuity at restaurants. Sometimes in Europe, the gratuity or tip at a restaurant is already added to your bill, but not always so be mindful and double check. If it's added, an extra tip is optional. If you're not sure, you can always ask. Also, depending on what country you're in, it can be different. Some countries, tips aren't expected at all. While in America, you should leave a 20% tip, in Europe, servers are payed well so it's usually a 5%-10% tip. (Side note: We had the most AWESOME waiter in France, whose name was also Sam, who actually wanted to take a selfie with us. I kept it of course. Actually, let me just leave it right here, lmao. I was only in France for two days and everyone always says how French people are rude, I honestly have no idea what they mean by that. Everyone was so nice! Especially this guy, haha)
  

• Ordering water at a restaurant isn't always free. This may seem like a shock to most, but it's true. But at least you're not getting gross tap water. So if you're not sure, and you're really thirsty and you keep pounding glasses of water, just ask. Most likely if they bring you water in a fancy jug, it costs money. Also, sometimes bread isn't free either.

• You may have to pay to use a bathroom. Before leaving your hotel or hostel, definitely be sure to use the bathroom. Most stores and restaurants do not want you using their bathrooms unless you are buying something from them. There are some public restrooms so try to keep an eye out for them.

• Get international data on your phone. This is a must of course, if you want to use your phone. Set this up weeks prior; your phone service can automatically set it up so it starts on your first day in Europe. 

• The sun doesn't go down until really late! I must have totally forgotten this the first time I was in Europe, but our first night there, which was in Paris, the sun did not go down until 10:00pm (Or somewhere around that time)! It was insane to me, haha. I mean here, it gets dark by 8:00pm, so that was definitely different. Of course, it depends on the country as well. My mom and I went outside our hotel to see the lights go on the Eiffel Tower and I couldn't believe it was still light outside.

• Be prepared for a lot of walking. Plan accordingly and wear comfy shoes. I brought my Nikes, Converse, and Madden Girl sandals (Birkenstock looking shoes, except like half the price but just as good) and I was set. There will definitely be different types of terrain you'll need to walk on like cobblestone streets and incredibly uphill alleyways. 

• If you get sick, go to a local pharmacy! So I had the unfortunate event of getting a terrible stomach virus in the middle of our trip. To say the least, it was honestly brutal. But I'm so thankful it only lasted really two whole days. But I literally had gone to the toilet eight times the first day, no lie. So, our tour guide (who was literally amazing and genuinely cared about my well-being) suggested while we were in Austria for a few hours to stop by a local pharmacy. Neither of us had any idea about this. I'm not sure if it's all over Europe that it's like this, but we went inside and went up to the counter, told the pharmacist my symptoms, and she just gave me medicine right on the spot that she said should work. How awesome is that? SO much easier than going to a doctor. Why don't we have this in the U.S.?? Plus, it's not really something you can do when you're on a group tour. I was so thankful.

• Be very, very careful with germs on your airplane. I say this because of what happened to me during my trip, I would not wish that upon anyone. I don't think I have ever felt so sick in my life. I'm not sure how I contracted this bug, but I think it had to have been while I was on the plane. No one else on our tour got sick. And it took about four days to kick in. Also, I did take my contacts in/out on the plane to sleep, I'm pretty sure I used hand sanitizer before taking them out, but this honestly could have been what got me sick (Always try to use warm water and soap). You have to be so, so careful. I've never read any studies about germs on planes, but I can only imagine how many there are.

• Try to get tickets for events or museums beforehand. Especially if you go during peak seasons, like summertime! My mom had been to France one time before and she told me when she tried to wait in line for tickets to the Louvre it was so packed they couldn't get in or it would have taken an hour(s). Lucky for us, we didn't get tickets beforehand the second time (oops) but we went during the beginning of May, right before summer started so we probably only waited 20 minutes in line.

• Try not to plan a trip to Europe during the summer. June and September are supposed to be the best months to go. The weather is nice and it's not so crowded/expensive.

• If you're planning on going to a church on a certain day, dress accordingly. Most churches don't allow you to go inside if you're wearing shorts and a shirt without sleeves. So keep this in mind!

• Be polite. Always say "hello" and "goodbye" when entering stores. Of course, hello and goodbye in the appropriate language. Europeans are typically very polite people. This is typical for them so always try to be courteous. 

• In major cities, there is so much useful and easy transportation. Although, I would definitely double and even, triple check before boarding a train or something. Maybe even ask a local. I would just personally freak out if I was lost in a different country. This is also part of the reason why we decided to take a tour. They transport you basically everywhere, besides the city/town they drop you off at. Although, we did take the train to go back to our hotel the first night in Paris and it was seriously so easy.

That's about all the tips I have on what to expect when traveling to Europe. Remember, never stop exploring. :)

Here's a picture of me exploring the Louvre. 

Have a great day lovely people, and if you're thinking of going to Europe... just do it!

Lots of love, Sammi