Add in tour’s extra costs

Our latest venture with Grand Circle Travel, a 2-week Extended Vacation in Italy in September ’06, provided the high-quality foreign experience we have come to expect from that company. It was an interesting but leisurely itinerary through beautiful Tuscany and Umbria, with a superb guide, excellent (if not great) accommodations and meals, and arrangements along the way that went like clockwork.

But the trip had troubling aspects, rooted in current travel industry conditions, which all American travelers, particularly those to European destinations, need to be aware of and to consider.

With the dollar at an all-time low against the euro, industry providers apparently have had to make a crucial choice: maintain the established trip offering and raise prices substantially or prune down the tour package, offering less for the price. Our Italian program indicated that Grand Circle has opted for the latter.

The first evidence of draconian economizing was in our air arrangements (part of the total package that we purchased from Grand Circle and booked by their Air Services department). Flying from home base to the trip launch site, we had to negotiate four airports: San Francisco, Atlanta, Paris and Florence — a circuitous and lengthy routing that had us utterly exhausted when we arrived to begin the program.

Apart from logistical matters, there were cautionary considerations regarding program content. Instead of 13 days of all-expense-covered excursions and meals, as had been the case on some of our previous Grand Circle trips, we now had to come up with $400 for five optional excursions if we wanted guided tours with transport, taking full advantage of the region’s many attractions.

The alternative was to go independently on these days, using public transportation and a guidebook’s information about what we were seeing. Grand Circle’s guide was wonderfully helpful in offering advice and information to do this, but few members of the group felt confident enough to go on excursions independently.

In addition to the optional-excursion charges, tour participants were “on our own” for six lunches and five dinners over the course of the trip. While the Grand Circle guide was very helpful in advising about various restaurants, we each had to pick up our tab. At current dollar prices in Italy, this averaged out to approximately $400 each for the extra meals plus another $150 each for bottled water, snacks and caffès at bars.

Thus, in addition to the basic tour price of $3,375 each (including the Travel Protection plan), we found that we spent close to $1,000 each on additional costs for a total of $4,375 for the trip.

There is no implication here that Grand Circle misrepresented or concealed any information about costs. Indeed, they are meticulous about full disclosure of exactly what they are offering and what is not covered. The group concensus was that the trip was well worth the money, offering excellent value for the price.

But everyone also admitted being staggered by prices in Italy and being unpleasantly surprised by the amount spent beyond the basic tour cost. In the new global economy, it seems more important than ever that travelers realistically assess what they’re buying and its true cost.

BEVERLY SHAVER

El Cerrito, CA

ITN sent a copy of the above letter to Grand Circle Travel and received the following reply.

Many thanks for sending along Ms. Shaver’s letter and for giving us the opportunity to respond. I’d like to thank Ms. Shaver, too, for her kind words about us and for having traveled with us in the past.

As Ms. Shaver indicated, we do our best to be very clear about what we include in every one of our vacations. It’s very important that travelers always know what’s included in their tour package so that they can plan their trip wisely. . . .

As Ms. Shaver indicated, about five or six years ago we did offer an all-inclusive vacation to Italy. While the trip was popular among many of our travelers, we received constant feedback from travelers who wanted more dining options and more free time to explore a destination on their own. This was particularly true of our vacations in Europe, where many of our travelers feel some degree of comfort in striking out on their own for an afternoon or evening or two, armed with the sage advice and recommendations of our guides. Options and free time to pursue individual interests and tastes are important components that we try to build into every Grand Circle experience.

It’s true that, for Americans, travel in Europe is more expensive than it was just a few years ago. We agree with Ms. Shaver’s sage and thoughtful advice to fellow travelers: know what’s included if you purchase a tour package and be prepared to pay more for meals, drinks and other items than you would if you stayed at home.

PRISCILLA O’REILLY, Vice President, Public Relations, Grand Circle Travel, 347 Congress St., Boston, MA 02210