My older sis Maitz and I went on the Great Britain tour from Oct 3-10, 2012. I was celebrating my 30th birthday on the 9th and I thought what better way to spend it than travelling to places I've never been? So, I was on the lookout for tours and sample itineraries that we could go on, and I found Expat Explore. I was just blown away by how much cheaper it was than other tours, so I did my due diligence, checked out some reviews and booked it right away, months before our scheduled travel date.
We were a bit anxious at the beginning, but we shouldn't have worried. We were picked up at Ibis Greenwich on time, and from the moment we got on the coach, we knew it would be a good trip. When we did our introductions on the coach, almost a third of our group were "repeat customers" of Expat Explore, so we knew we were in good hands. Our tour leader, Paul and our driver Gary, were excellent companions, telling us about the sights, insider tips, places to eat and such, and took us from place to place with great efficiency. The trip was well organized, and it's an excellent way to meet new people.
There are some caveats, because of the number of places to visit, there are times you feel rushed, but I think what's good about the tour is that you get to "sample" the places and then you can decide which ones to go back to at a more leisurely pace. With the price, we were prepared to stay in small inns/B&Bs, but surprisingly our accommodations were quite decent, with Holiday Inn, Premier Inn, Ibis and Caledonian hotel. Hotel locations were good too, especially the Premier Inn in Cardiff and the Holiday Inn in Edinburgh. We were also pleasantly surprised that we had full English breakfasts all the way, and there were even some dinners included in the cost of the tour, and we also had great walking tours from local guides and got to ride a punt in Cambridge. Really, really excellent value for money, so I will not hesitate to recommend this to others, and am already saving up for the 17 day Western Europe tour. :)
Expat Explore Great Britain Tour
Day 1: London – Cambridge – York
Day 2: Hadrian’s Wall – Jedburgh – Scottish Borders – Edinburgh
Day 3: Edinburgh (Free Day)
Day 4: Edinburgh – Inverness – Loch Ness & Urquhart Castle – Scottish Highlands
Day 5: Highlands – Loch Lomond – Liverpool
Day 6: Liverpool – Stratford – Upon-Avon – Wales
Day 7: Wales – Bath – Stonehenge - London
