We are loyal RS people, having gone on 8 tours so far. We aren’t able to travel to Europe this year and are trying to find a tour company in the US with a similar style and quality. Colette tour seems good, any recommendations or reports?
Posted by
Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, USA
14533 posts
Where are you looking at going?
I guess I thought Colette did big groups but a quick look shows they do have some smaller size tours.
Posted by
Corvallis OR
7114 posts
The only people I know who have taken Colette tours are some friends that took a couple many many years ago, so I can't really offer much except that at that time they loved them.
Road Scholar also does small group tours in the US so, depending on where you are going, you might check on them also. They get very good reviews from the members of this forum - at least for Europe. I would assume that is the same for the US.
Posted by
Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, USA
14533 posts
Nancy, that was my thought too. I’m lying in bed in Ghent, Belgium recovering from my first day on a Road Scholar tour, lol!! Dinner in 29 minutes, lol.
This is #13. I’ve done 5 in the US but they’ve been activity based - 1 hiking, 2 genealogy and 2 birding.
They’ve had some challenges with cancellations but are NOT transparent about what’s going on and won’t even tell you which departure dates look like they are filling. A friend did one recently to the FL Keys and it was well-attended.
Posted by
Atlanta, GA
764 posts
I have done two Colette tours -- one to Italy and one to Alaska -- with my mother. My mother and her friends love to travel with them. It's not quite my travel style, but that doesn't mean it's a bad tour company.
The good:
- Very good hotels, centrally located;
- Great food;
- Excellent itineraries;
- Nice balance between tour time and free time;
They really take care of you:
- My mom lives a good distance from the closest airport, and they arrange transportation from her home town to the airport. That's a huge deal for folks in rural areas.
- They send a representative to talk about travel tips -- how to pack, how to handle money, and such -- a month or two before the tour.
- They make sure that you don't get stranded in an emergency -- like 9/11 or Covid.
The not-so-good:
- Lots of add-ons and tips
- You still need to do your homework to make the best use of your free time. You will have to make your own "back door" experiences. I would have been disappointed on the Italy tour if I had done only what was on the tour. I made good use of my free time, and really enjoyed the trip. Also, I got a lot of street cred from our tour guide when I successfully navigated Rome on my own the first day, when all the other tour group members stayed at the hotel to sleep off jet lag. After that, she let me do pretty much whatever I wanted.
- Overall, the other tour group members probably won't be as experienced or adventurous as you would find on an RS tour.
In a nutshell, Colette is a fine tour company, but it will be different from an RS tour. However, you can make it what you want it to be.
Posted by
Nashville, TN, USA
3838 posts
For travel in the USA, Tauck does a fine job. They are one click up from Colette in terms of quality of hotels and more days spent at each location. (One click up in price too.) Colette is a faster paced tour, with 1 or 2 nights at each location. Tauck is not a rush-rush tour.