Firstly, what a great asset to this website I have found the posts very helpful and all the pictures amazing!

I know that there are already many posts re these countries and what tours to choose BUT...
I am going in December and am wanting to do 2 tours back to back :

Amazing Morocco (from winter brochure) and link with Best of Spain and Portugal (last tour for 2006).

I am wondering whether anyone has taken either tour mentioned in December and if taken back to back, whether they would recommend it to others.

any response will be appreciated. thankyou

Fiona

Fiona -

I haven't done back to back tours, but there are people on this board who've actually done back-to-back-back tours. And they say it's great. I'm booked on Best of Morocco for September (the itinerary is similar to Amazing Morocco, but it's a non-winter tour).

Sounds like you have an exciting two trips ahead of you!

thanks for your reply

im not certain whether i can make the morroco tour because of uni graduation dates but this is my first option. if not, i'll do the spain, portugal and morocco tour then do valencia and northern spain myself. I'm wondering
a) how quickly these winter tours book out (in particular the Amazing Morocco tour) and
b) whether i can change one tour that i have booked with another if one of the two are cancelled or if my dates clash. For example, if the morocco tour doesn't run, could i then change the best of spain + protugal to another tour?

one more question (if have many and will try to spread them out!! I have not travelled for a long long long time and do not want to make a huge mistake)

I do not know about changing tickets if the tours are cancelled. I will be flying into casablanca for the first tour but if this is cancelled, will need to change this to madrid. My TA is not very helpful with this so i was hoping someone else could help me If there is a better place for me to post this, let me know.

Thanks heaps !!
Fiona

Hi Fiona,

it seems to me that there may be some serious problems in your planning.

1. Insight's 2006/07 Winter Tours brochure probably wont be available until about July. If you have been looking at tours in a Winter brochure, you must have been looking in the 2005/06 brochure. It is possible that the next brochure will have totally different start dates and some itineraries may even change.
   
2. at this time, the last start of the Best of Spain and Portugal tour for 2006 (December 16) is still not designated as a "TG" (guaranteed departure). [See Prices & Dates] When you are trying to travel on back-to-back tours, an essential success factor is that both tours are designated as "TG".
   
3. in the 2005/06 Winter brochure, the Amazing Morocco tour had 10 planned starts of which only 2 were "TG". [See Prices & Dates] I understand that not all of these planned tour starts ran. It was a new tour last winter and probably hasn't yet built up a signifigant reputation to attract full coachloads for most tours.
   
4. mid-winter in Europe is a very quiet time for tourism and the likelihood of tour cancellations is very high. Attempting to take back-to-back tours at that time is extremely risky.
   
5. perhaps the biggest financial risk you will face if one tour is cancelled is that you may need to buy another air ticket, with no refund on the old one.
   
6. you mentioned an option of taking the Treasures of Spain Portugal and Morocco tour and self-touring in northern Spain. Unfortunately, that tour has its last start this year on October 13 and its first start next year is not until March 2. [See Prices & Dates]

I'm sorry if my post seems very negative but it's better that you are aware of all the facts. Your best option may be to wait until October when the 2007 European brochures are published and plan your tours for next year. Perhaps choose the first "TG" Treasures of Spain Portugal and Morocco tour next year in about March and combine it with your other Spanish self-tour aspirations.

phil

thanks phil,

i have decided not to go for the tour and go solo.

i am wholeheartedly disappointed but cannot risk the extra $ in changing plans

Maybe in the future when i have a choice of when to take holidays, i will be fortunate enough to travel on one of these tours.

thanks for your help
fiona

Good luck, Fiona. I know you'll have a great time on your own.