My wife would like to travel to the UK or Ireland next year for our 30th anniversary. (I’d prefer to go somewhere with a common language 🙂 ) I usually make my own arrangements within the US successfully, but I know nothing about making international travel arrangements or where to start. Our only international experience is a guided tour of central Italy a few years ago, but it was arrange by experienced family members. That left us with current passports, so that’s out of the way.
We’re in our early 50s. We’re more comfortable with guided activities than in striking off on our own. We’re more interested in historical, cultural, or scenic sights than shopping, shows, resorts, or nightlife. We’d rather see fewer locations with more time at each than multiple sites with limited exposure. London doesn’t have to be on the itinerary. We’re planning on 7 to 9 days. An early budget estimate is between $4000 and $5000 US (3200-3700 Euros; 2500-3250 pounds), including air fare from the southeastern US (Atlanta or Charlotte).
I’m open to suggestions on how to arrange the logistics of this trip. Obviously I could start with a travel agent, so I’d appreciate any guidelines on selecting and working with one.
Update 1 – am I better off going with one of the guided tour companies like Cosmos or Globus, instead of trying to pull all the pieces together myself? Also, the time of year is flexible, excluding the dead of winter.
Update 2 – As I write this I’ve come to realize that [b]not being comfortable with the alternatives to driving is the biggest pain point in my planning.[/b] See my ‘Thanks’ reply to JamesRL for more detail.
Update 3 – So much for that. We decided to spend the money on a lovely new root canal my wife instead, and two crowns (the kind in her mouth, not her head). Ah, well; such is life.