- Wed Feb 23, 2011 9:53 pm
#2876204
HET's are a fantastic experience, I have attended all 3 of them and organised the last two.(with help from Ross on the route) My favourite was the middle one. The 3rd one had too many people and a few people with different expectations on how the trip should be run.. Hence my reluctance to organise another, (Though I am very tempted)
Majority of people were happy but some people expected the sites of the Alps and Monanco, Stelvio pass etc and didn't want to drive longer than a few hours. Its a driving holiday not a get up at 10am stop for a few hours for lunch and another hour at every petrol station comparing air filters and getting the claybar out, then complain when you don't get to your next hotel until 9pm. Though some of the days were long 8hr plus driving I never reached my hotel later than 5pm (I do get up soon)
The problem is with organising a tour like this is trying to cram too much into a week and putting something in for everybody, tracks, city's, Monaco, Stelvio pass, etc. everybody wants different things, we all come from difficult backgrounds, cultures ages groups etc. the youngest was about 17-18 and the oldest in their 60's we had married couples, groups of mates, single lads and laddies and people who didn't know anybody from the forum. so as you can imagine it was a mixed bunch, which to be fair didn't cause that many problems as long as people respected each others space and that it was their holiday also.
As some of you have mentioned the costs that we paid in 2006.2007, 2008 were reasonable and its always makes prices cheaper if you share the driving and hotel rooms. I think with fuel (about 2000 miles) and 8 nights accomodation, ferries, the odd toll I think in today's terms you would be looking at £600 for fuel £100 ferries or tunnel. and £50 per night x 8= £400 minimum accomodation and £50 tolls plus food at £25 per day x 8= £200 making a grand total of approximately £1350 per car then add spending money on top Beer Wine, False tan , European breakdown insurance cover. Car insurance to cover Europe you are nearly reaching £1800 for a weeks holiday if you are driving and having a room to yourself. obviously the fuel and hotel costs and tolls and ferries are halved if you share. You can have a good exotic all inclusive holiday basically anywhere for that kind of money.
if driving 8hrs a day, with only one or two days off inbetween. being sat in a car with your mate, wife, boyfriend, girlfriend or your special friend (we are very politically correct here) just remember friendships can be strained being so close to people, I think most people had the odd tiff with their mates or partners. If you are still interested and this is your type of thing then this may be for you, however if you want to drive a few hours a day and party everynight and get wrecked and want to live off McD's then and turn up without a sat nav or map and whinge constantly, drive like a loon through vilages and abuse traffic laws, then a group organised Eurotour might not be your thing. We usually stay in remote areas overnight as the hotels are cheaper than the cities, and security for the cars are better, plus after a full day driving I don't think you would have the energy to party. (though we had a good few beers at the bar each night)
The most positive things I have to say about the Eurotours, are these holidays stand out far beyond your package tour, you see sites that no holiday would bring, you gain a spirit of adventure, its like a type of a challenge, you drive roads that you only dream about on top gear and you will remember this holiday for the rest of your life.
The down side of organising a tour is you get 40 people sign up and when it comes to paying up 30% drop out and the discounts that you negotiated with the hotels and ferry companies start reducing. You are constantly chasing payments from people. everytime I have done I have ended up out of pocket to some extent because someone has let me down or paid by paypal and not forwarded the charges etc. Plus being the organisor you worry like a mother hen and I couldn't settle until everybody was safely back at the hotel every night.