3 week vacation in UK
 

I picked up some tour books to use as ideas for where to go and what to see -

And I am wondering is it worth it to use on of these tours...

Sure they don't spend as much time in a place - but THEY do the driving.... only downside is they pick where you stay.


Any thoughts on going it yourself or using a tour?

Also are there one-way car rentals in the UK as in US?

It all depends on how you are with doing it yourself compared to going in groups, and whether you have been here before. If you don't know the place well, does it matter if they pick where you stay?

If you are a novice in the UK, not used to overseas travel, can't face driving on the left or with a standard transmisson, or schlepping bags onto trains, etc, then it can be a very good introduction. In truth the tours are geared at the "mature" market (although that's not their only client base). From our perspective they always seem to pack rather too much in. If you like to lie in sometimes on vacation they are not for you. Food will be rarely adventurous. However they will make sure you get taken to the front door at Stratford, Bath, Stonehenge, Edinburgh, etc, which may be just what you want.

If you are having a 3 week vacation in the UK, few of the tours are that long unless they are doing the whole of Europe too, so you could have some time to yourself too.

The names of the operators in the US are generally a marketing operation only. The actual tour in Britain is generally subcontracted out to the major coach operators over here. You may find a mixture of people from the US, Canada, South Africa and Australia on the tour, although almost entirely English-speaking.

Yes, all the major car rentals do one-ways over here too. However one end of the country to the other is only a day's drive, so do you need to? What you can't normally do is rent in the UK and drop off in Continental Europe, or vice-versa, due to the steering wheels being on the opposite sides.

Enjoy your holiday here in the UK - it's a great place!

There are pluses and minuses both ways. I agree that combining a tour with some time on your own might be a reasonable compromise.

As an example, Rick Steves' company offers a 17-day tour of Britain:

http://www.ricksteves.com/tours/britain/home.htm

Before and/or after this tour, you could spend a few days on your own exploring London and southern England.

On the other hand, Britain is a VERY easy place to travel on your own -- the language barrier is minimal (usually) and you can get most places by train or bus. And these days, even B&B's and small hotels can be booked online (see www.placestostay.com , for example). So you could easily build your own itinerary using the guidebooks (and tour brochures) for suggestions on places to visit.

It all really depends on what suits you as an individual.

Kathy