Q and A
England With a Driver
Q. Our party of four will be traveling from Cliveden to York, spending some time in the York area, then going to Warwick, and from there to London. Can you advise us how to connect with a car and drivers? -- Carol Slote Bernstein, Tenafly, N.J.
A. Your options include using a chauffeur service for each leg of your trip or arranging for a single tour guide and vehicle to accompany you throughout most or all of your trip. Prices below include V.A.T., insurance and gas but not admission to attractions.
If you decide to drive between cities, Carey Worldwide Chauffeured Services, (44-20) 7235-0234, fax (44-20) 7823-1278, www.carey-uk.com, offers car and driver services. They quote the following prices: Cliveden to York and York to Warwick, $1,058 each leg and Warwick to London, $467 (prices at $1.81 to the pound).
The chauffeur division of the rental company AutoEurope, (888) 223-5555, fax (207) 842-2222, www.autoeurope.com, will provide cars and drivers for multiday travel or city-to-city trips. Drivers usually stay with the vehicle rather than accompanying clients on walking tours. For overnight trips, expect to pay about $1,500 a day, including about eight hours of driving. and driver's expenses.
If you're interested in hiring a driver who is also a professional tour guide, start with the Driver Guides Association; (44-20) 7384-2388, fax (44-20) 7736-4470; www.driver-guides.org.uk. Each member of the association has earned a Blue Badge, a national standard for specially trained guides. Prices vary by destination and itinerary; expect to pay $570 to $850 a day for travel based out of London. If you are hiring a guide for several days, the association estimates a cost of $715 a day (about eight hours or 150 miles), plus $145 a night for the driver's accommodation.
Connoisseur Travel York Ltd., (44-1904) 790-924, fax (44-1904) 782-123, based in York, specializes in escorted tours in the north of England, though the company could also develop a 10-day tour that includes accommodations. A day trip combining a guided tour of York with a visit to, for example, the Brontë Parsonage in Haworth or the medieval ruins of Fountains Abbey costs $634; private visits to stately homes can also be arranged. The cost of a transfer from Cliveden to York is $814 but is only available as part of a longer touring itinerary.
For extended trips, Astral Travels U.K. Tours, (44-700) 0781-016, fax (44-87) 1230-4446, www.astaltravels.co.uk, charges $715 a day (nine hours of driving) plus drivers' accommodations on overnight trips. Drivers are trained guides based in London, so you'll pay extra for pickups or drop-offs outside the city.
Tim Harrison, director of Sheepscombe Tours, (44-1386) 853-769, fax (44-1386) 853-769, www.broadway-cotswolds.co.uk (follow links Chauffeur Drive and Sheepscombe Private Hire Car Services), near Warwick, quotes a rate of $54 an hour to drive between the cities on your route, plus his return. The cost of a multiday trip would depend on your itinerary. The last trip of this sort worked out at around $670 a day, Mr. Harrison said.
Georgia Bus Tours
Q. My wife and I would like to take a five- or six- night deluxe guided bus tour of Georgia in early October. We would be willing to see towns outside of Georgia if that makes the tour more interesting. -- P.B., Glendale, Calif.
A. Tauck World Discovery, (800) 788-7885, www.tauck.com, has a seven-night, eight-day trip departing from Jacksonville, Fla., on Oct. 10. The tour begins with visits to two of the Georgia barrier islands -- Jekyll Island, known for its wildlife and mansions, and St. Simons Island, famous for its beaches and marshlands. The tour spends two nights in Savannah, one night on Hilton Head Island, a visit to the town of Beaufort and finally three nights in Charleston.
Accommodations include the Jekyll Island Club and the Mills House Hotel in Charleston. The tour costs $1,850 a person in double occupancy, including 15 meals but not air fare to Jacksonville or from Charleston. Other departure dates are available.
Starr Tours, (800) 314-8411, www.starrtours.com, has a few seats remaining on its bus tours of Charleston and Savannah Oct. 3 to 8 and Oct. 10 to 15, though they pick up and drop off from locations in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. The tour spends one day in Savannah, two days in Charleston and an evening in Fredericksburg, Va. Prices are $699.95 a person, double occupancy, including six meals. Other departure dates are also available.
SUSAN CATTO
Q&A