Any advice on touring Europe?

Touring Europe Advice?

• I am a 25 F and I want to plan a trip to Europe. My friends do not have the money and I want to take this trip before I come up with an excuse not to. I have never traveled solo let alone visit a foreign continent all by myself. I have been thinking of taking a tour and would like advice on which tour groups are the best. I want a tour that will skip the cheesy stuff and give me a cultural experience with people my own age. I haven't heard good things about Contiki and Gap Adventures seems a bit pricey for not including anything. For those of you who are going to tell me to be brave and wing it on my own please save your comments. I am pretty nervous traveling alone and want to take a tour to avoid frustrations of being lost, and worries of where I would stay etc.

• Answer:

  You probably won't be able to skip the cheesy stuff if you join one of the major tour groups (trafalgar, contiki). If this is your first trip to Europe, it might be fun to go to the major attractions. When you feel more comfortable traveling in the future, you can hit the off the beaten track things. You can also consider taking a cooking class in Italy. These are package deals that also have day trips as optional excursions.