JABQ04 said:
I've seen those tours advertised, are they worth it?
I do not know anyone who has been on an Ambrose tour, but I have been on three tours with a company called Valor Tours out of California, and will be going on more of them. Went to Tarawa twice, and France and Belgium once. Despite being in a pretty remote part of the South Pacific on the former, things went off without a single hitch.
The tour guides were excellent (the tour guide for Tarawa was the grandson of Sandy Bonnyman, one of the four Medal of Honor recipients, but think he is through doing the tour guide thing, and the tour guide for the Great War tour was Mike Hanlon, an expert on that war, but now retired. A guy by the name of Mike Grams will be taking over that tour.)
The accommodations in Europe were great (Tarawa is nothing to write home about, but about all you can expect there, is like being in another world and in another time). Tour buses were very nice. Some meals provided, others are on your own. Nice to sit on the bus and see the countryside.
A large part of any history tour is the tour guide and also others on the tour with you. For Tarawa, the group was about 10 people each time. For the Great War tour there were 38 of us.
Valor Tours is run by a girl named Vicky Reynolds-Middagh and she is sweet as can be. Her father started the company, he flew Lancasters during WWII. They are doing a memorial tour for him in 2025. They offer 10 to 15 tours per year.
To me, the tours are worth the cost. Sorry I have no information on Ambrose tours though.