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10 Day Tour from San Francisco to Los Angeles

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Starting at: $ 4289

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 accommodations,  optional excursions.

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When you hum along to California Dreamin’ on the radio, what wistful wonders come to mind? Giant sequoias in Yosemite National Park? Big reds in Sonoma? Mega stars in Los Angeles? Colossal mansions that dot the entire Pacific coastline? From the City by the Bay to the City of Angels, this ten-day tour of California reveals every heavenly sight that earned the Golden State its name. Yosemite’s Cathedral Spires, 17-Mile Drive’s Lone Cypress, and San Simeon’s Hearst Castle are just a few you’ll want your camera ready for. Between the high energy of Silicon Valley and the high style of Beverly Hills, this encompassing California vacation weaves in plenty of kickback time with visits to a Sonoma vineyard, the quiet Danish village of Solvang, and the tony resort zip codes of Monterey, Carmel, and Santa Barbara. Don’t forget your shades.

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 DESTINATIONS & SIGHTSEEING

Sightseeing:.

Free Wi-Fi available on your motorcoach and in most hotels.

 Meals

 meals & itinerary.

Breakfast daily, 3 dinners

 Itinerary

Inside visits and special features are shown in UPPERCASE in the tour description.

ARRIVE IN SAN FRANCISCO Welcome to San Francisco! At 6 pm, meet your Tour Director and traveling companions for a welcome drink. SAN-FRANCISCO-ALAMO-SQUARE.jpg

With Globus, there’s no better way to get to know your destination than through the eyes of your Tour Director. Averaging over a decade... we’d like you to meet a Tour Director, who is representative of the type of expert that will be with you on your vacation.

RANDY SCHUSTER

Escorting tours for more than 20 years

" Being a Tour Director has afforded me the opportunity to travel more than I would have ever dreamed. During my many years as a Tour Director, I have had the opportunity to lead tours in Australia, New Zealand, Costa Rica, Hawaii, and the Western U.S. I am extremely proud of my home state of California. Come with me on tour and I will show you the unique beauty, ethnic diversity, tempting local cuisine, and, hopefully, help you spot a celebrity or two! "

KEN HARTFORD

Escorting tours for more than 15 years

" The West has been my home since I was born, and its incredible diversity has kept me engaged since my earliest memories. It is a world of iconic places and undiscovered gems waiting to be explored. Experience the bustle of its cities and the serenity of its open spaces, hear the stories of its people, and embrace the wonder of its beauty. No matter who you are or where you come from, there is something about the West that will never leave you. "

SAN FRANCISCO

San francisco marriott marquis, yosemite national park, tenaya lodge at yosemite, hyatt regency monterey, hotel corque, los angeles, westin bonaventure.

The following optional excursions may or may not be offered, and availability is subject to days of operation and seasonality. Please select a departure date to view optional excursions and pricing for a specific date (due to currency fluctuation, pricing shown is subject to change until purchased).

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Northern California By Design – Globus Tours USA Review

Last Updated February 28, 2024 William Tang

You are here: Home » Travel Companies » Northern California By Design – Globus Tours USA Review

If you’ve never been to Northern California, you’re 100% missing out! From the iconic cable cars of San Francisco to the granite cliffs of Yosemite National Park, stories of the Gold Rush in Old Sacramento, crystal clear waters of Lake Tahoe, the mysterious tufa towers of Mono lake, and exquisite varietals in the wine region of Sonoma, this is a trip of a lifetime.

The easiest way to see and do it all without doing any of the hard work of planning is to booking the California Dreamin’: Northern California By Design tour by Globus. In this Globus Tours USA review, learn what it’s like to travel with a company that has 90-plus years of experience through my own eyes and what sets them apart.

The mountains are calling and I must go. – John Muir

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In This Article

Who is Globus?

What is choice touring, why did i choose globus, itinerary map, highlights of the trip, welcome drinks and first meeting, bus experience, sightseeing experience, meal experience, accommodation experience, departure experience, epic landscapes, unexpected surprises, amazing tour director, having choices, stress-free health & safety, travel-minded people, where i thought the tour could be improved, top tips you need to know before your globus tour, is it worth it, closing thoughts, frequently asked questions, northern california by design review.

There’s been a ton of gushing over the beauty of the Golden State through the thorough breakdown 9 day Northern California road trip itinerary . It managed to WOW me at every turn even for someone that’s spent some time in NorCal before.

I will admit that we normally don’t travel by tour for most of our trips but on occasion, we’ll work with a tour bus company if we believe in the product and the company that stands behind it. One that comes into mind was our epic trip doing the New Zealand Reverse Traverse with Flying Kiwi .

Over the years, we’ve learned to never put different forms of travel in a box. There’s a time and place for every style of travel and it just so happened that for the timing of this trip and what I wanted to see and do, the California Dreamin’: Northern California By Design by Globus worked out better than I expected.

Globus is a company that started over 90 years ago by a gentleman named Antonio Mantegazza in Lake Lugano, Switzerland. That kind of legacy and experience in travel has translated to a Globus family of brands that has a footprint all over the world.

While you might’ve heard of Monograms, Avalon Waterways, and Cosmos, Globus is the company’s bread and butter.

With their history, they’ve been able to hone and re-imagine how escorted bus tours look like. They’ve built up one of the best reputations in the business and are geared towards budget-minded travelers. They’re not meant to be overly luxurious but they certainly don’t skimp out on the finer comfort details.

The elephant in the room though is their target audience. I’ll be the first to admit that they’ve traditionally marketed to the 50+ retirees. This is starting to change and with the introduction of ChoiceTouring and how their overall marketing strategy is evolving.

At its core, Globus always makes sure you see the classic sights and make sure you cross off items on your bucket list. They also leverage their industry power and access to get you exclusive access to tours and experiences that you can’t get anywhere else.

Choice Touring is a style of travel recently introduced at Globus.

The idea is simple. We all want to have a bit of freedom when we’re on a trip even with a guided tour. We also all have different interests. With YourChoice Excursions , they’re able to offer a wider range of experiences to cater to a dynamic group that range from something for food lovers and another for off-the-beaten-path adventures.

The key is that Choice Touring allows you to pick from a menu of day-trips that don’t come with an extra cost like a cruise does.

Practically speaking though, from having done the Northern California By Design tour which is a Choice Touring offering, not every day has YourChoice Excursions and sometimes it’s also subject to availability and seasonality.

Let me breakdown a few reasons why I ended up choosing to jump on the Northern California By Design tour , one of the Globus Tours in the USA.

• California forest fires – This year was an unprecedented year of forest fires including in the Northern California region. Not having a good understanding of their impacts and how to plan around them was something I didn’t have a good grasp of.
• Stress of driving – Like we learned in New Zealand , it is really nice now having to worry about driving especially when there are unexpected detours.
• Lazy to plan – While I love planning trips , sometimes you just want someone else to do it.
• Don’t have to worry about reservations – Whether they be reservations at Yosemite National Park or the restaurants that were included with the tour, this wasn’t something I needed to worry about even when joining last minute.
• Meet like-minded travelers – Everything above is about the planning and logistics but the most important and rewarding part of these type of tours is being able to meet new people and create new friendships.

For this Northern California By Design review, we thought it’d be helpful for you to see the entire itinerary in map form.

What were the most memorable experiences from our California Dreamin’: Northern California By Design tour with Globus?

These were the top 5 highlights:

• Giant Sequoias
• Brees Lookout
• Tufa Towers
• Yosemite Valley
• Train History

Back to the top

Book with Globus

Take a closer peek at the Northern California By Design tour by Globus. If you’re thinking about exploring more of the Golden State, we highly recommend this tour.

BOOK YOUR TRIP

How Globus Tours In The USA Work

From my experience with California Dreamin’: Northern California By Design tour, here’s what you can expect if you book any of the Globus tours in the USA.

After you book your trip and close to your departure date, they are stellar with their communication.whisp

• EDocs – You’ll receive an e-mail a PDF document with your tour code and booking reference that contains all of the pertinent pre-trip information you need including contact information, what to do if your flight is delayed, departure information, hotel list, itinerary, excursions, tips on what to pack, etc.
• GlobusGO app – Before you leave, they encourage you to download the GlobusGO app ( iOS / Android ) which allows you to see your trip itinerary through your smartphone. This is a nifty app that works offline, has map functionality to help you find points of interests, day-by-day breakdown of your trip, and ability to keep track of expenses and write your own trip diary.
• Open email communication – You’ll be able to ask all the questions you have through e-mail (or phone if you’d prefer) prior to your trip.

You might think that this is just an informal meeting to say hello to your tour director and other travel mates on the trip but this is actually an integral part of the tour that I’m glad that they do.

Here’s what actually happens at this meeting:

• Sign in – An official sign in process where they pass along any documents and personal notes to you for your trip regarding customizations or any questions you may have had. Lastly, you’ll receive an envelope with additional documents.
• Drinks – The most important part right? This is typically catered by the hotel and there’s a very large selection of beers and wines. Yes, you can come back as many times as you’d like.
• Introductions – Not only will the tour director formally introduce him or herself, everyone in the tour will also have a chance to say a quick line of who they are and when they’re from. I know this sounds a little nerve-racking but it was actually nice to get a big picture of who’s in the group and see who you might get along with.
• Detailed itinerary – In your envelope is a physical printout of the itinerary but unlike the others you’ve seen, this one will include an actual timeline. This is the one you’ll be using forward because it includes times for breakfast, departure, and a guideline for how much time you’ll have at each destination.
• Baggage pick up procedure – Inside your envelope is also your own baggage tag. Your tour director will explain how the pick up procedure works and that you need to have this tag attached to the suitcase that will be at the bottom of the bus.
• Form to confirm requests – The other document in the envelope is a paper form that you will have to fill out to re-confirm room requests (i.e. 1 king vs 2 queen beds), farewell meal choices, departure flight information, special requests, and special occasions. You will fill this out during the meeting and hand it to the tour director at the end.
• Miscellaneous notes – The tour director will talk about expectations on the bus, any changes to the itinerary, and other miscellaneous items.

Expect this orientation meeting to last 1 hour.

Here’s a definitive guide on what to expect from a Globus bus tour.

Let’s start with photos of what a typical coach bus looks like.

Standard bus operation procedures

• Overhead storage – There are overhead bins above each seat.
• Garbage bags – There are small plastic bags at each row that can be used for garbage. There’s also a larger garbage bag up front by the driver.
• Bathroom – The back of the bus has a toilet. It’s for emergency purposes but with the understanding that if you need to use it, you can.
• Outlets and USB – Every row has 2 electrical outlets and 2 USB outlets. This is super handy to make sure your devices are always topped up.
• Wifi – The bus is equipped with wifi but the speed is slow and is location dependent. Think of it as a wifi hotspot device that’s shared between every passenger. To give you an idea, I ran a speed test in San Francisco and I saw 0.19 Mbps down and 0.16 Mbps up. To give you an idea, LTE with Koodo in Canada can be anywhere between 150Mbps – 200 Mbps down and 20 Mbps – 50Mbps up.
• TVs – There are TVs mounted above every 5 rows. That said, I did find it hard to watch the TV if you were the furthest away from the TV. That said, it was only used for the Globus introduction video and a few times the tour director wanted to show us a video that explained for instance, the Donner Party.
• Speakers – The audio quality and volume is evenly distributed throughout the bus and if you can’t hear, you can always let your tour director know.
• Seating rotation – This is perhaps the most interesting. On your first day, seating is first-come-first-serve. Cards are later passed out where you’ll write your name and stick them above you. Every day, the tour director will move the cards 3 rows in a clockwise direction. This way, it’s fair for everyone.
• Seat spacing and features – Standard coach buses are used in Globus tours USA. There are arm rests, seats can recline, there’s a small tray that can be folded down from the seat in front of you, there’s a small hook and handle, and there is also a footrest. Overall, seats are comfortable and quite spacious.
• Shade – If your window is too sunny, you can pull down a sun shade. These aren’t individual row shades though so if you pull them down, it’ll affect 3 rows of seats.
• Buses are not owned by Globus – It’s worth noting that the coaches used are not owned by Globus. As a result, they are labelled with another name depending on where they’re being contracted from.
• Bathroom breaks – Something Globus does remarkably well is build in a ton of bathroom breaks along the itinerary and it was always the tour director’s point of emphasis to mention where they’re located and whether they’re clean or not. Come to think of it, I don’t think I ever felt the urge to go to the bathroom because there was also the right break at the right time.
• Water – An unexpected bonus on the tour was that the bus always had complimentary bottles of water available for everyone. At the very back of the bus is a cooler and anyone is free to go back there to grab a bottle if they need it.

When it comes to making stops during your Northern California By Design tour , because of the type of places you’ll be visiting, you’ll appreciate that you’ll have quite a bit of freedom to explore as you’re interested and capable of doing.

While every stop is a little different, these are a few interesting points to take note of:

• Stories and commentary – The tour director is great at teeing up stories and commentary about upcoming stops.
• Clear communication – Prior to each stop, you’ll also know exactly when you’re expected back at the bus. This is repeated several times. This level of detail isn’t on your itinerary sheet so you’ll want to make note of it.
• Ideas for what to do – Where it makes sense, your driver and tour director will do an orientation drive around the area you’ll be exploring, pointing out recommended places (i.e. shops, viewpoints, and restaurants).
• Guided – Typically in a city walk such as in Old Sacramento, your tour director will take the entire group out. In these situations, they will hand out wireless “Whisper” headsets. This allows you to hear the guide’s commentary no matter how far or close you are.
• Free to explore – In most cases, your tour director will give you a few ideas of where to go before disembarking your bus. Once on the ground, you’ll have the freedom to go wherever you want.

For the Northern California By Design Globus tour, all breakfasts, 2 dinners and 1 lunch are included. This means that for everything else, you’ll be responsible for your own meals.

When it comes to lunch, there will be spots built into the trip and they do a fantastic job and recommended places to eat.

For dinner, this is a similar story. Keep in mind that one of the dinners included is the farewell dinner on the last evening.

Something that Globus tours are great at is choosing stellar hotels. There’s not one bad thing I can say for each of the properties that you’ll stay at in the Northern California By Design trip.

Upon arrival in a new destination, the check-in process works similarly as follows:

• Passengers stay on the bus while the tour director goes to the front desk to check-in.
• Tour director comes back on the bus and hands out room keys.
• You have the option of picking up your own bags to bring to your room if you need them right away or you can wait to have them delivered to your room (can take up to 30-40 minutes).

These are the properties (this may be subject to change):

• Marriott Marquis San Francisco
• Embassy Suites Sacramento Riverfront Promenade
• Mammoth Mountain Inn
• Tenaya Lodge

On days where you’ll be changing hotels, you’ll leave your suitcase with the special Globus tag by your door, inside the room, at the time specified on your itinerary (the paper one received at the welcome meeting). The hotel concierge will pick them up and load them onto the bus for you.

This is an incredibly handy service since you don’t have to carry your heavy suitcases. That said, you do have to make sure you have everything packed ahead of time.

More specifically, let’s talk about what the final day of the Northern California By Design tour is like. The day prior, the tour director will confirm your travel plans as some may decide to stay in San Francisco longer.

You’ll also be asked to write on your luggage tag, the airline you’re taking. This will help your driver sort out the order of how the bags can be pulled out.

Upon arrival at SFO, the bus will go from terminal to terminal. At this point, all of your farewells should have been made on the bus and the night before because once you’re off the bus, you’ll want to head to the check-in counter quickly and the bus will move onto the next terminal.

How Did I The Like Northern California By Design Tour?

The 9 days of the Northern California road trip itinerary were exactly what I needed. I got to explore new landscapes, take incredible photos, try new food, and meet amazing travellers.

There is a lot to like about Northern California By Design Globus tour which I’ll break down below.

The photos from the tour itinerary breakdown give you a glimpse of the type of scenery we encountered during our 9 days.

Any of the superlatives I could use wouldn’t be able to do it justice but I’ll say that this Globus tour in the USA delivered in spades when it came to landscapes.

While places like Yosemite and Lake Tahoe are well-advertised, I learned to not underestimate any of the other stops along the journey.

In fact, if I were to plan this trip on my own, I definitely wouldn’t have stopped in Sacramento, I might’ve picked Napa over Sonoma, driven the wrong way around Lake Tahoe, and might’ve skipped Mammoth Lakes entirely.

By travelling with Globus, you’re taking advantage of years of experience and fine-tuning. They know the best way to put together a 9 day Northern California trip.

Of everything, I was the most impressed and surprised with Sacramento and Old Sacramento specifically. From the world-class California State Railroad Museum, and historic architecture, it was a step back in time that I did not expect.

With Globus tours USA and the rest of the world, the tour director is the backbone of the trip. In many cases, this is an element of a guided tour that can make or break the experience. Our guide was Derek Lundgren, an expert in the region of more than 10 years and he was absolutely amazing. He was compassionate, a clear communicator, highly knowledgeable, and a great storyteller.

There were a few key moments that really stood out to me for what sets Globus guides apart:

• Bus temperature – Derek asked throughout the trip, whether we were comfortable with the temperature on the bus.
• Daily breakdown – At the start of every day, you’ll hear a detailed walkthrough of what the day will look like.
• Easy to digest facts and stories – For bus tours, it’s often easy to get overloaded but Derek had the ability to break down complicated concepts through great analogies and simple terms.
• Attention to the details – Whether it’s Derek double-checking headcount and that all luggage is onboard, letting everyone know whether there’s cell signal in an area or not, or letting us know which bathrooms are good and which ones aren’t, it truly felt like the Globus tour director was able to answer a lot of our questions before we would even think of them.
• Always reachable – On the printed out itinerary is the tour director’s cell phone number so you can contact him at anytime. That’s not something I’ve really seen before.
• Music for long stretches – During those long drives, Derek put on what he jokingly called “Globus Radio” which was a mix of some classics but it was quiet and non-intrusive.

Choice Touring was one of the key features of this itinerary and for the most part, I liked all the picks I made. From the railroad-centric activities in Sacramento to the Ansel Adams photography tour, I got to do what I wanted instead of something that didn’t quite suit my travel style.

Unique to our trip was the fact that 1) the California forest fires were still raging and 2) COVID-19 was still making a big impact on local businesses and parks. These both had real impacts to the trip but I was very impressed with how Globus and the tour director was able to adapt.

Here are a few examples:

• Folsom Prison Museum – As one of the Sacramento choices, this was unfortunately closed. With undoubtedly some folks disappointed, Derek did his best to make up for it by including the Johnny Cash mural in our tour of the city, something that isn’t normally a stop.
• Kayaking Mono Lake & Panorama Gondola – The local kayaking operator wasn’t running and neither was the gondola. You could say we didn’t have much of choice as Bodie State Historic Park was the only one left but Globus managed to turn that into a positive by upgrading our boxed-lunch to having dinner at Nicely’s Restaurant, and also including a stop at Mono Lake. In the end, we got to do more than if the original plan was followed.
• Yosemite Tram Tour – The National Park Service closed all trams which was a bummer but to make up for it, Derek and our driver replicated all of the stops the tram with our bus so in the end, we all got to do it.
• Forest fires – This was primarily luck but while there were forest fires blazing in parts of Northern California, we were never significantly impacted by them. At most, smoke descended into Yosemite Valley on our last day.
• Alternative to Mariposa – I didn’t manage to mention this in the 9 day NorCal road trip itinerary but our tour director arranged a bonus trip to Tuolumne Grove of Giant Sequoias on the third day in Yosemite. I wasn’t able to take advantage of this because we had organized our private tour but I loved that Globus was constantly looking at ways to increase the value of the trip despite elements that were out of their control.

Beyond the official choices, I appreciated that the Northern California By Design tour wasn’t jammed with activities. Don’t get me wrong, we did and saw a ton but it was never overly exhausting. There was a nice pace and flow and in addition, there were key moments of free time that opened the doors to new and unexpected possibilities.

• Brees Lookout – This wasn’t on the itinerary but was added added because of a last-minute discovery on Instagram. We asked Derek and the hotel staff at Mammoth Mountain Inn about how to get there and we managed to book a cab (albeit very expensive) to fit it in before the bus departed for Bodie.
• Minaret Vista – Stay at Mammoth Mountain Inn gave us an opportunity to do the hike from the lodge to a viewpoint known as Minaret Vista. It wasn’t officially on the itinerary but our tour director pointed it out and for those that were able and interested, we hiked there to see the sunset.
• Private Tour of Yosemite – The third day in Yosemite was meant to be a free day to relax at Tenaya Lodge. A few of us in the group were more interested in seeing more of the national park and so we were able to arrange a separate day tour on our own.

9 Day Northern California Road Trip Itinerary

Make sure to read the full breakdown of what we saw, did, ate, and where we stayed with this comprehensive guide.

It’s worth noting that this was also my first international trip since I was coming from Canada so beyond an incredible trip, I got first-hand experience in how travel works today.

As a Canadian, I had a unique perspective of this trip because this was also my first time leaving the country since the pandemic. With that, I learned quite a bit through the process and ultimately why I felt like I made the right choice going with Globus.

• Departure testing – This part was all on me. I had to figure out what kind of test I needed to enter the US and to make sure I had all of that paperwork ready to show when flying.
• Globus takes care all of the details in-destination – Once you land in the US, Globus had all of the details covered. Primarily, I didn’t know where I could get testing before flying back home but they had that all sorted out by figuring out that SFO has rapid PCR tests at the airport. They booked an appointment for me and it went off without a hitch. In the event of a positive test result, they also had contingencies communicated to me.
• Masks on buses were enforced – I’ll admit that this wasn’t initially comfortable but I got used to it and it gave me the peace of mind that we were playing it safe in indoor environments.
• Bus always clean – Our driver, Ron, made sure the bus was clean everyday and it helped to know that he was wiping things down with sanitizer as well.
• Trust and comfort – More of a psychological factor, this trip helped me be more comfortable travelling again, feeling normal to be around people again, having that experience with fellow travelers, and being confident about the safety protocols.

Beyond the epic sights, yummy foods, and fun experiences, what sticks out in my mind are the connections I made with my fellow travel mates on the Northern California By Design tour .

I’m not going to lie, the demographic of the passengers for Globus certainly skews a little older and while I thought that would take away from the experience, I turned out to be completely wrong.

I gained newfound perspective in spending time with the older travelers because I got to learn their story, laugh at their jokes, and their unending passion for travel. Their ageless energy and spirit lifted me and I’d like to think that I also provided a new kind of energy to them that they might not have expected.

On the other end of the spectrum, we had a dynamic group of travelers that swung to the other side of the demographic.

It was our diverse group that enhanced the entire trip experience. All of us got along incredibly well. We helped each other with photos, swapped travel stories, and enjoyed each others company.

It’s these personal connections that always make travel the most memorable and special.

No trip is perfect and this wouldn’t be a complete Northern California by Design review unless I spoke on the other side of the coin.

Here are a couple of things that I thought could be done better:

• Better wifi – I know Globus doesn’t have as much control of this since they contract local buses but talk about a way more delightful experience if we had blazing fast connections on the bus.
• Even more choices – I’d love to see Choice Touring taken to the next level with even more options to cater to more interests and range of physical activity.
• River Fox Train – I would have preferred a more authentic steam/diesel locomotive ride along the Sacramento River . While River Fox Train was an ok Happy Hour ride, I didn’t find it particularly scenic.
• Yosemite with a large bus – With a large coach bus, you’re not able to drive up to Glacier Point. I would have loved to have seen one of the Choice Touring offerings to be a sightseeing tour around the national park in a smaller van for those that are interested.
• Photography-centric – I’m biased here but I was often times thinking about how I could potentially shoot a sunrise or sunset. While this is tricky to do with a tight schedule on a tour bus, I also would have loved to have seen more options for photography lovers. That said, the Ansel Adams photography workshop was fantastic.

If you’ve read our other travel itineraries , you’ll know that the value of our guides is that we try to go beyond the surface. The big advantage of this Northern California By Design tour review is that having done it in person, I’m able to go a little deeper.

These are 11 tips that you need to read before you go on your Globus tours in the USA.

Tip #1:  What should you pack?

Packing is highly personal and so I’m not going to list an entire packing list but there are a couple of things you should remember to pack for a Globus tour.

• Carabiner – This is the least obvious but since the seat in front of you typically has a handle or something you can loop around (in our case, the tray’s cup holder hole), a carabiner is great to hang water bottles, bags, and accessory pouches like the Peak Design tech pouch .
• Layers – If mountains are involved and/or you’re travelling outside of summer, you’ll want to make sure you always have a jacket or extra layers with you. The bus could also be a bit colder than you’d like.

Tip #2:  Stay charged

Most of us carry a smartphone with us while we travel and with how much we use it, whether for photography, watching a video, browsing, or checking e-mails, the battery drains incredibly fast.

Thankfully, Globus buses are equipped with USB and electrical outlets to make your life a lot easier.

While each bus is different, our particular bus had 2 electrical and 2 USB outlets per row. This is way more than you need.

For simplicity, I recommend you bring a USB cable to charge your phone. If you’re looking for quicker charging, you can also bring a charging block.

If you have other devices that need charging along the way such as a wifi hotspot or camera batteries, you can easily do that on the bus with all of the outlets available.

Something I notice was that since the bus did not have a front pocket, it was really handy to be able to loop the charging cable through the carabiner and then stuff my phone into the Tech Pouch . This helped keep things nice and tidy.

Tip #3:  Keep your bags organized on the bus

One of the biggest learning curves of being on a bus is that you need to have a strategy for where you keep your things and how you stay organized at your seat.

Under the bus

When you’re transitioning hotels, your suitcase will be at the bottom of the bus. What you need to know is that any of your belongings under the bus are more-or-less inaccessible.

In theory, you could ask the driver to open up the bottom compartment to access your bags but it’s inconvenient and you also don’t know if your suitcase is easy to get to or not.

At your seat

While on the bus, you want to make sure you have quick access to all of your comfort items that you need. Here are my thoughts on the optimal set up.

Overhead – This should be reserved for large items that you can’t fit by your seat but need in case. This could be a large jacket or perhaps souvenirs you bought during the day. These items are hard to get to while the bus in motion.

Your seat – There often isn’t much room on the seat itself. If you’re sitting by the window, you could slot in something small like a water bottle or a few snacks. If you’re lucky and you have the whole row to yourself, you could put your backpack in the seat next to you.

In front of you – This is the under utilized space that you can take advantage of. In some buses there may be a tray you can pull down, some may have a handle and others might have a pocket. Since it’s inconvenient to have the tray down the whole time, I learned through our New Zealand bus trip that it’s incredibly handy to have carabiners hooked in to hang onto additional pouches, bags, and water bottles. The Peak Design Tech Pouch is super handy in this situation with all of its pockets to hold things like charging cables, charging blocks, headphones, and even snacks but a reusable bag works as well.

At your feet – Depending on whether you’re comfortable with this because of cleanliness or closing off of leg room, you can put your backpack here as well.

How to organize your bags

Even more important is to have a good strategy for your “bus things” and “explore things”. The ideal configuration is to have a day bag and a bus bag. To start, the bus bag fits into your day bag so you can bring it all in at once but once you’re on the bus, you can unpack it into its two parts.

For example, your day bag could be a backpack and your bus bag could be one of those reusable grocery bags. When making quick stops, you don’t want to lug everything on your back so you transfer those extra things to the grocery bag. There are different ways to do this but have something modular so at the end of the day you can stuff that smaller bus bag into your day bag.

I personally use the Travel Backpack as the bus bag because of all of the camera gear I travel with and the Everyday Sling is the smaller bag I use as my day bag.

Sound like overkill? Maybe just a little but trust me, I learned the hard way that having a good system on the bus will make everything way easier.

Tip #4:  Faster data connection

While there is free wifi available on the bus, it’s unfortunately not very fast. If you want to make sure you have a good connection, you have two options:

• SIM card – If you’re from the US, this is a given. If you’re visiting, I recommend T-Mobile’s prepaid sim cards where $40 gets you 10GB of data (there’s a $10 activation fee).
• Wifi hotspot – As a visitor the USA, it might make more sense to get a wifi hotspot such as the Solis (formerly Skyroam) or Pokefi . The benefit here is that you’ll be able to share the connection with multiple people and it’s a device you’ll be able to use for future trips whereas SIM cards are more-or-less disposable.

For those that are interested in Pokefi , this is what I personally used on the Northern California By Design trip . In testing the speeds, I tested 18 Mbps download and 6.05 Mbps upload which was significantly faster than the wifi’s 0.19 Mbps down and 0.16 Mbps up .

While there are certainly speed differences between the options, one thing you can’t control is cellular signal strength and the terrain. This means that when you’re in Yosemite National Park and the signal drops to 0 bars, all of your devices including wifi, your SIM card, and wifi hotspot will stop working.

The good news is that all hotels chosen by Globus have free wifi so you’ll be able to catch up every evening.

Tip #5:  Do a little planning ahead of time

As much as the Globus tour will have everything planned and laid out for you, there are a few instances where it doesn’t hurt to do a little of your own homework in order to maximize your trip.

You’ll be selecting your Choice Touring excursions but what about some of the other free time you might have?

Being prepared for the day

• Camera gear – Do you need a GoPro? What mounts do you need?  How many extra batteries or memory cards?
• Extra clothing – Depending on the activity for the day, do you need extra layers?  Is it going to rain?

Restaurants

With the lunches and dinners on your own, you could easily decide where you want to eat when you’re there but if you want to make sure you eat at the best restaurants, do your research ahead of time on TripAdvisor or Yelp.

Yosemite planning

There’s a good amount of free time in the Yosemite Valley. Your tour director will have a ton of great suggestions for where to go or you could follow what I did in Yosemite .

However, if there’s something in your research where you’d really like to go see, a trail you’d like to do, or specific photo you’d like to take, research will serve you well.

Lastly, if you’re keen on hiking Half Dome, you will need to secure permits on your own or book a guided tour ahead of time. What you need to know is that the you need to grab those permits in March or take a gamble on daily lotteries (good for 2 days prior to the hiking date). That is why you may have better luck booking a tour which you can do on the free day in Yosemite.

Tip #6:  Useful apps to download

Before you head out on your trip, there are a few apps you should consider downloading:

• Globus GO – This is the Globus app where all of your trip information is stored digitally.
• NPS App – This is the National Park Service app which you’ll be able to use in Yosemite including maps, points of interests, and trails. It also has an offline feature!
• Gaia GPS – If you’re looking to do any hiking, Gaia GPS Premium (1 year free trial included) gives you fully detailed trail maps.

Tip #7:  Pack snacks

There are several long stretches of driving on this Globus USA tours. Your tour director will normally point those days out so if you’d like something to nibble on, pack some snacks from home to save money or you can purchase them on your own time.

Tip #8:  Drones

Thinking about bringing a drone on this trip? California doesn’t require specific licensing to fly a drone as a hobbyist and your drone weighs less than 0.55 lbs (250 grams). If it is, you’ll need to pay $5 to get it registered .

As a recreational flyer , there are many rules you need to abide by so make sure you’re familiar with them.

When it comes to the destinations visited on Northern California By Design , the areas you absolutely can’t fly are:

• Yosemite National Park
• Bodie State Historic Park
• Lake Tahoe Nevada State Park
• South Lake Tahoe (near airport)

As a result, you’ll be somewhat limited in where you can fly, especially on the back half of the tour.

Tip #9: What about tipping?

We’ve gone so far without talking about tipping but it’s always one of those awkward things that’s never clear.

The good news is that Globus tells you upfront that all gratuities are included for all tour experiences where there’s a third-party party vendor including the YourChoice Excursions.

That said, gratuities to your tour director and driver aren’t included in the tour price. Globus recommends in the document that they provide is $5 to $7 USD per day per tour member for the driver and the same for your tour director.

To pay the gratuities, your tour director on the last day will offer envelopes for those that want them and you can hand them back to your tour director before you depart.

Lastly, for any of the restaurants and activities outside of the tour itinerary, you’re responsible for your own tipping (15-25%).

Tip #10: Start on the right side of the bus

Based on the timing of the scenery of the tour I would recommend that you should try to get a seat near the middle of the right side of the bus.

Since you’ll be driving into Yosemite National Park from Tioga Pass, most of the action is on the left side of the bus. With the seat rotation system, you’ll want to be on the left side by the end of the tour.

Tip #11: Don’t forget your hotel status

When checking into the Marriott Marquis San Francisco make sure to get them to add your Marriott Bonvoy points to your reservation. The thing is, you won’t get any points from the stay but your status benefits may apply if you have any.

The Northern California by Design tour also has a stay at the Embassy Suites Sacramento Riverfront Promenade . Thankfully, Hilton does recognize membership for base points, bonus points, and stays. If you have Hilton Honors Gold, you’ll be eligible for water and snacks.

After all is said and done though, is it worth it?

The current price of this tour starts at $3,089 USD per person (based on double occupancy). When you consider that this is 8 nights of hotels, all breakfasts, 1 lunch, 2 dinners, and 3 Choice Touring excursions, this certainly isn’t bargain bin cheap, but is in line with guided tours of this calibre.

If you’ve never been to Northern California and you’re looking to see the best highlights without doing any work (planning, booking, driving, and guiding), this will open your eyes to how incredible this region is.

Going with Globus also guarantees a level of gold-standard when it comes to the quality of the itinerary, tour director, customer service, and itinerary planning that is hard to beat.

So yes, if you’re interested in a guided bus experience and want to see NorCal, the Northern California By Design tour by Globus is a great choice.

With this Northern California By Design review , hopefully we’ve been able to provide a thorough breakdown of everything you need to know before you book and also before you embark on your trip.

The bottom line is that I enjoyed this tour very much. The sights were incredible, I made new friends, was surprised by a number of destinations, but above all else loved how carefree I could be with Globus because they had everything taken care of.

If you have specific questions about this Globus tour, feel free to leave a comment below or contact us !

Go California Dreamin’

See the best that Northern California has to offer with this Globus USA tour.

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA BY DESIGN

Northern California By Design is great all year round when it is operating. That said, spring is a fantastic time to visit the region because of the spring bloom and flowing waterfalls. By the time fall comes around, most of the waterfalls have dried up. Summer is a great season as well although San Francisco tends to be much cooler than you’d expect.

Yes, the Globus tour, Northern California By Design, is an an excellent way to see many of the highlights. They are a reputable company that knows how to run escorted tours the right way with their customer service, experience, and superb tour directors.

Tips for the tour director and bus driver are not included. However, gratuities for the included experiences and meals are included

Choice Touring is a new style of travel for Globus that touts additional freedom by providing a number of options for travellers to choose from. These are known as YourChoice Excursions. This allows you to tailor your tour to your own interests and passions.

What you should read next

• Epic 9 Day Northern California Road Trip Itinerary – Yosemite, Mammoth Lakes, and Lake Tahoe
• Where to Stay in Yosemite National Park
• Utah and Arizona 10 Day Itinerary – A Photographer’s Dream
• A Few of My Favourite Spots in California
• The Best California Destinations Along the Pacific Ocean

This article was brought to you as a result of the Globus trip, a project between Monograms and iambassador but all opinions on Going Awesome Places are our own.

About William Tang

William Tang is the Chief of Awesome behind the award-winning Going Awesome Places which is focused on outdoor adventure, and experiential travel. His true passion lies in telling stories, inspiring photography and videos, and writing detailed itineraries and travel guides. He is a member of Travel Media Association of Canada (TMAC), Society of American Travel Writers (SATW), Adventure Travel Trade Association (ATTA), and Travel Massive. He has also been featured in publications such as Reader's Digest, Entrepreneur, Men's Journal, and Haute Living. Make sure to learn more about William Tang to find out his story and how Going Awesome Places started.

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Tour Review: Globus’ Golden State of Mind California

More activity choices and deeper dives into destinations sets this california tour apart..

Globus Debuts New Independent Touring Option

• I went on Globus’ Northern California tour that includes stops in San Francisco, Sonoma, Sacramento, Lake Tahoe, and Yosemite.
• Though the tour covers a lot of ground, it offers great activities in each major stop and the chance to choose your own guided activities with Globus’ YourChoice Excursions.

Globus’ Golden State of Mind: Northern California by Design tour mixes history, culture and nature for a busy trip that will appeal to many different types of travelers. Starting in San Francisco, this California tour makes stops in Sausalito, Wine Country, the Lake Tahoe area, and a surprisingly vibrant Sacramento before ending with a bang at Yosemite. Along the way, there’s time to find out about the Gold Rush and the Pony Express. Three nights near Yosemite National Park means there’s time to soak up the wonders and wilderness of the land that has inspired humans for thousands of years.

THE SCOOP: What to Know About Globus Before You Book

This Globus California tour is a Choice Touring by Globus itineraries. More than a dozen Choice Touring itineraries in North America and Europe are designed to offer travelers more choices along the way, with both guided sightseeing of the biggest sights and YourChoice Excursions, curated experiences that you can choose from along the way. All of the YourChoice Excursions are built into the price of the tour.

Things to Know About Globus’ Golden State of Mind California Tour

• Globus’ first “Choice Touring” offering in the U.S. gives travelers options along the way. That means, for instance, that you can sail Lake Tahoe while your travel companion opts for a scenic gondola right. Three of the days on this itinerary include activity options, so you can mix and match, together or apart, to best satisfy everyone, including the person who craves an afternoon nap.
• All breakfasts (8) are included (at the hotels), plus two dinners. The format makes it easy to connect with fellow travelers early to share some of the meals that are not included. On my trip, some solo travelers occasionally dined alone for the evening meal, but the convivial group was more fun when gathering together. The tour guide always pointed out restaurants with a variety of price points.
• This tour suits older adults who are curious and eager to travel, but would rather have someone else arrange the details. From the moment you connect with your tour director, you no longer have to handle your luggage, or deal with almost any other arrangements. Also, having a tour director in charge means any unexpected snafus, which you can expect on any trip, are handled by someone else.
• On my tour, most of the group were couples, retirees with an urge to travel. A handful were solo travelers who melded easily with the friendly group. Two couples were extended family—a brother and sister and their spouses—and the tour seemed especially suited for that kind of group. Keeping four people happy is easy when there are options on activities.

BEST OF THE BEST: Best Tour Companies for Guided Tours

• The best hotel of the trip is at Yosemite, the Tenaya Lodge at Yosemite, with a heated pool, spa and on-site nature trails. There’s just one restaurant, but all the food was good (sometimes great) and the prices were fair, with lighter options for those who don’t need three square a day.
• Being a bus passenger has its downsides, but the big plus is that you don’t have to drive. It’s a joy to watch the scenery glide by without worrying about finding your way on unfamiliar roads. This is especially true on this tour with its many zig-zagging mountain roads.
• The location of the Embassy Suites in Sacramento makes it ideal for a tour group. It was easy to head out on foot to a variety of Sacramento attractions, and it’s close to the city’s old town and its vibrant appeal.
• For many, Yosemite will be the highlight and it’s at the end of the tour. That could be a drawback, but instead it keeps the excitement high for the duration.

SOLO TRAVEL TOGETHER: 10 Best Tour Companies for Solo Travel

Important Details About Globus’ Golden State of Mind California Tour

For most travelers, the Yosemite National Park stop at the end of the trip will be the big draw. The tour begins in San Francisco, and Day 2 is a a full day of sightseeing in and near the City by the Bay. This is one of the Choice Touring Days; you can choose to go on a food tour in North Beach, head across the Golden Gate Bridge to Muir Woods, or go to Golden Gate Park and visit the Academy of Sciences.

On Day 3, it’s time to hop the bus and head toward Sacramento, with a stop in Sonoma for a wine tasting at a winery as well as a lunch stop in downtown Sonoma. Sacramento, California’s capital city, is a surprisingly vibrant destination, and the overnight here includes a sightseeing tour and a group dinner.

TOURS FOR SENIORS: 8 Best Companies for Senior Tours

Next up is two nights in Lake Tahoe, where the YourChoice excursions include a Lake Tahoe cruise, a trip to historical Virginia City, or a trip up Heavenly ski resort’s year-round gondola for some incredible views.

Then, it’s on to the three nights in Yosemite with plenty of time to experience this natural wonderland. The time in and around the national park starts with a general tour, and is followed on Day 7 with YourChoice Excursions options including a two-hour tram tour of the Yosemite Valley, a naturalist-led walk, or a private guided photography tour.

Route Notes

Sometimes on this tour, the bus rides are longer than you might like. But part of the reason for that is you are traversing mountain roads into wilderness areas at Yosemite. There are frequent “comfort” stops along the way, but a bathroom at the back of the bus is available as well. Globus utilizes a rotating bus seat assignment plan that means no one can hog the front seats and no one is continually stuck in the back. Chatting with an ever-changing group of nearby seat mates is a great way to get to know everyone on the trip.

Breakfasts were different at each stop, but the food was always plentiful, and buffets were the most common option.

Lunches are mostly not included in the package, but this works well because you are often en route from one place to another. Sometimes you’re picking up a sandwich or something light.

With just two dinners included, many of your evening meals will be on your own. What this means is that your tour director will provide suggestions on places for you to try out that are usually within walking distance of your hotel. The benefit of the group dinners is that you don’t have to make any plans, or spend any extra money. The disadvantage is that you’re dining with a group of 30-plus folks.

CULINARY ADVENTURES: Best Tour Companies for Culinary Tours

Amenities Along the Way

Most of the hotels along the way had pools and similar amenities, but there wasn’t much free time to use them until the last stop at Tenaya Lodge. Here are a few amenities that stand out.

The nightly happy hour at the Embassy Suites hotel in Sacramento served us well. Arriving in time for happy hour meant we could exit the bus and head to the lounge for free drinks while our luggage was sorted. Sounds like a small thing, but it was a pleasant and unexpected way to end the day of bus travel.

At Tenaya Lodge at Yosemite, we spent three nights, so there was time to take advantage of some of the hotel amenities even while getting in lots of time at the National Park. The main pool is heated and has underwater speakers if you’re keen to listen to jazz while swimming. The spa and fitness room are top notch, with excellent massages, though the prices are typical of hotel spas: high. Bikes and short guided nature hikes at the hotel are also great ways to spend some down time. An outdoor fire pit is a fine place to savor some after-dinner s’mores.

Hotels Ratings

San Francisco: The San Francisco Marriott Marquis gets a rating of 8.3 out of 10 on Kayak , 4 out of 5 on Tripadvisor , and 8.5 out of 10 on Booking.com . The rooms are pleasant and clean, the location is central, and I loved the rooftop bar.

Sacramento: Embassy Suites by Hilton Sacramento Riverfront Promenade receives a rating 8.4 out of 10 on Kayak and of 4 out of 5 on Tripadvisor . I appreciated the location close to Old Town Sacramento and the happy hour.

Lake Tahoe: The Lake Tahoe Resort Hotel gets a rating of 7.2 out of 10 on Kayak and 3.5 out of 5 on Tripadvisor . The hotel has a central location in downtown South Lake Tahoe.

Yosemite: Tenaya Lodge at Yosemite, situated just beyond the park’s south entrance in the town of Fish Camp, is rated 8.4 out of 10 on Kayak and 4 out of 5 on Tripadvisor . This is the longest stay of the trip, and Tenaya has nice amenities like its pools, though there aren’t a ton of restaurant options nearby.

Best for/Worst for

This tour suits older adults who are excited to travel, but don’t want to drive and would rather not arrange all the details. It’s especially good for groups of couples or other relatives since the choice option suits many different kinds of travelers, including people who are used to traveling independently.

With a lot of travel time, this tour isn’t a great fit for families with young children.

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U.S. National Parks Tours

• An Insider's Journey into Yosemite

Trip Highlights

A Richer Encounter with Yosemite

Stay in Coveted Park Lodgings

Sunrise Canoeing in the Eastern Sierra

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How You See Yosemite Makes a Big Difference

• Don't Go It on Your Own—Let Us Take the Hassle Out! When you travel independently, you spend a lot of time researching, planning, asking questions, competing for reservations, or driving around trying to figure out where to go and what to do. As a result, you lose precious time and miss the special spots known only to locals. We’ve taken out the legwork and guesswork: because we’ve already researched everything, and we coordinate essential reservations far in advance, you'll experience much more than most people can accomplish on their own.
• Travel in a Very Small Group Now more than ever, you’ll find advantages in our intimate group size. While we cap our groups at 14, we further divide them into two smaller groups of no more than seven guests per vehicle, each with its own Expedition Leader. You won’t find a better guide-to-guest ratio!
• Immerse Yourself in a Full Week of Exploration  Most visitors to Yosemite pass through for a night or two. In contrast, our adventure gives you a deep dive into the park—we include a whole host of features that showcase Yosemite’s diversity and grandeur, because we know you don’t want to miss a single highlight.
• Meet Local Experts While our Nat Hab Expedition Leader is an expert in his or her own right, you'll also gain in-depth knowledge from special visits we have arranged with local experts, including a fire ecologist, a speaker from the Yosemite Conservancy, and significant Yosemite climbers.
• Spend Three Nights Inside the Park at The Ahwahnee The Ahwahnee Hotel is one of those iconic national park lodges where everyone covets a stay but few are lucky enough to land one. With us, you’ll get three nights in this matchless spot! Located on the valley floor in view of landmarks like Half Dome and Yosemite Falls, The Ahwahnee is an exemplar of national park rustic style, as grand now as when it opened in 1927. Staying inside the park means we have access to highlights in the early morning and late into the evening, allowing us to enjoy special sights after crowds have left.
• Travel Tioga Road Over Two Days Famous Tioga Road, one of the highest drives in California, offers access to Yosemite's high alpine terrain, including Tuolumne Meadows. Our itinerary travels both east and west on this classic route, giving us varied vantage points and time to stop at more of the highlights along the way than a typical one-way, one-day traverse.
• Visit the Eastern Sierra & Stay at Mono Lake Most Yosemite trips don’t include a visit to the east side of the range. But we take you all the way to Mono Lake, and we spend the night so you can enjoy the lake at its most magical hours, sunset and sunrise, when the light is optimal for photography.
• Private Canoe Trip on Mono Lake Mono Lake is an alkaline environment with no natural outlet, fostering the formation of whimsical limestone pinnacles called tufa. On a private morning canoeing excursion when temperatures are cooler, observe these fascinating phenomena up close as you enjoy the early morning quiet amid the abundant birdlife.
• Expert Naturalist Guides Add Immeasurably to Your Experience Our Expedition Leaders are professional naturalists who know the Sierras like few others. With in-depth knowledge of Yosemite, they know where and when to be to maximize your experience of nature over crowds. They also have their own "secret" spots to share, which are off the most heavily touristed tracks. And they are intimately familiar with Yosemite's geology, flora, wildlife and history, enriching your experience in myriad ways. We can't emphasize enough how much difference their expertise makes to your overall experience. See Expedition Leader bios with traveler comments regarding the quality of our leaders.
• Our Quality-Value Guarantee Ensures Your Yosemite Adventure With Natural Habitat Adventures, you receive our exclusive guarantee, stating clearly that we will meet the lofty expectations we set forth in our promotional materials. We think this is the most ambitious guarantee made by any adventure travel company. Read our important promise .
• Feel Good About Your Carbon-Neutral Journey We care deeply about our planet, as we know you do. When you travel with us, the carbon emissions from your trip are 100% offset—including your round-trip flights from home. Natural Habitat Adventures has been the world’s first carbon-neutral travel company since 2007.

Read what travelers are saying about An Insider's Journey into Yosemite:

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Experience a world beyond your expectations. Choose from our award-winning vacations on virtually every continent with local favorites and off-the-beaten-path experiences only Globus can share.

We know why you travel. You’d rather have an extra day exploring than a fancy chocolate on your pillow at night. Enjoy hand-selected inclusions and world-class experiences for value-minded travel lovers like you.

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Indoor Pool Closure, Lodge Room Remodel, and 2024 Yosemite Reservation System Information

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Welcome to our Yosemite 360 Tours, where adventure and natural beauty converge to offer you an unforgettable experience in one of the most iconic national parks in the world. Immerse yourself in the awe-inspiring landscapes of Yosemite as we proudly present our curated selection of Yosemite 360 Tours.

Whether you’re a nature enthusiast, a photography aficionado, or simply seeking to explore the wonders of this pristine wilderness, our diverse range of tours is designed to cater to every interest and preference. From guided hikes that unveil hidden gems to captivating expeditions that capture the park’s grandeur, each tour is expertly crafted to provide you with a comprehensive and immersive journey through Yosemite’s breathtaking vistas, towering sequoias, and cascading waterfalls.

Join us on one of our meticulously planned tours and embark on an adventure that promises to be both educational and awe-inspiring. Your Yosemite experience of a lifetime awaits – explore our tour offerings and secure your spot today!

Yosemite Summer Tour

The incomparable valley  

When most people think of Yosemite, they think of Yosemite Valley. This tour introduces you to the famous valley, including Half Dome, El Capitan, Bridalveil Fall, Yosemite Fall (in season), Tunnel View, and Glacier Point (in season). A trail lunch is included in these tours.

Private Bus Tours

Yosemite at your own pace 

Explore Yosemite at your own pace on a variety of popular trails with these fully customizable private bus tours. A trail lunch is included in these tours.

Yosemite Winter Tours

See Yosemite in the winter

Our Winter Yosemite Valley tour includes some of the most famous features of Yosemite: Wawona’s Pioneer History Center, Yosemite Valley including Tunnel View, Bridalveil Fall, Half Dome, Yosemite Falls and Valley View. On this Yosemite park tour, you will have time to explore Yosemite Valley on your own feet and using the free shuttles.

Lisbon & Northern Spain

Barcelona, Bilbao, Lisbon, Oporto, Oviedo, Pamplona, Porto, San Sebastian

• Lisbon : Welcome dinner; guided sightseeing, visit the Alfama quarter and Jeronimos MonasteryFÁTIMA
• Porto : Guided sightseeing, visit the Arabian Hall in the Stock Exchange; Port wine tasting at Sandeman & Co.
• Vigo : Walking tour
• La toja island: Enjoy a coffee and the spectacular view at the Gran Hotel La Toja and admire the shell-covered church
• Santiago de compostela: Dinner with wine at a local restaurant; guided sightseeing, visit the cathedral

50 plus, Cultural

The Sicilian

Agrigento, Catania, Mount Etna, Palermo, Sicily, Syracuse

• Palermo: Welcome dinner; guided sightseeing, visit the Norman cathedral in Monreale, and the cathedral; lunch at Focacceria San Francesco
• Erice: Visit the hilltop town and try the famous almond biscuits and Marsala wine
• Motya: Boat cruise; visit museumMARSALA AREA
• Sciacca: Take pictures from the panoramic viewpoint
• Agrigento: Guided walking tour of the Valley of Temples

Sicilian Escape

Agrigento, Catania, Mount Etna, Palermo, Sicily, Syracuse, Taormina

Highlights of Sicily & Southern Italy

Agrigento, Bari, Lecce, Matera, Mount Etna, Naples, Palermo, Pompeii, Rome, Sicily, Sorrento, Syracuse

• Rome : Welcome dinner at a local restaurant
• Castel gandolfo: Guided visit of the Papal Palace and the Barberini Gardens
• Sorrento–capri : By jetfoil
• Capri: Guided visit of Capri village, including a funicular ride
• Pompeii : Guided walking tour of the excavations

Patagonia: Journey to the End of the World

Buenos Aires, El Calafate, Perito Moreno Glacier, Puerto Natales, Punta Arenas, Santiago, Ushuaia

• Santiago : Visit Santa Rita Winery with a wine-making experience; Santiago sightseeing with a Local Guide; visit La Vega Central Market and a local pub
• Puerto natales : Visit Milódon Cave
• Torres del paine national park: Stay inside the national park; Torres del Paine National Park sightseeing, view Lago Grey; see Los Cuernos, Salto Grande, Laguna Azul, Cascada Paine, and Laguna Inges; Organic cocktail demonstration
• El calafate : Cruise Lago Argentino, see Upsala Glacier, and visit Estancia Cristina; visit Los Glaciares National Park and Perito Moreno Glacier
• Ushuaia : Cruise the Beagle Channel to Martillo Island; visit Tierra del Fuego National Park

Gems of the Balkans with coastal cruise

Budva, Croatia, Dubrovnik, Kotor, Montenegro, Split, Tirana

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Independent Tokyo, Kyoto & Hiroshima City Stays

Hiroshima, Kyoto, Tokyo

Independent Treasures of Vietnam & Cambodia

Danang, Hanoi, Siem Reap

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All USA Tours from Globus

47 globus trips through usa.

• In-depth Cultural

Nature's Best: Alaska

Our Tour guide, Wayne, was fantastic! He went above and beyond; to make sure we were comfortable on the bus and on the tours! He also got us as close as he could when there were animal sightings! Lane, our driver, was also an excellent driver; and he kept us safe on the narrow and winding Mountain roads! Hats off to these two!

Exploring America's Great Parks

What a fabulous trip! Absolutely a panorama of our great national parks of the west. Kristen was a fabulous guide! So many fun facts and lots of laughter kept us amused and alert. She interacted with each person on the tour! And knew it all by the end of our journey. it really is easier to see the Great West with someone else driving. We covered many miles between national parks every day, but the rides were not tedious. The national parks are unbelievable… Words cannot express their beauty. We took the optional one hour helicopter flight over Grand Canyon… Absolutely worth every penny! The breakfasts were all provided by the hotels; standard hotel breakfast fare. we always stopped for “potty breaks“ every hour and a half to two hours; great to get out and stretch your legs. And see the sights! Many lunches were “grab and go”, which worked well. We usually arrived at our Many lunches were “grab and go“, but that was fine. We usually arrived at our daily destination by middle afternoon, which gave us time to relax before dinner. The special events dinners were always fun! We especially enjoyed the “round up“ dinner in Monument Valley with the talk why are native American guide, Larry. Another highlight was Custer State Park and the Buffalo Roundup. Mount Rushmore and the Crazy Horse monument, Buffalo Bill Center of the West, Devils Tower, then on to Yellowstone National Park, followed by the Grand Tetons, followed by a night in Salt Lake City and then finishing our trip with Bryce National Park and Zion National Park. Every park is unique and individual and breathtaking! Pictures cannot describe and express their beauty. The memories of this trip will last forever!

America's National Parks

I liked the bus tour. Our guide was very knowledgeable and the tour was not rushed. Most our hotels were conveniently located rather than on the outskirts. I sistered this tour with a Cosmos tour. Globus used to offer a New Mexico tour, but I can't find any longer

America's National Parks with Denver

Excellent driver and director. Would have liked more time in Yellowstone as there was a lot we didn’t get to see eg Grand Prismatic Spring which was disappointing. Good hotels

Pacific Coast Adventure

We had a great time on our vacation. Linda Perez and David Day were definitely seasoned professionals in their field. There are a couple of things that could be improved: water on the bus; nametags; the Mill Casino & Hotel and the hotel in Eureka were very disappointing; we stopped at Frey Mayers grocery store for lunch on Wednesday instead of a beach party picnic - ate on the bus because it was raining- there should have been a plan B in case of rain; on Saturday we did a tour of the Boeing Factory which was very nice, I wish the tour would have included a more tours with the group instead of we were on our own; The Elizabeth Street Inn was lovely and probably our favorite place we stayed. I guess if I was offer one criticism it would be that Linda obviously been doing this for a long time and is very familiar with the large cities, but as we are touring Seattle, Portland and San Francisco, she was giving so much information on good places to eat and things to do, but as a tourist it was too much too remember. If maybe they could have a brochure about this it would be very helpful.

Classic Fall Foliage

I was on a fall foliage tour with Globus. The guide was great, the itinerary was also very nice and I enjoyed it very much. I was however disappointed that despite Globus claiming on their website that they have "small group" tours that average 24 people there were 42 on our tour. I guess I should look for advertisement of the total group size instead of thinking that an "average" of 24 would be closer to 24 than to 42! Proof of vaccination was required, which was necessary for me to sign up in the first place but I truly felt deceived that my "small group" was almost double the average.

• Ocean Cruise
• Coach / Bus

Nature's Best: Alaska with Alaska Cruise

Spectacular Alaska!

The Tour of Alaska was filled with beauty and adventure. We cannot imagine a better way to see this beautiful area. Our Guide was fantastic, and our driver was just as great!

Canyon Country Adventure

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Cape Cod & the Islands

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Our tour guide John his kindness and professionalism

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America's Musical Heritage

Excellent organization in all respects, Peter was overwhelming.

Ultimate Alaska & the Yukon

Wade our tour director was so informed about the area and history of all places we traveled. He help us take side trips, and was so kind with ever thing the group wanted to do. Wade and Tama our bus driver were great people, so respectful and kind, just great people. We have never enjoyed a trip like this as much before, and it merely because of Wade and Tama!

All USA Globus Tour Reviews

This tour unfortunately had a number of delays that seemed to take away an amount of time we could have had more experiences. Some beyond the tour directors control. We had three drivers and two tour directors. There were 22 on our coach twenty Americans and two Aussies. All got along famously and formed a solid bond. The sights we saw will live on in our memories for a very long time. Overall we give this tour 8/10.

Our tour guide Chris was extremely knowledgeable and informative. Randy our bus driver went above and beyond. We had near perfect weather, accomodations were excellent. Highly recommend this tour.

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After five years of closure, ‘glamping’ back again in Yosemite National Park

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After five years of pandemic- and snowpack-related closures, Yosemite National Park has reopened “glamping” camps where visitors will have access to showers, gourmet meals and a view of the park’s wild backcountry.

Camping hopefuls can now enter a lottery to experience three of the five available camps at the High Sierra Camps from June to September.

The two other sites, Vogelsang and Merced Lake — respectively the highest elevation camp and the oldest and most remote camp, established in 1916 — will remain closed throughout the 2024 season. Neither park officials nor Aramark, the park’s concessioner, could be reached to explain why these two camps remain closed.

According to the camps’ website, more than 13,000 visitors stay at the High Sierra Camps each year, and another thousand backpackers passing through each year stop for food at the campsites.

“Glamping,” a more comfortable or glamorous version of camping, has grown in popularity in the past couple of decades. Visitors have the option of paying $1,403 for a guided tour of the park with a weeklong stay, or paying $172 to $185 per night to reserve a bed.

‘Bring a shovel’: Yosemite partly reopens after blizzard brings as much as 45 inches of snow

Yosemite Valley — the most popular part of Yosemite National Park — received about 25 inches of snow. Winds hit 50 to 60 miles per hour.

March 3, 2024

There’s been controversy among certain environmentalists who take a hard line against any type of development in the pristine wilderness, said Jane Simpson, chair of the leadership training program at the Angeles Chapter of the Sierra Club. But Simpson said she is glad to hear that the campsites are reopening to the public this year.

“The experience is phenomenal,” said Simpson, recalling her own High Sierra Camp visit in 2015. “The people are very hyper aware of their impact.”

As an avid hiker and backpacker herself, Simpson is used to having to carry all of her own supplies when visiting Yosemite National Park. But the amenities of the High Sierra Camps allow visitors to leave behind tents and cooking necessities, as they have running water and three meals a day prepared by professional chefs.

On the High Sierra Camps’ website, Aramark and the national park service express their commitment to protecting the environment: “We take our role as stewards very seriously and actively work to protect the resources for generations to come.”

Opinion: My Colorado home was once a YMCA camp. In thousands of people’s memories, it still is

Former campers keep coming back, cruising past our driveway. I relish their stories, because this land will always belong to them too.

Feb. 11, 2024

Jeff Jenkins, assistant professor of parks and protected areas at UC Merced’s Sierra Nevada Research Institute, said that the National Park Service has to strike a balance between protecting national parks and making them accessible to everyone.

“I remember we saw a woman hiking the route of these High Sierra Camps that was pushing 90,” Jenkins recalled of a time when his family stayed at the High Sierra Camps together. “She was able to get out there too.” First-time, inexperienced campers, the elderly, and families might prefer to stay at the High Sierra Camps because of the amenities.

By having designated areas where semi-permanent shelters are set up, Jenkins said, the “sacrifice zones” allow for a much larger swath of wilderness to remain untouched. “Impact has been constrained to mostly the trail corridor and these areas of the wilderness, these hotspots,” said Jenkins.

The urgency of mitigating human impact on the environment has forced the National Park Service to innovate by adding features like the bear-proof lockers that prevent bears from finding easy food sources near human dwellings, Jenkins noted.

But the debate around these High Sierra Camps isn’t anything new. Dave White, the director of global institute of sustainability and innovation at Arizona State University, describes it as the “fundamental paradox” of the national parks as they balance access and protection.

White said the social and cultural impact of visiting parks also helps to shift the conversation around sustainability and changing personal habits to preserve the environment. For visitors, “it helps them to have greater awareness and understanding about critical environmental issues that we’re facing, including things like climate change,” he said.

The wonder of Yosemite National Park never grows old for White, who has visited several times. “It is some of the most spectacular natural beauty that exists anywhere in the world,” he said. White said it’s the scale of the natural features, and the history of the Indigenous tribes who were violently forced off the lands to make Yosemite, that still humble him today.

“When you’re there, you just feel as a human, you feel insignificant in an important way,” said White.

More to Read

Yosemite closes due to monster blizzard, ‘life threatening’ conditions in California mountains

March 1, 2024

Heading to Yosemite next summer? Better get a reservation

Dec. 13, 2023

Looming government shutdown worries business owners near Yosemite, other national parks

Sept. 30, 2023

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Jireh (they/them) is the 2023-24 fellow at the Los Angeles Times and a queer Asian American writer and filmmaker born and raised in the San Gabriel Valley.

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