Tour Newsletter Dated October 6, 2008
Dear Vacations To Go Customer,
This week's newsletter is for readers who are looking for a shot of
adventure with their next vacation. Several of our tour operators have
trips that incorporate active pursuits such as hiking, biking, kayaking
and more, often in exotic, intriguing locales. I'll describe these
companies and some of their offerings below. For more information, click
the applicable links.
There are adventure tours for all skill levels, and they range from
easygoing to challenging. Before embarking on any sort of active
vacation, take stock of your abilities and make sure you possess the
required level of physical fitness for the trip you've chosen.
G.A.P Adventures specializes in active, adventurous vacations that
are a bit off the beaten path. Tour group sizes are small, usually with
no more than a dozen travelers per departure. The company advocates
low-impact, sustainable travel, and guests sometimes overnight in
campgrounds, cabins or simple guesthouses. You can hike, bike and canoe
or raft in
Thailand,
China,
Japan,
India,
Costa Rica,
Ecuador or
Peru.
Cycle in
Tuscany,
learn to surf in
Costa Rica,
or hike through the forests and along the sea cliffs of
Crete.
You can also climb
Mont Blanc
in Switzerland or
Mount Kilimanjaro
in Tanzania. To see all G.A.P trips,
click here.
Lindblad Expeditions is a leader in soft-adventure vacations and
ecotourism. It was founded in 1979 (as Special Expeditions) by Sven-Olof
Lindblad, whose father, Lars-Eric Lindblad, helped pioneer expedition
travel. Most trips take place aboard small ships that explore such
destinations as
Alaska,
Antarctica,
the Galapagos Islands and
Costa Rica.
Each vessel carries Zodiac landing craft, enabling guests to motor
ashore in remote bays and inlets.
The company also offers African safaris, including photo safaris in
Namibia and
Zambia and Botswana,
led by professional photographers. Or, trek through the rain forests of
Africa's
Congo Basin
with BaAka trackers and visit their villages along the way -- it's a
unique opportunity to learn about this hunting and gathering culture,
which has remained largely unchanged for centuries. To view all
vacations with Lindblad Expeditions,
click here.
Adventures by Disney incorporates active elements into a few of
its family-friendly vacations. Take an exhilarating jet boat ride along
the Nenana River and hike in Denali National Park while in
Alaska,
go white-water rafting on the Flathead River in
Montana,
or soar through a pine forest in
Switzerland
on a zip-lining excursion. View all Adventures by Disney itineraries
here.
Finally, Contiki Holidays focuses on fun, value-packed tours for
budget-conscious travelers ages 18 to 35. Most of its offerings are in
Australia and New Zealand, Europe and North America. Itineraries are
relaxed with plenty of built-in free time, and they often offer
opportunities to try something adventurous on optional excursions for an
additional charge. For example, you can snorkel or scuba dive at the
Great Barrier Reef,
bike and kayak in
British Columbia,
or fish for halibut in
Homer, Alaska.
To see all trips with Contiki, click
here.
Here are this week's Top 10 lists, one consisting of our
favorite Europe & Great Britain tours and the other highlighting
our picks for the rest of the world. All prices are per person, based
on double occupancy, and subject to availability.
Top 10 Tours of Europe and Great
Britain
1) 8 Day Affordable Spain,
8 days with Gate 1 Travel. Begins in Madrid and ends in Cordoba
with visits to Toledo, Alhambra Palace and Seville. Land-only starting
from $999. Departures from December 26, 2008 through March 20,
2009.
2) Irish Welcome 2009
(8 Days), 8 days with CIE Tours. Begins in Shannon and ends
in Dublin with visits to the Cliffs of Moher, the Ring of Kerry and
Blarney. Land-only starting from $1,198.
Departures from March 5, 2009 through November 19, 2009.
3) The Voyage:
Northbound on the MS Polarlys, 7 days with Hurtigruten.
Begins in Bergen and ends in Kirkenes with stops in Kristiansund, Rorvik
and Tromso. Receive the best available cabin at 50% off category I
rates when you book category J, L or I cabins. Land/cruise-only
starting from $1,599. Departures from October 30, 2008 through
December 13, 2008. Book now!
4) Taste of Scotland
& Ireland 2009 (11 Days), 11 days with CIE Tours. Begins
in Glasgow and ends in Shannon with visits to Loch Lomond, Edinburgh and
Blarney Castle. Land-only starting from $1,698.
Departures from April 4, 2009 through November 7, 2009.
5) Italian Splendors,
13 days with Insight. Begins and ends in Rome with stops in
Sorrento, Assisi and Florence. Land-only starting from $2,460.
Departures from November 4, 2008 through April 14, 2009.
6) European Serenade
(Amsterdam to Vienna), 14 days with Uniworld. Begins in
Amsterdam and ends in Vienna with stops in Cologne, Mainz and Bamberg.
Save $2,000 per couple. Land/cruise-only starting from $3,279.
Departs November 9, 2008.
Book now!
7) Grand European Tour
(Amsterdam to Budapest), 15 days with Viking River Cruises.
Begins in Amsterdam and ends in Budapest with stops in Cologne,
Nuremberg and Vienna. Save up to $2,500 per couple OR fly from $199
per person when you book and pay in full. Land/cruise-only starting
from $3,499. Departures from April 26, 2009 through November 9, 2009.
Book now!
8) 11 Day Three City Aristocrat,
11 days with Perillo Tours. Begins in Venice and ends in Rome
with stops in Florence, Pisa and Siena. Save $400 per couple when you
book and pay in full. Land-only starting from $3,499.
Departures from January 6, 2009 through December 29, 2009.
Book now!
9) Legendary Rhine
& Moselle 2009 (Amsterdam to Basel), 14 days with
Uniworld. Begins in Amsterdam and ends in Basel with stops in
Koblenz, Trier and Bernkastel. Save $500 per couple.
Land/cruise-only starting from $3,699. Departures from April 29, 2009
through October 22, 2009. Book now!
10) European Jewels 2009
(Amsterdam to Budapest), 16 days with Uniworld. Begins in
Amsterdam and ends in Budapest with stops in Wurzburg, Regensburg and
Vienna. Save $500 per couple. Land/cruise-only starting from
$4,199. Departures from April 25, 2009 through October 10, 2009.
Book now!
Top 10 Tours Worldwide
1) 12 Day New Zealand,
12 days with Gate 1 Travel. Begins in Christchurch and ends in
Auckland with stops in Dunedin, Te Anau and Queenstown. Land-only
starting from $1,759. Departures from November 29, 2008 through April
4, 2009.
2) Classic Rail Circle 2009,
7 days with Rocky Mountaineer. Begins and ends in Vancouver with
stops in Kamloops, Jasper and Whistler. Receive a $600 Fairmont
Hotel gift card per couple when you book and pay in full for upgraded
accommodations. Land-only starting from $2,069.
Departures from May 4, 2009 through October 5, 2009.
Book now!
3) Pacific Northwest Coastal Escape,
8 days with Cruise West. Begins and ends in Seattle with stops in
Vancouver, Victoria and Port Townsend. Save $200 per couple OR
receive $200 shipboard credit per couple. Land/cruise-only starting
from $2,556. Departures from April 19, 2009 through October 11, 2009.
Book now!
4) Gateway to the Galapagos 2009,
10 days with Adventures By Disney. Begins and ends in Quito with
visits to Hacienda Zuleta, Santa Cruz Island and Santiago Island.
Receive $200 airfare credit per couple. Land-only starting from
$4,559. Departures from June 16, 2009 through December 19, 2009.
Book now!
5) Imperial Jewels of China
(Beijing to Shanghai), 12 days with Viking River Cruises.
Begins in Beijing and ends in Shanghai with visits to Tiananmen Square,
the Terra Cotta Warriors of Xian and the Three Gorges Dam. Save up to
$1,500 per couple OR fly from $199 per person when you book and pay in
full. Land/cruise-only starting from $2,699.
Departures from March 2, 2009 through November 18, 2009.
Book now!
6) Legacy of The Incas 2009 - 2010,
10 days with Globus. Begins and ends in Lima with visits to
Cuzco, Machu Picchu and Lake Titicaca. Save $400 per couple off the
air-inclusive price. Land-only starting from $2,919.
Departures from January 17, 2009 through December 12, 2009.
Book now!
7) Hawaii
- The Three Islander (10 Days), 10 days with Perillo Tours.
Begins in Honolulu and ends in Kauai with visits to Pearl Harbor, Iao
Valley and Waimea Canyon. Save $400 per couple when you book and pay
in full. Land-only starting from $3,199.
Departures from January 12, 2009 through December 28, 2009.
Book now!
8) Grand France 2009,
16 days with Brendan. Begins in Paris and ends in Arles with
stops in Rouen, Lyon and Avignon. Land-only starting from $4,099.
Departures from March 21, 2009 through October 31, 2009.
9) The Panama Canal
& the Wonders of Costa Rica, 8 days with Lindblad
Expeditions. Begins in Colon and ends in San Jose with visits to
Isla Coiba National Park, the Osa Peninsula and Manuel Antonio National
Park. Receive a $1,000 air credit per couple. Land/cruise-only
starting from $4,240. Departures from November 1, 2008 through
December 13, 2008. Book now!
10) The Great Migration,
13 days with African Travel. Begins and ends in Arusha with
visits to Tarangire, Lake Manyara and Ngorongoro Crater. Land-only
starting from $5,895. Daily departures through December 31, 2009.
To see our listing of escorted tours, train tours or air and hotel
packages to worldwide destinations,
click here.
For safaris in Africa,
click here.
Once you've found a tour that interests you, call us toll free at
800-680-2858 (US and Canada) and a travel counselor will attend to your
needs. Customers from the UK, please call toll free 0800 279 8084. All
other international customers, please e-mail or call us at
001-713-974-2121.
For hotels and resorts in the Caribbean, Mexico, Hawaii, Bermuda,
the Bahamas and Europe,
click here.
For river cruises worldwide,
click here.
For savings of up to 75% on ocean-going cruises,
click here.
Please e-mail me your comments, suggestions and questions at
alanfox@tourvacationstogo.com and I will respond the same day.
To send one sample copy of this newsletter to a friend, click
here.
Sincerely,
R. Alan Fox
Chairman & CEO
Vacations To Go
