Results tagged “Tours of a Lifetime” from Intelligent Travel Blog

I'm setting off on a group tour to Morocco next week, and throughout my travel planning, I've been somewhat apologetic as I explain that yes, as a travel editor, I signed up for a tour. So I was heartened to read Daisann McLane's column in our current issue espousing the benefits of group travel, which she noticed on a recent bus trip through Guangzhou, China:

As I sat on a bus wearing a silly cap, eating pork buns, and being serenaded by a karaoke-singing tour guide, I had to laugh at myself. Not that many years ago I was so allergic to anything remotely "touristy" that I even refused to carry a camera when I traveled. I kept a list of "not for me" places--popular attractions, neighborhoods, even nations, that I refused to visit because I thought they'd be "too full of tourists." I considered myself a class apart, a traveler, and that meant going places nobody else did, and going, mostly, alone. Tour groups? No way.

Senior editor Norie Quintos, who edits the annual Tours of a Lifetime special issue currently out on newsstands, talks to Jim Sano, president of San Francisco-based Geographic Expeditions, one of the oldest and most trusted guided tour operators in the country (NOTE: not associated with National Geographic Expeditions), about where the industry is headed and the role travel plays in making the world a better place.

How are current economic conditions changing guided travel?

I don't have a crystal ball, but I can say we have weathered many storms. This one may be more significant than 9/11, SARS, and the Gulf War because it is so global and pervasive up and down the economic ladder, affecting the highest end travelers as well as value travelers.

Are you making changes in your programs?

Yes. We're moving towards shorter and shorter holidays. This has actually been a trend over last few years, but for many people in the current climate, the degree of comfort to which they feel they can be away from home, as well as finding the time, has been foreshortened.

Where are people traveling?

We've seen our South American offerings, including the Galapagos, go up from last year.

I know you are planning programs several years out. What are the new destinations of the future?

Cuba is one of the countries on our radar screen. We have done educational trips to Cuba in the past, but there is a pent-up demand and we're doing legwork on that now and will be ready when conditions change. We're also looking at the west coast of Africa as an area yet to be explored; it is very rich culturally.

Your company's roots are in long adventure treks in Asia. But I've noticed your catalog has diversified and is offering fewer hard-core treks.

Whereas before 80 percent of what we offered in the '70s and '80s was trekking, now it's just under 20 percent. That's true for many other companies that started at the same time. The degree to which people want to do the harder treks has lessened dramatically. The people who used to trek now want to do something softer. They may want to hike during the day, but then they want a hot shower and glass of wine. We've adapted by offering both. There's an upcoming trip we're doing with Peter Hillary (son of Everest climber Edmund Hillary), going to South Georgia Island to retrace Shackleton's trek across the island. Part of group will be crossing with Peter; it's difficult glacier travel. But a majority of the group will stay on the vessel. Of the 80 to 100 passengers, we may get 20 who want to do the crossing. But the others still want the opportunity to rub shoulders and learn from Peter Hillary and top-notch mountaineers.

Contributing editor Margaret Loftus will help you decide if a European river cruise is right for you. Check out our May/June 2009 50 Tours of a Lifetime issue for more great tours.

By its nature, riverboat cruising is a far more intimate affair than the behemoths that cruise the open seas. Last year, I spent three days aboard the 118-passenger riverboat Swiss Sapphire as it plied Belgium's Albert Canal. Soaking up the local scene is all part of the journey, on the boat and off. "You're not having as big of a footprint, you're able to get more into a destination, rather than looking at it inside of a bubble," argues Tom Armstrong, spokesman for Sapphire operator Tauck World Discovery. Underway, I watched joggers and bikers along the canal from my cozy quarters (rooms range from 150 to 300 square feet) and marveled at how the captain carefully negotiated the river's locks. Onshore excursions typically emphasize local interaction, such as our visit with the chocolatier or lunch at a local's home. Bicycles are provided for those who'd rather strike out on their own.

Outfitters tout European river cruising as a convenient mode of travel - there's minimal schlepping and you only unpack once-- and a good value. Rates range from $150 to $400 a day and are usually all-inclusive--an
especially decent deal when the euro is stronger than the dollar. These days, several operators are offering added incentives for those who book early. Uniworld, for instance, is knocking $300 off the brochure price per person if you book a 2009 cruise and pay in full before May 30.  A plus for solo travelers: Tauck is eliminating single supplements on select river cruises, including its 12-day Budapest to the Black Sea trip.