Good afternoon
I am sending this out as a special bonus mailing, because it is a special topic – the chance to join our new September tours – two new itineraries that we’ve not operated before.
We’re growing great groups of fellow Travel Insiders for both tours, and still have space for a couple more couples (or singles – we’ve great rates for single travelers, with no supplement at all for the French tour and only a very modest supplement for the Scotland tour). While we can accept a few more people, we are keeping the group sizes low in both cases, to ensure a more boutique feel to what truly is a boutique tour.
Please do consider joining us on either (or both – they are timed so one follows the other) of these tours. It is getting harder to confirm space in the hotels, so you really need to let me know soon.
Urquhart Castle on the shores of Loch Ness. Is that “Nessie” I see in the distance? Come and search for the Loch Ness Monster, yourself!Our Scotland tours are some of the most popular tours we offer. The big tweak for this year’s Scotland tour is that we’ve changed from a series of single night stays and lots of hotel changes to giving you all two-night stays, which are much more relaxing and give you more time to relax and settle in and get to know each area.
We’ll enjoy two nights in the delightful town of Tobermory on the Isle of Mull, a favorite destination on all our Scotland tours.In addition, we have a new itinerary, including our long-standing favorite island town, a new favorite city in the Highlands, and a quaint little fishing town that has probably never had international visitors stay in it before, let alone for two nights.
Add to all of this a chance to enjoy the brand-new overnight sleeper train from London up to Fort William, and our Scotland’s Highland Highlights tour is sure to delight you.
Full details here. You can of course add anything you wish before or after the main tour portion, and we can help you with plenty of suggestions about how to grow it further.
Best of all, there are just a few days separating the Scotland tour from the second of our new tours in France. This gives you enough time for some post-Scotland/pre-France experiences, and then you can join our lovely Loire Valley Landcruise.
The Loire Valley region takes its name from the Loire River, the longest in France, which flows through it.A “landcruise” is a new concept of ours; it worked well last December, so we’re repeating it, but in a different location. We call it a landcruise because you settle into a lovely hotel much like you would a cruise ship, for a long one week stay.
You truly can unpack your suitcase. We’ve combined the best of a cruise (lots of touring around the region, and all included at no extra cost) while adding extra things that cruises can’t give you, like free time, no need to worry about rushing back to the ship after a too-short port call, and the ability to enjoy food of your choice, at your preferred dining time, and in a restaurant that suits you.
Where better to enjoy this than in a lovely part of France crammed full of gorgeous castles and chateaus, wineries, quaint old towns, and beautiful countryside. Full details here.
There are so many castles and chateaus in the Loire Valley. This is one of the best known, Chambord, which we’ll be sure to visit.Of course, this tour too comes with plenty of choices for what you could do before and after the main tour, and (again of course) we’re here to help every way we can.
We chose September because it is after the peak of the summer season, but before the chills of winter. The weather is still reasonably warm and the days still reasonably long. This is why our favorite times of year to travel are generally “shoulder season” – representing the best compromise of weather, values, convenience and (lack of) crowding.
Perhaps because we’re all united by the Travel Insider concept, the people in our groups are wonderful and friendly. We all mix with each other in a great fashion, adding immensely to the shared total pleasure of the tour experience.Enjoy either or both of these itineraries, notable for the distinctive mix of places we visit and the delightful mix of people you’ll share these experiences with.
So – what’s your choice? Scotland? France? Or, perhaps, both! We hope to see you somewhere this September.
David on one of the high quality coaches we hire for our groups. We ensure they are never more than 2/3 full, and usually, with our small groups, they are less than 1/2 full, giving everyone plenty of room to spread out.
