Home-Based Travel Agent - July 2008 - (Page 56)

Tours FOR THE AGENT ITALY EVERY WHICH WAY Ideas for Italy-bound clients who seek a special interest, activity or style of travel FOOD AND WINE Bassano del Grappa in Veneto in Northern Italy Tuscan Way (www.tuscanway.com, 800-766-2390) has packages based at eight different villas, farmhouses and inns. Cooking classes, which usually take place at the property where guests are staying and are conducted by the homeowners, are held several times during each stay. Tuscan Way vacations also include winery visits and sight-seeing outings to such famous Tuscan cities as Siena, Pisa and Florence, as well as smaller towns and villages and wine-famous spots such as Montepulciano, Chianti and Montalcino. Some excursions are food-related—to markets or culinary festivals, for example—and spa add-ons are available for certain packages. Trips Here is a sampling of escorted tour packages to Italy in various niches. Other operators have programs in the same markets, and all operators mentioned here run trips to Italy besides these. Prices quoted are per person, double, and do not include transatlantic airfare. WOMEN ONLY Gutsy Women Travel (www.gutsy womentravel.com, 866-464-8879) operates five different itineraries in Italy. The “Amalfi Coast Discovery” stays all seven nights at the same Sorrento hotel, while the “Super Tuscany” trip does the same at a Montecatini property. That tour includes a day trip by ferry to Cinque Terre (in Liguria) for $2,349. Gutsy Women has a program based in Florence for four nights and Siena for three, featuring a cooking class, Brunello wine tasting and a lecture on women in Tuscan art. Price starts at $2,999. Activities on the “Tastes of Sicily” itinerary, priced from $2,939, include a pizza-making lesson, wine tasting and visit to an olive oil estate. There is also an “Enchanting Venice and Lake Como” tour ($3,159), which includes a concert and reception in Parma, where the group spends one night, as well as excursions by boat to islands around Venice and on Lake Como. range from three to six nights and cost from $1,295 to $4,160. ACTIVE A western Sicily tour with Country Walkers (www.countrywalkers.com, 800-464-9255) involves three to eight miles a day of easy to moderate walking. On the first day, visitors stroll through a medieval town that ends at a short but steep hike up a rocky cliff to a maritime panorama. The second day has the trip’s only hike categorized as challenging: the Madonie nature reserve has Sicily’s second highest peak after Mount Etna. Three of the six nights are spent in the hill town of Erice, and the tour concludes in Palermo. Most meals are included, as are water and trail snacks while walking. Truly hardy clients can take additional optional hikes each day, and there are opportunities for other sports such as kayaking. Transport between Sicily destinations is included in the $3,298 price tag. FOR FAMILIES “Bridges” is the division of Tauck World Discovery (www.tauckbridges. com, 800-468-2825) with trips tailored to families. Its “Italia Bella” tour has weekly departures throughout the summer and two at Christmastime, with rates starting at $3,350. Clients spend two nights in Rome, three nights in Florence and two in Venice, with travel between the cities via highspeed Eurostar trains. There’s a walking tour and free time in each city, as well as a gondola ride in Venice and pizzamaking session in Florence. Price is discounted for children under 12. 56 Home-BasedTravelAgent JULY /AUG US T 2008 http://www.tuscanway.com http://www.gutsywomentravel.com http://www.gutsywomentravel.com http://www.countrywalkers.com http://www.tauckbridges.com http://www.tauckbridges.com

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Home Based Travel Agent - July 2008 Contents Editor's Note Publisher's Note Your Lifeline Agent Spotlight New Technology Industry News Hot Deals Tips for a Smooth Trip Agent Symposium Hotels For the Traveler - Destinations - Mexico For the Agent - Destinations - Mexico For the Traveler - Destinations - Dubai For the Agent - Destinations - Dubai Thailand For the Traveler - Cruise For the Agent - Cruise For the Traveler - Tours For the Agent - Tours New Products

Home-Based Travel Agent - July 2008

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