Recommend July 2014 - (Page 14)

tourtalk Experience the UK and Europe the Back-Roads Touring Way carla hunt n Black Cab Political Tour - Northern What's in a name? Well, everything Ireland: Clients will learn about when it's a U.K. travel company Belfast's turbulent past aboard a called Back-Roads Touring, famous Black Cab ride around both focused on taking only back roads sides of the Belfast Community, not the freeways, as well as providing including the infamous Falls and experiences that take small groups Shankill Roads, the Peace Line, the of travelers to the smallest town International Wall, the Sinn Fein squares, along hedge-rimmed Headquarters and Bombay Street country lanes leading to tiny, where tensions originally erupted. medieval villages full of stories and The Royal Yacht Britannia is featured on the A Taste of Scotland itinerary. n Welsh Language Lesson - Wales: character. The company's distinctive Participants will travel along the DNA for "backroads travel" guides its beautiful Llyn Peninsula to the Heritage tours not only throughout Great Britain Centre for a talk on the ancient Welsh language, learning phrases and Ireland, but in 10 continental countries. of ancient Welsh and enjoying a cup of tea. Also in Wales, they'll And why is Back-Roads Touring making its mark in the U.S. market? According to general manager Steve Reynolds, "The U.S. meet one of the famous Male Voice Choirs and hum along with the Welsh song-men. market is attracted to our product because there is a growing n Sail under the Chateau de Chenonceau - France: Travelers will demand for escorted but flexible, intimate, experiential travel. This take a boat cruise under the beautiful arches that span the River style of travel has been extremely popular in other English-speakLoire, then stroll the gardens filled with hundreds of climbing and ing markets, and the reception we have had in the U.S. has been standard roses, orange trees and perfectly manicured box hedges. fantastic; it is now our second largest source after Australia." "Culinary Experiences" are also important to the Back-Roads Reynolds believes that "U.S. travelers like to be escorted, but Touring product, which places particular emphasis on food and not necessarily herded in large groups. Additionally, we know they drink as part of the celebration of the rich heritage of European like authentic experiences, meeting locals, staying in charming fare. Special "Culinary Experiences" enable guests to dine at iconic hotels and dining in family-run restaurants with a choice from the restaurants run by award-winning chefs-say the famous Pudding menu." He points out that "our tours are not cheap, not luxury Club in the Cotswolds; taking cooking classes-tapas in southern either, and the demand is coming predominantly from Spain, pasta in Tuscany; visiting local farms; and enjoying food and well-traveled, reasonably affluent Americans in search of a more wine tastings with local producers. intimate travel experience." Reynolds reports that "while we receive about 5 percent of our Each of the company's touring programs comes with inquiries directly from our website, the travel trade is our largest guaranteed Authentic Local Experiences, which, says Reynolds, source of business. And we work very closely with the trade, "by their very nature, means that travelers are often interacting distributing our product to all the major agency consortia." with the locals while leisurely exploring off-the-tourist-trail places." Consider just a sampling of those "out-of-the-box" experiences: n Tregothnan Estate Private Tour - England: Internationally what's coming up in 2015 recognized as the home of English tea and the home of the On six departure dates in 2015, clients are invited to travel with Boscawen family since 1335, Tregothnan hosts a private tour Carolyn Robb-once the private chef to Prince Charles and Lady when the estate is closed to the general public; the guide is usually Diana-to spend five days touring Scotland and getting a unique the head gardener or a member of the gardening team. insight into the Royal Family. During this experience of a lifetime, n The Irish National Stud - Ireland: Belonging to the people of the piece de resistance is a private welcome dinner aboard the Ireland, the Irish National Stud, a Thoroughbred horse breedRoyal Yacht Britannia. The A Taste of Scotland with Carolyn Robb ing facility, is a unique attraction of outstanding natural beauty is priced at $5,295 pp sharing; departures are monthly April and home to some of the world's most magnificent horses and through October (except August). ● gardens. "Meet the Locals" is always part of any Back-Roads tour, contact information and in Ireland, the place to hang out will be traditional Irish pubs. Back-Roads Touring: (877) 330-4850; backroadstouring.com 14 july 2014 14-15 TT.indd 14 recommend.com 6/25/14 12:36 PM USVI14 http://www.backroadstouring.com http://www.recommend.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Recommend July 2014

Editor’s Notes
Hotel Desk: EVEN Hotels
Tour Talk: Back-Roads Touring
Pick a Theme...Any Theme on the High Seas
Jamaica & the USVI: Not the Jimi Hendrix Experience
Guadeloupe: Culture, Rum, the Sea, & That Volcano
5 Active Trips in the States
Ski Adventures Across North America
Argentina & Uruguay: A Traditional Feast
Alma del Pacifico, Costa Rica
Rwanda & Uganda: In the Footsteps of Gorillas
Dreamy Puerto Vallarta
Borneo, the Bountiful

Recommend July 2014