Eco-Travel & Cultural Exploration

Italy | Tuscany

Welcome to your classic Tuscan adventure – to seven full days of mouth-watering food, graceful rolling vineyards, weathered hillside villas and vibrant cities brimming with art, history and old-world charm.

• Spend a day touring Florence’s cobblestone streets, countless shops and Renaissance landmarks, including the Duomo, Uffizi, Ponte Vecchio, Pitti Palace and more
• Pedal the vineyard-clad hills of Chianti Classico, soaking up a quintessential golden-green Tuscan landscape dotted with sheep, castelli, cypress trees and olive orchards
• Visit the marbled Duomo in Siena on a guided walk and savor a homemade lunch served by Mamma Licia in the village of Chiusure
• Bike to Monteriggioni, a village surrounded by 14 medieval towers, and explore the quaint streets, art galleries and gelaterie in San Gimignano
• Top of the day with a crostini ai funghi porcini (a Tuscan specialty: toast with mushrooms), ossobuco alla Toscana and homemade torta, washed down with a glass of bold Chianti or crisp Vernaccia di San Gimignano

• ACTIVITY: Biking & Cycling Vacations, Eco-Travel & Cultural Exploration
• WHERE: Italy, EUROPE
• AVAILABILITY: April, May, June, September, October
• FROM: $3,398
• DURATION: 7 days
• AUDIENCE: Solo Adventure Travel and Singles Vacations, For Groups: Adventure Travel With the Experts!, Vacations for Couples & Partners
• MEMBER'S WEBSITE: Tuscany Bike Tour

Exploring the Lycian Shore

As we travel beneath towering mountains falling vertically into crystal blue seas, we visit quaint Turkish villages, hidden rock coves, wooded inlets and magnificent ruins of the Roman, Greek, Byzantine and Ottoman empires. Nowhere in the world is there such a rich mix of culture and history as in Turkey, which our local guides bring to life as we travel. Come see more of what our unique, adventure cruise to Turkey can offer you!

• ACTIVITY: Eco-Travel & Cultural Exploration, Yachting and Barging
• WHERE: Turkey, Turkey, ASIA
• AVAILABILITY: September, October
• FROM: $4,990
• DURATION: 15 days
• AUDIENCE: Solo Adventure Travel and Singles Vacations, Family Vacations & Adventure Travel, For Groups: Adventure Travel With the Experts!, Vacations for Couples & Partners
• MEMBER'S WEBSITE: Cruise in Turkey

England - Pentillie Castle

Live like a Lord and join us for six sumptuous nights at Pentillie, reserved exclusively for The Wayfarers. The elegantly restored Pentillie Castle (built 1698) on the banks of the Tamar River, which forms the border between Devon and Cornwall, provides a springboard for visiting the pick of the best features in both counties.

The week encompasses a tour of historic Plymouth (Pilgrim Fathers, Spanish Armada), coastal walking, wild walking on atmospheric Dartmoor (home of the Hound of the Baskervilles) and a visit to a former home of Sir Francis Drake. Gentler coastal estates include Tudor Cotehele with its own quay and stewpond, Mount Edgcumbe with its Grade I Cornish gardens, and Antony which was used recently as the filmset for "Alice in Wonderland" starring Johnny Depp.

There are options every day - to walk in the mornings only and return to Pentillie after lunch to relax in its calming splendor, fascinating visits or more walking each afternoon. It's a week of walking a la carte!

• ACTIVITY: Walking & Hiking Vacations, Eco-Travel & Cultural Exploration
• WHERE: England, EUROPE
• AVAILABILITY: September, October
• FROM: $3995.00
• DURATION: 7 days
• AUDIENCE: Solo Adventure Travel and Singles Vacations, Family Vacations & Adventure Travel, For Groups: Adventure Travel With the Experts!, Vacations for Couples & Partners
• MEMBER'S WEBSITE: Luxury Walking Vacations - South West England

France | Brittany/Normandy

Follow a spectacular shoreline from St-Malo to Bayeux, snaking through fishing harbors, along windswept seaside plateaus, past historic WWII sites and into a rolling green countryside peppered with sheep, cattle and ancient stone farmhouses.

• Pedal to the backdrop of jagged promontories and sandy beaches, enveloped in the smell of the sea
• Snack on a plate of sweet oysters farmed off the shores of Cancale
• Marvel as Mont St-Michel grows from a speck in the distance as you make your way toward the majestic abbey
• Relive a stirring chapter in American history on a visit to the cemetery above Omaha Beach
• Watch as the story of William the Conqueror unfolds as you walk along the colorful 230-foot Bayeux Tapestry
• Feast on fresh seafood, savory crêpes, Camembert cheese and Calvados apple brandy before unwinding in the comfort of the charming Château de Bellefontaine

• ACTIVITY: Biking & Cycling Vacations, Eco-Travel & Cultural Exploration
• WHERE: France, EUROPE
• AVAILABILITY: May, June, July, August
• FROM: From $3,498
• DURATION: 8 days
• AUDIENCE: Solo Adventure Travel and Singles Vacations, For Groups: Adventure Travel With the Experts!, Vacations for Couples & Partners
• MEMBER'S WEBSITE: France Bike Trips

France & Spain - Le Pays Basque

Ideally situated in the South West of France and North West of Spain at the foot of the Pyrenees Mountains and on the Atlantic seaboard, the Basque-country has kept its superb natural environment, unspoiled and jealously guarded by its proud inhabitants.

The coastal paths meander beside endless stretches of golden sand, in sight of the Atlantic surf. The untamed beauty of this wild coast is interspersed with sophisticated Basque cities with their heady mix of port and beach life. On the mountainside, the pretty villages and farms nestle in green valleys surrounded by open slopes and a semi-wild landscape.

The origins of the Basques remain shrouded in mystery but the songs, festivals, local sport, distinctive regional cuisine and folklore reveal a unique history and strong cultural identity where they still speak the oldest living language in Europe.

• ACTIVITY: Walking & Hiking Vacations, Eco-Travel & Cultural Exploration
• WHERE: France, Spain, EUROPE
• AVAILABILITY: May, October
• FROM: $3,995
• DURATION: 7 days
• AUDIENCE: Solo Adventure Travel and Singles Vacations, Family Vacations & Adventure Travel, For Groups: Adventure Travel With the Experts!, Vacations for Couples & Partners
• MEMBER'S WEBSITE: Walking Vacation in Le Pays Basque region of France and Spain

England - Cornwall's Creeks & Coves

Exotic plants and sunny beaches contrast with craggy coves and stormy seas in the Celtic county of Cornwall, home to some of Britain's most atmospheric landscapes.

With the crashing waves of the Cornish coast never far from sight, we follow in the footsteps of novelist Daphne du Maurier on the South West Coast Path, visiting ancient fishing villages, secluded beaches and sub-tropical gardens. We explore storm-weathered castles, eat in traditional thatched pubs and sail across peaceful estuaries.

One of the Walk's highlights is a trip to the mysterious Lost Gardens of Heligan, a once-neglected Victorian estate, now fully restored to its former glory. Another is the estuarial ravine garden of Trebah from where the US troops embarked for Omaha beach in the D-Day landings of 1944.

• ACTIVITY: Walking & Hiking Vacations, Eco-Travel & Cultural Exploration
• WHERE: United Kingdom, EUROPE
• AVAILABILITY: June, October
• FROM: $3,895
• DURATION: 7 days
• AUDIENCE: Solo Adventure Travel and Singles Vacations, Family Vacations & Adventure Travel, For Groups: Adventure Travel With the Experts!, Vacations for Couples & Partners
• MEMBER'S WEBSITE: Walking vacation in Cornwall in England

Holland Family | Haarlem to Odoorn

Emerald pastures, wildflower-strewn meadows, cobblestone villages and working windmills set the perfect stage for family fun on this 8 day adventure through Holland’s pristine northern territory.

• Wind your way through the cresting dunes and lovely neighborhoods of Haarlem
• Pedal along the Zuiderzee past meadows peppered with sheep and traditional straw-roofed farmhouses
• Explore the inside of a 17th century working windmill
• Get up-close with giant storks and colorful peacocks on the grounds of the Chateau de Havixhorst
• Take a boat trip through Giethoorn, coined the“Venice of the North” for its narrow canals, thatched houses and hump-back bridges
• Marvel at the kaleidoscopic gardens of the Keukenhof, where over six million bulbs flower each spring
• Sip a garden aperitif and choose from 100 variations of tasty pancakes at a Dutch pancake restaurant before retiring to the comfort of your carefully selected hotel

• ACTIVITY: Biking & Cycling Vacations, Eco-Travel & Cultural Exploration
• WHERE: Netherlands, EUROPE
• AVAILABILITY: July, August
• FROM: $2,998
• DURATION: 8 days
• AUDIENCE: Family Vacations & Adventure Travel, For Groups: Adventure Travel With the Experts!
• MEMBER'S WEBSITE: Holland Family Vacations

Holland | Haarlem to Odoorn

Emerald pastures, wildflower meadows, cobblestone villages and working windmills create the quintessential Dutch backdrop on this 8-day adventure through Holland’s pristine northern territory.

• Wind your way through the cresting dunes and lovely neighborhoods of Haarlem
• Cycle over canals and wooden bridges in the seafaring town of Schermerhorn
• Ferry to Stavoren and bike the quiet roads along Lake IJsselmeer to the old port of Hindeloopen
• Pedal through a dense forest and along a watery landscape to Giethoorn, coined the “Venice of the North” for its narrow canals, thatched houses and hump-back bridges
• Take in the sweet aroma of tulips, hyacinth and daffodils in the kaleidoscopic gardens of the Keukenhof, where over six million bulbs flower each spring
• Choose from hundreds of different pancakes at a Dutch pancake restaurant in Odoorn
• Sip a garden aperitif and savor fresh wilde zalm (wild salmon) and salade van spinkrab (spider crab salad) before retiring to the comfort of the historic Chateau de Havixhorst

• ACTIVITY: Biking & Cycling Vacations, Eco-Travel & Cultural Exploration
• WHERE: Netherlands, EUROPE
• AVAILABILITY: April, June, August
• FROM: $2,998
• DURATION: 8 days
• AUDIENCE: Solo Adventure Travel and Singles Vacations, For Groups: Adventure Travel With the Experts!, Vacations for Couples & Partners
• MEMBER'S WEBSITE: Holland Bike Tours

Holland | Netherlands Highlights

With its flat terrain, stunning springtime flowers, beautiful sand coastline and countless fietspad (bike paths), there’s no better way to explore Holland than by bicycle.

• Spend an afternoon exploring Amsterdam before sitting down to an elaborate Indonesian rijsttafel, or “rice table” welcome banquet
• Pedal to a backdrop of canals, lakes and windmills, resting your legs on a ferry ride to the quaint island village of Kaag
• Ride through Rembrandt’s birthplace of Leiden, a 17th century town rich in character and home to the Netherlands’ oldest university
• Dig your toes in the sand on the beach in Scheveningen
• Explore the artwork of the Dutch Masters, including Mesdag’s 19th century 400-foot-long Scheveningen cityscape and Leo van den Ende’s panorama featuring over a million tulips
• In the Springtime, pedal alongside meadows blanketed in tulips, hyacinth and daffodils – a tapestry of coral, pink, purple and yellow as fragrant as it is colorful – and explore the magnificent gardens and flower fields of the Keukenhof

• ACTIVITY: Biking & Cycling Vacations, Eco-Travel & Cultural Exploration
• WHERE: Netherlands, EUROPE
• AVAILABILITY: April, May, June, July, August
• FROM: $1,998
• DURATION: 5 days
• AUDIENCE: Solo Adventure Travel and Singles Vacations, For Groups: Adventure Travel With the Experts!, Vacations for Couples & Partners
• MEMBER'S WEBSITE: Netherlands Bike Tours