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Try Italian hand weaving or enjoy a family dinner in a Hungarian home: Immersive experiences the savvy traveller will treasure
Trafalgar and Insight Vacations, which have over 100 years of travel expertise in Europe, offer tours that will give you new, meaningful, memorable moments to tick off your bucket list
In Perugia, travellers can try their hand at traditional hand-weaving with fourth-generation weaver Marta Cuccia through Trafalgar’s Italy Bellissimo tour.
PHOTO: TRAFALGAR
Imagine being the special guest of a local family in the Vale of York, an expanse of land in northeast England, eating a traditional British dinner in a graceful country house next to vivid green fields. Or picture taking a leisurely walk through the quaint village Fjærland, between a fjord and a glacier in western Norway, as a local expert shares his experiences living there.
More than visiting must-see attractions, such immersive travel experiences allow you to engage with locals and have authentic cultural experiences.
This sense of deep connection to the destination is what savvy travellers will appreciate on guided tours to Europe by Trafalgar and Insight Vacations, which have over 100 years of expertise in going around the continent. Their central tenet, Make Travel Matter, shapes how they assemble their trips that highlight sustainable travel to keep customs, culture, and heritage alive and healthy.
If you’re looking for a holiday that will immerse you in local culture and community – all while staying in strategically located four- and five-star hotels – check out these special itineraries.
Make unique local connections
If you are looking for one-of-a-kind experiences, Trafalgar’s tours will fit your style. The unique Be My Guest feature allows you to connect with locals, born from the concept of enabling human connections between host (the local) and guest (the traveller). To achieve this, Trafalgar partners with communities to bring travellers into hosts’ homes for an intimate look at their lives.
With the Be My Guest experience, travellers can enjoy a hearty home-cooked Hungarian meal from the Schieszl family while listening to the story behind their 300-year-old wine cellar, or take a walk through the olive groves and lemon orchards of the Callistri family in Florence, before taking part in their olive oil tasting.
Travellers can immerse themselves further in the rest of Trafalgar’s itineraries. In its 11-day Italy Bellissimo tour, you can try traditional hand-weaving in Perugia on a wooden frame with fourth-generation weaver Marta Cuccia while using a machine dating back to 1750. The same tour also brings you to learn the history of the ancient skill of Venetian glass blowing in Venice, and witness how artisans work on Italian leather in Florence.
If the UK is more your cup of tea, join a local guide in the 6-day Real Britain tour, which explores historical sites like the Palace of Holyroodhouse, the King’s official residence in Scotland, and the famous Rosslyn Chapel.
You’ll also get to enjoy strolling through scenic landscapes such as the shores of Lake Windermere, the romantic village of Gretna Green, and William Shakespeare’s birthplace in Stratford-upon-Avon.
If you are keen to travel through several countries, choose the 10-day Imperial Europe tour. An itinerary that covers Germany, Czech Republic, Hungary and Austria, this tour will have travellers learn the history of Munich from a local guide, marvel at the Gothic architecture of Prague with a local expert and take in breathtaking landscapes of the UNESCO-designated Wachau Valley in Austria.
Satisfy your travel curiosity
Curious travellers often book with Insight Vacations for its deep understanding and perception of its destinations. Including stops for premium dining experiences, its tours are for those who enjoy savouring tastes, along with the sights, of their holiday destinations.
In the 15-day Spectacular Scandinavia and Fjords tour, you’ll get to visit Stockholm’s Blue Hall, where Nobel Prize banquets are held, savour the bustling fish market at the Hanseatic port city of Bergen, and enjoy an afternoon Swedish fika – coffee and cinnamon bun – at a community cafe in a historic public library in Gothenburg.
The tour also brings travellers to passionate local storyteller Hans Odoo, who tells tales about historic Linneaus Garden in Uppsala, walk through the village of Fjærland while a local villager shares what life is like between the fjord and the glacier, and enjoy dinners of fresh and locally-sourced ingredients throughout the trip.
And in its 14-day Country Roads of Switzerland tour, guests are set to learn about the local wildlife and flora from a ranger on Mount Stanserhorn, take a cruise on Lake Geneva, sample Zermatt’s kuchen or cakes, and journey from floral meadows to snow-capped peaks across the country. Premium wine and dine events to toast your Swiss adventures are part of every leg of this journey.
Travel that counts
Operating under The Travel Corporation, both Trafalgar and Insight Vacations help fulfil tourists’ bucket-list dreams (think Georgia, the Northern Lights, and Europe’s Christmas markets) and, as importantly, do so responsibly. Through Making Travel Matter, they follow essential principles safeguarding the planet, people and wildlife, while being guided by the United Nations Global Goals.
By travelling with Trafalgar and Insight Vacations, guests see the world and make a positive impact in their destinations through sustainable travel and playing a key role in helping heritage thrive.
Book your tours at this year’s NATAS Fair – both brands will be exhibiting at EXPO Hall 5 (Booth 5H38) from February 24 to 26 (10am to 9.30pm daily). Visitors to their booth will have the chance to enjoy exclusive offers and gifts, on a first-come, first-served basis.
