Tour Newsletter

Tour Newsletter Dated June 29, 2009 Dear Vacations To Go Customer, Vacations To Go offers more than 4,300 escorted tours to all seven continents from the world's leading tour operators. Here are just a few reasons why escorted tours beat do-it-yourself travel to many parts of the world: Escorted tours are a fantastic value. Your hotels, guided sightseeing, ground transportation and some meals are purchased in advance by travel companies with bulk buying power, saving you as much as 40% off the price of planning an equivalent itinerary on your own. You'll pay one price upfront and greatly reduce out-of-pocket expenses while you travel. Relying on experts saves time -- at home and on vacation. Even if you are an experienced international traveler, researching and pricing all of the elements that go into a vacation -- such as hotels, restaurants, sightseeing and transportation -- takes a great deal of time. Tour companies have years of experience in the destinations they offer and know how to plan itineraries that make the most of your time every day. Someone else does the driving. Depending on the itinerary, our tour guests travel in comfortable, air-conditioned motor coaches, trains, riverboats or small ships. There's no need to worry about maneuvering a rental car along foreign roads while grappling with maps and attempting to decipher unfamiliar road signs. You'll bypass long lines. Tour itineraries often include entrance to top museums and attractions, so you won't have to wait in line or pay admission fees. Instead, you'll walk right in with the rest of your tour group. Some itineraries also include preferred seating at special events and performing arts venues. You can select a tour operator that provides the level of quality and price you prefer. Escorted tours fall into one of four categories -- budget, first class, deluxe or luxury -- in ascending order of cost and quality. Tours are mainly classified according to the quality and location of accommodations, the quality and number of included meals and activities, and the level of personalized service. Here's an idea of what to expect from each of the four designations: Budget tours allow price-conscious travelers to explore the world on a shoestring. These trips typically range in price from $45 to $130 per person, per day, excluding airfare. Accommodations are clean and comfortable and frequently located on the outskirts of major cities. Hotels and restaurants are usually smaller and less expensive, but they give you a good feel for how the locals live. Ample free time is built into the itinerary, with fewer sightseeing excursions included in the upfront price and more that are available at an additional cost. Budget tours are offered by the following companies: Contiki (for travelers ages 18-35 only) Cosmos G.A.P Adventures Intrepid Trafalgar CostSaver First-class tours range from $80 to $275 per person, per day, excluding airfare. Hotels are more centrally located than those used for budget tours. Many activities and excursions are included in the upfront price, but there's still free time to explore on your own. These companies specialize in first-class tours: AMAWATERWAYS Avalon Waterways Brendan CIE Gate 1 General Tours Globus Gutsy Women Monograms Perillo (this company also offers deluxe tours) Rocky Mountaineer SITA (this company also offers deluxe tours) Trafalgar Uniworld River Cruises Viking River Cruises Deluxe tours are more upscale, with more inclusions. They range from $100 to $400 per person, per day, excluding airfare. Hotel accommodations reflect the ambiance of the destination and are convenient to major attractions and sights. Meals included in the tour often take place at restaurants that provide unique epicurean and cultural experiences. Numerous excursions, including some that would generally cost extra on budget or first-class tours, are included in the upfront price. Deluxe tours are offered by the following operators: Adventures by Disney African Travel Brennan Collette Cruise West Hurtigruten Insight Lindblad Expeditions Maupintour Pacific Delight Perillo (this company also offers first-class tours) Scenic Tours SITA (this company also offers first-class tours) Tauck Viking Tours Luxury tours are at the highest end of the scale, ranging from $400 to $700 per person, per day, excluding airfare. Guests stay in the best hotels and sit down to gourmet meals in top restaurants. They enjoy many included amenities and activities as well as privileged access to special events and places. Tour groups are designed to be smaller than is the case with other categories, with guests receiving a high level of personal service. Luxury tours are offered by: Abercrombie & Kent Here are this week's Top 10 lists, one consisting of our favorite Europe & Great Britain tours and the other highlighting our picks for the rest of the world. All prices are per person, based on double occupancy, and subject to availability. Top 10 Tours of Europe and Great Britain 1) The Voyage: Southbound on the MS Polarlys, 6 days with Hurtigruten. Begins in Kirkenes and ends in Bergen with stops in Tromso, Rorvik and Trondheim. Companion cruises for free! Land/cruise-only starting from $1,359. Departures from September 21, 2009 through December 30, 2009. Book now! 2) French Winter Sampler, 9 days with Globus. Begins in Paris and ends in Nice with stops in Beaune, Lyon and Arles. Save $200 per couple off the air-inclusive price. Land-only starting from $1,369. Departures from November 13, 2009 through April 2, 2010. Book now! 3) Northern Gem (10 days), 10 days with CIE Tours. Begins in Shannon and ends in Dublin with visits to Galway Bay, Giant's Causeway and Belfast. Land-only starting from $1,647. Departures from July 15, 2009 through November 4, 2009. 4) Tulips & Windmills 2010 (Amsterdam to Antwerp), 11 days with Uniworld. Begins in Amsterdam and ends in Antwerp with stops in Nijmegen, Rotterdam and Veere. Save $1,200 per couple when you book and pay in full. Land/cruise-only starting from $1,649. Departures from March 24, 2010 through April 14, 2010. Book now! 5) Winter Explorer, 16 days with Insight. Begins in London and ends in Paris with stops in Amsterdam, Rome and Lucerne. Companion flies for $99! Land-only starting from $2,625. Departures from October 29, 2009 through March 25, 2010. Book now! 6) Deluxe Sicily Tour (Off-Season), 9 days with Perillo Tours. Begins in Palermo and ends in Catania with stops in Marsala, Taormina and Siracusa. Land-only starting from $2,640. Departures from November 7, 2009 through April 10, 2010. 7) Europe's Heartland Cruise (Paris to Prague), 14 days with AMAWATERWAYS. Begins in Paris and ends in Prague with stops in Bernkastel, Frankfurt and Wurzburg. Land/cruise-only starting from $3,149. Departures from July 15, 2009 through October 29, 2009. 8) Spain Family Vacation, 8 days with Adventures By Disney. Begins in Barcelona and ends in Madrid with visits to Montjuic, Seville and Segovia. Land-only starting from $3,549. Departs July 19, 2009 through August 16, 2009. 9) European Serenade 2010 (Amsterdam to Vienna), 14 days with Uniworld. Begins in Amsterdam and ends in Vienna with stops in Cologne, Regensburg and Linz. Save $2,000 per couple when you book and pay in full. Land/cruise-only starting from $3,749. Departures from May 2, 2010 through September 23, 2010. Book now! 10) Grand European Tour 2010 (Amsterdam to Budapest), 15 days with Viking River Cruises. Begins in Amsterdam and ends in Budapest with stops in Kinderdijk, Wurzburg and Vienna. Companion cruises for free, and save $800 per couple off the air-inclusive price! Land/cruise-only starting from $5,099. Departures from April 25, 2010 through November 14, 2010. Book now! Top 10 Tours Worldwide 1) Western Explorer (Westbound), 8 days with Rocky Mountaineer. Begins in Calgary and ends in Vancouver with stops in Banff, Jasper and Kamloops. Receive one free night at a Fairmont hotel in Vancouver, plus receive a free day trip onboard the Whistler Mountaineer when you book upgraded accommodations. Land-only starting from $2,139. Departures from July 14, 2009 through October 10, 2009. 2) 12 Day Kaleidoscope of Morocco, 12 days with Gate 1 Travel. Begins and ends in Casablanca with stops in Fez, Erfoud and Marrakesh. Land-only starting from $1,029. Departures from November 3, 2009 through March 16, 2010. 3) 11 Day Kaleidoscope of Peru, 11 days with Gate 1 Travel. Begins and ends in Lima with visits to Machu Picchu, Cuzco and the Uros Islands. Land-only starting from $1,899. Departures from August 26, 2009 through December 23, 2009. 4) South Pacific Wonders, 15 days with Collette. Begins and ends in Cairns and ends in Christchurch with visits to the Great Barrier Reef, Sydney and Queenstown. Companion flies from $699! Land-only starting from $2,499. Departures from July 13, 2009 through April 26, 2010. Book now! 5) Gourmet India, 14 days with GAP Adventures. Begins in Delhi and ends in Goa with stops in Agra, Jaipur and Mumbai. Land-only starting from $2,549. Departures from September 6, 2009 through April 4, 2010. 6) 17 Day Thailand & the Golden Triangle Supervalue, 17 days with Pacific Delight Tours. Begins and ends in Bangkok, with visits to Ayutthaya, Chiang Rai and Chiang Mai. Save $200 per couple. Land-only starting from $3,349. Departures from August 17, 2009 through March 8, 2010. Book now! 7) East African Explorer, 13 days with Brendan. Begins and ends in Nairobi with visits to Lake Nakuru, Amboseli National Park and Serengeti National Park. Land-only starting from $4,353. Departures from July 13, 2009 through March 29, 2010. 8) The Fjords of Chile, 11 days with General Tours. Begins in Santiago and ends in Puerto Natales with visits to the Maipo Valley, Puerto Varas and Torres del Paine National Park. Land-only starting from $4,449. Departures from August 31, 2009 through April 26, 2010. 9) Alaska's Inside Passage (Southbound), 9 days with Cruise West. Begins in Juneau and ends in Ketchikan with stops in Haines, Sitka and Petersburg. Exclusive Vacations To Go rates! Land/cruise-only starting from $4,726. Departures from July 15, 2009 through August 14, 2009. Book now! 10) Vietnam, Cambodia & Thailand, 16 days with Tauck. Begins and ends in Bangkok with stops in Chiang Mai, Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. Companion flies for $199, or save $2,000 per couple off business class airfare. Land-only starting from $6,390. Departures from September 14, 2009 through December 28, 2009. Book now! To see our listing of escorted tours, train tours or air and hotel packages to worldwide destinations, click here. For safaris in Africa, click here. Once you've found a tour that interests you, call us toll free at 800-680-2858 (US and Canada) and a travel counselor will attend to your needs. Customers from the UK, please call toll free 0800 279 8084. All other international customers, please e-mail or call us at +1-713-974-2121. For hotels and resorts in the Caribbean, Mexico, Hawaii, Bermuda, the Bahamas and Europe, click here. For river cruises worldwide, click here. For savings of up to 75% on ocean-going cruises, click here. Please e-mail me your comments, suggestions and questions at alanfox@tourvacationstogo.com and I will respond the same day. To send one sample copy of this newsletter to a friend, click here. Sincerely, R. Alan Fox Chairman & CEO Vacations To Go