Tour Newsletter

Dear Vacations To Go Customer,

In today's newsletter, I'll tell you about the most popular national parks in the United States and Canada to visit on a tour.

First, here are some money-saving offers on national parks departures from some of our top tour operators.

Save up to 15% off Collette trips when you book by May 23.

Save up to 20% on select summer departures with Trafalgar or save $200 per couple off many other trips. Book by May 31.

Save $700 per couple off select Gate 1 Travel itineraries when you book by May 31.

Save $500 per couple on select Adventures by Disney itineraries when you book by May 28.

Save $400 per couple on departures from Insight Vacations when you book by May 31.

Save up to 35% off select G Adventures departures. Price shown reflects discount. Book by May 31.

Below are the top parks to visit on an escorted vacation. Click any link to see a list of itineraries visiting these destinations.

Established as the first U.S. national preserve in 1872, Yellowstone National Park is mostly in Wyoming but spills into neighboring Montana and Idaho as well. It is famed for its geysers (Old Faithful being the most celebrated), hot springs and abundant wildlife. Grizzlies, black bears, bison, elk and moose roam here.

Look for many of those same creatures in Wyoming's nearby Grand Teton National Park, as well as bald eagles and ospreys in the skies. Wildflower season is especially scenic, with blooms typically on display from May through September. You might join a tour company's optional float trip down the Snake River.

Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona is one of the world's most studied geological areas. Carved by the Colorado River, it is 277 miles long, up to 18 miles wide and 1 mile deep. Hiking, mule rides and whitewater rafting are popular ways to see the canyon.

Many of our Grand Canyon itineraries also travel to outstanding locales in southern Utah. Tall limestone spires called hoodoos rise from the floor of Bryce Canyon National Park, their shades of pink, red and orange changing with the rising and setting of the sun. In Zion National Park, massive sandstone cliffs soar above cottonwood trees, waterfalls and the Virgin River. Arches National Park in eastern Utah is prized for its photogenic red rock formations, including more than 2,000 stone archways.

Yosemite National Park in east-central California is known for its waterfalls (most abundant in spring after the snow melts), wildflower-filled meadows, old sequoias and granite monoliths like El Capitan and Half Dome.

Badlands National Park in South Dakota has rich fossil beds and a rugged landscape of layered rock buttes. Look for bison and bighorn sheep here.  Itineraries that visit the Badlands usually also spend time at Mount Rushmore National Monument, the enormous sculpture of four U.S. presidents.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park, at the border of Tennessee and North Carolina, is named for the blue haze that clings to its peaks. It is renowned for its diverse plant and animal life and historic remnants of southern Appalachian mountain culture.

Acadia National Park takes up most of Mount Desert Island in Maine. The expanse is crisscrossed by hiking trails and carriage roads -- woodland routes built in the early 20th century.

In Alaska, Denali National Park was the first national park established to protect wildlife. Look for bears, moose, caribou, Dall sheep, peregrine falcons and golden eagles. On clear days, you might catch a glimpse of North America's highest mountain, 20,320-foot Denali.

Yoho National Park in British Columbia, Canada, is famous for a natural bridge chiseled through rock by the Kicking Horse River. Yoho is on the western slopes of the Canadian Rockies, and within it are waterfalls, glacial lakes (turquoise Emerald Lake is particularly stunning) and snowcapped summits.

The Canadian Rockies in the province of Alberta lend their spectacular beauty to two national parks. Banff National Park encompasses picturesque valleys, peaks, forests and glaciers. Visitors can ride the gondola to the top of Sulphur Mountain for views of six mountain ranges. To the north, Jasper National Park offers Maligne Canyon, carved by churning waters. Six bridges throughout the steep gorge provide scenic overlooks.

Here are more to consider:

Volcanoes National Park in Hawaii, where lava from Kilauea still flows down to the sea

Katmai National Park in Alaska, a prime spot for observing grizzly bears

Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado, which boasts more than 70 peaks that rise above 12,000 feet

Shenandoah National Park in Virginia, embracing the Blue Ridge Mountains and about 850 species of wildflowers

Crater Lake National Park in Oregon, famed for the sapphire-blue lake that formed in a collapsed volcano peak

Olympic National Park in Washington, encompassing old-growth temperate rainforests and 70-plus miles of pristine coast

Canada's Waterton Lakes National Park and, just across the border, Montana's Glacier National Park, joined in 1932 to create the Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park

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Here are this week's Top 10 Tours. All prices are per person, based on double occupancy, and subject to availability.

1) National Parks Wonders, 9 days with Trafalgar. Begins in Salt Lake City and ends in Rapid City. Save 15%. Starting at $2,800. Departs July 13, 2019.

2) Romantic Danube, 8 days with Viking River Cruises. Travels between Budapest and Nuremberg. Fly for free and save up to $2,000 per couple. Plus, receive a $400 per stateroom shipboard credit. Starting at $3,499. Departures from September 1 through October 20, 2019.

3) Highlights of Italy, 8 days with Intrepid Travel. Begins in Venice and ends in Rome. Save 10%. Starting at $1,345. Departures from June 8 through October 19, 2019.

4) Porto, the Douro Valley (Portugal) and Salamanca (Spain), 6 days with CroisiEurope. Begins and ends in Porto. Save up to 15%. Starting at $1,830. Departures from June 3 through August 19, 2019.

5) First Passage to the West Excursion, 5 days with Rocky Mountaineer. Travels between Calgary and Vancouver. Receive one free pre- or post-tour hotel night. Starting at $2,132. Departures from June 3 through October 11, 2019.

6) Gems of Iceland with Northern Lights, 6 days with Globus. Begins and ends in Reykjavik. Save $600 per couple. Starting at $2,989. Departures from October 13 through December 8, 2019.

7) Taste of Scotland & Ireland, 10 or 11 days with CIE Tours. Begins in Glasgow and ends in Dublin or Shannon. Save 10%. Starting at $3,399. Departures from July 30 through August 25, 2019.

8) Costa Rica: Jungles & Rainforests (BBC Earth Journey, For Families), 8 days with Tauck. Begins in San Jose and ends in Liberia. Young travelers receive $200 per person off family departures. Starting at $3,590. Departures from June 23, 2019 through December 28, 2020.

9) Exploring Australia, 18 days with Collette. Begins in Melbourne and ends in Sydney. Save 15%. Starting at $4,999. Departures from June 14, 2019 through April 24, 2020.

10) Chilean Fjords, Antarctica and Falklands - Great Explorers and Wildlife, 18 days with Hurtigruten. Begins and ends in Santiago. Fly for free from select gateways or receive a $2,000 per cabin air credit. Starting at $14,996. Departs November 11 & 27 and December 26, 2019.

Customers in the US and Canada can call us toll-free at 800-680-2858. For a list of our other toll-free numbers worldwide, click here.

For savings of up to 82% on ocean cruises, click here.
For river cruises up to 50% off, click here.
For discounts of up to 50% at hotels and all-inclusive resorts, click here.
For the lowest rates on Africa safaris from budget to luxury in quality, click here.

Please email me your comments, suggestions and questions at alanfox@tourvacationstogo.com and I will respond the same day.

If you enjoy our newsletter, please forward this email to family and friends.

Sincerely,

Alan Fox
Executive Chairman
Vacations To Go