No one does cozy quite like the Dutch do. One of my favorite trips to Holland was in winter, when I marvelled at the intrepid locals out biking through slush and snow. There was nothing as cozy as a brown cafe, walls bathed in candlelight. Here are 5 reasons you should consider a winter…
Are you a packing ninja? Around the UnTours office, we like to geek out about packing. We all have tips to share and oddball habits. But on the essentials of the all-important carry-on bag, we largely agree. 1. First things first: Are you checking a bag? The less you pack, the better. If you can…
Branding is a dirty word to a lot of us here in the UnTours office. Or rather, it is a sort of necessary evil, as our late founder Hal Taussig might have said. We have a natural resistance to anything that could be perceived as slick. After all, we are a mom-and-pop type operation, many…
Eating is one of my favorite parts of living; it informs my travels and even my choices of destinations. Italy would have been top of list even if I hadn’t been fortunate enough to work on our UnTours there. Over my years with UnTours, I have spent a lot of time there, working and eating….
Paolo Conte’s song Max makes me cry. Its undulating melody echoes the Tuscan hills. I played his greatest hits often on a family trip to Tuscany nine summers ago. I close my eyes when I hear it now and see the sun setting on lush green hillsides. Travel is sensual. We readily think of…
We’re thrilled to announce our new Scotland Untour, with our first arrival dates this fall. Stay tuned for details or sign up to get first notice when it is ready to book. In the meantime, here is a little more about our homebase there, and the reasons we have chosen Stirling and its surrounding countryside…
One of the great joys of touring France is visiting its many wineries, where you can connect with the scenery, the local people, and the history of a region one memorable glass at a time. Here are some tips to help you make the most of the experience. 1. Look for Degustation or Goutez on…
Cruising can be a great way to cover a lot of territory in comfort. But choose wisely, as not all cruises are created equal. We’ve hand selected the best of what’s on the market, for French barge and canal cruising, the rivers of Europe, and small-ship seas cruises to Greece and beyond! Check our Ventures…
Ireland’s wild coast and sylvan scenery are best taken in on its ring drives. We’ve covered the Iveragh Peninsula (both Killarney National Park and the Skellig Ring) and the Beara Peninsula in previous posts. Our last installment takes us to the Dingle Peninsula, another great peninsula that is easily accessible from the Ireland Untour homebase…
On Wednesday the Vatican announced plans to replace all motorized vehicles in Vatican City with electric cars by 2017. It is part of a larger plan to make Vatican City carbon neutral by 2024. Tesla will partner with the Vatican to produce modified electric vehicles to replace those driven by guards and officials. The…