See Our Untours Photo Contest Finalists

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Florence Untour

Here at Untours HQ, we live for this sort of thing. After all the work and planning, we love to know our guests are having fun. So our new Untours Photo Contest has brought us pure joy. For much of spring and summer, we have received brilliant photos from Europe, each reflecting the joy, wit, and curiosity of our Untours guests. We love you guys! Thank you for trusting us with your dreams and for sharing some of the good stuff with us.

Here are some of our favorites!  

Thanks to all who have voted. Follow the link below to see the winner.

Tuscany cooking lessons with Untours

1: Tuscan Feast (the Choykas)

Joanne Choyka has sent us numerous photos from her multiple trips to Tuscany with Untours. She has enjoyed time on the Amalfi Coast and Umbria Untours and will return to Tuscany for a third time this fall, staying at Le Chiuse 1. She also likes to take cooking classes with one of our Untours hosts. This shot was taken with the family that teaches them. See more of her cooking photos here, along with a great gnocchi recipe. (Or if you want to cook in Tuscany, consider the Wine and Food Untour!)

London apartment stay Untour

2: London Calling (the Bonins)

As our cities grow to look more and more alike, we look for unique traditions. The Bonins posed in front of an iconic red phone booth in London. They have been on numerous Untours! See their full review in the 2019 catalog (back inside cover) or read it here. When I told them we were featuring them in our catalog, Linda Bonin joked about Hollywood calling.

Atrani apartment, Amalfi Coast

3: Amalfi Views (the Hoffmeisters)

Shirley Hoffmeister sent us this beauty! Here she is posing on the terrace of their Untours apartment, the Ruby. It is one of our most popular apartments on the Amalfi Coast Untour, and you can see why. The apartment is set in the charming cliffside town of Atrani, within reach or Amalfi, but with its own unique atmosphere and charms.

Andalucia Spain with friends

4: Friends in Spain (the Fields)

Sandra Fields submitted this lovely shot of her and her travel companions in sunny Andalusia, Spain. They stayed at the comfortable Posada Real apartment near Priego de Cordoba and enjoyed their time exploring the rural beauty of Subbetica.

Vacation rentals in Provence

5: Pastis in Provence (the Flemings)

We love it when our guests get in on the local customs. Here Nancy and Ansley Fleming enjoy pastis, the perfect happy hour on their terrace at the Gamet 2 in France. They combined their Provence Untour with a Viking River cruise, Paris and the Heart of Normandy, which they booked with us, through Untours Ventures. What a great combination!

Ayers family travel in Switzerland

6: Swiss Family Bonding (the Ayers)

The Ayers family joined us on the Swiss Heartland Untour in June. Switzerland is a dream destination for kids, with lakes to swim, trails to hike, mountain peaks to climb, and trains and boats to ride through the most memorable landscapes. We recommend it highly for families, along with some other favorite Untours where kids stay free.

Scotland beauty

7: Among the Scottish Roses (M. Wezeman)

This beauty was submitted by Mary Wezeman, who joined Barbara Bensching on an Untour Sampler, with a week in London and a week in Central Scotland. This image was taken at in Dunblane, one of our Untours hometowns, in the memorial garden for children killed in a school shooting in the 1990s there that lead to tougher gun laws in the UK.

Tuscany vacation rental

8: Tuscan Farm Views (the Dolans)

Susan and Steven Dolan joined us for a Florence-Tuscany Untour sampler, which is the perfect way to really see Tuscany, both its cities and its beautiful countryside. Here Steven poses outside the Ada Teresa apartment where they stayed, on a vineyard near Montalcino with lovely hosts and gorgeous views.

Ireland
(Click below to see it move!)

9: Road Trip Ireland (L. Burton)

Linda Burton and her gang of friends had a fun time road tripping in Ireland, drinking in all of County Kerry’s peaceful green, dazzling sea views, and rustic charms. The Ireland Untour is a perfect spot to explore with friends and draws lots of groups like theirs. And the Padraig apartment, where they stayed, is a perfect spot, set on a farm near Kenmare.

free spirit in Rome

10: Presenting, Rome! (the MacPhersons)

The MacPhersons sent me regular photo dispatches from their Untour in Rome, all shot with the energy and good humor that characterizes so many of our Untourists. Of this image at St. Peter’s, Anne Marie said: Thanks to the advice of our Untours host Mary, we were able to scoot over to the Basilica on our last morning and miss all the crowds. The exact reason we chose Untours and the perfect ending to our trip.

Shy David, Florence

11: Shy David (the Gongloffs)

The Gongloffs made our day and have gotten pretty close to going viral on Untours social media with this hysterical image from their Untour in Florence. Of course, Michelangelo may be rolling in his grave, but we are all rolling with laughter. Perhaps even better is Paul and Nancy’s caption for this masterpiece: Shy David.

Wine tasting in Provence

12: Provence Vineyards (the Rivellos)

This gem came to us from Angela and Joe Rivello, who carried their Untours sign around Provence with them, into the vineyards and markets of the French countryside. It was hard to pick my favorite! Look for Joe with the cheesemonger in our catalog, and see this blog post with more of their adventures. They bonded with our local staff person Anne, who remembers them fondly.

CLICK HERE to see the WINNER!

 

18 comments

  1. Shy David – Photo Shopped…?
    I hate to say it, but it appears that the shy David photo has been shopped..
    Look at the positioning of their feet in relation to the glass wall behind them..
    If it isn’t photo shopped, these people are amazing because they can levitate!!

  2. Hi, everyone! Since photo shopping has been a hot topic, I just wanted to clarify things. Regarding Shy David, I spoke with the Gongloffs about it when we were in touch about the contest. They described their friend, a serious photographer, lying on the floor to get the right shot when they were in the Galleria dell’Accademia in Florence on their Untour. He sent them this shot, and when I asked, they said that they did think he used photo shop to help line things up. (I could see it in the feet.)

    That said, there are no rules against photo shopping for our contest, so long as the people photographed were there, on site, in the places they photograph. (The images can be enhanced but cannot be fiction!) The Gongloffs clearly were there, and as I understand it, their entry is a composite of their photos. I think the result of their cleverness deserves a spot in our final 12. Those who disagree can vote otherwise. There are plenty of great photos to choose from!

    I hope that clarifies things. – Andrea Szyper (Untours Communications Director)

  3. Had a difficult deciding because we were able to see all these places while on Untours. The photos definitely made me recall all these places and hope to return again to all these wonderful memories.
    Unfortunately, my long-time companion passed away. Thanks for the memories.

  4. I vote for #3. I love the background, but best of all I know Shirley and she’s a great person! I hope her picture is the winner.

  5. I had to vote for #3 because we also stayed in the apartment Ruby and loved the views. Great sea views but we also loved the Church next door with its beautiful bell tower. Great location! Loved it!

  6. Thought “Shy David” was clever; especially as we, too, saw David on our Florence Untours several years ago. And, the sign is just the right size.

  7. Since our next Untours summer begins in Central Scotland next August, we will look for the elderly people sign shown on the photo that we loved but was not chosen as a finalist. Can someone tell me the location of same.

    1. The “Elderly People” sign was on the south or west side of the main street thru Bridge of Allan, a few blocks before the commercial section of town. You would not see that sign in the US. We loved it.

      Mary Wezeman

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