One of our favorite things about UnTours, especially as we celebrate nearly 50 years, is that the trips don’t really end when you fly home. Sometimes, they quietly keep going for decades.
UnTourist Beth Stus shared this story with us, and it’s a perfect reminder of what can happen when you slow down and say yes to conversation, curiosity, and a missed train or two. What began as a Swiss UnTour in 1999 turned into lifelong friendships, multi-generational adventures, and a standing invitation to a mountain hut (complete with a resident pig).
We’ll let Beth take it from here.
Beth’s Story: A Swiss UnTour That Became a Way of Life
Our first trip across the big pond was on an UnTours trip to the Swiss Oberland in 1999. We had a lovely apartment in Mülenen. We loved learning about the train schedules during our orientation and felt confident striking out on our own for various hiking trips. We did make one mistake, though—we thought a certain train would take us to our destination, but it turned out to be a local, and we had to switch trains!
One day, as we were getting off the train in Mülenen, a man was also getting off—with his bike. We struck up a conversation and found out he worked at the train station. We stopped to see him a couple of times with questions about good destinations for the day, and we became friends.
That was the beginning of a 25+ year friendship with Philipp von Allmen, his wife Irma, his sister Christine, and her husband Koni.
Over the years, they welcomed us into their homes for meals many times. A couple of times, we even spent the night so we could start hiking early the next day. We learned so much about Swiss customs and culture from their family.
Philipp took us out on Lake Thun in his beautiful rowboat, The Tell. His family used to live right near the lake, and the boat was harbored there. We visited the family home in those early years—Philipp and Irma had an apartment in it—but it has since been sold. Now Philipp and Irma live in Ferden, in Irma’s family home.
My husband and I took UnTours trips in 1999, 2000, and 2005. After that, my husband wasn’t able to travel for a few years—but I wanted to show off the beautiful Swiss countryside to my grandchildren. So in 2018, I did another UnTours trip with my granddaughter and my grown niece.
My granddaughter and I went with Philipp to a mountain hut in the Aeschi area—Brunni Hütte—which Philipp sometimes tends for the mountain club that owns it. We spent an unforgettable night in this rustic hut with a resident pig and no flushing toilet. Philipp cooked for us over a wood stove.
We met the goat keeper, who stayed in another part of the hut for the summer with his wife and children. Christine had us to her home for aperitifs, as she would say. During that visit, we got to try on lovely hats Christine had made for the Belle Époque celebration that takes place in Kandersteg each January.
I returned to Switzerland again in 2022 with my grandson Logan and his mother, my daughter-in-law. Once again, we went to the hut and had lovely visits with all of Philipp’s family. Logan had fun trying on the hats when we visited Christine!
We weren’t on an UnTours trip this time—after so many UnTours, I knew the area well. As UnTours says, we had developed a genuine connection and were deeply immersed in Swiss culture and heartfelt hospitality.
In 2024, we came back again—this time with my husband able to travel once more. We stayed in Kandersteg, and all three of our sons and one grandson joined us. We all spent one night in the hut, and Christine hosted us for a wonderful evening in her beautiful home.
We celebrated 25 years of friendship—all thanks to UnTours.
Why We Love Stories Like This
Beth’s story captures something we can’t put neatly into an itinerary or a brochure: what happens when travel becomes relational, not transactional.
This is what we mean when we say Not a Tourist. An UnTourist. Where you trade bucket lists for shared meals, borrowed bikes, family invitations, and friendships that outlast the trip itself.
Have a Story to Share?
If you’ve traveled with UnTours—once or many times—and have a memory, moment, or connection that stayed with you, we’d love to hear it. Big or small, quirky or profound, these stories are the living history of UnTours. Send us your UnTourist story and help us celebrate the people, places, and friendships that make this community what it is.
Because sometimes, the best souvenir is a 25-year friendship—and maybe a really good hat.