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Christine Berry, Untourist of the Week: You just don’t have to follow the pack

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Canada Quebec Switzerland Untourist of the Week

July 29, 2014 by Mtaussig

1. Tell us a little bit about your most recent UnTour.

My most recent UnTour was to Quebec. The people, history, scenery, and food were all UnTour-worthy! Quebec is a wonderfully walkable city. One thing I especially liked: all the charm and feel of Europe without the transatlantic flight!

2. Why did you choose to go there?

My mother’s side of the family has deep roots in Quebec. We can trace our lineage there to the very first settlers of Quebec in the early 1600s. I had long wanted to visit this ancestral city and I was not disappointed. Was lovely to see streets named after our forbears. But Quebec would be a great choice for anyone — you don’t need ancient connections to appreciate and enjoy it.

3. What is your favorite UnTours memory?

I have so very many incredible UnTours memories. But one that stands out is not from Quebec, but Switzerland. I absolutely adore yodeling. At the farewell dinner, I was sitting very near the woman who was entertaining us with her beautiful yodeling. I could not believe my good fortune at being so near her and listening to the amazing sounds which came from her throat. I was transported!

4. How is taking an UnTour different from other ways of travelling?

As so many others have commented before, traveling with UnTours is independent travel with support. You are not crammed into a bus on a tour. You don’t have to have your suitcase outside your hotel door at an early hour. You are not herded through historical and cultural attractions. You don’t have to eat a certain meal at a certain time in a certain restaurant. You just don’t have to follow the pack.

On an UnTour, you really do get to live in your own little home away from home and experience life in another culture. You can do what you want, when you want. But always in the background, UnTours is there to provide information, help, support, enoucouragement — whatever you need to make the most of your time there. And UnTours staff are simply the best — always friendly, informative, patient and going the extra mile for us.

5. If you could describe an UnTour in just three words, what would they be?

Best Travel Experience (Ever)

6. Have you heard of our trailblazing UnTours Foundation? What do you think of a company whose profits have gone to create jobs among vulnerable populations through loans to pioneering, green businesses?

Yes, I have heard of the UnTours Foundation and think its goals are so worthwhile that I donate to it every year.