Photo by Dave Lauridsen
|
Two-Footed Tours
By Laura Daily, March & April 2006
Dozens of tour companies offer walking vacations. Our tip: find one that not only talks the talk but walks the walk—literally
|
Top operators offer all types of activities, provide full-time expert
guides, and handle all the behind-the-scenes support work (such as moving your
luggage between hotels). Here are four:
Backroads With 42 itineraries
covering five continents, Backroads is considered an industry leader in active
vacations. It's noted for its five-star Premiere Inn Trips, but a new
lower-priced option, Casual Inn Trips, substitutes sugar plantations and cozy B
& Bs for chateaus and palatial villas ($1,998 to $6,498; 800-462-2848).
Butterfield & Robinson (B&R) The Ritz of walking companies, B&R books the best rooms in the
best hotels, reserves tables in Michelin-starred restaurants, and leads guests
to exclusive spots that the general populace would find difficult, if not
impossible, to access individually. And you never schlep your own bags ($4,000
to $6,995; 800-678-1147).
Cross Country International
(CCI) CCI prides itself on taking clients to places off the beaten path
that don't cost a fortune. Expect dinner with a lovely local wine, not Dom
Perignon, and a real chance to immerse yourself in the regional language,
landscape, culture, and food ($1,400 to $2,200; 800-828-8768).
Country Walkers
Guaranteed departures, walks in Panama and Norway, and even two snowshoe tours
are just some of the ways Country Walkers distinguishes itself. Sixty-eight
tours, including women's-only and multigenerational, span the globe from
Croatia to Costa Rica ($1,798 to $4,798; 800-464-9255).
|
