"Effortless. Serene. I'll travel no other way!"
"We enjoyed ourwith trip Now Journey. They thought of everything and made our trip through Tuscany the most enjoyable vacation in our lifetime. They do things right from start to finish." — Gina from Treasures of Tuscany Tour
Whether you're traveling with us on our Tours to Italy or one of our other amazing destinations, we're very excited to be able to serve you. Our Journey guests really enjoy the hands-off the details but fully engaged in the fun, entertainment and immersive aspects of our adventures. "The more I searched the Internet the more information overload prevailed. I just didn't know which way to turn. Journey helped me and I am so glad I found them!" — M.D.
Allow us to start with some "dont's:" Journey's small group tours don't have leaders running you around with flags or umbrellas — we don't have big buses — we don't have big groups — we don't frequent touristic restaurants — we don't upsell to you while you're on your vacation — we don't spend hours on the vehicle.
And now some "Do's:" We do have American Tour Directors professionally trained to relate to our pre-dominantly North American travelers. We do have Unlimited Premium Beverages with our included dinners (who else does this?). We do believe you can enjoy the comfort of a small group, while having most mornings filled with local, expertly guided sightseeing tours, with an ample supply of "down time," so you can soak up the destination.
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Journey crafts fully-guided Small Group adventures featuring all-inclusive experiences and accommodations with up to 16 guests. Most mainstream tour operator's idea of a small group begins around 24 travelers. That's not our style.
We also prefer a balanced day — so you won't find sun-up to sun-down sightseeing (we've just read a review of a mainstream tour that featured a 12-hour day! Sheesh!). You won't find that on a Journey tour!
Journey also creates Personalized Journeys for those travelers who prefer a more exclusive experience but not sacrifice service. And our Self-Guided Journeys are designed for the independent traveler who prefers to be the master of their daily adventure but appreciates having everything organized for them — no matter your travel style, Journey’s Trip Planners can create everything you want organized: hotels and villas, guides, transfers, train and admission tickets — the possibilities are endless.
Journey’s Small Groups allows travelers interested in exploring the world’s treasures and secrets to do so in the company of like-minded travelers who don’t take themselves too seriously. And who are seriously committed to enjoying themselves in the various venues of the Journey portfolio of destinations. No grumpy people are allowed and if you believe you may be a grump, then please check out some of the hundreds of other tour companies who believe they have it all going on! Journey — we’re something different.
Your Journey Tour Director is the consummate professional tour manager who is trained annually by the pros at Journey’s Headquarters. They are your host from beginning to end and provide a seamless (and entertaining) experience by sharing their take and their knowledge on the local destination you’re exploring. Your Journey Tour Director manages all of the logistics of the trip while also providing you with valuable insights on the best restaurant for optional night, to secrets on getting that admission ticket for a last minute add-on. They also happen to be Americans who are able to relate to the majority of our North American travelers while working seamlessly with our local in-country expert Guides.
Meet a few of our Journey Tour Directors
We like to refer to them as the “cream of the crop.” And there’s a reason for that: Cynthia in Rome is our lead guide but also is a major influencer in the Guide Guild and other circles. Knowing Cynthia all of these years has given us incredible insight and access.
Just one example of the caliber of Journey Local Guides allow our travelers to truly experience local hospitality and culture.
Our Journeys include a Preferred Property in each city or village we’re visiting. What makes them obtain “Preferred Property” status? We select our hotels based on various criteria including comfort, location and service. Some of our properties are rated 4 Star while others are 5 Star — ultimately the Journey Preferred Property will be in the right location with a nice balance of amenities and style. Need something more? Check our our Luxury Upgrades — need just a clean, safe place to sleep because you don’t go all out for luxury hotels? Consider our Smart Stays (which features the regular tour package and inclusions per the itinerary) or our Econo Select — which provides you with hotel accommodations, Discovery Walks by the Tour Director, and daily continental breakfast and then you get to select which Locally Guided sightseeing excursions you want to optionally add on. And Now Journey's committment to sustainable tourism means we've alligned ourselves with partners with lower environmental impact.
Now Journey’s approach to dining is truly unique in the travel industry as in most restaurants we order from their menus, with everything included. That’s right! Premium beverages, cuisine and dessert (dolce in Italy!) are all a part of our included dining experiences. And our approach to dining at locally-owned venues allows our guests to engage with the local culture and community.
Journey crafts fully-guided Small Group adventures featuring all-inclusive experiences and accommodations with around 10 to 16 guests. Journey also creates Personalized Journeys for those travelers who prefer a more exclusive experience but not sacrifice service. And our Self-Guided Journeys are designed for the independent traveler who prefers to be the master of their daily adventure but appreciates having everything organized for them — no matter your travel style, Journey’s Trip Planners can create everything you want organized: hotels and villas, guides, transfers, train and admission tickets — the possibilities are endless.
We seamlessly weave together each Journey from our branded and top-selling Small Groups to our Personalized Journeys. For groups of 12 or more we utilize our micro-coaches which average about 12 to 24 seats depending on the final group size. They feature comfortable captain’s chairs, air-conditioning, quality sound systems, panoramic windows and extra free spaces in which to move around.
For Personalized Journeys the mode of transportation depends on the size of the party, but we’ll often use stylish sedans, SUVs and other options to make the Journey complete and comfortable.
Be it by sea, land or air, Journey has their customers covered.
From our front-line trip specialists who work with you to craft that trip of a lifetime, all the way through to our onboard Tour Directors, our team is specially trained to make your Journey everything it can and should be.
Journey’s Field Services Team begins with the Journey Tour Director and boasts a full set of program managers, drivers, guides and support staff who are available 24 hours a day to assist you should the need arise.
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