Smithsonian, specializing in educational group tours, offers special access and unique experiences in cultural and enrichment travel – from a stop at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama during a small-ship cruise, to touring the Uffizi Gallery in Florence when the museum is closed to the public … from witnessing incredible celestial phenomena during a telescope viewing at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory in Arizona, to exclusive meetings with top mystery writers in England.
Beginning in 1970, their collection of land tours and cruises has grown to more than 150 destinations on all seven continents, and includes everything from Classic European tours, African Safaris, Family Tours, River Cruises, Antarctica Expeditions, to a variety of Special Interests tours.
Wherever you go, Smithsonian opens doors, assuring you of a topnotch learning experience. Smithsonian’s guides are inspiring experts and scholars, including esteemed art history professors, biologists, anthropologists, historians, archaeologists, naturalists, geologists and others who will enrich your travels. Smithsonian also offers a variety of special interest tours including Art, History (U.S and World), Wildlife, Archeology, European Auto tours, Music & Performing Arts, Science and even Film Festivals (Cannes, Venice and Toronto).
Their cultural Stay Collection offers three options to suit your schedule and interests — single city stays, two-center stays in city or countryside settings, and three-week immersion programs. Their “Living In” series offers an opportunity to immerse yourself in Aix-en-Provence or Florence on a leisurely and extended stay. Choose one or several enrichment tracks—language lessons, cuisine, and/or art and culture—and learn from local experts.
Guests travel in comfort and style, from unique lodgings in far-flung regions and charming hotels in well-traveled places, to the ideal cruise ship or train experience, while enjoying authentic local cuisine.
For those who prefer to stay in the best 5-star hotels and eat the finest meals in Paris, Barcelona and Rome, Abercrombie & Kent’s luxury tours are a great choice. This award-winning tour operator specializes in luxury small group tours (just 18 guests) all over the globe, including journeys throughout Europe, Asia, India and beyond, as well as African Safaris, Luxury Polar Expeditions, River Cruises, European Canal Barge Cruises, and Private Jet adventures.
A&K promises the best room at the best hotel at every stop on your journey, and includes five-star service, from picking you up at the airport and handling your baggage with their VIP Traveling Bell Boy service, to covering your gratuities, and complimentary laundry service.
Founded in 1962, A&K operates 52 full-time offices worldwide, staffed by more than 2,500 people. Its reputation allows A&K travelers private, sometimes exclusive access to museums, archaeological sites and cultural attractions around the world. Resident Tour Directors bring itineraries to life through decades, if not an entire lifetime, of firsthand experience, introducing you to local people and sharing their enthusiasm and passion for local culture.
They offer Luxury Small Group Journeys, featuring incredible best-in-class accommodations, insider access and a Resident Tour Director, with no more than 18 guests. Their more affordable Connections Journeys, limited to 24 guests, combine A&K’s renowned service with unbeatable value. If you have kids, Family Journeys are designed with children in mind, filled with enriching activities, child-friendly hotels and a range of exciting destinations to choose from. Led by A&K’s most revered Resident Tour Directors, their Marco Polo Journeys evoke the spirit of adventure with extraordinary itineraries rich in exotic destinations, unique insider-access moments, centered around unique destinations and festivals. Tailor Made luxury journeys are created just for you. They even offer several globe-trotting journeys via Private Jet!
Founded in 1966, this award-winning company has built a solid reputation by offering small group and private luxury cycling tours, walking tours, and a variety of mulitsport trips. B&R guests enjoy the comfort of incredible lodgings with rich histories and unique features (castles, country manors, monasteries, palaces), and amazing culinary experiences – a mix of top restaurants and authentic meals at local homes.
B&R caters to everyone from the super athletic to the couch potato. Their cycling tours in Europe even have electric-assist bikes for those who need a boost riding uphill. All equipment is included, from bikes and helmets to walking sticks, so guests can focus on the experience at hand. An integral part of your B&R cycling trip is the support van. B&R guides and their well-stocked van make regular sweeps of the day’s route, and can whisk you back to the hotel at a moment’s notice. Meet the van at one of the pre-arranged rendezvous spots or simply hail it on its sweep, whether for snacks, storage or other needs.
B&R also offers a variety of trip styles. Their Bistro trips offer the same walking and biking routes in a more casual style. Instead of five-star hotels, four-star hotels are used and there are more independent meals. On Culinary trips, food is the focus with visits to markets, cooking classes, access to growers and farmers plus meals prepared by local renowned chefs. They even have Family trips with added experiences just for kids and alone time built in for parents.
Their Self-guided trips have pre-determined routes but no set dates and no guide, so travelers have more flexibility when exploring each region by biking or walking. Their Walking trips are designed for walking and hiking and are chosen to reflect the beautiful scenery of each region.
Of the large tour companies, Intrepid Travel is one of the few that specializes in affordable, no-frills small group tours for more independent travelers. Based in Melbourne, Australia, they offer everything from African safaris and cycling tours, to sailing trips and mountain trekking adventures. Intrepid’s small group style of travel – with an average of 10 travelers per trip – allows you stay under the radar and experience each destination more like a local. These trips get travelers closer to real life, while still offering the safety of a group and the knowledge of an expert local guide.
Intrepid’s themed trips include Culinary tours, Wildlife tours, Polar Expeditions, Family tours, Trekking tours, Overland tours, and a variety of Sailing trips. Intrepid is also committed to responsible travel and even offers a number of fundraising trips on behalf of The Intrepid Foundation, a not-for-profit company assisting NGOs.
Depending on your budget, you can choose from three comfort levels or styles of travel: Basix, Original and Comfort. For budget-minded people who like to explore on their own, Basix trips may be a good bet. These trips include budget accommodations, transportation and a local guide, but not much else. They don’t include meals or exclusive sightseeing excursions and performances. While extremely reasonable, Basix trips are not for everyone, since accommodations often include hostels, tents, shared apartments, and even shared bathrooms. Travel is usually on public transportation and the trip fee doesn’t include daily guided sightseeing excursions – your pretty much on your own. Original trips are a better choice for those after a good mix of included activities and free time to exploring on your own. Original trips use well-located, tourist-class hotels and include some meals. Their Comfort trips offer an added degree of comfort, a more relaxed pace of travel, nicer accommodations, more included activities and many meals along the way.
Explore –
Based in the United Kingdom, Explore has been offering small group adventure tours for over 35 years with a wide range of options, including walking and trekking tours, wildlife tours, cycling tours, multisport tours, polar voyages, rail journeys, family adventure holidays and more. This innovative company is also known for catering to solo travelers, with often half of their groups comprised of solo travelers of varying ages. Small groups of around 14-16 people are led by an Explore Tour Leader who knows the country they are leading in like the back of their hand.
While not a luxury operator, Explore lets travelers choose from three styles of travel: Simply Explore, Classic Explore, and Premium Explore. Simply Explore tours are affordable and flexible. You’ll be traveling on trains, buses, or even rickshaws, ferries and taxis. You’ll stay at simple hotels or family-run guesthouses, usually in twin rooms with private bathrooms, and sometimes in multi-share rooms with shared facilities. Fewer sights and activities are included on these tours, leaving plenty of free time.
Classic Explore tours are packed with activities and excursions, including the famous sights as well as little known places far from the usual tourist haunts. Guests can expect comfortable mid-range hotels with twin rooms and en-suite bathrooms, and also guesthouses, lodges or other local accommodations, depending on the itinerary. You will typically be traveling in private air-conditioned vehicles, but may also travel via trains, ferries, flights, local buses, and four-wheel-drives. These tours cover more key sights but allow plenty of time to explore independently.
On Premium Explore tours guests enjoy days packed with adventure and activity, followed by relaxing nights in the comfort of carefully hand-picked accommodations (usually 4 star standard or above), selected for their character, location or local importance. In India for example, you may stay in a Maharaja’s palace or a converted Rajput fort.
Explore’s multisport Activity Tours offer an array of outdoor adventures like canoeing, kayaking, whitewater rafting, canyoning, rock climbing, diving, snorkeling, surfing, windsurfing, mountain biking, horse riding, hiking and more.
Founded in 1990, G Adventures is one of the largest small group adventure travel companies in the world. Based in Toronto, Canada with offices throughout the world and a staff of over 1,350, this award-winning travel company specializes in affordable small-group tours (12-16 travelers), safaris, and expeditions all over the globe.
Their innovative approach allows travelers to choose from eight different travel styles, including Classic, National Geographic Journeys, Active, Yolo (for ages 18-39), Family, Marine, Local Living and Rail. They also offer private tours. Classic tours deliver a good balance of must-see highlights, cultural exchange, insider access, unbeatable value, and time for spontaneous moments.
Their National Geographic Journeys take you deeper into the cultures and habitats of each destination, offering more inclusions, greater hands-on exploration, interactions with local experts, and the freedom to roam. Their Active tours include Hiking tours, Cycling tours and Multisport tours. Whether you prefer leisurely bike rides through remote villages, a trek to the top of Kilimanjaro, or physical pursuits like rock-climbing, zip-lining, or dogsledding, Active tours deliver as much or as little action as you need.
Rail tours are built around the iconic railways of yore, like Switzerland’s Glacier Express, India’s Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, and the sprawling Trans-Siberian. Rail tours combine the must-see highlights, insider access, freeform exploration, and one-of-a-kind encounters with local people and culture you’d expect from small-group adventures with the ease and efficiency of the train travel.
Local Living tours allow guests to unpack once at a central home base – a Tuscan farmhouse, an Icelandic home, a rustic lodge in the Amazon jungle – and discover how the locals live with the help of a connected guide who knows the area best. Their Marine tours include small ship expeditions to the poles, the Galapagos Islands, and river cruises to the down the Amazon, and other amazing places.
Founded by Frank Mandarano in 1998, these exclusive hand-crafted Italian car tours kick off on the beautiful shores of Lake Como, Italy, and include visits to the world-renowned auto design studios Italdesign, Pininfarina, Zagato and others. The 11-day tours also visit legendary Italian auto companies, such as Maserati, The Maserati Collection, Lamborghini, Borrani, Pagani, Schedoni and the Alfa Romeo Collection. Previous tour highlights include premium tickets to the Monza Formula One Grand Prix, one complete day in Maranello visiting all that is Ferrari: the Ferrari Galleria, the first official Ferrari Store, Warm up, Formula 1, and shopping and lunch at the famous Cavallino Ristorante.
The trip begins on the beautiful shores of Lake Como and ends in Modena, the automotive and gastronomic capital of the world. They also visit world-class restoration shops and major private collections. Guests can arrive early and enjoy beautiful Lake Como, taking the fast boat to Bellagio for lunch or the slow boat for a leisurely tour of the lake, going ashore to explore its charming little villages and coffee bars.
Over the last 12 years, the tour has evolved and improved to include new and more conveniently located hotels, as well as the very popular addition of a luxury motorcoach to transport guests in style and comfort. Note that they offer just a few tours a year which can sell out quickly!
Since their first pioneering North Pole voyage in 1991, Quark has taken thousands of travelers on adventure tours to corners of the world that earlier generations could only dream of visiting. They have led the way in polar expeditions, making the Arctic and Antarctica accessible to travelers from 50 countries around the world. The Arctic is still one of the last frontiers on earth, and offers up a rich collection of wildlife, including the polar bear, walrus, musk ox, arctic fox, and narwhal. Unlike Antarctica, the Arctic region is home to small communities of people who have developed some of the hardiest societies on the planet.
All of Quark’s voyages include great daily outdoor activities such as Zodiac cruises, hiking and snowshoeing on early season voyages. More athletic travelers can also choose from a range of optional adventure activities, with varying exertion levels, such as mountaineering and cross-country skiing.
Quark operates a diverse fleet of 8 small expedition-style ships (some more luxurious than others), carrying fewer than 200 passengers, and all equipped with Zodiacs (inflatable landing craft) for transfers from ship to shore. The fleet includes 50 Years of Victory, the first Arktika-class icebreaker to have a spoon-shaped bow, capable of breaking through ice up to 2.5 meters (9.2 feet) thick. This is the world’s largest, most-powerful nuclear icebreaker, and even includes a helicopter for shore excursions.
