Felicity Long
After several rough years, travel agents who specialize in Europe
are bullish about the coming high season, and if the surge in product is
any indicator, their optimism may be well placed.
Instead of press releases trumpeting deep discounts -- a tough sell when
high airfares offset even giveaway hotel discounts -- we are seeing an
explosion of packages that trumpet the travel experience over the price.
A case in point is the influx of cycling packages, inspired by the Tour de France, which begins at the end of June.
Madison, Wis.-based Trek Travel, for example, which specializes in
customized cycling vacations, is targeting hardy cyclists with a new
race-style French Alps programs called the Alps Challenge.
“We took our Classic Climbs of the Alps trip and injected new challenges
so that cyclists will ride the same roads as the pros and compare their
time up major climbs.” said Tania Worgull, owner and president of Trek
Travel.
The five-night challenge, which climbs 10 summits, including the
grueling Alpe d'Huez, bundles in accommodations, massages, daily
breakfast, two lunches and three dinners into the $3,699 starting price.
The departure is set for Aug. 11.
Italiaoutdoors Food and Wine, an owner-operated private guide service
based in Newburyport, Mass., created a six-night Train Like a Local
package in northern Italy that includes the services of a mountain guide
and a traveling chef. Priced from $3,695 per person, double, the rate
includes accommodations, ground transportation, breakfasts and three
dinners.
The itinerary focuses on teaching participants to navigate higher
elevations on lesser-known trails in the foothills of the Dolomites.
Departures are set for May 2 and June 16.
For a more relaxed experience, Pure Adventures, a cycling division of
Discover France Adventures, is debuting self-guided, four- to six-night
bike tours in Italy, focusing on quieter regions in Puglia, Umbria and
Maremma in western Tuscany. The tours can be timed to coincide with
local festivals, from wine and food events to medieval fairs.
Pure Adventures cycling tours are also available in Ireland’s Connemara
region, Galway and the Aran Islands in time to participate in the
Gathering, a countrywide, yearlong celebration designed to lure
international visitors of Irish descent.
“Because you’re on your own
wheels and your own time, you can linger, or not, as you wish at these
events that draw on a region’s history and culture,” said Pure
Adventures founder Loren Siekman. “The only consideration then becomes
the seasonal time frame in which Pure Adventures offers programs to a
region.”
Four-night cycling tours start at around $1,295 per person.