- Make Memories
- Be Inspired
- Have Fun!
Travel isn't just about ticking destinations off a list. It's about forging connections, sparking emotions, and collecting experiences that linger long after you return home. Here at Adventures To Tuscany, we delve into the art of crafting impactful and memorable travel experiences, designed to leave you enriched, inspired and yearning for more. To do this, we actually start with an outline:
- Make sure we have the right guests - talk with people in advance of the trip to make sure they understand and are comfortable with "the personality" of The Tour
- Give them the best & most thorough travel tips & resources to help them make good travel choices as they set about their planning & preparation (The Blog)
- Accessibility: make ourselves totally accessible from the very start. We try hard to let our guests know they can reach out to us at any time by email, text or phone with questions
- Tour Design: design all aspects of the Tour to give guests the most well rounded & balanced experience - accommodations, amenities, dining, wine experiences, itineraries, guides, attractions, balance of time (scheduled vs leisure time), immersive, experiential Tour & Leisure activities to give guests the most fun, memorable and impactful experience.
- Follow-up; reach out to guests to assist in any planning difficulties
- Confirm readiness: we try hard to make sure our guests are prepared and know all the who's, what's, when's, where's, how's & why's...
Unearthing Your Travel Persona
What ignites this wanderlust? Some of our guests are history buffs seeking ancient ruins, while other slightly more adventurous souls crave adrenaline-pumping activities.... We try to carefully describe our Expeditions to make sure our guests understand that Adventures To Tuscany is very different from your typical Italian Tour Operator. We'll show you the sites & the history, but we'll make sure you experience a little adventure along the way! We say: Truly unique, authentic & immersive, escorted & guided, experiential adventure expeditions!
We realize there are all different kinds of travelers... Some thrive on meticulous planning, while others prefer a more spontaneous approach... Knowing your travel style ensures a journey that aligns with your personality and avoids unnecessary stress. We try to remove all the stress of planning your time with us in Tuscany... Our curated itinerary & daily activities starting from prepared Breakfasts, the whole way through the sight-seeing & touring activities of the day, to our Happy Hour Parties, Dinner parties and nighttime festivities and late night snacks, ensure that you're not spending your time trying to figure out what to do & where to go... you won't have to be sitting at breakfast reading guidebooks... searching endlessly...
Going Beyond the Guidebook
Guidebooks offer a solid foundation... But venturing beyond their well-trodden paths unlocks a world of unique experiences! We work hard to get you off the beaten path! And it won't take you long to realize that!
It starts with our experience... We've been doing this a long time, and we'll take you places no Tour Bus has ever ventured! We of course want you to see Italy, but we want you to see & experience the real Italy... And experiencing the real Italy, starts right here on The Blog... To make your experience a positive one, we spend months spoon-feeding you little tips and giving you the resources to hopefully smooth out any wrinkles that you're likely going to be exposed to with international travel to foreign lands whose culture is completely different than what you may be used to... In our experience, our guests (those who follow our Blog postings) know a lot more about Italy before they leave, than most vacationers know when they return. But this is just the beginning of how we make our Expeditions memorable!
A True Villa Experience
We've all heard someone make this comment about their hotel choice: "It doesn't matter where we stay, we're only going there to sleep..." Don't believe this... It does matter where you stay! Be inspired with your accommodations! We search endlessly to find the right Villas for our Tours!
This is an authentic & historic Tuscan Villa... and you'll feel this authenticity the moment you walk through the doors... Things will be a little different than what you're probably used to here in the United States... Things like the dryer in the laundry room will need to be "emptied". (most European dryers are extractors; that is they spin at a very high speed to extract & collect the water). And while all of the double ensuite bedrooms have air-conditioning, they typically don't have as high of efficiency as many US guests are accustomed to... The toilets in many of your bathrooms will have a "pump plunger button" that you may have to pump a couple times depending on the amount of "flush" you desire... If you're 6 feet tall or over, you'll find that you'll often need to duck going through some doorways... While differences like this may seem odd, they're actually quite the norm throughout Italy...
We'll introduce you to and help you to embrace locals – shopkeepers, restaurateurs, tour guides., etc... These are our local friends that we've made here over the decades, and we encourage you to be open to them, and introduce yourself... Our local Tuscan friends are some of the friendliest people in the world and they love meeting our guests! These conversations can lead to unexpected discoveries and new perspectives.
Stepping Off the Tourist Trail
Engage All Your Senses
Embrace the Sounds: Immerse yourself in the soundscape. Street musicians, bustling markets, and the rhythm of nature all contribute to Tuscany's unique character. If you're up early in the morning, grab your coffee, go outside and listen for the Cuckoo birds... Yes, Cuckoo birds! The first time I heard them, I thought someone was playing a joke on me...
Embrace the Scents: The smell of freshly baked bread from a local bakery, the aroma of spices in a market, or the crisp mountain air – these scents transport you and create vivid memories.
Embrace the Unexpected
Some of the most impactful moments during travel are unplanned. Leave room for spontaneity and embrace the unexpected... You're bound to get lost at some point... Don't get frustrated, take a breath, look around and realize that it's part of the adventure; there's something to explore on every corner!
Embrace the Flow: Travel plans can change due to weather, transportation delays, or unforeseen circumstances. Be flexible, adapt with a positive attitude, and see these changes as potential for new adventures...
Strike Up Conversations: Chat with locals, fellow travelers, or even strangers on a park bench. There's tons of possibilities to nurture your soul by sincere interaction with the local people... Take the time to realize that even interaction with someone like the Customs officials or the attendant at the rental car facility, offers opportunities to bond as citizens of the world...
Follow Your Curiosity: Let a quirky shop window or a hidden alleyway pique your interest. Sometimes the most rewarding experiences are found by straying from the planned path.
Document Your Journey – But Be Present
Capture your journey through photographs, journaling, or even sketches. However, remember that the most impactful memories are often those etched in your mind. Take some time to be truly present, disconnect from technology, and soak in the experience with all your senses. While we tend to focus on the visuals, there's often so much more... Close your eyes & listen to and focus on the background sounds of your surroundings... And take just a moment to focus on the fragrances in the air...
These super special experiential moments come only to those who take the time to look for them... So by all means, - pause, take a breath, and take the time to look for them! Our Tours are very different... They're specifically designed to deeply immerse you into the magic of the local culture... And because of our extremely small groups, you'll have lots of these opportunities... Know that the Tuscan people are very, very friendly... We'll be introducing you to a lot of our local friends... Start a conversation... ask polite questions... give compliments... ask for advice... Show them pictures of your children, and ask to see theirs! Ask a waiter to recommend something new, something unlike what you'd normally try... How's the pigeon today? You'll have the rest of your life to have a Reuben Sandwich... So today, maybe try the rabbit! Ask for a picture together... Smile... look them in the eye and sincerely thank them for their help... It takes only a moment to form a new relationship, but it rarely happens without "intention". One of the most successful methods of creating these new international relationships is to ask this simple question; "are you on FaceBook?" And if you can form that magic bond like so many of our guests have done, it will pay dividends for the rest of your life! Now go out there and get ready... We're gonna make some amazing memories!
One of the greatest songs ever written... At the top of the charts for record breaking time...
Originally written for the soundtrack to the movie "City of Angels"
this song made the Goo Goo Dolls famous!
here, being sung live in the rain
