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Frequently Asked Questions

Some countries look as though they would be the ideal combination, but logistics are often complex as connectivity is not always as easy as you may think, and distances may be greater than they appear. Check out our multi-country ideas, and better still, get in touch, we love to talk!

You have the convenience of working with our passionate team of travel managers who are based in the US and have lived and worked in our destinations. You will experience the best of each country, including top guides, seamless (cross-border) operation, and local support.

We are a team of travel experts that design custom private travel to Central Europe, the Balkans, the Baltic States Scandinavia, the Caucasus, and Central Asia.

It varies from region to region. In some places the best way is by train or plane, in others a private car and driver is the right option.

Any border crossing within the European Union is seamless. There are border checks between Croatia and Montenegro, and we recommend that the Caucasus are visited starting with Armenia, followed by Georgia, with Azerbaijan last.

Our top pre and post cruise destinations are the Baltic states, Stockholm, Denmark Amsterdam, Munich, Prague, Budapest, Vienna, Basel & Dubrovnik.

It would never be our recommendation to do this, and now, in particular, it is the ideal excuse to extend your stay on land and make the most that the destination has to offer.

We fully customize all of our trips and the same level of care goes into one of our customized shore excursions as a complex, multi-country program!

We plan well-paced excursions and have never had a passenger miss their ship yet!

All vehicles must be returned to their country of origin, and this involves someone driving the vehicle back. This may, on occasion, even include accommodation for the driver, subject to the drive hours required.

Self-drive programs are best for well-traveled people that are confident travelers.

We will assist with pre-planning your route using google maps if you are self-driving in a country that we recommend self-drive. Should you choose to self-drive in a country we do not recommend, or want to drive a route we would not advise, we do not.

If tracing your roots is the primary reason for your travel, we recommend that you complete your research before planning your travel.

All of Central Europe is rich in ancestral travel. Poland, Romania, Latvia and Lithuania, Czech Republic and Hungary are our most requested destinations for heritage travel.

Both our sister companies Almaz Journeys and Exeter Safari Company also host Founder’s Tours. Please see their individual websites for the itineraries.

We can customize a private pre or post Founder’s Tour trip exclusively for you and your party.

There is a considerable amount of walking and standing involved throughout in general. You must be able to climb and descend stairs easily without assistance and walk over uneven and cobble stoned areas. Often, we will visit multiple sights a day that involve lots of standing and walking.

Our VIP small Founder’s Tours generally have a maximum of 20 participants.

We travel to our destinations with our kids – at different ages and stages. They test-run activities for us!

We know the best combination of rooms for families in all the hotels we work with – and which are more kid-friendly than others. In general, double-double rooms are rare in our locations.

We can give you expert advice on villas within hotels, but we are not private home rental experts.

Our part of the world is very popular with families and every destination can tailor to family travel, however, perhaps our most popular family destinations are Croatia, Montenegro, Slovenia, Austria, Switzerland, Scandinavia, and Iceland.

We can design a custom group to any of our destinations!

We have planned custom groups for several organizations from backgrounds as diverse as banking, politics, the arts, and sciences for high-level donors and company directors.

Apart from the corporate sector, we have also planned many family groups, from large families tracing their ancestry to 3G travel – 3 generations traveling together and private shore tours for friends and family.

We define a group as 10 or more people traveling together.

All of our activities would be categorized as soft active. We do not assist with extreme hiking or ski.

This varies according to the destination – kayaking, swimming, hiking, biking, horseback riding, and ATV safaris are just a few!

Our team travel to our destinations frequently to discover new experiences first-hand.

Our experiences are generally private to your party. In some cases, where the activity is best enjoyed with others, we very occasionally offer a tour you can join with others.

Food safaris, wine tastings, chocolate making, cooking classes, oyster tasting and truffle hunts are just a few. Many of our destinations are blessed with gastronomic brilliance!

All of our active excursions can be tailored to suit children.

 

We can arrange elements of active travel in almost all our destinations, however the places that lend themselves more to active travel are Scandinavia, Iceland, Croatia, Slovenia, Switzerland, and Kyrgyzstan.