Planning the Trip of a Lifetime

Experience the history and hidden corners of Europe with a flexible itinerary created just for you, your family or your friends. Ours are the only small group tours available in the world that are built specifically around clients’ wishes. Our adventures are for singles or groups up to 10. We never mix and match strangers on any of our tours. We ask that our guests make up their own group, even if your “group” is just you and your partner or spouse. About half of the trips we put together each year are for just two people.

Possibilities abound for discriminating adventure seekers who wish to discover:

  • Austria
  • Belgium
  • Croatia
  • Denmark
  • England
  • France
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  • Germany
  • Hungary
  • Ireland
  • Italy
  • Luxembourg
  • Norway
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  • Poland
  • Scotland
  • Sweden
  • Switzerland
  • Wales
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    Escape from the Mass Produced, Run-Around Tours

    Zugspitz mountains Austria
    Our slow-paced, introspective tours are the antidote to the “If it’s Tuesday, this must be Belgium” trips which promise a packed itinerary but deliver hectic, dawn to dusk schedules which are impossible to keep up with, much less enjoy. Your trip is planned entirely around your wishes, interests and capabilities.

    Time to Truly Experience the Country

    Bus tours (even the more expensive, so-called “exclusive” ones) race you through countries and cities at breakneck speeds, the philosophy seeming to be “quantity instead of quality.”

    James and Jenean Derheim have completely turned the concept of escorted travel in the other direction, pacing our trips according to our guests’ needs and desires. We offer plenty of free, unstructured time but also offer suggestions for activities, based on our knowledge of the area. Breakfast time is up to you. Where to eat dinner? We consult with you on that, too. And unlike those bargain tours, we never force a “chicken or beef” menu on you. What and when you eat is up to you. We completely spoil our clients with unmatched attention. As a result, half of our tours are with people who have been with us two, three or in some cases, six or seven times.

    How We Provide an Authentic Experience

    Beeley Germany

    • We stay in distinctive small inns and hotels. Some of the innkeepers are almost like our surrogate parents or grandparents. The treatment we receive from them is extra special. This treatment extends to our clients.
    • As often as possible, we take the back roads to enjoy the countryside and gain a better understanding of how people go about their daily business outside the cities
    • We offer itineraries with the possibility for flexibility and spontaneity built into our daily plan
    • We get out and meet and talk to the locals
    • We provide off-the-beaten track experiences for those who want to get away from where “all the other tourists go”
    • We provide unmatched personal attention to your comfort and facilitation of your “trip of a lifetime”
    • James is a professional photographer and filmmaker. Guests who choose our top level service receive a DVD slide show and coffee table book of their trip experience. You can relive your trip with friends and family in the comfort of your home.

    Ready for your own Trip of a Lifetime? To get started, please take a few minutes to fill out our Vacation Tour application. We will respond with our proposed itinerary within a day or two.