Make Your Next Trip Extraordinary

Heidi Fielding standing in front the gorge in Ronda, Spain.

Heidi Fielding enjoyed private lunch at a Parador with views of Ronda’s famous gorge.

I worked with Tully for booking various cruises, all handled expertly, so when I was looking for a group tour of Portugal and Spain that I could join as a solo traveler, Cheri at Tully helped me choose the right itinerary, dates, and size for the European land tour.

Tauck’s Portugal and Spain 14-day tour, April 25-May 8th, was perfect timing. I was fortunate in having beautiful weather and a group of interesting and engaging companions. The advantage of using Tauck was the exceptional care to our comforts, early entries or private visits to popular sites, special entertainment, expert entertaining local guides at all locations, and accommodations in not only beautiful buildings, but centrally located for wandering or hiking. We were traveling during the power outage and weren’t affected in any way, since the Convent in Evora had generator power. One of Tauck’s policies that is really nice: you never touch your luggage. It arrives in your room before you get there.

Some of the special moments of this tour include: Early entry with private visit to Sintra’s Palace, private visit and luncheon at lovely Fitapreta Winery, carriage ride in Seville, visit to Corticarte (who knew cork processing could be so interesting and entertaining with a comic guide), early entries to all the Cathedrals on this tour, private horse show at Sanlucar de Barrameda, Mediterranean views from room at Gran Melia Don Pepe resort, private lunch at a Parador with views of Ronda’s famous gorge, the Alhambra Palace Hotel with private flamenco show, La Alhambra (guided visit is a must-see with exceptional rose gardens and Moorish architecture), the gorgeous Hotel Palace in Madrid, and of course the Prado, and not to miss the Thyssen Museum.

Cheri kept me updated on any air travel changes and Tauck messages. I would use Tully again for both cruise and booking a group tour.

We spent five days in Tokyo on the front end of a month-long cruise aboard The Silver Dawn. This was an extraordinary adventure thanks to the Tully team and our on-the-ground trip planner, Gavin. Every day, we woke up excited for the plan ahead.

The guides chosen for us were top notch. Not only were they knowledgeable but very aware of satisfying wish lists for each destination. This could be everything from sourcing local artisans, hunting down vintage watch dealers, private viewing of practice in a Sumo stable, a private Michelin dinner with a Geisha and her Apprentice, or a vintage Vespa tour in the evening of Ho Chi Minh City food culture.

Sounds like magic? Well, it was! The wonders were endless and unforgettable. Gavin has planned several trips for us and each one tops the next. He listens to us and does his best to make everything perfect. He is an absolute pleasure and a wizard at curating a bespoke journey.

I needed a venue to collect 14 members of our family from 4 generations together. I worked with Cheri and scheduled a Princess cruise from San Diego to Mexico for the week of New Years. Would not have picked such a busy week for myself, but the choice was great because the working adults used fewer vacation days, and the kids were out of school.

Princess was a good choice, as it was quite family friendly. We were able to have our own table for all 14 of us reserved every night in the main dining room. This was the venue where we all were together, as we tended to scatter a bit during the day. Accommodations were great and appropriate to each family size. A couple of contiguous rooms allowed for balconies to be opened up, and adults could congregate while the 8-month old slept. A few of us went on a Bario Bites food tour in Mazatlan, which was a hit.

Cheri’s recommendation for travel insurance paid off. Two emergency room visits for Grandpa in the days before the cruise caused 2 of us to move our travel date to the day of the cruise instead of arriving a day early. The insurance helped with the cancelled hotel room and the cost of moving air reservations by a day during holiday travel.

We all made it to the cruise and had a great time. I have booked 2 more vacations with Cheri.

Kitty Yancey and partner Barry Blechman in Cape Town, South Africa.

Kitty Yancey and partner Barry Blechman at journey’s end at Cape Town.

The Seabourn sailing from the Seychelles Islands to Madagascar and down the east coast of Africa Jan. 13-28 was a bucket list vacation for us, and—as usual—Cheri made planning a snap. This was my fifth trip on Seabourn, and Cheri knows every ship and the pros and cons of various cabins. I trusted her opinion that one of the line’s smaller ships (the Sojourn) would deliver a more intimate experience with most all the bells and whistles of Seabourn’s newer, larger Ovation and Encore.

The itinerary and fellow passengers were impressive. Many shipmates were on a world cruise for 90 days (we did 15) and were generally interesting and affable. Longer itineraries tend to weed out the hard-core partiers, in my opinion, and the smaller ship (about 300 passengers on our sailing) meant that we got to know both guests and crew better. Excursions included a visit to a lemur colony (I fed one a banana) and game drives in reserves, which were mini-safaris and memorable. A dream trip.

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