For more information, visit ustoa.com.
When it comes to crafting memorable vacations that immerse travelers in the destination’s culinary delights, your best bet is partnering with a USTOA tour operator member. They know how to cook up flavor-filled itineraries that travelers will devour, and while they do all the prepping, you’ll be seen as the master chef.
Culinary-focused Vacations With 5 USTOA Tour Operators
USTOA tour operators’ itineraries immerse travelers in the world’s most breathtaking destinations and if it’s a culinary-focused vacation your client is looking for, they know how to deliver on that. From meeting cheese producers in Morocco and truffle hunting in Tuscany, to hands-on cooking and Michelin-star dinners, their itineraries give an in-depth look at the food culture of the world’s most fascinating and historic destinations.
Tables around the world are already being set and awaiting your clients. Check out these mouth-watering tours from these five USTOA tour operator members.
Club Adventures’ Morocco Real Food Adventure whisks travelers to this exotic destination, hopping around from Caasablanca to Marrakech. They’ll sit down to a home-cooked dinner in the Blue City, Chefchaouen; participate in hands-on cooking classes and demonstrations where you’ll learn how to make couscous, pastilla, stuffed medfouna and local salads; meet local producers of goat cheese in Chefchaouen; follow tasting trails through Fes’ and Marrakech’s medinas; visit a women’s cooperative producing argan oil; and dig into Morocco’s most iconic dishes—tagine, pastilla, couscous and camel burgers.
For clients who want to combine hiking and food on their next vacation, recommend Country Walkers’ Italy: Sicily tour. Guests will venture across the slopes of Mt. Etna via hiking trails that will take them through forests and over hardened lave flow; dine on MICHELIN-starred food at their boutique hotel located on the slopes of Mt. Etna; stroll amid the ancient walls and columns of the Syracuse Archaeological Park with an expert historian; follow scenic pathways through the Oasi Vendicari Nature Reserve, home to 40 types of birds and the perfect place for a refreshing dip in the sea; and learn about the cherished tradition of the Carretti Siciliani, the island’s vibrant horse carts, while exploring Ragusa Ibla. Of course, winery stops, feasting on local delicacies and dining at a family-owned restaurant, among other highlights, are also included.
If cycling is more your client’s thing, then perhaps VBT’s Spain: Basque, Navarre & Rioja Wine Regions itinerary is exactly what they’re looking for. Clients will enjoy such highlights as cycling along the scenic rivers of Ulzama and La Oja on easy bike paths; visiting one of the largest and best-preserved prehistoric dolmen, or burial sites, set in the middle of a vineyard; roaming the medieval lanes of Laguardia and sampling wines in one of the village’s few remaining underground wine cellars; indulging in a dinner created by a MICHELIN-star chef in their Relais & Chateaux gastronomic hotel; and enjoying a guided tour of the Bilbao Guggenheim Museum.
Tauck heads to another gastronomic sensation—France. In this mesmerizing destination, the tour operator offers the Normandy, Brittany, Paris & the Loire Valley tour, which includes a 3-night stay in Paris at Le Meurice, ranked among the most elegant hotels in the world; dinner at a private country estate in chateaux country with a hunting hound demonstration in full regalia; a cruise along the Golfe du Morbihan, a channeled inlet of small islands; guided visits to Chartres Cathedral, Mont-St-Michel, Monet’s home & gardens at Giverny, the Bayeux and Apocalypse tapestries and Musee d’Orsay; and guided walking tours along the cobbled streets of the ancient French towns of Chartres, Rochefort-en-Terre, Mont-St-Michel, Vannes and Saint-Malo.
Italy is always a draw when it comes to its culinary offerings and Globus’ That’s Amore!: Italy By Design tour doesn’t disappoint when it comes to its palate-pleasing inclusions. Your clients will go hunting for truffles; stop at an oil shop for and olive oil tasting and a glass of wine; taste some of the region’s world-famous wines while taking in the views of the Chianti Hills with a visit to the ancient city of San Gimignano; and uncover Florence’s hidden views and secret spots only the locals know and love. They’ll also visit the Ferragamo Museum, walk the storied streets of Trastevere, go biking in Florence and dig into the life of St. Francis.
USTOA Tour Operators Make It Seamless for You
Working with a tour operator makes the vacation planning seamless, and it saves you loads of time. On an escorted/guided tour all the nuts and bolts are taken care of, with the tour operator handling the complicated logistics of transportation, booking necessary reservations at negotiated rates and providing personal services of tour directors with on-the-ground knowledge. A tour operator has all the elements of a trip planned out expertly, down to the last detail, ensuring that everything runs as planned. Transportation, lodging, dining, sightseeing and flexible free time are all included. And those authentic, local and unforgettable experiences today’s travelers are seeking are also part of the package—think private tastings at wineries, interacting with archaeologists and a home-cooked meal with a local family.
Plus, when a travel advisor books a client’s trip with a USTOA tour operator, their vacation is protected by the $1 Million Travelers Assistance Program. This means in the case of a tour operator bankruptcy, insolvency, or cessation of business, tour deposits and payments are protected up to an aggregate of $1 million.
For more information, visit ustoa.com.
