TM THE SERIOUS TRAVELER

TOUR L I S T I N G FROM TRAVEL CONCEPTS INTERNATIONAL, INC. • SPRING 2016

Greetings from the Serious Traveler to the Serious Traveler! We have fantastic new tours to the FAR NORTH. So you have been to India? THE AMERICAS 2016 Follow the Mughal trail from the Taj Mahal to the Gardens of Shalimar in Srinagar, Crafts and Culture of Ecuador Kashmir and continue to the Golden Temple in Amritsar, Punjab. To top it off, in Join expert Mauricio for visits to the Himalayas attend the Buddhist Guru Tse-Chu Festival in the former Kingdom artisan’s workshopsp, in Otavalo, Puyo of Ladakh. We have a new tour to the mysterious Easter Island and Atacama Desert and Guayaquil.uayaaquil.. From the AmAmazon in the north of Chile. Head towards the Arctic to Iceland; this new sensational Far rainforestsests to tthehhe weswesternteern lowlandlowlands,s see North adventure takes you to Greenland and the Faroe Islands. ancientt Inca rruins,uins, tthehe mamajesticjestic AAndes We can’t overlook one of our favorite destinations, Venice of the North; three and thee AvAvenueennue of the VolcanoeVolcanoes.s.s Take trips in 2017 will feature St. Petersburg. We started our business 31 years ago with the trainn on DDevils’eevils’ Nose. tours to then, Leningrad. Our winter museum and theater tour features a full day at $3990 AIRFARERFARE AADDITIONALDDIITIOT NAL the Hermitage and performances at the Bolshoi and Mariinsky. We are retuning to the U SEPTEMBERMBER 29 - OCOCTOBERCTOBER 10, 201620016 Baltics - Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania - with an extension to St. Petersburg. Kirsti U SEPTEMBERMBER 28 - OCOCTOBERCTOBER 9, 201720017 will again lead a group to Lapland for an exciting adventure; you can stay in an ice SeriousTraveler.com/Ecuador.htmlTraveler.coom/Ecuador.html palace and drive a dog sled! Have a look at our favorites that focus on , Iran and Ethiopia. Yes, we do go SOUTH too. Read about our Puglia (South) tour THE AMERICAS 2017 with Lucia, and stay in our hemisphere for South America trips to Colombia and Cuba PeoPeople-to-Peopleplle-e to-People Ecuador. There is something for everyone in the Serious Traveler line-up for 2017. STOP PRESS ! WeWe havehah ve thethe hotel hotel sspace -Gwen Erwood so critical to experience Cuba at a unique President, Travel Concepts International time before it changes forever. On our fully licensed program, you’ll meet ASIA 2016 AFRICA 2017 outstanding artisans and celebrities in music and art, partake in celebrated Iran Through the Ages Ethiopia’s Historic Route Cuban cuisine and enjoy private concerts. Join Bahman Zenhari and Gwen for a Experience the colorful religious Havana and Viñales Valley. brand new tour honoring Persian poets, festivals, led by richly clad Christians $3775 FROM HAVANA, CUBA literature, early religions, philosophers, surrounding their rock-hewn churches of U MARCH 26 - APRIL 1, 2017 architects and rulers. Fly directly to Lalibela. Make a two-day excursion to SeriousTraveler.com/Cuba.html Ferdowsi’s Mashad and see Omar soak up the amazing and pristine nature Colombia Khayyám’s Neishapur, then wind our of the Simien Mountains National Park. Land of Coffee and Culture way from Anzali on the Caspian Sea, to Ancient Axum, which purportedly holds See Bogotá’s galleries and their artists, MasulehASIA and Ardabil to Tabriz. Search the Ark of the Covenant. Sip Ethiopia learn of Villa de Leyva’s colonial history, for American Howard Baskerville, and coffee; you are 7 years younger here! explore the Coffee Region and relax in (Asia continued on page 2) $5710 FROM WASH, DC VIA ETHIOPIAN AIRLINES the Caribbean town of Cartagena. U JANUARY 17 - 29, 2017 JANUARY FESTIVALS $3990 AIRFARE ADDITIONAL EUROPE 2016 U SEPTEMBER 17 - 29, 2017 FOR MESKEL FEST. SeriousTraveler.com/Ethiopia.html U OCTOBER 9 - 19, 2017 SeriousTraveler.com/Colombia.html Behind the Iron Curtain - Unveiled Omo Valley African Safari Rare opportunity for students of history Enjoy comfortable and unique lakeside Easter Island and the to delve into daily life as it was during lodges, surrounded by wildlife. Make Great West of South America this controversial period in Bulgaria. See daily excursions to meet the fascinating From Buenos Aires, Argentina to the artifacts and structures that will soon Konso, Desanech, Hamer, Mursi and End of the Continent. Cruise from Ushuaia aboard the Stella Australis among the ice disappear in the sands of time. This is Dorze tribal people and learn about their Bulgaria’s past, dedicated to the future. fi elds of Patagonia to Punta Arenas. On culture. May be a separate tour or an to Santiago and stargaze into the Earth’s $3760 FROM AIRFARE ADDITIONAL extension to Ethiopia’s Historic Route. clearest skies from Moon Valley in the U AUGUST 4 - 15, 2016 $3990 AS AN EXTENSION TO HISTORIC ROUTE Atacama Desert. U AUGUST 3 - 14, 2017 U SeriousTraveler.com/Bulgaria.html JANUARY 29 - FEBRUARY 8, 2017 $5850 AIRFARE ADDITIONAL (Europe continued on page 2) U SEPTEMBER 29 - OCTOBER 9, 2017 U NOVEMBER 5-18, 2017 SeriousTraveler.com/Ethiopia.html SeriousTraveler.com/SouthAmerica.html Give someone in your family and yourself one of the greatest gifts—exposure to other worlds, other peoples, and other ideas. “Horizons broaden so much more the higher we are fl ying.” —Jonathan Livingston Seagull

ASIA 2016 ASIA 2017 EUROPE 2017 (Asia continued from page 1) Sri Lanka Lapland - Magic of the North ascend to the remote Takht-e-Soleiman! Our Pearl of the Indian Ocean tour Reindeer safari, dog sled ride, Finnish sauna. On to Hamadan, Kermanshah, Ahwaz, visits six UNESCO Sites: Anuradhapura, $1299 AIRFARE ADDITIONAL Susa, Bishapour, and Firuzabad. Fly Dambulla, Polonnaruwa, Sigiriya, Kandy U JANUARY 7 - 14, 2017 SeriousTraveler.com/Lapland.html home from Shiraz. and Galle. Yala’s National Park plus $7430 FROM JFK VIA TURKISH AIRLINES the enchanting Pinnawela Elephant Russia in Iconic Winter U SEPTEMBER 23 - OCTOBER 9, 2016 Orphanage. Dine elegantly and stay in a Museums & Theaters U SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017 historic beach resort in Bentota designed SeriousTraveler.com/AgesofIran.html Visit Russia’s most famous museums by by iconic architect Geoffrey Bawa. day and experience her fabulous theaters $4470 FROM COLOMBO AIRFARE ADDITIONAL Persian Classics by night. Take as a short and sweet 9-day trip, U JANUARY 21 - FEBRUARY 2, 2017 SeriousTraveler.com/SriLanka.html $3990 FROM NEW YORK VIA FINNAIR seeing just the highlights. Fly direct U FEBRUARY 23 - MARCH 5, 2017 into Shiraz. We’ll marvel at Persepolis, Treasures of Iran SeriousTraveler.com/RussiasBest.html Naghsh-é-Rostam, Pasargadae. Stroll Be inspired by the mosaics, architecture Colorful Easter in Bulgaria and gardens of Persia. See the fabulous through the pink-tiled Nasir-ol-molk, We’ll be in Sofi a for the Palm Sunday crown jewels in Tehran. Persepolis, Narenjestan house and gardens and pay Festival. In Kazanluk you’ll meet Shiraz, and Yazd can’t be missed. our respects at the Tomb of Hafez. Enjoy the Thracians. Visit small towns like Stay in a delightful caravanserai in the nature and the Bedouin grasslands en Koprivshtitsa, Tryavna, Gabrovo, exquisite and dazzling Isfahan, where route to the Roof of Iran - Shahrekord. Bozhentsi, which you’ve probably never you’ll soak up the beauty that has Finally see the Pearl of Iran, Isfahan with heard of, but will stay in your memory enthralled visitors for centuries. its Royal Square, its romantic bridges forever. Celebrate Orthodox Easter $6880 FROM JFK VIA TURKISH AIRLINES and its beautifully-tiled mosques. Return Sunday in Plovdiv which will be the fl ight from Isfahan. Or, take as a six-day U APRIL 7 - 20, 2017 SeriousTraveler.com/TreasuresIran.html 2019 Cultural Capital of Europe. Rila extension to the Through the Ages tour. Monastery and the Rhodopes, too in the $3990 FROM JFK VIA TURKISH AIRLINES India’s Far North wonderful company of our guide, who U OCTOBER 7 - 15, 2016 Ladakh, Punjab and Srinigar $4470 FROM JFK VIA TURKISH AIRLINES will show you places you might never Join us in exploring the remote Buddhist U MAY 5 - 13, 2017 fi nd on your own, and bring them alive SeriousTraveler.com/Iran.html area of India. It’s the best time of year to with their vast knowledge and love of SIvisit the majestic Himalayas. Take the Iran - Passage Through Balkan culture. new train so we don’t miss the beautiful $4660 FROM SOFIA AIRFARE ADDITIONAL Persian History & Culture Taj Mahal. Float along the U APRIL 8 - 23, 2017 Don’tASIA let the naysayers diminish pristine waters of Dal SeriousTraveler.com/Bulgaria.html your enthusiasm. Experience Persian Lake. Attend the Guru Phi Mu Foundation Presents hospitality for yourself! Persepolis, a Tse-Chu Festival and Champagne Barge Cruise short drive from Shiraz, is one of the see the hidden land of the Nubra Valley. Cruise down the Marne Canal from greatest archaeological sites in the $5490 FROM DELHI AIRFARE ADDITIONAL world. Isfahan is a unique city with U JUNE 23 - JULY 7, 2017 Epernay to Paris aboard our deluxe barge, exquisite mosaic-clad domes, bridges SeriousTraveler.com/LadakhIndia.html the MS Raymonde. Excursions to the and Persian gardens. Travel in security charming towns of Reims and Meaux, with our experienced Iranian tour EUROPE 2016 and of course a taste of the region’s manager. This perfect introductory tour famous bubbly wine - champagne! (Europe continued from page 1) also includes Kerman, the citadel of $2650 AIRFARE ADDITIONAL Wild Europe to the East U MAY 16 - 22, 2017 Rayen; Shiraz, the city of “Roses and SeriousTraveler.com/PhiMuFoundation.html Nightingales”; Pasargadae, the capital Walk on the wild side of Eastern Europe in of Cyrus the Great; Yazd, the city in the Bulgaria, Macedonia, Kosovo, Montenegro Seven Wonders of Bulgaria desert and safe haven for Zoroastrians. and Albania. Five countries in two weeks This is our most comprehensive $6840 FROM JFK VIA TURKISH AIRLINES with a delightful treat every day! tour of Bulgaria. From Sofia to the U NOVEMBER 1 - 16, 2016 $4330 AIRFARE ADDITIONAL Black Sea with Kazanluk, Arbanassi, U NOV 16 - 20, 2016 CASPIAN EXTENSION • $2240 U OCTOBER 2 - 15, 2016 Varna, Plovdiv and Rila Monastery. U NOVEMBER 2017 U OCTOBER 15 - 28, 2017 Learn about the Thracians, the fabled SeriousTraveler.com/Iran.html SeriousTraveler.com/Balkans.html (Europe continued on page 3) Page 2 To stay on our mailing list and to receive more information www.SeriousTraveler.com • 1-800-762-4216 We update our website almost every day! Get the latest information online. See the itineraries, look at photos and read comments from past travelers. When you’re ready, we have a wonderful brochure for you. It will answer your questions about fl ights, meals, and much more. The reservation form is part of the brochure. We can “pencil you in” to hold space with just a phone call. Would you like a brochure right now? We can send it as a PDF the minute we hear from you. Our brochures are not posted on our website, as we like to talk with you directly. We’d like to get acquainted and know how we may be of help to you. Send us an email, order from the website, call or cut out and mail this form to us. Your address should be on the reverse side. Please check and make any necessary corrections. If there are different departure dates or other destinations you’d like to see, let us know. Name (if not on the reverse side) ______Phone Number ______Affi liation (if any) ______Tour (s) ______Dates ______How would you like to receive the brochure(s)? ❒ Send the PDF version to my email address: ______❒ Mail a hard copy AND send the PDF version to my email address: ______❒ Mail a hard copy please ❒ Send a brochure and newsletter to my friend(s): Name: ______Address:______

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Orpheus while in the Rhodope seeing Karlstejn Castle and Roznov Treasures of Russia Mountains, Byzantines and pod Radhostem in the Czech Republic. Red Square at night in Moscow, three medieval Bulgarian cultures Krakow, Auschwitz-Birkenau and days in the countryside of the Golden from Bulgaria’s top guide. Warsaw in . Ring with Vladimir, Suzdal and $3990 FROM SOFIA AIRFARE ADDITIONAL $3920 FROM PRAGUE TO WARSAW Fedoskino. St. Petersburg by Sapsan U JULY 30 - AUGUST 10, 2017 U MAY 24 - JUNE 3, 2017 fast train. Travel with retired American SeriousTraveler.com/Bulgaria.html SeriousTraveler.com/CentralEurope.html diplomat, Charles Magee, who will Traditions and Legends Iceland, Greenland and the present personal insight into U.S.- of Romania Faroe Islands Russian relations and invite you as VIP This out-of-the-ordinary tour visits Begin in Reykjavik to see Snæfellsnes guests to the Consulate in St. Petersburg. southeastern Saxon Transylvania, Peninsula. Fly to the Faroe Islands $4680 INCLUDING AIR FROM JFK VIA FINNAIR the peaceful rural communities of with its idyllic villages and Viking U SEPTEMBER 28 - OCTOBER 10, 2017 SeriousTraveler.com/RussiasBest.html Maramures and the exquisite “Painted farmsteads. Fly to Greenland to marvel Monasteries” of Bucovina. at active glaciers and have a Midnight Phi Mu Foundation Presents $2990 FROM BUCHAREST AIRFARE ADDITIONAL Sailing around the ice fjords. See Burgundy Barge Cruise U JUNE 3 - 14, 2017 UNESCO’s Sermermiut Inuit settlement Cruise through the breathtaking Doubs SeriousTraveler.com/Romania.html before we return by fl ight to Iceland. River Valley aboard our deluxe barge, the Precious Stones of Apulia $8890 FROM REYKJAVIK, ICELAND MS Jeanine. Begin in Besançon with a U JUNE 26 - JULY 8, 2017 Free of crowds, the heel of Italy retains SeriousTraveler.com/Iceland.html tour of its citadel named a UNESCO site. the cultural charm of the simple life Explore the characteristic Franche-Comté combined with a rich historical heritage. Baltic Capitals architecture of Baumes-les-Dames and See the Trulli of Alberobello, sojourn Visit the revitalized capitals of its 5th century Abbey. Walk through in Baroque Lecce, visit Castellano, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. Start Montbéliard - thriving as early as 983 AD Martina Franca, Cisternino, Taranto and with Vilnius and Trakai Castle. As we as a part of the Roman Empire. Matera in nearby Basilicata. Guided by journey northward, we’ll make stops in $2350 AIRFARE ADDITIONAL the precious Lucia. Klaipeda - the Gateway to the Sea and U OCTOBER 13 - 19, 2017 SeriousTraveler.com/PhiMuFoundation.html $4490 FROM BARI AIRFARE ADDITIONAL Palanga where we learn about its amber U JUNE 23 - JULY 1, 2017 history. Visit the resort town of Jurmala SeriousTraveler.com/ApuliaItaly.html before seeing Riga, Rundale Palace and fi nally Tallinn - a perfect medieval city. *ALL DATES AND RATES ARE AS OF MAY 2016 AND Czech Republic and Poland SUBJECT TO CHANGE. SOME TOUR PRICES ARE BASED History & Traditions Optional 3-day St. Petersburg Extension. ON 2016 RATES AS 2017 ARE NOT AVAILABLE AS YET. $4290 FROM JFK VIA FINNAIR This summer tour is educational and TRAVEL CONCEPTS INTERNATIONAL, INC. IS REGISTERED U SEPTEMBER 16 - 28, 2017 WITH THE OFFICE OF THE CALIFORNIA ATTORNEY enlightening. Visit Prague - the heart U SEPTEMBER 28-OCTOBER 1, 2017 EXT $1180 GENERAL AND ALL CLIENT’S PAYMENTS ARE HELD IN A TRUST ACCOUNT. CALIFORNIA SELLER OF TRAVEL of Europe. Taste pilsner in Plzen before SeriousTraveler.com/Baltics.html #2005743-40 Page 3 WWW.SERIOUSTRAVELER.COM TRAVEL CONCEPTS INTERNATIONAL Celebrating our 31st Year! 5500 BUCKS BAR ROAD PLACERVILLE, CALIFORNIA 95667 U.S.A. WWW.SERIOUSTRAVELER.COM

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Why Travel With TCI? Detailed Brochures Cultural Visits We are not your typical tour company. We The descriptions are here to entice you We include musical programs, cultural are different in the places we visit, the way to call us. If the dates and destinations exchanges, performances, counterpart in which we travel, and the people who join meet your needs, learn more. Rather than meetings, embassy visits, home visits, trips us! And we’re proud of our differences! produce huge catalogues, we provide a to schools and crafts centers, and private detailed brochure for each specifi c tour. lectures by local experts. Expert Guides These are available by PDF or post. Just call or email to order. As a preview, look Our tours are led by hand-picked, Choose Your Air Arrangements local guides who are fun, friendly and for the itinerary on our website. If you need help in navigation, please call. What’s best for you is best for us. Use your knowledgeable. They meet you upon mileage, secure your own tickets or let us arrival and stay with you throughout. Our help you fi nd good discounted rates. guides are also our close friends. As friends Personalized Attention You are unique and not just a number to do, they share perspective from their part Small Groups of the world. us. We are available to assist—before, Most of our groups are 10 to 15 citizen during and after your tour. The greatest diplomats, both men and women, singles compliment we receive is that so many Life Experiences and couples of all ages. We offer room travel with us again and again. We happily Get ready for some great fun. We’re shares for single travelers. Our travelers are provide references. always observant, fl exible and watchful simply the best. You’ll fi t right in! for serendipitous opportunities that touch and change our lives (and the lives of those We Go All Over Pre-trip Study Material we meet) in a positive way. You’ll never Yes, we go to Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Since we believe that enjoyment of the be the same. Who would have expected Americas. Right now we have a special journey begins long before departure when travelers to be a part of the reunion of focus on Bulgaria and Iran—burgeoning you begin learning about your destination, adopted Romanian children and their birth destinations. we prepare you with informative pre-trip mother? It happened! study material. Cultural Tours to Better Understand the World and its People

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