EXPERIENCE EUROPE WITH LOCAL CONNECTION AND SUPPORT NEW UNTOURS IN PORTUGAL: Porto & the Douro, Sintra & Lisbon 2019 • #UNTOURS • VOL. 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS UNTOURS & VENTURES ICELAND PORTUGAL Ventures Cruises ......................................25 NEW, Sintra .....................................................6 SWITZERLAND NEW, Porto ..................................................... 7 Heartland & Oberland ..................... 26-27 SPAIN GERMANY Barcelona ........................................................8 The Rhine ..................................................28 Andalusia .........................................................9 The Castle .................................................29 ITALY Rhine & Danube River Cruises ............. 30 Tuscany ......................................................10 HOLLAND Umbria ....................................................... 11 Leiden ............................................................ 31 Venice ........................................................ 12 AUSTRIA Florence .................................................... 13 Salzburg .....................................................32 Rome..........................................................14 Vienna ........................................................33 Amalfi Coast ............................................. 15 EASTERN EUROPE FRANCE Prague ........................................................34 Provence ...................................................16 Budapest ...................................................35 French Rivers & Canals........................... 17 GREECE Alsace .........................................................18 Nafplio .......................................................36 Paris ............................................................19 Greek Sea Cruises ...................................37 UK & IRELAND SPECIALS London ..........................................................20 NEW, London Uncovered & UK Cruises .. 21 Untours Ventures ....................................38 Scottish Highlands ......................................22 Wine & Food, Family Travel ...................39 Central Scotland ..........................................23 BOOK YOUR TRIP County Kerry ................................................24 Untour Dates ............................................42 OUR OFFERINGS Untours—Stay a week or two in a location, unpack, and settle into the local culture, exploring the region from your apartment base. Local transportation, staff support, and transfer assistance included. Samplers—Combine a week each in two or more Untour destinations, with apartments, transfers, local transit, and staff support in each location. Ventures—River cruises, safaris, small-ship sea cruises, and other adventures hand chosen and booked by Untours. OUR HISTORY Untours was founded in 1975 on the groundbreaking idea that staying in an apartment in a real local village or neighborhood gives you a deeper sense of personal and cultural connection. Untours allows people to absorb the culture and actually live like a local in Europe, all with the security of experts helping them plan and enjoy their trip. OUR MISSION Untours is committed to thoughtful, responsible travel that unites people of different cultures and fosters meaningful experiences and understanding. Untours is owned by the nonprofit Untours Foundation, which provides grants and low-interest loans to people and businesses that create work, housing, and fair trade where they’re needed most. TO BOOK, CALL 1.888.868.6871 OR VISIT WWW.UNTOURS.COM. 2 Let us guide you, human to human: Anne can help you plan a day of wine tasting in Provence. Edmond can show you some of Amsterdam’s splendid secrets. Andi can fast-track your Italy planning and help fit multiple cities together. Claudia can fill you in on Vienna’s musical heritage and the current scene. Jessica can set you up for the perfect Swiss Alpine hike: not too hard, not too easy. Our expert staff coordinate the logistics so you can relax and enjoy the trip. Our local hosts connect you to the culture. Our apartments put you in the center of a community. YOUR UNTOUR = Expert planning advice from Free cell phone with minutes our smart staff. preloaded and an option to add more. An Untours guidebook for A private apartment, cottage, your destination. or farmhouse, personally inspected by Untours staff. ? Local staff support Transfer assistance on arrival transfer throughout your stay. and departure. A personal orientation to your Ground transportation best Untour location & a group suited to your destination event that invites you into the (rental car, rail pass, or city culture. transit pass). Untours has a dedicated team of European experts in the U.S. and Europe, knowledgeable people prepared to guide you through the planning experience and help you on the ground when you reach your destination. Cruise with us! We also offer Ventures We partner with the best in the industry to offer you other options to see Europe and beyond on small cruises and thoughtful guided tours that take you into the culture of other countries. All come with Untours service and expertise in the planning stage. Take your next European river or barge cruise with Untours. 3 FOUNDA TION CHANGE MAKING u RISK TAKING u EARTH SHAKING Our feisty foundation proudly supports businesses that enhance the world, generate jobs, and respect Mother Earth. Foundation investees benefit from our funding but also from extra support and guidance that helps ensure their long-term success. FOUNDA TION Senda Athletics is a great example! The makers of Fair Trade Certified soccer balls, Senda Athletics is creating excellent, well-paying, and safe jobs in Pakistan for grown-ups. No child labor is used. Their sports balls are premium quality and gorgeous as well. Senda Athletics puts emphasis on finding joy and community in the game. We love this message! We are also proud of the fact that Senda is a B Corporation like Untours. We work closely with Senda and all the foundation’s investees, solving problems, offering mentors, introducing investors, and helping guide entrepreneurs to success. In return, the businesses we support become a true north, guiding other businesses to the very pinnacle of what’s possible. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for supporting the work of the foundation by traveling with Untours & giving through your direct donations! 4 FROM OUR PRESIDENT “You are on the fastest route.” It seems like Google’s female navigation voice is my constant companion these days. On a recent trip to Portugal, my digital friend guided me gently through pulsing Lisbon, stately Sintra, and stunning Porto. Henry the Navigator, Portugal’s 15th-century prince and vicarious explorer, would have been impressed. In the meantime, I find myself contemplating a much older wayfinding system. Even before Henry’s time, pilgrims were making their way to Santiago de Compostela in Northwest Spain to honor St. James. While there are numerous ancient paths, one route leads from Lisbon to Porto and north to the Spanish pilgrimage city. It’s not hard to spot the pilgrims in Porto, often in groups with scallop shell symbols on their backpacks. How do they find their way? Doubtless, some have GPS, but most simply follow the yellow arrows. These small arrows are spray-painted onto walls, stones, and sidewalks without any explanatory text. Nonpilgrims like me scarcely notice them. What would it be like to spend days or weeks walking through beautiful countryside with unobtrusive signs pointing to a single destination? I see the appeal. Can we at Untours be your little arrows? Amid the chatter of social media and the din of cable news, we’d like to quietly show you a simple way to reach your destination: a mindful way to experience a culture. Keep it simple. Follow the yellow arrows. Brian Taussig-Lux President 5 Sintra, PORTUGAL New! THE SINTRA UNTOUR INCLUDES • Easy access to the Palace of Sintra, the coast, and all of nearby Lisbon’s museums and monuments, including Belém Tower and São Jorge Castle. • A local rail and transit pass and staff support to help you use it, with the option of adding a rental car if you wish. Plus free and reduced admission to many Sintra and Lisbon museums. • Endless day-trip choices in central Portugal, including the towns of Évora, Óbidos, and Sesimbra. Explore the parks or follow the pilgrims to Fatima. • A seasoned local host who will welcome you to his hometown, help you understand Portugal’s world heritage, and remain close at hand if you have questions. UNTOUR INCLUDES: transfer Pricing starts at: Two weeks: $1479 | One week: $1019 | pp, double occ. Groups up to 6 welcome. See www.untours.com/sintra for complete pricing info. Untour Sampler suggestions: Porto Add a Venture: Douro river cruises A rental car can be added to this Untour. staff Restaurants in tip! Portugal bring bread, olives, and ham to your table, but none of it is free. If you take anything, you will be charged. If you don’t want it, better to shoo it away. -Joao, Sintra Untour staff 6 Porto, PORTUGAL New! THE PORTO UNTOUR • A comfortable apartment in the heart of one of Europe’s most trendy destinations, a town steeped in old-world atmosphere and charm. • Local transportation, including a city transit card and Portugal rail pass to help you zip around the city and explore northern Portugal’s many wonders. • Access to the gorgeous Douro River valley, northern Spain, and historical medieval towns