Your world, your way: How an escorted tour will help you get more from your holiday

Everyone looks forward to their holidays as a break from daily routine and work. The hectic pace of modern life makes time an increasingly precious commodity, so when you do get the chance to get away, you want everything about your travel experience to be just right. However, putting together the perfect getaway can be exhausting and confusing, with travel websites bombarding you left, right and centre.

Increasingly, people are also looking to get more out of their precious holidays. It’s all about making a connection to other cultures and experiencing life in other parts of the world rather than just finding somewhere to lay on a beach. But how do you create a deeper, more meaningful connection to the cultures of the world and take the opportunity to learn, discover and experience a slice of everyday life that somehow feels extraordinary?

For more than 100 years, Collette has been helping to give travellers more, providing unique escorted tours across all seven continents. Their designers are dedicated to offering you the most exhilarating experiences and will help you create the perfect trip — all you then have to do is savour it all, feeding your soul as well as your eyes.

Escorted travel might sound restrictive, but, in fact, with Collette, you can truly build your own travel experience. There are more than 160 different tours to choose from, including single-city stays, river cruises, small-group travel and faith-based tours.

Tour extensions, optional excursions, added dining experiences and excursion choices on each tour allow you to see the world your way and say yes to something new or try something outside your comfort zone, making it a holiday you’ll remember all your life.

Home from home

What’s more, you’ll be able to benefit from Collette’s extensive travel expertise. All of their tour managers and local guides are industry-leading professionals, who will enhance your escorted tour with historical information and knowledge about where the locals like to eat and relax. That’s why each of the tours offers a chance to share a unique insider’s perspective on each destination.

The cultural experiences you’ll find as a part of each itinerary are special inclusions, selected by Collette’s travel experts, which allow you to truly come to know the place that you’re visiting and, more importantly, the people who call it home. After all, you often won’t recall the places you see as much as the connections you make.

Escape the crowds

To really get to the heart of each location, Collette recommends planning trips during the off-season, when the crowds of tourists will have thinned out and local life flourishes. Everything feels less hectic and you’ll also be free of the big crowds. The headache of getting into popular attractions disappears and the hordes of tourists taper off.

Even better, you’ll discover that your money goes further. Global destinations want travellers to visit all year long, so, during the off-season, they adjust their prices, giving you more for your money.

To make things even simpler, if you choose an all-inclusive tour, Collette’s designers will book your air travel and even arrange for you to be picked up and dropped off at the airport with a private door-to-door transfer.

Collette knows that both your time and money are precious—that’s why their specialist designers ensure that your itinerary offers the best value. Your carefully selected accommodation, personalised cultural visits and unique culinary experiences will mean you’ll get the most out of whatever destination you choose to visit. So what are you waiting for?

Discover the difference of an escorted tour. Call Collette on 0800 804 8357 or visit www.collette.com/countrylifemagazine and take advantage of a £100 saving per person if you quote COUNTRYLIFESAVE.