Latest Travel Blog Entries

Saturday, March 13, 2010

The iconic St. Basil's candy-topped cupolas and dreamlike architecture stand as the signature of Russia's capital city of Moscow. St. Petersburg is Russia's artistic capital and its rigid symmetry is captured by classical architecture, including the magnificent Hermitage Museum and Winter Palace.

Thursday, February 25, 2010

General Tours World Traveler, the company that pioneered travel to Russia in 1955, is offering newly-redesigned tours for 2010, featuring the attentive personal services of their own St. Petersburg-based guides. These Affordable Luxury trips include landmark city-center hotels, daily buffet breakfast, all on-tour transportation and in-depth private car sightseeing.

Priced from just $2,299 per person, the 7-day Discover Moscow & St. Petersburg trip features a choice of handpicked hotels, including the historic Hilton Leningradskaya in the capital and the legendary Grand Hotel Europe in St. Petersburg. Private sightseeing in Moscow features three UNESCO World Heritage Sites and a personally-guided tour of the Kremlin Armory Museum. The next morning, guests have their personal car, driver and guide at their disposal. This unique flexibility is an opportunity to explore personal interests, whether it’s World War II history, medieval art, Russian literature, Soviet architecture – or even shopping!

For travelers wishing to focus on this fabled city, Splendors of St. Petersburg is a 6-day program featuring the luxurious Grand Hotel Europe. Guests can tailor this General Tours vacation with flexible, intimate sightseeing at their own pace; the company’s private car, driver and guide is at their disposal for three full days.

General Tours World Traveler also offers 8 and 12-day voyages from Moscow to St. Petersburg featuring seven nights aboard Russia’s finest river ship, the 58-cabin Volga Dream. Priced from $1,999, Splendid Waterways of the Czars includes all shore excursions, fine dining with wine at lunch and dinner, luggage handling and port charges. A special Music on the Volga June departure is highlighted by four shipboard opera concerts and an enriching lecture series featuring Henry Fogel, former president and CEO of the American Symphony Orchestra League.

With the company’s new Family & Friends Savings, travel agency clients save $50 to $150 per person whenever 3 or more guests travel together on a Russia trip of 7 days or longer. These savings can be combined with any of General Tours’ other offers, including exclusive AARP Member benefits and repeat traveler discounts for members of the company’s World Traveler Club.

Monday, February 08, 2010

Discover the places you’ve always longed to see. Marvel at each country’s historic icons and scenic panoramas.  England, Ireland and Northern Ireland, while home to perhaps the most trend-setting and international of European cities, also have some of the most beautiful countryside on earth.  In Italy, you can see more than 2,000 years of history within one city, witness the genius of Michelangelo and DaVinci or visit an enchanting island city that defies reason.  France shares with us the pleasures of life: excellent wines, awe-inspiring art and sumptuous food. Germany zooms ahead along its Autobahn, but stops long enough to raise a stein, sing a song and welcome the world.  The Netherlands, with one wooden shoe in its charming past and the other in the innovative future, continues to enchant visitors with its iconic windmills, tulips and canals.

We welcome you to research European Travel Package by destination, or by clicking on our preferred travel partners. You’ll find a selection of tours, cruises, vacations and rail packages.

Here is our network of Europe travel destination sites:

Atlas Cruises & Tours| Christmas Market Tours | England Tours | Escorted Family Vacations | France Tours | Greece Tours| Ireland Tours | Italy Tours | Luxury Tour |Oberammergau | River Cruise | Russia Tours | Scandinavia Tours | Spain Tours

Sunday, January 31, 2010

As you get ready to travel?

Here are some tips to give you peace of mind while you are away and make sure you do not make your house as a target of opportunity. These are some simple precautions from the experts.

• Be mindful of who is around when you are discussing your trip - there is no need to let too many people know or draw attention to the fact your house might be empty for a period.
• The best deterrent is to have someone housesit. If that is not possible, ask a trusted neighbor or friend to take in the newspaper, mail, and any other deliveries and keep an eye on the house. Give them your trip plans and an emergency phone number so they can reach you in case of an emergency. You can also arrange with the post office and newspaper to suspend delivery for the time you are away.
• Lock doors, windows and secure sliding doors (a metal rod or a broomstick in the sliding door track is an inexpensive lock), as well as the garage, the basement, and the attic. Some people even disconnect the power to motorized garage door openers.
• Move any valuables from plain sight.
• Check on your appliances, unplug anything that doesn't need to be on while you're away. Lower air conditioning/heating units to energy-saving levels.
• Set timers to turn on lights if you do not have someone staying at the house.

Tuesday, January 05, 2010

While you're in St. Petersburg, take time to explore the Hermitage Museum. This museum is one of the world's greatest treasures and features more than 3 million exhibits. And that doesn't include the impressive building itself or its beautiful furnishings.

Other Fun Things to Do:

	Explore the sights of St. Petersburg, including Peter and Paul Fortress, birthplace of modern St. Petersburg; St. Isaac Cathedral, the world's largest domed cathedral; and Palace Square, the rallying point of the 1917 Russian Revolution.
	Visit Peterhof, the summer home of Peter the Great. Built under the supervision of the French architect Alexandre Le Blond, this town of palaces, fountains and parks rivals the great palaces of Versailles.