Strictly Small Groups with David McGuffin’s Exploring Europe Tours

I am making a change to my small-group policy to better serve you.

The State of Tourism in Europe

Buckingham-PalaceDuring the last eight months, I’ve traveled all over Europe to both small, out-of-the-way destinations and big travel sites. If there’s one thing I’ve seen in common, it is the surge of tourism. Europe is now inundated with tourists seeking to see the great sites: Venice, Rome, the Alcázar, the Cliffs of Moher, the Eiffel Tower, Castle Neuschwanstein, and more. The European Union reports that 167 million tourists spent one or more nights there in 2017. For many popular locations, that was a 15 to 20% increase over the previous year. So far in 2018, Spain is the top destination, with Italy running a close second. These visitors are not just from North America; a vast majority hail from Japan, China, Korea, and India. Folks from these countries must be getting great travel deals at home because I have seen their presence increase by 100% at major tourist destinations in the past five years.

Residents of popular tourist destinations are fed up with mass tourism. They complain that the daily influx of tourist crowds has taken their towns away from them and turned them into a theme-park atmosphere. Many municipalities are taking steps to limit the influx of travelers and tourism. For example, the popular seaside destination known as the Cinque Terre (Liguria, Italy) is working on plans to limit the daily number of tourists that can enter the region. The Cliffs of Moher, once a lonely pasture in County Clare, on the west coast of Ireland, is now expanding their parking lots and limiting the number of visitors per day. The Alcázar, in Granada, Spain, has put a cap on the daily number of visitors making it impossible to enter without an advanced reservation. This year, 25,000 people a day visit the Vatican Museum; the hallways are jammed with tourists participating in the daily “cattle-call” that ends at the Sistine Chapel. In Paris, the Eiffel Tower, hosting 20,000 tourists per day, is in the midst of a massive renovation to handle and control the crowds. These are just a few examples of the crowded troubles I’ve seen at popular tourist sites over the last few months.

Tourism in Europe is growing by leaps and bounds and it’s only projected to get bigger. The big bus tours and cruise ships account for much of the crowds at popular tourist destinations. Cruisers who take a shore excursion for five hours are certainly not receiving an authentic European travel experience, and the fifty passengers on a big bus will spend much of their time at highway toilet stops, tacky tourist shops, and mediocre restaurants.

The Benefits of Small-Group Travel

Feasting at MarcampoI’ve always been an advocate for small-group travel and have limited my publicly advertised tours to 32 or fewer passengers. Really, over the years, my average size group has been about 10 to 12 travelers. However, beginning today, David McGuffin’s Exploring Europe groups will consist of strictly small groups ranging from 6 to 18 comfortable and happy travelers.

Many tour organizers put fifty people on a fifty-passenger bus and drive through Europe like cattle packed in a freight train. These folks travel in an “Americanized bubble” and are only let out on occasion to see the real Europe. Even then, they travel in large packs being herded from one sight or shopping venue to another by their “kickback hungry” drivers and guides. When buying gifts, souvenirs, meals, and even snacks, these group members often pay inflated tourist prices. Yes, they see Europe (from a slanted perspective), but they never EXPERIENCE Europe.

I am confident my small groups are more mobile and quicker on their feet than the typical big bus groups and this allows us to see, do, and experience more. We provide a unique travel experience by ensuring that you are treated as individuals seeking to learn about your destination. My strictly small group tours may cost a bit more than going with the big buses and huge tour companies, but your ultimate experience will be much better. Small group travel is the only way to go!

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Christmas_starsReminder: Discounts on the Christmas Markets Tour

Don’t forget to sign up for my Christmas Markets Tour by August 19, 2018 to receive a $100 discount. Currently, my Christmas Markets Tour is selling for $3189 per person.  If you are a single traveler, I’ll reduce the single room supplement to $359, a $200 savings off the advertised price.

Head over to my website to sign up today.

 

 

Your Adventure Starts Here!

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