August 2, 2025 • 54 mins
The Wishing Well's Terrie Dean discusses this week's travel news and Hot Deals!
Embark on a flavorful journey in this episode, where we explore the top culinary and food tour companies of 2025. Discover how Trafalgar, Intrepid Travel, and Backroads Travel are redefining global gastronomy adventures—from street food safaris to gourmet getaways. Whether you're a seasoned foodie or a curious traveler, this episode offers insights into the best ways to taste the world!
Embark on a flavorful journey in this episode, where we explore the top culinary and food tour companies of 2025. Discover how Trafalgar, Intrepid Travel, and Backroads Travel are redefining global gastronomy adventures—from street food safaris to gourmet getaways. Whether you're a seasoned foodie or a curious traveler, this episode offers insights into the best ways to taste the world!
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
This is a Lifeless Ordinary. It's a travel show and
podcasts from your friends at the wishing Well two forty
three f Avenue in harsmerg and online at the wishing
Well dot this. The wishing Well is your ultimate luxury concierge,
travel agency and a Lifeless Ordinary is a travel show
and podcasts hosted by Terry Dean, bringing her over forty
years of experience in the travel industry to help guide
(00:21):
you to great experiences in your travel, whether it be
around the block, around the country, or around the world.
Let's bring in Terry Dean.
Speaker 2 (00:27):
And say hello, Chris, how are you.
Speaker 1 (00:30):
I'm great. It's always good to see you.
Speaker 2 (00:31):
Good to see you too. And this has been a
long time coming with this great.
Speaker 1 (00:37):
Weather because it finally it's cool.
Speaker 2 (00:40):
Oh please, I needed it.
Speaker 1 (00:42):
I well, I prefer cool weather over the blazing hot.
It's the humidity that gives me me too. But I
had an event yesterday that I had to stand outside
for a couple hours. Oh dear, it was freezing. I
was wearing shorts and no kidding, Oh my gosh. I
was like, we had that rain in the morning and
it's just sort of overcasting. So yeah, I'm okay with
(01:04):
it being cool. Looks like next week we're supposed to
get rain again for a whole week. My backyard is
flooded three times this summer.
Speaker 2 (01:12):
Everything's green, though it is grain, everything's green. And this
time last year we were going, oh look, everything's all
burn up. We need rain. It was triple digits and
we were suffering and right now not suffering too much.
Speaker 1 (01:26):
Well, we're not here. The farmers aren't dealing real well
with a lot of their crops are rotting because they've
had so much training. Here's what I would like. I
would like a summer with just the right amount of rain.
I like that, and a trip book to Ireland so
I can enjoy their green. Okay, that's how I would
like to deal with you know what.
Speaker 2 (01:46):
I'm the right person to help you with that second part.
Speaker 1 (01:49):
And don't tell us you're saying about Ireland.
Speaker 2 (01:52):
If you're good, when you die, you go to Ireland.
Speaker 1 (01:54):
Yep. Yeah, well I hope I do it before I die.
Speaker 2 (01:57):
I do too.
Speaker 1 (01:58):
Anyway, it's been a few weeks since we've gotten to chat.
We've got a lot of travel news.
Speaker 2 (02:02):
Get caught yes in a fun show today we do.
We have a lot of fun things to talk about,
and it's jam packed. So what do you say you
want to get started?
Speaker 1 (02:11):
Let's get into it.
Speaker 2 (02:12):
Let's talk about some news that rolled across my desk.
There's a new Southwest Airlines in town and they took off.
It's official. The old Southwest Airlines is gone as we
know it. The airline began booking its first assigned seats
on July twenty ninth, and all at the same time
(02:33):
it opened up its new extra leg room seats for sale.
They're just like everybody else now, Chris. The first flights
with those confirmed seats assignments will be January the twenty seventh.
Results from the introduction of bag fees and Basic economy
fairs were mixed, executives reported during the company's July twenty
(02:56):
fourth earning call. For approximately three weeks after those changes
were implemented, on May the twenty eighth, the airline lost
out on bookings as flyers went to its website saw
the no frills Basic product, which doesn't come with bags
and doesn't allow changes without a fare upgrade. They're want
to get away fares, which Basic replaced had come with
(03:21):
two free bags, no change fees, and other perks not
matched by the basic fare. As a result, the airline
took a hit of half a percentage point in the
second quarter in its revenue per available seat mile, and
expects a further hit of one percent point this quarter. Overall.
(03:41):
Southwest said it's on target, though, to achieve its twenty
twenty five goal of one point billion dollars in incremental
earnings before interest and taxes due to a new incentive
and cost saving measure. So I don't think they're hurting
two too bad.
Speaker 1 (04:01):
I've never flown on Southwestern. The whole idea of not
having a reserve seat kind of makes my head hurt.
Speaker 2 (04:07):
He just I've done it. I've done it before. They
they bored by zones, so depending on when you bought
your ticket and when you did your check in online,
they do board by zones and it can be a
little chaotic. So you know, this is just the norm now.
I mean, everybody's used to it. It's what happens with
every airline, So why not, Okay, and Southwest is going
(04:30):
to bank a little bit more than three hundred and
fifty million dollars on their bag fees, So it's nobody's
crying at Southwest.
Speaker 1 (04:38):
It's good good for their business, I think so.
Speaker 2 (04:42):
Now, another piece of news that came across my desk
actually was pretty timely because right now as we speak, Chris,
my business partner, Harry Rife, and about thirty of his
closest new personal friends are navigating through the Canadian Rockies
on the Rocky Mountaineers and having the time of their life.
(05:02):
And I just did get a report from Traveling Leisure
magazine that said their favorite train in the world for
twenty twenty five is the Rocky Mountaineer. It actually climbed
up from its number three spot in the twenty twenty
four World's Best Awards to its current standing at the
top of the list. Now, in addition to that, Traveling
(05:26):
Leisure also said the most tranquil destination of twenty twenty
five is of all places, bamp Okay. Yep. They gave
it that position because of its cleanliness. It's green spaces
and clean air.
Speaker 1 (05:42):
Is that the beginning and or end?
Speaker 2 (05:44):
It's the beginning. It was the beginning of our group's trip, yep.
And actually that was their day too, they got into bamp.
And what's interesting about this story and these statistics that
I'm sharing with you today and these awards that Rocky Mountaineer, which,
by the way, congratulations Rocky Mountaineer. We love you guys.
(06:04):
But Harry will be joining us next week and we'll
be talking and catching you up on all of the
group activities and about that trip. We're pretty excited. Yeah. Actually,
if you are listening and you go to the Wishing
Wells Facebook website today, you'll see a couple of pictures
there that Harry did actually send to us from their
(06:27):
trip already. So they're having a great time and the
visual of the area that he's in is breathtaking, absolutely
breath taking. So jealous, I know, so, Amma. Now, speaking
of having a great time and reminiscing a little bit,
I did get some news that you can now cruise
(06:49):
with the cast of the Love Boat in November. And
if you remember the love Boat, the official love Boat
is with Princess Cruise Line and the love Boat at
Sea is going to take place on the Regal Princess.
This is a week long cruise to the Western Caribbean
that's going to depart from Galveston, Texas on November the
sixteenth of this year. The cruise is going to visit Roatan.
(07:13):
They're going to have an overnight stay in Cosmo, Mexico
as well. Lauren Twos which you may know her. She
was Julie McCoy on the show. And Charro are going
to reunite with the following cast members of the Love
Vote on the cruise. They're going to welcome back Jill
William who was Vicky Stubing, Captain Stubing's daughter, Fred Grady
(07:35):
who was Gopher if you remember him, yep, Absolutely Ted
Lang who was Isaac Washington, and Bernie Coppel who was
doctor Adam Bricker. So they're all going to be on
the cruise. They're going to have meet and greets themed
activities and exclusive live performances by Charro. And also now
available is the Exclusive Captain Package that's offering guests unforgettable
(08:00):
experiences and special access on board the Regal Princess. It's
available for a limited number of guests, and this package
is going to include highlights such as the Love Boat Lounge,
the Cocktail Hour, the Bond Voyage, dinner with the Love
Boat cast, and exclusive commemorative merchandise to commemorate this iconic voyage.
Speaker 1 (08:22):
When I was a kid, I loved watching the.
Speaker 2 (08:24):
Love Boat yep, And do you know this is so interesting,
a little bit of trivia from my past. Those of
you who listening, if you're just joining us today on
a life less ordinary, welcome. We love having you, We
love talking about all things travel. And my career goes
back for now about forty eight years, believe it or not.
(08:46):
And my very first cruise was on board Norwegian Cruise
Line and Jack Jones who actually sang the Love Boat,
the iconic song everybody remembers it. Probably he was on
my cruise, my very first cruise, and he sang that song.
It was great.
Speaker 1 (09:06):
I love it.
Speaker 2 (09:06):
Yeah, I do too. Cruising has come a long way
since then. So if you're interested in joining on that cruise,
you can certainly find us at the Wishing Well. We'd
love to help that dream come true for you.
Speaker 1 (09:18):
And that phone number is five four h nine oh
eight twenty three thirty three.
Speaker 2 (09:23):
Thank you very much, Chris. What do you say we
talk about some deals, sales and deals.
Speaker 1 (09:28):
I'm seeing a picture here that's got me excited. Let's
get into the deals.
Speaker 2 (09:32):
Yeah. So this information came across my desk about what's
going on in London in August for twenty twenty five
and I was majorly intrigued. I won't lie, so I
thought it'd be worth kind of talking about a couple
of these things. If you happen to be planning a trip,
or you're going to be in London, just thought i'd
(09:54):
share this this August or there's going to be a
lot of things going on in Court Palace. Food Festival
is going on from August to twenty third to the
twenty fifth in London. If you're looking for the perfect
way to spend a holiday weekend, it's going to be
set in the magnificent grounds of the Hampton Court Palace.
(10:15):
Annual celebration of all things food and drink na must
for the whole family. If you are looking for something
else to do, the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition is happening.
This is a London classic. It's a curated by architect
and it's a show featuring over seventeen hundred works from
(10:37):
paintings and prints to sculptures, film and architecture. That is
on now until September the seventeenth. Also, the Riverwalk Market
is taking place in London and it's back at Battersea
Power Station until August to thirty first, bringing into London
some of the best indedependent food scene and the scenic
(11:00):
South Bank on the Thames. Diana's Chocolates and Cakes is
going to be a perfect excuse for that and that
is taking place again from now until August the thirty first.
They also have something going on called Splash at the
Design Museum. This is diving into one hundred years of swimming,
(11:22):
style and design, from nineteen twenties beachware to high performance
kit and iconic architecture. Splash is going to explore how
swimming has shaped and styled our lives in pools, liedos
and the wild. That's going on from now until August seventeenth,
and last, but not least, Nodding Hill Carnival. The streets
(11:43):
of West London are going to come alive this August
Bank Holiday as the iconic Nodding Hill Carnival returns from
the twenty third to the twenty fifth of August. This
is a vibrant celebration of Caribbean culture. It's one of
Europe's biggest and boldest street festivals and not to be
missed again August twenty third to the twenty fifth.
Speaker 1 (12:07):
I can't think of anything that sounds more British than
a good street party.
Speaker 2 (12:12):
Nice right exactly.
Speaker 1 (12:13):
Their picnics that they do out and shut the street down.
Speaker 2 (12:17):
Yeah, and you know those people know how to party.
Oh yeah, you know. And I can only imagine the
markets in Great Britain. I mean how much fun would
that be? And notting Hill pretty iconic, could be in
that area.
Speaker 1 (12:29):
I love everything UK, yeah, I know you do.
Speaker 2 (12:31):
So get a lot of good reasons there to give
you an excuse to go, Chris. The other one I
wanted to talk about as far as sales go today
is something that I have been getting bombarded about as
far as inquiries, and that is trips to the Falklands
and the Patagonia area. I'm pleased to announce that there
(12:52):
is an Atlas cruise that actually is going to go
from buennis Ares to Ouswissun, and that's starting out with
prices at sixty one forty four per person. This is
a thirteen night cruise, so at sixty one forty four
per person that is not a bad price at all.
(13:14):
They're calling this the World Traveler Yacht and the embarkation
date is October the twenty seventh. It's going to go
from October twenty seventh until November the ninth. The itinery
is going to visit places Like I said, Buenos Aires,
make its way to Montevideo, Uruguay. You'll have several days
at sea before you get to the Falkland Islands. You'll
(13:38):
go through the Strait of Magellan into Chile, into several
ports there and then finally ending up in Argentina. If
this is something that interests you the Falklands and Patagonia,
I would suggest that you not hesitate. This is a
great deal. This is actually rates are looking like they're
(13:59):
about fIF fifty percent off right now for this particular adventure.
So if you're interested, do give us a call at
the Wishing Well again if you have interest in the
Atlas cruise to the Falklands and the Patagonia Islands. Next
on my list is a sale that's coming to us
from Windstar Cruises. I loved this one because Windstar Cruises
(14:23):
is one of those luxury yacht and high sale cruises
that usually people have to have a commitment of time
to experience at least seven days, but they for new
for twenty twenty six, they are having what they call
sale all inclusive to their tucked away ports, and these
(14:44):
are some quick getaways. Now why I like these is because,
in particular they do feature some cities like Venice. They
feature cities like Rome. Let me give you an example
of one of these. These are three night cruises, so
I love that. So if you are going to fly
(15:06):
to Europe, you can fly over night, wake up in Europe,
and set sail that same day. Your yacht style cruising
is just a few nights. It's going to transform a
land trip into something more of a coastal exploration. You
can pair that with another voyage if you want to
take a deeper dive into the region. Or maybe you
(15:26):
just had three nights before you were setting off on
a land journey into Italy or maybe some other place,
and this just looked like a great way to spend
three nights. This particular cruise that I'm looking at right now,
it includes Rome. You're going to go to several other
(15:49):
ports in France, Corsica and Provence, and you leave on
like May the thirty first, at four o'clock. You come
back to Rome at seven eight on June third, and
in between all that time, it's a great culinary gourmet
dining experience with dishes created by James Beard Foundation. And
(16:10):
you can also swim or paddle or soak up the
sun in parts of the Mediterranean that you may not
have seen in those three days that you had to
spend in Rome. Some people will just go ahead of
time into Rome spend three days there. They might want
to see the Vatican and do some other things. This
is an opportunity for you to get an all inclusive,
(16:32):
gourmet type experience on sea before you hit your land trip.
So it's really great all in all in and these
prices actually are good too. They started about eleven hundred
dollars and that's all your meals, your sight seeing the ship,
of course, is your transportation to these other great areas
like Corsica as you leave Rome, and all of that's included.
(16:55):
So we are going to use that as a lead
in Chris to talk about the culinary adventures that we
have in store for today.
Speaker 1 (17:03):
And our show today is called Culinary Compass Navigating World Flavors.
And I am excited about this show.
Speaker 2 (17:11):
You ought to be. This is right up here out.
Speaker 1 (17:13):
I love everything that has to do with food. We'll
get into that coming up next here on a life
less ordinary.
Speaker 3 (17:19):
Who would think of driving off to a new destination
without guidance from Google or Syria? Not the wishing Well
Guide your next travel experience.
Speaker 1 (17:26):
Travel the world as you enjoy the very.
Speaker 3 (17:28):
Best destinations and all they offer at the best prices.
Our mobile travel app keeps your vacation on track and
keeps you connected with our team of experts. For help,
if you need it, call us at five four zero
nine zero eight two three three three stop buy two
forty three Avenue or visit us at the Wishingwell dot biz.
Speaker 1 (17:47):
Hey, welcome back to a life less Ordinary. Every Saturday morning,
Terry Deane and I sit down and we talk travel.
This is your travel showing podcasts from your friends at
the wishing Well. Today the show is entitled Culinary Navigating
World Flavors. We just talked about that great deal in
All the Great Flavors with the road trip, and I
was like, Oh, I can't wait talk about food all
(18:09):
over the world. Now.
Speaker 2 (18:10):
I know it's great, And I mean, I don't know
where you are while you're listening to us this morning.
You might be having breakfast or whatever, but I want
you to transport with us this morning because Chris and
I are going to take you on a journey to
some of the most extraordinary ways to experience culinary tours
(18:34):
that you will ever hear about. And more importantly, what
I'm going to do is I'm going to tell you
some tour operators that I have found in my career
for the last forty eight years. As I said that,
to me speak food. I mean, this is what happens.
And Chris, don't you when you go on a vacation,
(18:55):
isn't food one of the elements that you would say
factor in to a great experience when you travel?
Speaker 1 (19:04):
I almost hesitate to say that. For me, the food
is more important than the scenes, the news, rights and
everything else that goes along with it.
Speaker 2 (19:12):
Well, and that is actually what has happened to a
lot of people as we have seen the emerging great
culinary artists of our time now, the James Beards and
the Paulodines. I mean, these people are actually putting food
on the map for completely different reason. I mean, when
people go to Savannah, now do they think about, you know,
(19:35):
all of historical sites. Of course they do. But the
other thing that they want to do they want to
eat some food. They want to eat in Pauladine's Restaurant,
so that experience culinary becomes a really big piece for
a lot of people. Food is a major, major part
of a good vacation, and that's whether you are sipping
a local wine or whether you're trying street food or
(19:59):
you're shopping at vice markets. A lot of travelers today
Chris are seeking out local food and drink to actually
connect with a place they're traveling too on even a
deeper level, and culinary tours and food tours can take
that even a step further. They help you to go
(20:19):
deeper into a destination's rich food culture, which in many
ways connects you to their history and where they originated from.
So if you're looking to taste your way through the
food scene in a new destination with the help of
local experts, there are some really good tour companies out
(20:41):
there that offer culinary tours around the world, and we're
going to visit some of those. Some focus primarily on
tasting all of the deliciousness offered by local producers, growers,
and restaurants, and other food tours provide the opportunity to
dive deeper into history and culture, or even try your
(21:05):
hand at cooking. Local cuisine. Now I did that when
I went to Spain, and I have to tell you
that experience for me was so memorable. First of all,
it was taught by a Michelin chef, and I have
never in my life had an opportunity, from a child
(21:26):
or up to today, been able to have that one
on one experience with a Michelin chef. First of all,
I'm just not that good. But secondly, it was humbling,
you know, to be in a kitchen with a Michelin
star chef who was instructing me, little Terry Dean from
the Chanandoa Valley, how to cook paea the best way
(21:50):
possible and do it with a Spanish flare. I mean,
that was part of my trip to Spain. It was
so memorable.
Speaker 1 (21:58):
Was it the best paid you've had?
Speaker 3 (22:00):
It was?
Speaker 2 (22:01):
Actually? Yeah, it was maybe even some of the first
piea that I had ever eaten that was authentic. Now
I've eaten it before, but I would say it probably
wasn't authentic until I ate it there.
Speaker 1 (22:13):
And do you remember everything that the chef taught you?
Speaker 2 (22:16):
Most of it? I mean there were some things like
the weirdest things like how to cut an onion, you know,
I've been doing it wrong. I mean, all these years,
I've been doing it wrong. And you know, certain things
about how to use your knife that you probably wouldn't
think about, but that were so important to becoming a
(22:36):
better chef in your own kitchen. I loved. I loved
all that. I loved being a part of that. I
loved being able to soak that in again. It made
it a part of my experience.
Speaker 1 (22:47):
See, you know, we talk every week about all these
great places that traveled for me. Spending a week with
a Michelin star chef teaching me how to cook. That
sounds like a wonderful vacation.
Speaker 2 (22:59):
Yeah, And you know what great about that is that,
you know, I actually had an opportunity, once upon a
time to also sit in with a somnier, a wine
so minier, true wine so miner at a wine tasting.
And you say that even that word kind of conjures
up a lot of snootiness, you know, and maybe uncomfortable atmosphere,
(23:25):
you know, But here's what I learned. A really good
somnier will make one a very comfortable experience for you
to to experience and taste, because it's really just about
what you like it's not a snooty process at all.
I mean, I guess it could be, but a really
good wine so Minier will make you very comfortable with
(23:46):
that experience. What I also learned about my cooking experience
in Spain is that a Michelin starred chef will make
that experience very comfortable for you to where you actually
feel like you know you're doing once they've instructed you
in their kitchen. That's the mark of a good a
person who really is a good instructor. Yeah, I love that.
Speaker 1 (24:10):
Yeah man, I'm jealous.
Speaker 2 (24:11):
Yeah. So we want to talk about twenty twenty five's
best tour companies that specialize in these culinary tours and
food tours, because I want to invite you all in
today to this atmosphere of these experiences, because that's what
they are. They really are great experiences. And certainly you
(24:34):
can call a travel professional and you can say, you know, Chris,
I want you to book me on a trip to
Spain tomorrow, and I want to see all of the
regular sites. I want to see the regular tours attractions
and if you'll add air to that, please, I mean,
the very same thing you want to say at the
very end of that request is sure, would you like
(24:57):
fries with that? I mean, because it begins to sound
a little bit like a drive through experience. This is
not that, okay. This is an immersive experience, something that's
going to take you to the next level. So no
matter what approach you take, it's going to be impossible
to go wrong or go hungry on a good culinary tour.
(25:19):
And that's like the soumonner I mentioned the Michelin Star chef,
a good travel professional. If they know you're after a
good culinary experience, they're going to make this look easy. Okay.
So here's my picks for some of the best culinary
tour companies and food focused tours, and I'm going to
(25:40):
start with one that might surprise a lot of people.
You may or may not have heard of these folks before,
but in my opinion, they really do go the extra
mile when it comes to kind of checking this box
of culinary experiences. The name of this company is called Trafalgar.
Speaker 1 (26:00):
Oh yeah.
Speaker 2 (26:00):
They are a globally guided vacation company. They offer food
travel tours that go beyond what's on your plate. And
that's the idea. That's where we want to take you today.
They're offered in locations around the world. These culinary tours
allow you to dine with and learn from locals. That's
(26:22):
when it gets good, you know, when you're not in
some sort of sterile setting somewhere in a kitchen that's
got too much chrome and too much stainless steel. No,
these are with the locals. Sometimes they are even going
to be in their homes or on their farms. That's
(26:42):
when it gets good. You're going to see where food
comes from, learn how to cook regional dishes. And popular
twenty twenty five tours include something called and this is
if you're in front of a computer, I encourage you
to look this up. One of these in one of
their tours is called the Tastes and the Sounds of
(27:03):
the South, and it's a ten day tour and you
can sample everything from Creo cuisine to hot chicken. And
you're going to go into places like Memphis and Nashville
where in New Orleans where the Southern food really comes
to life. But I can tell you having traveled through
(27:24):
a lot of those towns myself on tours, and especially
with TALC tours many months ago, when I received my
TALC certification. The food in Nashville, Tennessee is a part
of your experience there, and if it's not, shame on you.
I mean, it's not all about the Grand ol Opry.
It's about music, but it's equally about food. And you
(27:48):
better have some corn bread while you're there. Oh yeah, yeah.
And if you're going to be in New Orleans, you
better have some creole and some crawfish, you know, made
the right way. Also, Trafalgar does another tour called Italy Bellissimo.
This is an eleven day trip with stops in Rome, Capri, Venice, Florence,
(28:10):
and it includes a lot of dreamy culinary experiences like
farm dinners and olive oil tastings and just strolling through
some olive groves.
Speaker 1 (28:19):
Have you ever been to an olive oil tasting?
Speaker 2 (28:21):
Yes? I have. It's amazing.
Speaker 1 (28:23):
How are there so many flavors?
Speaker 2 (28:24):
I know, right? And they can all taste very different
and give you a completely different experience depending on what
bread you pair.
Speaker 1 (28:32):
Yes, yeah, it's amazing, Yes.
Speaker 2 (28:34):
It really is. So these are the kinds of things
and you know that this Italy Bellissimo, this is a
great plug for the sale that we talked about with
Windstar while Ago starts in Rome. If you wanted to
go three days early and maybe have that great culinary
experience on Windstar on a three day cruise out of
Rome and then come back and complete the Italian Bellissimo
(28:57):
tour with Trafalgar, there you go. I just planned the
perfect trip for you to Italy.
Speaker 1 (29:02):
I think it is.
Speaker 2 (29:02):
Yeah. So food really figures in big time in many
of Trafalgar's nearly three hundred guided itineraries across seventy two
countries and seven continents, even if many of the tours
are more broadly themed market visits, information about unique traditions
(29:23):
and customs, sampling of local cuisine. These are all part
of tours that Trafalgar has, like their German Christmas Markets trip,
and you know we've talked about this, we did an
entire show about it. These are the places where even
their Paris Explorer tour explodes with all kinds of culinary experiences.
(29:45):
Tour descriptions offer day by day itineraries and information about accommodations,
plus the number of included meals so you know what
you'll be seeing and tasting, and reviews provide some further
insight into the experiences you're going to have because you're
going to hear from people who have already done it. Now,
(30:06):
some quick facts about these culinary tours with Trafalgar Chris
average guided tour group size the standard tour group is
about forty guests, but it can sometimes be smaller. That's
the maximum that usually Trafalgar will take is about forty people.
Price range. The average Trafalgar trip costs about three thousand dollars,
(30:28):
but there are some itineraries that range from thirteen hundred
to thirteen thousand, so they do have a wide range
of base pricing so you can shop that you can
actually come up with something that kind of fits your budget.
And what's included your accommodations, of course, your VIP entry
to a lot of iconic sites, most of your meals.
(30:50):
You've got luxury motor coach transportation that's included to get
you from all the points that you're going to visit,
Airport transfers, luggage handling, and some of your GTU included.
What's not included is your pre and post airfare, your
optional experiences, and some of your meals, but most of
them would be included on a true culinary type of experience,
(31:13):
where do they go, well, Trafalgar visits, as I said,
over seventy two countries, including Africa, Asia, Australia, New Zealand, Europe,
Latin America, Middle East, and North America. So what do
you think about that one?
Speaker 1 (31:33):
I say, let's stop the show right now and start
working on my itinerary.
Speaker 2 (31:37):
I don't think that's a bad idea at all.
Speaker 1 (31:40):
This is great for me, and I think for a
lot of people. Food is such an emotional thing. It is,
And as you're talking about, you know, I was thinking
about the Germany trip and I was like, oh, but
I really want to go and enjoy all this Italian
cuisine and I'm like, but I love Germany in Germany
cuisine and French and I'm thinking I can't pick one, right,
(32:05):
It's like every one of them. If you think about
those food items, you know, I think pasta, I know
that's not necessarily as much Italian as an American creation
of Italy, but fresh seafood and stuff like that around
the Mediterranean, the schnitzel in germanysants and coffee in France,
(32:27):
you know, just to me, that's that's why we know
those places.
Speaker 2 (32:32):
Yeah, and you know, Chris, we are sitting in such
an interesting time and era of the travel industry right now,
where this type of recharged type of travel is possible.
You can actually now choose the type and the theme
(32:53):
of travel that you want to do. It's not just
about choosing a destination anymore. It's actually fonding the best
port barbecue in the south, or where in France can
you find the best pastries or the best croissant. You know,
these are parts of a trip now that you can
(33:16):
actually meld into your requests and actually have that be
part of your travel experience.
Speaker 1 (33:23):
Why is that the case?
Speaker 2 (33:26):
And I think because we were denied so many of
those things over COVID. You know, we've we've found out
very quickly what we missed out on, and the world
all of a sudden, I don't know how or why
became much more intriguing to us, and we realized there
were so many things that we were missing. About just
(33:49):
drawing the line from point A to point B. We went,
there's got to be something between that line.
Speaker 1 (33:55):
Has technology, you know, AI and all these things. Has
it helped the travel industry? Befoh, I think so to
craft those type of experiences, not just AI, but I
think social media has done that. I mean, now we
can really sit in the convenience of our living rooms
and we can watch people eat a wonderful meal in
France real time. And that's what we long for, that
(34:20):
we see these things and our social influencers, now, our
Internet influencers are using their cameras and their story to
beckon us to their world.
Speaker 2 (34:33):
And so we want to go there. We definitely want
to go there.
Speaker 1 (34:38):
I do. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (34:40):
So next on our list, Chris is a tour operator
that actually I had the pleasure of booking recently for
a JMU alumni trip, a company called Intrepid Travel. I
love these guys. They actually focus on a lot of
immersive experiences. They're a community based tourism company and responsible
(35:01):
travel they make it That makes it kind of an
ideal company for food centric travel tours. Intrepid actually aims
to help travelers get under the skin of the world's
most exciting food cultures in a truly local way. So
I like that about them. The company's Real Food Adventures
(35:23):
this is actually one of their tours. It takes you
to delicious locations around the world, including Africa, Asia, Europe,
the Middle East, and the Americas. Where you can actually
taste your way through a region. That's their whole focus now.
On the Vietnam twenty twenty five Real Food Adventure, for example,
(35:44):
you're going to visit markets, you're going to sample street food,
you're going to enjoy all kinds of special meals and experiences.
And then they've got another one called the Balkans Real
Food Adventure that's going to include visit to centuries old
smoke houses and olive meals and an apple farm. While
you're on the Mexico Real Food Adventure, you're going to
(36:07):
visit markets with a local chef there. You're going to
eat tacos in Mexico City and enjoy a lot of
Mexican food tasting probably things that you've never experienced before
or may not even be able to pronounce, but that's
all part of these real Food Experiences. Tour descriptions include
(36:33):
a section called is this trip right for You? And
that contains information about vegetarian and vegan options and what
to expect when it comes to weather and terrain and accommodations.
You've got daily itineries and reviews again from other people
who have experienced these tours, and photo galleries. That's going
(36:53):
to help further you to experience what it is like
and make a decision in your process. And Intrepid also
provides answers to a section they called commonly asked questions
about food tours. Now a couple of quick facts about
their culinary tours with Intrepid, this is where they differ
(37:15):
from Trafalgar. Their average guided group size is about ten people,
so this is a much more intimate type of experience.
So if you're not somebody who likes crowds a lot
and you want to have really more of an intimate,
sort of a family type experience with the folks that
you're traveling with, Intrepid might be just the company to
(37:38):
help you do that. The food tours, as far as
price goes, they started at about eleven hundred dollars for
an eight day Cambodia tour up to about seventy six
hundred dollars for a twenty one day Slovenia to Macedonia tour,
So they do have again that wide range of pricing,
but twenty one days for seventy six hundred dollars not bad,
(38:00):
you know, especially when you realize what all is included
in that, So what is included well, your accommodations, your
transportation during the tour. Most all of your meals here
would be included, and most of your activities, So there's
going to be very little out of pocket once you
get on an Intrepid tour that you have to pay
(38:22):
out of pocket. What's not included is your airfare and
your traveler's insurance, something that you have to have and
we highly recommend that you never travel without insurance. Always
a great idea. The destinations that Intrepid serves again Asia, Europe, Mexico,
the Middle East, and Morocco. The JMU alumni trip that
(38:43):
we did was into Greece and several of the outlying
smaller Greek islands around Greece that most people don't get to,
Naxos and Patmos and several of the other areas in Santorini.
So that's exactly why I chose Intrepid for them as well,
was because this was an immersive experience. That's what they wanted.
(39:08):
It was a smaller group, they were able to have
a much more intimate type experience with the country and
the culture. Once they got there, people enjoyed it. They
actually loved the food.
Speaker 1 (39:19):
So if I want to book with intrepid Do I
need to fill out the entire group? Or can I
book for two and make new friends.
Speaker 2 (39:28):
While you Absolutely can? You can book for two and
just like you said, Chris, you can make new friends
while you're there. And that's what a lot of people
love about these smaller group experiences because you're with light
minded people and people who enjoy exactly what you do,
which is the love of food and the love of
not just the love of food, the love of good food.
(39:48):
You know, these are people that you're going to probably
build lifetime relationships with because you have that in common.
You want to move on to our next one.
Speaker 1 (39:58):
I do, But can we take a quick break? Absolutely,
let's take a couple of seconds. We'll let Harry tell
us more about the Wishing Well here on a life
less ordinary.
Speaker 3 (40:06):
Who would think of driving off to a new destination
without guidance from Google or Syria? Not the Wishing Weld
guide your next travel experience. Travel the world as you
enjoy the very best destinations and all they offer at
the best prices. Our mobile travel app keeps your vacation
on track and keeps you connected with our team of
experts for help. If you need it, call us at
five four zero nine zero eight two three three three
(40:30):
stop buy two forty three Avenue, or visit us at
the Wishingwell dot biz.
Speaker 1 (40:35):
Hey, and welcome back to a life less Ordinary. This
is the travel showing podcasts from your friends at the
wishing Well. You can find them on f Avenue in Harrisonburg.
You can also find them online at the Wishingwell dot biz.
And I encourage you to do that because in the
upper right hand corner hit the menu button and you'll
find all the past podcasts that we've done over the
course of the last oh five or six years. Yeah,
(40:57):
and you can also give them a coffee, your interest
and more information about anything you hear on today's show,
or you just got travel questions, called Terry at five
four oh nine oh eight twenty three thirty three. Our
show today is Culinary Compass Navigating World Flavors. And we've
we've been to Italy, We've been to the South.
Speaker 2 (41:17):
We went to the South.
Speaker 1 (41:18):
We went to the South. We've talked to barbecue today,
we've talked Germany. Germany. Oh yeah, where are we headed next?
Speaker 2 (41:25):
Well, you know, I am first of all, I have
to I just have to do this, I have to
thank the people who tell me, first of all that
you listen to us here on a life less ordinary.
We thank you, thank you, thank you, because without you,
there would be no content. You know, it would be
no reason to have this show. There would be no
reason to have a lifeless ordinary. So thank you for listening,
(41:47):
thank you for telling us that you listen, and thank
you for following with us along today because this is
a fun show.
Speaker 1 (41:53):
I'm loving this.
Speaker 2 (41:54):
This is really fun because people just love to talk
about food. When you think about when fan families come together, Honestly, Chris,
isn't it usually over a meal? Yeah? I mean that's
what people do when they celebrate. So when we think
of food, we think of travel, we automatically think celebrations
that it just all goes together. And so we've dealt
(42:16):
with some of what I've called today my favorite tour
operators who bring the best culinary experiences to you through us,
and one of them we have actually visited here on
our show before as an exclusive spotlight, and that is
a company called back Roads. So if you want to
(42:39):
burn some calories while you're eating your way around Europe,
you really might want to consider one of their active
culinary tours from adventure tour company back Roads. These walking
tour food trips combine and on the go pace with
cooking classes. You've got memorable meals and tastings that they
(43:02):
throw in and visits to local farms so you can
sip and sample while you stay fit, all at the
same time. That doesn't sound too bad, does it. I
mean takes the guilt away at the very least.
Speaker 1 (43:14):
I mean, my cup of tea would be just to
eat my way through, but right exercise would be good too.
Speaker 3 (43:20):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (43:21):
Well, they've got one called the Provence Active Culinary Walking
and Hiking Tour in France. It includes scenic hikes past
olive trees, cypress groves and orchards. First of all that
visual and I've actually watched the videos of this. I
may have said on this show before. I used to
(43:42):
be a mountain bike competitor many years ago, and I
can tell you some of the best scenery wherever you
are is on a bike going through areas where a
car can't go. And this is I can't imagine anything
more amazing than to do this in France. They're gonna
give you a picnic glove lunch at a winery hands
on cooking class, and not to be outdone that, they
(44:05):
have another one called the Tuscany Active Culinary Walking and
Hiking Tour in Italy and that features wine sipping and
exclusive tasting of the traditional balsamic vinegar of Modina and
plenty of strolling through the countryside, which as a matter
of fact, I have to say, the last balsamic vinegar
(44:25):
that I got I actually ordered online from Modina. There's
a difference, man, I'm telling you right now, there's a difference.
It tasted so different and so good. Yeah, so you
really the best thing to do though, is to go
there and bring a bottle back with you. That's even better.
But there's also a woman only version of this tour,
(44:48):
which I have to say is a really big deal.
Now in the travel industry, we're seeing a lot of
women only type focused tours and these culinary experiences. Ladies,
this is right up your alley. I'm down for it.
So if you have any interest in that, give me
a call, because we can put a group together of
a lot of women who want to go globe hopping
(45:11):
and do culinary experiences as well. The tour descriptions with
Backroads include a detailed itinerary. You're going to get info
about the local terrain again and some of those all
important reviews from their past guests that tells you what
they felt about the tour, and travelers have the ability
(45:31):
to choose their activity level. This is one of the
things that we talked about before that I love about
back Roads. If you're not a seasoned athlete and you're
really kind of in the novice position, they give you
the opportunity to go at that level. You can still
experience that, but at a much more beginning type level
(45:54):
on and options of shorter or longer walks and hikes
at different elevations. One of the other things that they
have that they give you on their tours. If they're
including bikes, they give you the ability to have an
electric bike. So that's sort of what they call levels
up the playing field for those who may be a
(46:14):
lot more accomplished. You have the opportunity to have an
electric bike. Now, some quick facts about food tours with Backroad.
First of all, again a much more intimate experience. Average
guided tour group size with them only sixteen guests. Their
price range, they are in a little more of a
higher price range because I'll tell you Backroads does use
(46:37):
some of the more premium type hotels. Even though you're
experiencing the country hiking, walking, maybe biking, you are staying
in some fine places like relay and chateau, small luxury
hotel properties, virtuoso properties. I mean, they do it right.
When they put you up for the night, you're going
(46:58):
to sleep well, and we know you're going to eat well,
you know. So their price ranges are anywhere from about
forty four hundred dollars up to sixty one hundred dollars
per person. And what's included with that well, of course
those accommodations I talked about. Most of your meals your gods,
and these are expert guides too. By the way, these
(47:19):
are not just people who do this as a hobby.
These are expert gods. People who know a lot about
the culinary world, people who know a lot about their
own country. These are people who have studied, many of
them who have degrees. They're historians, they're you know, geologists
in the area. They know a lot about what they're
telling you about, so they're expert gods. You have your
(47:42):
transportation during the tour. That's always included unless you're providing
the manpower for that on the back of a bike.
They have private guided tours at sites and attractions as
they're listed on your itinerary. All your gratuities at the
hotels and the restaurants are always included with back Row.
You've got special events like wine tastings as listed on
(48:04):
your itineraries, and park and other entry fees if you're
going to national parks or anything like that, that's always included.
Your baggage transfers and your portage is always, always always
included with back Roads. They do it right now. What's
not included again, your airfare to get you to and
from your trip leader gratuity because that's certainly a personal
(48:27):
issue for you, and some of the alcohol. Now where
do they go? Well, Backroads is really more of a
niche market and they have sort of isolated their culinary
tours right now to France and Italy. Why not? Those
are the two areas that we would really want to
focus on. I will tell you back Roads goes all
(48:48):
over there. They do Ireland, they do Scotland, they do
Great Britain, they do a lot of other places. But
if we're isolating our conversations today to just the culinary experiences.
Roads focuses primarily on France and Italy.
Speaker 1 (49:03):
So I could do my own tour de France.
Speaker 2 (49:08):
Please, right, wouldn't that be great? I would love that.
I mean I can. I can't think of anything better
than to experience, you know, the two things that I love,
and that's bicycle riding and culinary experiences and having an
expert with me that's going to show me all of
these olive groves and maybe wineries and vineyards and give
(49:31):
me a picnic lunch, sit me down by the river.
I'm down for that.
Speaker 1 (49:36):
We need to find a tour that will take us
up into the Tyrolean area of Italy and Austria. My
family has a vineyard and winery.
Speaker 2 (49:45):
There, no kidding, that would be awesome.
Speaker 1 (49:47):
An order wine from them if you want.
Speaker 2 (49:49):
Oh yeah, Chris, I mean, can you imagine, I mean
a great culinary experience to hook you up with your
ancestry and to get to a winery where your ance
maybe have some roots. I think that would be an
awesome truth.
Speaker 1 (50:03):
It's where the sound of music was part of it
was filmed.
Speaker 2 (50:06):
No kidding, Yeah, that's very I learned more and more
about you all the time.
Speaker 1 (50:11):
That's so great. My family pretty much runs the town
and so like they own the hotel there, they own
a vineyard and a winery and and so that's.
Speaker 2 (50:20):
A place that we've got to put on the list
of places to get you to.
Speaker 1 (50:23):
Yeah, my mother, my grandmother would be thrilled to know
I made it, because she really always was like, you
need to go there.
Speaker 2 (50:30):
Yeah, well that was the one.
Speaker 1 (50:31):
You know.
Speaker 2 (50:32):
That's the one thing we've been talking about on the
show today is how much a part of life and
family and experiences food really is. I am really sad
today because I had about six other tour operators that
I wanted to dive into. Yeah, not the least of
which is one called Edible Destinations. I mean that in
itself tells you exactly what they do, right. I Mean,
(50:55):
if you're going to name your company Edible Destinations, that's
exactly what you're going to focus on. And they've got
all kinds of destinations like Italy, Spain, and Greece, but
they do North America too, like Vermont, Napa Valley, and Seattle.
I Mean these are places that we love, we just
maybe have never even experienced all of what North America
(51:17):
has to show us as far as culinary experiences go.
Speaker 1 (51:21):
I know it's not world travel, but that's what I
did when I toured my baseball stadiums. Every city I
went to, I tried to get something that that city
was known for.
Speaker 2 (51:30):
And see, I love that. I love that you did that.
You know, once upon a time when I was traveling
for another company in my career, I actually made it
my mission as they traveled me all over the United
States to look for the best pork barbecue. That's a
big deal to me because that's one of my favorite foods.
It's in Memphis, and it's a place called Corky's, And
(51:54):
to this day, you can actually order it online and
have it shipped to your home. If you're listening to
and you love port barbecue as much as I do,
you simply must place an order your welcome Corky's for
the free plug today on a lifeless ordinary, But you
really should order that from Quirkys and have good old
Memphis barbecue shipped right to your home.
Speaker 1 (52:14):
I've had Memphis barbecue at maybe four or five of
the best Memphis barbecue joints. Yeah, when we go down
to visit with our friends at Saint Jude.
Speaker 2 (52:24):
Oh nice.
Speaker 1 (52:25):
They always will take us to one of the one
of the barbecue places. Yeah, and oh it's so good.
Speaker 2 (52:30):
Yeah, so good, it really is. And you know, if food,
culinary experiences, and family, I mean combine all of those,
take a family trip on with some of these tour
operators that I've mentioned to you. If you didn't hear
one that really is sort of tugged at you. I
have so many more actually laying here in front of
(52:52):
me that we never got to. Companies like Butterfield and Robinson,
which are really a much more elevated luxury experiences food
and drink tours no exception. They do biking through Italy
as well in France and their Burgundy wine region. This
is really where we need to spend a lot of
our time if we're looking for that great culinary experience.
Speaker 1 (53:15):
I'm prepared to eat my way around the world.
Speaker 2 (53:17):
Absolutely well.
Speaker 1 (53:18):
This has been a fun show.
Speaker 2 (53:19):
Thank you. I thought so too.
Speaker 1 (53:21):
I know that there are a lot of us that
have been listening, going yes, book me for this trip.
How do we get in touch with you.
Speaker 2 (53:27):
We're easy to find, Chris. We're located in here'sonburg Virginia
at two forty three nef Avenue. You can call us
We're at five four oh nine oh eight two three
three three, or you can look us up on the web.
We are at the Wishingwell dot.
Speaker 1 (53:42):
This has been a life Less Ordinary the travel show
from your friends at the wishing Well at two forty
three nef Avenue in Harrisonburg. If you have any questions
on topics discussed today, please reach out to the wishing
Well online at the wishing Well dopiz or five four
oh nine oh eight twenty three thirty three. Past episodes
are elbow on the iHeartRadio app. And we'll see again
next Saturday morning at ten for a life Less Ordinary
(54:05):
from the wishing Well
This is a Lifeless Ordinary. It's a travel show and
podcasts from your friends at the wishing Well two forty
three f Avenue in harsmerg and online at the wishing
Well dot this. The wishing Well is your ultimate luxury concierge,
travel agency and a Lifeless Ordinary is a travel show
and podcasts hosted by Terry Dean, bringing her over forty
years of experience in the travel industry to help guide
(00:21):
you to great experiences in your travel, whether it be
around the block, around the country, or around the world.
Let's bring in Terry Dean.
Speaker 2 (00:27):
And say hello, Chris, how are you.
Speaker 1 (00:30):
I'm great. It's always good to see you.
Speaker 2 (00:31):
Good to see you too. And this has been a
long time coming with this great.
Speaker 1 (00:37):
Weather because it finally it's cool.
Speaker 2 (00:40):
Oh please, I needed it.
Speaker 1 (00:42):
I well, I prefer cool weather over the blazing hot.
It's the humidity that gives me me too. But I
had an event yesterday that I had to stand outside
for a couple hours. Oh dear, it was freezing. I
was wearing shorts and no kidding, Oh my gosh. I
was like, we had that rain in the morning and
it's just sort of overcasting. So yeah, I'm okay with
(01:04):
it being cool. Looks like next week we're supposed to
get rain again for a whole week. My backyard is
flooded three times this summer.
Speaker 2 (01:12):
Everything's green, though it is grain, everything's green. And this
time last year we were going, oh look, everything's all
burn up. We need rain. It was triple digits and
we were suffering and right now not suffering too much.
Speaker 1 (01:26):
Well, we're not here. The farmers aren't dealing real well
with a lot of their crops are rotting because they've
had so much training. Here's what I would like. I
would like a summer with just the right amount of rain.
I like that, and a trip book to Ireland so
I can enjoy their green. Okay, that's how I would
like to deal with you know what.
Speaker 2 (01:46):
I'm the right person to help you with that second part.
Speaker 1 (01:49):
And don't tell us you're saying about Ireland.
Speaker 2 (01:52):
If you're good, when you die, you go to Ireland.
Speaker 1 (01:54):
Yep. Yeah, well I hope I do it before I die.
Speaker 2 (01:57):
I do too.
Speaker 1 (01:58):
Anyway, it's been a few weeks since we've gotten to chat.
We've got a lot of travel news.
Speaker 2 (02:02):
Get caught yes in a fun show today we do.
We have a lot of fun things to talk about,
and it's jam packed. So what do you say you
want to get started?
Speaker 1 (02:11):
Let's get into it.
Speaker 2 (02:12):
Let's talk about some news that rolled across my desk.
There's a new Southwest Airlines in town and they took off.
It's official. The old Southwest Airlines is gone as we
know it. The airline began booking its first assigned seats
on July twenty ninth, and all at the same time
(02:33):
it opened up its new extra leg room seats for sale.
They're just like everybody else now, Chris. The first flights
with those confirmed seats assignments will be January the twenty seventh.
Results from the introduction of bag fees and Basic economy
fairs were mixed, executives reported during the company's July twenty
(02:56):
fourth earning call. For approximately three weeks after those changes
were implemented, on May the twenty eighth, the airline lost
out on bookings as flyers went to its website saw
the no frills Basic product, which doesn't come with bags
and doesn't allow changes without a fare upgrade. They're want
to get away fares, which Basic replaced had come with
(03:21):
two free bags, no change fees, and other perks not
matched by the basic fare. As a result, the airline
took a hit of half a percentage point in the
second quarter in its revenue per available seat mile, and
expects a further hit of one percent point this quarter. Overall.
(03:41):
Southwest said it's on target, though, to achieve its twenty
twenty five goal of one point billion dollars in incremental
earnings before interest and taxes due to a new incentive
and cost saving measure. So I don't think they're hurting
two too bad.
Speaker 1 (04:01):
I've never flown on Southwestern. The whole idea of not
having a reserve seat kind of makes my head hurt.
Speaker 2 (04:07):
He just I've done it. I've done it before. They
they bored by zones, so depending on when you bought
your ticket and when you did your check in online,
they do board by zones and it can be a
little chaotic. So you know, this is just the norm now.
I mean, everybody's used to it. It's what happens with
every airline, So why not, Okay, and Southwest is going
(04:30):
to bank a little bit more than three hundred and
fifty million dollars on their bag fees, So it's nobody's
crying at Southwest.
Speaker 1 (04:38):
It's good good for their business, I think so.
Speaker 2 (04:42):
Now, another piece of news that came across my desk
actually was pretty timely because right now as we speak, Chris,
my business partner, Harry Rife, and about thirty of his
closest new personal friends are navigating through the Canadian Rockies
on the Rocky Mountaineers and having the time of their life.
(05:02):
And I just did get a report from Traveling Leisure
magazine that said their favorite train in the world for
twenty twenty five is the Rocky Mountaineer. It actually climbed
up from its number three spot in the twenty twenty
four World's Best Awards to its current standing at the
top of the list. Now, in addition to that, Traveling
(05:26):
Leisure also said the most tranquil destination of twenty twenty
five is of all places, bamp Okay. Yep. They gave
it that position because of its cleanliness. It's green spaces
and clean air.
Speaker 1 (05:42):
Is that the beginning and or end?
Speaker 2 (05:44):
It's the beginning. It was the beginning of our group's trip, yep.
And actually that was their day too, they got into bamp.
And what's interesting about this story and these statistics that
I'm sharing with you today and these awards that Rocky Mountaineer, which,
by the way, congratulations Rocky Mountaineer. We love you guys.
(06:04):
But Harry will be joining us next week and we'll
be talking and catching you up on all of the
group activities and about that trip. We're pretty excited. Yeah. Actually,
if you are listening and you go to the Wishing
Wells Facebook website today, you'll see a couple of pictures
there that Harry did actually send to us from their
(06:27):
trip already. So they're having a great time and the
visual of the area that he's in is breathtaking, absolutely
breath taking. So jealous, I know, so, Amma. Now, speaking
of having a great time and reminiscing a little bit,
I did get some news that you can now cruise
(06:49):
with the cast of the Love Boat in November. And
if you remember the love Boat, the official love Boat
is with Princess Cruise Line and the love Boat at
Sea is going to take place on the Regal Princess.
This is a week long cruise to the Western Caribbean
that's going to depart from Galveston, Texas on November the
sixteenth of this year. The cruise is going to visit Roatan.
(07:13):
They're going to have an overnight stay in Cosmo, Mexico
as well. Lauren Twos which you may know her. She
was Julie McCoy on the show. And Charro are going
to reunite with the following cast members of the Love
Vote on the cruise. They're going to welcome back Jill
William who was Vicky Stubing, Captain Stubing's daughter, Fred Grady
(07:35):
who was Gopher if you remember him, yep, Absolutely Ted
Lang who was Isaac Washington, and Bernie Coppel who was
doctor Adam Bricker. So they're all going to be on
the cruise. They're going to have meet and greets themed
activities and exclusive live performances by Charro. And also now
available is the Exclusive Captain Package that's offering guests unforgettable
(08:00):
experiences and special access on board the Regal Princess. It's
available for a limited number of guests, and this package
is going to include highlights such as the Love Boat Lounge,
the Cocktail Hour, the Bond Voyage, dinner with the Love
Boat cast, and exclusive commemorative merchandise to commemorate this iconic voyage.
Speaker 1 (08:22):
When I was a kid, I loved watching the.
Speaker 2 (08:24):
Love Boat yep, And do you know this is so interesting,
a little bit of trivia from my past. Those of
you who listening, if you're just joining us today on
a life less ordinary, welcome. We love having you, We
love talking about all things travel. And my career goes
back for now about forty eight years, believe it or not.
(08:46):
And my very first cruise was on board Norwegian Cruise
Line and Jack Jones who actually sang the Love Boat,
the iconic song everybody remembers it. Probably he was on
my cruise, my very first cruise, and he sang that song.
It was great.
Speaker 1 (09:06):
I love it.
Speaker 2 (09:06):
Yeah, I do too. Cruising has come a long way
since then. So if you're interested in joining on that cruise,
you can certainly find us at the Wishing Well. We'd
love to help that dream come true for you.
Speaker 1 (09:18):
And that phone number is five four h nine oh
eight twenty three thirty three.
Speaker 2 (09:23):
Thank you very much, Chris. What do you say we
talk about some deals, sales and deals.
Speaker 1 (09:28):
I'm seeing a picture here that's got me excited. Let's
get into the deals.
Speaker 2 (09:32):
Yeah. So this information came across my desk about what's
going on in London in August for twenty twenty five
and I was majorly intrigued. I won't lie, so I
thought it'd be worth kind of talking about a couple
of these things. If you happen to be planning a trip,
or you're going to be in London, just thought i'd
(09:54):
share this this August or there's going to be a
lot of things going on in Court Palace. Food Festival
is going on from August to twenty third to the
twenty fifth in London. If you're looking for the perfect
way to spend a holiday weekend, it's going to be
set in the magnificent grounds of the Hampton Court Palace.
(10:15):
Annual celebration of all things food and drink na must
for the whole family. If you are looking for something
else to do, the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition is happening.
This is a London classic. It's a curated by architect
and it's a show featuring over seventeen hundred works from
(10:37):
paintings and prints to sculptures, film and architecture. That is
on now until September the seventeenth. Also, the Riverwalk Market
is taking place in London and it's back at Battersea
Power Station until August to thirty first, bringing into London
some of the best indedependent food scene and the scenic
(11:00):
South Bank on the Thames. Diana's Chocolates and Cakes is
going to be a perfect excuse for that and that
is taking place again from now until August the thirty first.
They also have something going on called Splash at the
Design Museum. This is diving into one hundred years of swimming,
(11:22):
style and design, from nineteen twenties beachware to high performance
kit and iconic architecture. Splash is going to explore how
swimming has shaped and styled our lives in pools, liedos
and the wild. That's going on from now until August seventeenth,
and last, but not least, Nodding Hill Carnival. The streets
(11:43):
of West London are going to come alive this August
Bank Holiday as the iconic Nodding Hill Carnival returns from
the twenty third to the twenty fifth of August. This
is a vibrant celebration of Caribbean culture. It's one of
Europe's biggest and boldest street festivals and not to be
missed again August twenty third to the twenty fifth.
Speaker 1 (12:07):
I can't think of anything that sounds more British than
a good street party.
Speaker 2 (12:12):
Nice right exactly.
Speaker 1 (12:13):
Their picnics that they do out and shut the street down.
Speaker 2 (12:17):
Yeah, and you know those people know how to party.
Oh yeah, you know. And I can only imagine the
markets in Great Britain. I mean how much fun would
that be? And notting Hill pretty iconic, could be in
that area.
Speaker 1 (12:29):
I love everything UK, yeah, I know you do.
Speaker 2 (12:31):
So get a lot of good reasons there to give
you an excuse to go, Chris. The other one I
wanted to talk about as far as sales go today
is something that I have been getting bombarded about as
far as inquiries, and that is trips to the Falklands
and the Patagonia area. I'm pleased to announce that there
(12:52):
is an Atlas cruise that actually is going to go
from buennis Ares to Ouswissun, and that's starting out with
prices at sixty one forty four per person. This is
a thirteen night cruise, so at sixty one forty four
per person that is not a bad price at all.
(13:14):
They're calling this the World Traveler Yacht and the embarkation
date is October the twenty seventh. It's going to go
from October twenty seventh until November the ninth. The itinery
is going to visit places Like I said, Buenos Aires,
make its way to Montevideo, Uruguay. You'll have several days
at sea before you get to the Falkland Islands. You'll
(13:38):
go through the Strait of Magellan into Chile, into several
ports there and then finally ending up in Argentina. If
this is something that interests you the Falklands and Patagonia,
I would suggest that you not hesitate. This is a
great deal. This is actually rates are looking like they're
(13:59):
about fIF fifty percent off right now for this particular adventure.
So if you're interested, do give us a call at
the Wishing Well again if you have interest in the
Atlas cruise to the Falklands and the Patagonia Islands. Next
on my list is a sale that's coming to us
from Windstar Cruises. I loved this one because Windstar Cruises
(14:23):
is one of those luxury yacht and high sale cruises
that usually people have to have a commitment of time
to experience at least seven days, but they for new
for twenty twenty six, they are having what they call
sale all inclusive to their tucked away ports, and these
(14:44):
are some quick getaways. Now why I like these is because,
in particular they do feature some cities like Venice. They
feature cities like Rome. Let me give you an example
of one of these. These are three night cruises, so
I love that. So if you are going to fly
(15:06):
to Europe, you can fly over night, wake up in Europe,
and set sail that same day. Your yacht style cruising
is just a few nights. It's going to transform a
land trip into something more of a coastal exploration. You
can pair that with another voyage if you want to
take a deeper dive into the region. Or maybe you
(15:26):
just had three nights before you were setting off on
a land journey into Italy or maybe some other place,
and this just looked like a great way to spend
three nights. This particular cruise that I'm looking at right now,
it includes Rome. You're going to go to several other
(15:49):
ports in France, Corsica and Provence, and you leave on
like May the thirty first, at four o'clock. You come
back to Rome at seven eight on June third, and
in between all that time, it's a great culinary gourmet
dining experience with dishes created by James Beard Foundation. And
(16:10):
you can also swim or paddle or soak up the
sun in parts of the Mediterranean that you may not
have seen in those three days that you had to
spend in Rome. Some people will just go ahead of
time into Rome spend three days there. They might want
to see the Vatican and do some other things. This
is an opportunity for you to get an all inclusive,
(16:32):
gourmet type experience on sea before you hit your land trip.
So it's really great all in all in and these
prices actually are good too. They started about eleven hundred
dollars and that's all your meals, your sight seeing the ship,
of course, is your transportation to these other great areas
like Corsica as you leave Rome, and all of that's included.
(16:55):
So we are going to use that as a lead
in Chris to talk about the culinary adventures that we
have in store for today.
Speaker 1 (17:03):
And our show today is called Culinary Compass Navigating World Flavors.
And I am excited about this show.
Speaker 2 (17:11):
You ought to be. This is right up here out.
Speaker 1 (17:13):
I love everything that has to do with food. We'll
get into that coming up next here on a life
less ordinary.
Speaker 3 (17:19):
Who would think of driving off to a new destination
without guidance from Google or Syria? Not the wishing Well
Guide your next travel experience.
Speaker 1 (17:26):
Travel the world as you enjoy the very.
Speaker 3 (17:28):
Best destinations and all they offer at the best prices.
Our mobile travel app keeps your vacation on track and
keeps you connected with our team of experts. For help,
if you need it, call us at five four zero
nine zero eight two three three three stop buy two
forty three Avenue or visit us at the Wishingwell dot biz.
Speaker 1 (17:47):
Hey, welcome back to a life less Ordinary. Every Saturday morning,
Terry Deane and I sit down and we talk travel.
This is your travel showing podcasts from your friends at
the wishing Well. Today the show is entitled Culinary Navigating
World Flavors. We just talked about that great deal in
All the Great Flavors with the road trip, and I
was like, Oh, I can't wait talk about food all
(18:09):
over the world. Now.
Speaker 2 (18:10):
I know it's great, And I mean, I don't know
where you are while you're listening to us this morning.
You might be having breakfast or whatever, but I want
you to transport with us this morning because Chris and
I are going to take you on a journey to
some of the most extraordinary ways to experience culinary tours
(18:34):
that you will ever hear about. And more importantly, what
I'm going to do is I'm going to tell you
some tour operators that I have found in my career
for the last forty eight years. As I said that,
to me speak food. I mean, this is what happens.
And Chris, don't you when you go on a vacation,
(18:55):
isn't food one of the elements that you would say
factor in to a great experience when you travel?
Speaker 1 (19:04):
I almost hesitate to say that. For me, the food
is more important than the scenes, the news, rights and
everything else that goes along with it.
Speaker 2 (19:12):
Well, and that is actually what has happened to a
lot of people as we have seen the emerging great
culinary artists of our time now, the James Beards and
the Paulodines. I mean, these people are actually putting food
on the map for completely different reason. I mean, when
people go to Savannah, now do they think about, you know,
(19:35):
all of historical sites. Of course they do. But the
other thing that they want to do they want to
eat some food. They want to eat in Pauladine's Restaurant,
so that experience culinary becomes a really big piece for
a lot of people. Food is a major, major part
of a good vacation, and that's whether you are sipping
a local wine or whether you're trying street food or
(19:59):
you're shopping at vice markets. A lot of travelers today
Chris are seeking out local food and drink to actually
connect with a place they're traveling too on even a
deeper level, and culinary tours and food tours can take
that even a step further. They help you to go
(20:19):
deeper into a destination's rich food culture, which in many
ways connects you to their history and where they originated from.
So if you're looking to taste your way through the
food scene in a new destination with the help of
local experts, there are some really good tour companies out
(20:41):
there that offer culinary tours around the world, and we're
going to visit some of those. Some focus primarily on
tasting all of the deliciousness offered by local producers, growers,
and restaurants, and other food tours provide the opportunity to
dive deeper into history and culture, or even try your
(21:05):
hand at cooking. Local cuisine. Now I did that when
I went to Spain, and I have to tell you
that experience for me was so memorable. First of all,
it was taught by a Michelin chef, and I have
never in my life had an opportunity, from a child
(21:26):
or up to today, been able to have that one
on one experience with a Michelin chef. First of all,
I'm just not that good. But secondly, it was humbling,
you know, to be in a kitchen with a Michelin
star chef who was instructing me, little Terry Dean from
the Chanandoa Valley, how to cook paea the best way
(21:50):
possible and do it with a Spanish flare. I mean,
that was part of my trip to Spain. It was
so memorable.
Speaker 1 (21:58):
Was it the best paid you've had?
Speaker 3 (22:00):
It was?
Speaker 2 (22:01):
Actually? Yeah, it was maybe even some of the first
piea that I had ever eaten that was authentic. Now
I've eaten it before, but I would say it probably
wasn't authentic until I ate it there.
Speaker 1 (22:13):
And do you remember everything that the chef taught you?
Speaker 2 (22:16):
Most of it? I mean there were some things like
the weirdest things like how to cut an onion, you know,
I've been doing it wrong. I mean, all these years,
I've been doing it wrong. And you know, certain things
about how to use your knife that you probably wouldn't
think about, but that were so important to becoming a
(22:36):
better chef in your own kitchen. I loved. I loved
all that. I loved being a part of that. I
loved being able to soak that in again. It made
it a part of my experience.
Speaker 1 (22:47):
See, you know, we talk every week about all these
great places that traveled for me. Spending a week with
a Michelin star chef teaching me how to cook. That
sounds like a wonderful vacation.
Speaker 2 (22:59):
Yeah, And you know what great about that is that,
you know, I actually had an opportunity, once upon a
time to also sit in with a somnier, a wine
so minier, true wine so miner at a wine tasting.
And you say that even that word kind of conjures
up a lot of snootiness, you know, and maybe uncomfortable atmosphere,
(23:25):
you know, But here's what I learned. A really good
somnier will make one a very comfortable experience for you
to to experience and taste, because it's really just about
what you like it's not a snooty process at all.
I mean, I guess it could be, but a really
good wine so Minier will make you very comfortable with
(23:46):
that experience. What I also learned about my cooking experience
in Spain is that a Michelin starred chef will make
that experience very comfortable for you to where you actually
feel like you know you're doing once they've instructed you
in their kitchen. That's the mark of a good a
person who really is a good instructor. Yeah, I love that.
Speaker 1 (24:10):
Yeah man, I'm jealous.
Speaker 2 (24:11):
Yeah. So we want to talk about twenty twenty five's
best tour companies that specialize in these culinary tours and
food tours, because I want to invite you all in
today to this atmosphere of these experiences, because that's what
they are. They really are great experiences. And certainly you
(24:34):
can call a travel professional and you can say, you know, Chris,
I want you to book me on a trip to
Spain tomorrow, and I want to see all of the
regular sites. I want to see the regular tours attractions
and if you'll add air to that, please, I mean,
the very same thing you want to say at the
very end of that request is sure, would you like
(24:57):
fries with that? I mean, because it begins to sound
a little bit like a drive through experience. This is
not that, okay. This is an immersive experience, something that's
going to take you to the next level. So no
matter what approach you take, it's going to be impossible
to go wrong or go hungry on a good culinary tour.
(25:19):
And that's like the soumonner I mentioned the Michelin Star chef,
a good travel professional. If they know you're after a
good culinary experience, they're going to make this look easy. Okay.
So here's my picks for some of the best culinary
tour companies and food focused tours, and I'm going to
(25:40):
start with one that might surprise a lot of people.
You may or may not have heard of these folks before,
but in my opinion, they really do go the extra
mile when it comes to kind of checking this box
of culinary experiences. The name of this company is called Trafalgar.
Speaker 1 (26:00):
Oh yeah.
Speaker 2 (26:00):
They are a globally guided vacation company. They offer food
travel tours that go beyond what's on your plate. And
that's the idea. That's where we want to take you today.
They're offered in locations around the world. These culinary tours
allow you to dine with and learn from locals. That's
(26:22):
when it gets good, you know, when you're not in
some sort of sterile setting somewhere in a kitchen that's
got too much chrome and too much stainless steel. No,
these are with the locals. Sometimes they are even going
to be in their homes or on their farms. That's
(26:42):
when it gets good. You're going to see where food
comes from, learn how to cook regional dishes. And popular
twenty twenty five tours include something called and this is
if you're in front of a computer, I encourage you
to look this up. One of these in one of
their tours is called the Tastes and the Sounds of
(27:03):
the South, and it's a ten day tour and you
can sample everything from Creo cuisine to hot chicken. And
you're going to go into places like Memphis and Nashville
where in New Orleans where the Southern food really comes
to life. But I can tell you having traveled through
(27:24):
a lot of those towns myself on tours, and especially
with TALC tours many months ago, when I received my
TALC certification. The food in Nashville, Tennessee is a part
of your experience there, and if it's not, shame on you.
I mean, it's not all about the Grand ol Opry.
It's about music, but it's equally about food. And you
(27:48):
better have some corn bread while you're there. Oh yeah, yeah.
And if you're going to be in New Orleans, you
better have some creole and some crawfish, you know, made
the right way. Also, Trafalgar does another tour called Italy Bellissimo.
This is an eleven day trip with stops in Rome, Capri, Venice, Florence,
(28:10):
and it includes a lot of dreamy culinary experiences like
farm dinners and olive oil tastings and just strolling through
some olive groves.
Speaker 1 (28:19):
Have you ever been to an olive oil tasting?
Speaker 2 (28:21):
Yes? I have. It's amazing.
Speaker 1 (28:23):
How are there so many flavors?
Speaker 2 (28:24):
I know, right? And they can all taste very different
and give you a completely different experience depending on what
bread you pair.
Speaker 1 (28:32):
Yes, yeah, it's amazing, Yes.
Speaker 2 (28:34):
It really is. So these are the kinds of things
and you know that this Italy Bellissimo, this is a
great plug for the sale that we talked about with
Windstar while Ago starts in Rome. If you wanted to
go three days early and maybe have that great culinary
experience on Windstar on a three day cruise out of
Rome and then come back and complete the Italian Bellissimo
(28:57):
tour with Trafalgar, there you go. I just planned the
perfect trip for you to Italy.
Speaker 1 (29:02):
I think it is.
Speaker 2 (29:02):
Yeah. So food really figures in big time in many
of Trafalgar's nearly three hundred guided itineraries across seventy two
countries and seven continents, even if many of the tours
are more broadly themed market visits, information about unique traditions
(29:23):
and customs, sampling of local cuisine. These are all part
of tours that Trafalgar has, like their German Christmas Markets trip,
and you know we've talked about this, we did an
entire show about it. These are the places where even
their Paris Explorer tour explodes with all kinds of culinary experiences.
(29:45):
Tour descriptions offer day by day itineraries and information about accommodations,
plus the number of included meals so you know what
you'll be seeing and tasting, and reviews provide some further
insight into the experiences you're going to have because you're
going to hear from people who have already done it. Now,
(30:06):
some quick facts about these culinary tours with Trafalgar Chris
average guided tour group size the standard tour group is
about forty guests, but it can sometimes be smaller. That's
the maximum that usually Trafalgar will take is about forty people.
Price range. The average Trafalgar trip costs about three thousand dollars,
(30:28):
but there are some itineraries that range from thirteen hundred
to thirteen thousand, so they do have a wide range
of base pricing so you can shop that you can
actually come up with something that kind of fits your budget.
And what's included your accommodations, of course, your VIP entry
to a lot of iconic sites, most of your meals.
(30:50):
You've got luxury motor coach transportation that's included to get
you from all the points that you're going to visit,
Airport transfers, luggage handling, and some of your GTU included.
What's not included is your pre and post airfare, your
optional experiences, and some of your meals, but most of
them would be included on a true culinary type of experience,
(31:13):
where do they go, well, Trafalgar visits, as I said,
over seventy two countries, including Africa, Asia, Australia, New Zealand, Europe,
Latin America, Middle East, and North America. So what do
you think about that one?
Speaker 1 (31:33):
I say, let's stop the show right now and start
working on my itinerary.
Speaker 2 (31:37):
I don't think that's a bad idea at all.
Speaker 1 (31:40):
This is great for me, and I think for a
lot of people. Food is such an emotional thing. It is,
And as you're talking about, you know, I was thinking
about the Germany trip and I was like, oh, but
I really want to go and enjoy all this Italian
cuisine and I'm like, but I love Germany in Germany
cuisine and French and I'm thinking I can't pick one, right,
(32:05):
It's like every one of them. If you think about
those food items, you know, I think pasta, I know
that's not necessarily as much Italian as an American creation
of Italy, but fresh seafood and stuff like that around
the Mediterranean, the schnitzel in germanysants and coffee in France,
(32:27):
you know, just to me, that's that's why we know
those places.
Speaker 2 (32:32):
Yeah, and you know, Chris, we are sitting in such
an interesting time and era of the travel industry right now,
where this type of recharged type of travel is possible.
You can actually now choose the type and the theme
(32:53):
of travel that you want to do. It's not just
about choosing a destination anymore. It's actually fonding the best
port barbecue in the south, or where in France can
you find the best pastries or the best croissant. You know,
these are parts of a trip now that you can
(33:16):
actually meld into your requests and actually have that be
part of your travel experience.
Speaker 1 (33:23):
Why is that the case?
Speaker 2 (33:26):
And I think because we were denied so many of
those things over COVID. You know, we've we've found out
very quickly what we missed out on, and the world
all of a sudden, I don't know how or why
became much more intriguing to us, and we realized there
were so many things that we were missing. About just
(33:49):
drawing the line from point A to point B. We went,
there's got to be something between that line.
Speaker 1 (33:55):
Has technology, you know, AI and all these things. Has
it helped the travel industry? Befoh, I think so to
craft those type of experiences, not just AI, but I
think social media has done that. I mean, now we
can really sit in the convenience of our living rooms
and we can watch people eat a wonderful meal in
France real time. And that's what we long for, that
(34:20):
we see these things and our social influencers, now, our
Internet influencers are using their cameras and their story to
beckon us to their world.
Speaker 2 (34:33):
And so we want to go there. We definitely want
to go there.
Speaker 1 (34:38):
I do. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (34:40):
So next on our list, Chris is a tour operator
that actually I had the pleasure of booking recently for
a JMU alumni trip, a company called Intrepid Travel. I
love these guys. They actually focus on a lot of
immersive experiences. They're a community based tourism company and responsible
(35:01):
travel they make it That makes it kind of an
ideal company for food centric travel tours. Intrepid actually aims
to help travelers get under the skin of the world's
most exciting food cultures in a truly local way. So
I like that about them. The company's Real Food Adventures
(35:23):
this is actually one of their tours. It takes you
to delicious locations around the world, including Africa, Asia, Europe,
the Middle East, and the Americas. Where you can actually
taste your way through a region. That's their whole focus now.
On the Vietnam twenty twenty five Real Food Adventure, for example,
(35:44):
you're going to visit markets, you're going to sample street food,
you're going to enjoy all kinds of special meals and experiences.
And then they've got another one called the Balkans Real
Food Adventure that's going to include visit to centuries old
smoke houses and olive meals and an apple farm. While
you're on the Mexico Real Food Adventure, you're going to
(36:07):
visit markets with a local chef there. You're going to
eat tacos in Mexico City and enjoy a lot of
Mexican food tasting probably things that you've never experienced before
or may not even be able to pronounce, but that's
all part of these real Food Experiences. Tour descriptions include
(36:33):
a section called is this trip right for You? And
that contains information about vegetarian and vegan options and what
to expect when it comes to weather and terrain and accommodations.
You've got daily itineries and reviews again from other people
who have experienced these tours, and photo galleries. That's going
(36:53):
to help further you to experience what it is like
and make a decision in your process. And Intrepid also
provides answers to a section they called commonly asked questions
about food tours. Now a couple of quick facts about
their culinary tours with Intrepid, this is where they differ
(37:15):
from Trafalgar. Their average guided group size is about ten people,
so this is a much more intimate type of experience.
So if you're not somebody who likes crowds a lot
and you want to have really more of an intimate,
sort of a family type experience with the folks that
you're traveling with, Intrepid might be just the company to
(37:38):
help you do that. The food tours, as far as
price goes, they started at about eleven hundred dollars for
an eight day Cambodia tour up to about seventy six
hundred dollars for a twenty one day Slovenia to Macedonia tour,
So they do have again that wide range of pricing,
but twenty one days for seventy six hundred dollars not bad,
(38:00):
you know, especially when you realize what all is included
in that, So what is included well, your accommodations, your
transportation during the tour. Most all of your meals here
would be included, and most of your activities, So there's
going to be very little out of pocket once you
get on an Intrepid tour that you have to pay
(38:22):
out of pocket. What's not included is your airfare and
your traveler's insurance, something that you have to have and
we highly recommend that you never travel without insurance. Always
a great idea. The destinations that Intrepid serves again Asia, Europe, Mexico,
the Middle East, and Morocco. The JMU alumni trip that
(38:43):
we did was into Greece and several of the outlying
smaller Greek islands around Greece that most people don't get to,
Naxos and Patmos and several of the other areas in Santorini.
So that's exactly why I chose Intrepid for them as well,
was because this was an immersive experience. That's what they wanted.
(39:08):
It was a smaller group, they were able to have
a much more intimate type experience with the country and
the culture. Once they got there, people enjoyed it. They
actually loved the food.
Speaker 1 (39:19):
So if I want to book with intrepid Do I
need to fill out the entire group? Or can I
book for two and make new friends.
Speaker 2 (39:28):
While you Absolutely can? You can book for two and
just like you said, Chris, you can make new friends
while you're there. And that's what a lot of people
love about these smaller group experiences because you're with light
minded people and people who enjoy exactly what you do,
which is the love of food and the love of
not just the love of food, the love of good food.
(39:48):
You know, these are people that you're going to probably
build lifetime relationships with because you have that in common.
You want to move on to our next one.
Speaker 1 (39:58):
I do, But can we take a quick break? Absolutely,
let's take a couple of seconds. We'll let Harry tell
us more about the Wishing Well here on a life
less ordinary.
Speaker 3 (40:06):
Who would think of driving off to a new destination
without guidance from Google or Syria? Not the Wishing Weld
guide your next travel experience. Travel the world as you
enjoy the very best destinations and all they offer at
the best prices. Our mobile travel app keeps your vacation
on track and keeps you connected with our team of
experts for help. If you need it, call us at
five four zero nine zero eight two three three three
(40:30):
stop buy two forty three Avenue, or visit us at
the Wishingwell dot biz.
Speaker 1 (40:35):
Hey, and welcome back to a life less Ordinary. This
is the travel showing podcasts from your friends at the
wishing Well. You can find them on f Avenue in Harrisonburg.
You can also find them online at the Wishingwell dot biz.
And I encourage you to do that because in the
upper right hand corner hit the menu button and you'll
find all the past podcasts that we've done over the
course of the last oh five or six years. Yeah,
(40:57):
and you can also give them a coffee, your interest
and more information about anything you hear on today's show,
or you just got travel questions, called Terry at five
four oh nine oh eight twenty three thirty three. Our
show today is Culinary Compass Navigating World Flavors. And we've
we've been to Italy, We've been to the South.
Speaker 2 (41:17):
We went to the South.
Speaker 1 (41:18):
We went to the South. We've talked to barbecue today,
we've talked Germany. Germany. Oh yeah, where are we headed next?
Speaker 2 (41:25):
Well, you know, I am first of all, I have
to I just have to do this, I have to
thank the people who tell me, first of all that
you listen to us here on a life less ordinary.
We thank you, thank you, thank you, because without you,
there would be no content. You know, it would be
no reason to have this show. There would be no
reason to have a lifeless ordinary. So thank you for listening,
(41:47):
thank you for telling us that you listen, and thank
you for following with us along today because this is
a fun show.
Speaker 1 (41:53):
I'm loving this.
Speaker 2 (41:54):
This is really fun because people just love to talk
about food. When you think about when fan families come together, Honestly, Chris,
isn't it usually over a meal? Yeah? I mean that's
what people do when they celebrate. So when we think
of food, we think of travel, we automatically think celebrations
that it just all goes together. And so we've dealt
(42:16):
with some of what I've called today my favorite tour
operators who bring the best culinary experiences to you through us,
and one of them we have actually visited here on
our show before as an exclusive spotlight, and that is
a company called back Roads. So if you want to
(42:39):
burn some calories while you're eating your way around Europe,
you really might want to consider one of their active
culinary tours from adventure tour company back Roads. These walking
tour food trips combine and on the go pace with
cooking classes. You've got memorable meals and tastings that they
(43:02):
throw in and visits to local farms so you can
sip and sample while you stay fit, all at the
same time. That doesn't sound too bad, does it. I
mean takes the guilt away at the very least.
Speaker 1 (43:14):
I mean, my cup of tea would be just to
eat my way through, but right exercise would be good too.
Speaker 3 (43:20):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (43:21):
Well, they've got one called the Provence Active Culinary Walking
and Hiking Tour in France. It includes scenic hikes past
olive trees, cypress groves and orchards. First of all that
visual and I've actually watched the videos of this. I
may have said on this show before. I used to
(43:42):
be a mountain bike competitor many years ago, and I
can tell you some of the best scenery wherever you
are is on a bike going through areas where a
car can't go. And this is I can't imagine anything
more amazing than to do this in France. They're gonna
give you a picnic glove lunch at a winery hands
on cooking class, and not to be outdone that, they
(44:05):
have another one called the Tuscany Active Culinary Walking and
Hiking Tour in Italy and that features wine sipping and
exclusive tasting of the traditional balsamic vinegar of Modina and
plenty of strolling through the countryside, which as a matter
of fact, I have to say, the last balsamic vinegar
(44:25):
that I got I actually ordered online from Modina. There's
a difference, man, I'm telling you right now, there's a difference.
It tasted so different and so good. Yeah, so you
really the best thing to do though, is to go
there and bring a bottle back with you. That's even better.
But there's also a woman only version of this tour,
(44:48):
which I have to say is a really big deal.
Now in the travel industry, we're seeing a lot of
women only type focused tours and these culinary experiences. Ladies,
this is right up your alley. I'm down for it.
So if you have any interest in that, give me
a call, because we can put a group together of
a lot of women who want to go globe hopping
(45:11):
and do culinary experiences as well. The tour descriptions with
Backroads include a detailed itinerary. You're going to get info
about the local terrain again and some of those all
important reviews from their past guests that tells you what
they felt about the tour, and travelers have the ability
(45:31):
to choose their activity level. This is one of the
things that we talked about before that I love about
back Roads. If you're not a seasoned athlete and you're
really kind of in the novice position, they give you
the opportunity to go at that level. You can still
experience that, but at a much more beginning type level
(45:54):
on and options of shorter or longer walks and hikes
at different elevations. One of the other things that they
have that they give you on their tours. If they're
including bikes, they give you the ability to have an
electric bike. So that's sort of what they call levels
up the playing field for those who may be a
(46:14):
lot more accomplished. You have the opportunity to have an
electric bike. Now, some quick facts about food tours with Backroad.
First of all, again a much more intimate experience. Average
guided tour group size with them only sixteen guests. Their
price range, they are in a little more of a
higher price range because I'll tell you Backroads does use
(46:37):
some of the more premium type hotels. Even though you're
experiencing the country hiking, walking, maybe biking, you are staying
in some fine places like relay and chateau, small luxury
hotel properties, virtuoso properties. I mean, they do it right.
When they put you up for the night, you're going
(46:58):
to sleep well, and we know you're going to eat well,
you know. So their price ranges are anywhere from about
forty four hundred dollars up to sixty one hundred dollars
per person. And what's included with that well, of course
those accommodations I talked about. Most of your meals your gods,
and these are expert guides too. By the way, these
(47:19):
are not just people who do this as a hobby.
These are expert gods. People who know a lot about
the culinary world, people who know a lot about their
own country. These are people who have studied, many of
them who have degrees. They're historians, they're you know, geologists
in the area. They know a lot about what they're
telling you about, so they're expert gods. You have your
(47:42):
transportation during the tour. That's always included unless you're providing
the manpower for that on the back of a bike.
They have private guided tours at sites and attractions as
they're listed on your itinerary. All your gratuities at the
hotels and the restaurants are always included with back Row.
You've got special events like wine tastings as listed on
(48:04):
your itineraries, and park and other entry fees if you're
going to national parks or anything like that, that's always included.
Your baggage transfers and your portage is always, always always
included with back Roads. They do it right now. What's
not included again, your airfare to get you to and
from your trip leader gratuity because that's certainly a personal
(48:27):
issue for you, and some of the alcohol. Now where
do they go? Well, Backroads is really more of a
niche market and they have sort of isolated their culinary
tours right now to France and Italy. Why not? Those
are the two areas that we would really want to
focus on. I will tell you back Roads goes all
(48:48):
over there. They do Ireland, they do Scotland, they do
Great Britain, they do a lot of other places. But
if we're isolating our conversations today to just the culinary experiences.
Roads focuses primarily on France and Italy.
Speaker 1 (49:03):
So I could do my own tour de France.
Speaker 2 (49:08):
Please, right, wouldn't that be great? I would love that.
I mean I can. I can't think of anything better
than to experience, you know, the two things that I love,
and that's bicycle riding and culinary experiences and having an
expert with me that's going to show me all of
these olive groves and maybe wineries and vineyards and give
(49:31):
me a picnic lunch, sit me down by the river.
I'm down for that.
Speaker 1 (49:36):
We need to find a tour that will take us
up into the Tyrolean area of Italy and Austria. My
family has a vineyard and winery.
Speaker 2 (49:45):
There, no kidding, that would be awesome.
Speaker 1 (49:47):
An order wine from them if you want.
Speaker 2 (49:49):
Oh yeah, Chris, I mean, can you imagine, I mean
a great culinary experience to hook you up with your
ancestry and to get to a winery where your ance
maybe have some roots. I think that would be an
awesome truth.
Speaker 1 (50:03):
It's where the sound of music was part of it
was filmed.
Speaker 2 (50:06):
No kidding, Yeah, that's very I learned more and more
about you all the time.
Speaker 1 (50:11):
That's so great. My family pretty much runs the town
and so like they own the hotel there, they own
a vineyard and a winery and and so that's.
Speaker 2 (50:20):
A place that we've got to put on the list
of places to get you to.
Speaker 1 (50:23):
Yeah, my mother, my grandmother would be thrilled to know
I made it, because she really always was like, you
need to go there.
Speaker 2 (50:30):
Yeah, well that was the one.
Speaker 1 (50:31):
You know.
Speaker 2 (50:32):
That's the one thing we've been talking about on the
show today is how much a part of life and
family and experiences food really is. I am really sad
today because I had about six other tour operators that
I wanted to dive into. Yeah, not the least of
which is one called Edible Destinations. I mean that in
itself tells you exactly what they do, right. I Mean,
(50:55):
if you're going to name your company Edible Destinations, that's
exactly what you're going to focus on. And they've got
all kinds of destinations like Italy, Spain, and Greece, but
they do North America too, like Vermont, Napa Valley, and Seattle.
I Mean these are places that we love, we just
maybe have never even experienced all of what North America
(51:17):
has to show us as far as culinary experiences go.
Speaker 1 (51:21):
I know it's not world travel, but that's what I
did when I toured my baseball stadiums. Every city I
went to, I tried to get something that that city
was known for.
Speaker 2 (51:30):
And see, I love that. I love that you did that.
You know, once upon a time when I was traveling
for another company in my career, I actually made it
my mission as they traveled me all over the United
States to look for the best pork barbecue. That's a
big deal to me because that's one of my favorite foods.
It's in Memphis, and it's a place called Corky's, And
(51:54):
to this day, you can actually order it online and
have it shipped to your home. If you're listening to
and you love port barbecue as much as I do,
you simply must place an order your welcome Corky's for
the free plug today on a lifeless ordinary, But you
really should order that from Quirkys and have good old
Memphis barbecue shipped right to your home.
Speaker 1 (52:14):
I've had Memphis barbecue at maybe four or five of
the best Memphis barbecue joints. Yeah, when we go down
to visit with our friends at Saint Jude.
Speaker 2 (52:24):
Oh nice.
Speaker 1 (52:25):
They always will take us to one of the one
of the barbecue places. Yeah, and oh it's so good.
Speaker 2 (52:30):
Yeah, so good, it really is. And you know, if food,
culinary experiences, and family, I mean combine all of those,
take a family trip on with some of these tour
operators that I've mentioned to you. If you didn't hear
one that really is sort of tugged at you. I
have so many more actually laying here in front of
(52:52):
me that we never got to. Companies like Butterfield and Robinson,
which are really a much more elevated luxury experiences food
and drink tours no exception. They do biking through Italy
as well in France and their Burgundy wine region. This
is really where we need to spend a lot of
our time if we're looking for that great culinary experience.
Speaker 1 (53:15):
I'm prepared to eat my way around the world.
Speaker 2 (53:17):
Absolutely well.
Speaker 1 (53:18):
This has been a fun show.
Speaker 2 (53:19):
Thank you. I thought so too.
Speaker 1 (53:21):
I know that there are a lot of us that
have been listening, going yes, book me for this trip.
How do we get in touch with you.
Speaker 2 (53:27):
We're easy to find, Chris. We're located in here'sonburg Virginia
at two forty three nef Avenue. You can call us
We're at five four oh nine oh eight two three
three three, or you can look us up on the web.
We are at the Wishingwell dot.
Speaker 1 (53:42):
This has been a life Less Ordinary the travel show
from your friends at the wishing Well at two forty
three nef Avenue in Harrisonburg. If you have any questions
on topics discussed today, please reach out to the wishing
Well online at the wishing Well dopiz or five four
oh nine oh eight twenty three thirty three. Past episodes
are elbow on the iHeartRadio app. And we'll see again
next Saturday morning at ten for a life Less Ordinary
(54:05):
from the wishing Well
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