Globus

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Globus

Googling. Reading reviews. Itineraries built by AI or algorithms. Maps. Apps. Translating while navigating. Standing in lines. Second-guessing your choices. Googling again. ... Wait, wasn't this supposed to be a vacation? With the limited number of vacation days most Americans get, the most valuable commodity you have when traveling is time. Time spent experiencing the destination. Time enjoying a good meal or glass of wine. Time to understand the context of why this landmark or location is culturally or historically significant. Time discovering a cool spot that's not in the guidebook or spit out by ChatGPT—a place only the locals know about. Time being present in the moment, instead of worrying about what's next. This is where Globus stands out as a travel company. Over nearly a century of helping travelers see the world, the Swiss family-owned company has developed a secret sauce, if you will, to making big trips feel easy. Here's how they do it.

Smarter than a DIY vacation. Cooler than you think.

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Scones at an Irish farm

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Guided tour of Florence

The Shambles, York

Barbecue dinner in Argentina

Giraffe in South Africa

Gelato (left); thermal bath in Budapest (right)

Many Globus itineraries include special meals

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Recently added to the Globus roster, Small Group Discovery Tours are big on experiences, but small on crowds with an average tour size of just 15-18 travelers. The limited footprint means that these tours can stay in intimate accommodations like a former monastery in Tuscany or a tented safari in South Africa, take exclusive excursions and access special experiences not available to larger groups. Undiscovered Tours seek out the places less traveled in Europe and North America, favoring the unknown over the known. This is perfect for someone who's been there and done that. Tour options include traveling to the top of Scandinavia (and coming home with an Arctic Circle certificate), chasing waterfalls in Croatia or trying granita in Sicily.

Traveling with Globus is not a one-size-fits-all proposition. There are options that cover everything from a fully guided group tours to private tours to independent itineraries in more than 60 countries, covering the world literally from A (Australia) to Z (Zimbabwe). Classic Tours provide the stress-free experience that has earned Globus more travel awards than any other tour company. The tour structure is freeing, believe it or not. Globus schedules days to ensure that you won't miss a must-see, but also that you'll have the free time to wander and follow a tip from a Local Guide for a memorable meal or scenic viewpoint that only the locals know. Or add a Globus Choice Excursion to design the day your way. Many Classic Tours also have options for small group dates, where you can experience the same itinerary with an average group size of 24 travelers.

It's all part of curated itineraries that bring a destination to life through its stories, its food and its culture. Hear about the nose job that Michelangelo gave to David to quiet his critics, or the clay giant that protects Prague's Jewish Quarter. Ride a cable car to the top of Sugarloaf Mountain for stunning views of Rio de Janeiro and toast it all with a freshly made caipirinha. Learn how to make Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki, and how the Japanese dish gets its name.

A good vacation is not a bunch of boxes to be checked. Saw this. Ate that. Stood there. Photos taken and quickly archived to the cloud. It's about memories made. Knowing the story behind what you're seeing, what you're tasting, where you're standing—and why it matters. Globus' Tour Directors and Local Guides are the insiders and intrepreters that turn landmarks into living memories, going beyond the guidebook to connect you to the place and culture. Their expertise in handling everything from tickets to tips to translations makes it possible for you to be immersed in the experience, instead of figuring out what to do or where to go. They also do the little things that make a vacation go smoothly. When Heather and others had a 4 a.m. wakeup call for their flights home, "Globus made sure we had breakfast before we left the hotel." Scan the 11,000+ 5-star reviews of Globus on Trustpilot, and a quick theme emerges: The guides were "fantastic", "exceptional", "knowledgeable" and "awesome."

With more travel information available than ever before, conventional wisdom says that DIY is the way to plan a vacation. But recent research shows that travelers are gravitating toward tour companies for vacation help. Why? Letting the experts handle the details cuts through the clutter and is the smarter way to go—making better use of precious vacation time. It also often costs less in the long run. "It's so easy," says Travelzoo Deal Expert Heather, who has traveled twice to Europe with Globus. "They do all the planning. I just show up and get to see and experience so much more of these countries than I would've by myself." Globus puts nearly a century of travel know-how into crafting their tours. So much so that it feels like a travel hack when you choose an itinerary that includes all the iconic sights with VIP access, hand-picked hotels, special meals and experiences that you wouldn't be able to create yourself. Now pair that with having logistics like luggage and pre-planned transportation handled for you, and it's a wonder why you'd want to go it alone.

Globus Escapes is a perfect option for travel enthusiasts who know that exploring a popular destination in the "off" season often offers up a better travel experience, with milder temperatures, smaller crowds and better prices. (That could be why you'll often find these Escapes featured in the Travelzoo Top 20.) On these guided tours, you'll get a better sense of the destination because you're there with local residents, not fellow tourists. (Go to Paris in August and you'll hear more English than French in the cafes.) You can linger at local restaurants, celebrate seasonal traditions and marvel at monuments. Traveling outside of peak season makes a big difference in destinations concerned about the impact of overtourism. Globus Escapes also offers solo travelers the chance at a waived single supplement—a significant savings when combined with the already low tour prices. For Heather, that was a particularly nice perk. "Going as a solo traveler," she says, "it feels much more comfortable traveling with a group."

That means you'll get a nuanced view on the must-sees, while also leveraging those local insights to experience hidden gems that others might miss. If that feels VIP, wait until you get to enter the Colosseum through a special gate, ascend Machu Picchu as the sun rises and experience the Great Pyramids without waiting in line. Every tour also includes Local Favorites, which are hands-on, authentic experiences that give you a taste of a day in the life of locals—everything from an afternoon barbecue with Argentinian gauchos to sampling Greek honey in the shadow of Mount Olympus to walking The Shambles in York.

Forget everything you think you know about touring—stereotypes like rigid schedules and bus stops for photo opps. With Globus, touring has evolved, becoming less about "follow the flag" and more about following your interests. A number of tour styles—everything from Classic itineraries to Small Group Discovery tours to Undiscovered gems—allow travelers to choose a vacation and then add their personal spin to it. No matter which style you pick, destination highlights are balanced with built-in free time so you can explore independently. "There was a lot of free time within the schedule to explore or unwind," says Travelzoo Deal Expert Annemarie. And, on nearly 80% of itineraries, Globus Choice Excursions give travelers the option to leave the tour behind for a choose-your-own adventure day with memorable experiences such as making gelato in Sorrento or soaking in Budapest's thermal baths. For Heather, that included a snowy cog railway ride to the top of Switzerland's Mount Pilatus. For Annemarie, it was a nighttime nature walk in the Costa Rican rain forest.

Wine tasting

Discover places you’d never even know to visit

Tour of an English castle

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Greek honey tasting

A skip-the-line tour in Florence

Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki

Gondola ride

Michelangelo's "David"

Croatian waterfalls

Traveling above the Arctic Circle

Castle hike in Portugal

Former monastery in Tuscany

travel upgrade | wow instead of What now | touring, tailored