Whether or not you want History Tours to
help you plan your trip, we do think that our idea of traveling with a
theme in mind is a very good one. People have been doing this
forever. Clearly, the great Greek historian and geographer Herodotus
toured places and talked to the folks on the ground to make his writing
more authentic and meaningful. Pilgrimages to places of specific
religious significant have been central in the religious life of many
for a thousand years. In similar ways, people in our day can
still find direct links to the past, and at the same time make more
sense of our own world, by going on battlefield tours, participating in
organ tours,
going on literary tours which investigate a literary figure or group of
figures or provide the setting for some favorite literary work.
We find that approaches such as this give coherence to traveling,
especially in Europe, and enable travelers to concentrate their
studying up on Europe in a particular area as opposed to trying to
learn a little bit about everything. And you don't have to be
with a tour group. With all the resources available these days,
you can plan a trip for yourself or for your family, or go in with some
friends and create a trip on an agreed upon theme.
We don't
mean that you do nothing but look at moats on a European moat
tour (just kidding--we don't do a moat tour, but somebody
might!). In fact, you have to be flexible in thinking about your
theme. You can choose a broad idea, like "the regional culture of
Catalonia," and you end up driving around the Pyrenees Mountains (both
sides, since Catalonia is in both France and Spain), visiting picture
book port cities on the Azure Coast, seeing the really beautiful city
of Barcelona (don't miss the fabulous Maritime Museum, by the Columbus
column). All the while, you are eating Catalonian food, and maybe
even listening to Catalonian music (and the language too: it's
not Spanish) on the radio.
But that is just an idea. If you are interested in cathedrals, or
castles, or the Middle Ages, or World War II, or the Romans: any
one of these might constitute a theme for your trip. Nor will you
feel guilty if you go see the Eiffel Tower (how can you miss it?) or
the glitzy Ku-damm in Berlin. Seeing the usual sights is all part
of it.
Flexibility in your traveling plans proper is important too. Not
every museum you wanted to see will be open, and it is rare that you
can travel for a week or more in Europe or North America without
weather or strikes or road repairs disrupting your plans. But if
you can get yourself to the Normandy beaches, or to some cathedral on
the great pilgrimage route, or to the remains of Hadrian's Wall, you
may find surprising and moving experiences, especially if you have done
a little homework in advance.
Finally, we have noticed that while travel abroad can be prohibitively
expensive, touring according to the right kind of offbeat plan (like a
trip with a historical theme) can give you wonderful experiences for
much less than many generic package tours, and very much less than than
many "luxury"-type tours.
History Tours
1202 South Travis Street, Sherman,
TX 75090 (903) 870
0161 fax (903) 891-8658
Traveling with a Theme in Mind
