Adventures
While these group expeditions were orchestrated for specific groups on specific dates, please use them as inspiration from which TBE can recreate and design similar itineraries for your own personal journey.
Joining a TBE group trip makes foreign travel a little less intimidating, safer and much more fun than if you traveled alone. Most of our group tours are on-your-own; they highlight the nature, history
and unique cultures of fascinating destinations worldwide. Choice and flexibility make our expeditions ideal for adult travelers of all ages and for those with a variety of travel styles. Although you
will fly with the group and stay in the same hotels, you are free to do exactly what you want, when you want. While optional tours are always part of our group events, you control how engaged or independent
you want to be… join others for meals and activities, explore and dine exclusively on your own, or partake in a combination of a little of both. The choice is yours. Whatever your travel style,
leave yourself plenty of unplanned time. Some of the best travel moments are those you stumble upon or spontaneously create.
(These files are in .pdf format. If you don't have Adobe Reader,
download it here.)
2011 Group Destinations
“It’s a (luxurious) Jungle Out There”
Costa Rica Luxury Adventure
April 7-16, 2011
Costa Rica is Noah’s Ark for the 21st century and one of the most biologically intense places on earth. It’s dominated by coastlines, where the loudest sounds come from the local active volcano and where the most important meetings are held by Howler monkeys and blue crowned motmots. The country is an oasis where putting your head under a waterfall or wiggling your toes in the white sand beaches constitutes a significant commitment. It’s a place where rush hour is a river raft passing through jungle flora and fauna and where your most pressing deadline is catching the sunset just so.
On this expedition, enjoy 10 days of luxury adventure throughout Costa Rica. Stay in amazing jungle lodges, award winning eco resorts and luxurious beach villas. Traipse through jungles in search of Howler monkeys, sloths, rabbit-sized spoonbills, and a myriad of insects and other fascinating wildlife ... Cross river suspension bridges … Submerge deep in bubbling mineral hot springs … Witness a nightly volcanic eruption… Zip-line through forest treetops with the elusive quetzals. Taste regional cuisine like gallo pinto and some of the freshest food you’ll ever wrap your mouth around.
You’ll also have the opportunity for an optional exhilarating 3-day pre-extension (April 5-8, 2011) … Grab an oar and hold on for an adventure to manhandle the white water (class II-IV) rapids of the Pacuare River. It’s the only way to and from the sophisticated jungle lodge. Hike along a myriad of trails to waterfalls and pools to keep cool and wet. Fall asleep in spectacular thatched roofed bungalows to the sounds of the deep jungle. This fantastic property is exotic and romantic and lit entirely by lanterns and candles! (*) For those who don’t want to river raft, but still want to pre-extend to this fabulous jungle lodge, there is an option to drive most of the way into the jungle and then walk across a suspension bridge over the river gorge along with the staff and supplies.
Pack your bathing suit, hiking boots and join us at one of the best “Pura Vida” destinations on earth. Costa Rica -- TBE style!
Read all about it here!
Ice, Ice Baby
Finnish Lapland Arctic Adventure
Jan 27-Feb 9, 2011
On the edge of Europe's last unspoiled wilderness lies Northern Lapland — the remote sanctuaries of indigenous peoples and intrepid explorers. Winter days in Finnish Lapland may be short, but they are merry and bright. On this expedition, enjoy the exhilaration of soaring across brilliant white landscapes on a snowmobile… feel the snow crunch under your snowshoes or skies… experience the thrill of driving a team of huskies through glistening winter vistas… challenge your luck fishing on the vastest ice fields in Europe… taste the local "frozen fire" (AKA vodka) served ice cold in various guises... learn the proper way to take a sauna (there are over 2 million of them in Finland — over the years, they have served as birthing places, operating rooms and a place to cure meat) — capture the spirit of ancient Sami traditions while guiding your own reindeer sleigh… sail away on a daylong voyage of a lifetime aboard a genuine icebreaker and plunge into the artic waters with a different kind of swimsuit (a thermal dry one)… watch the dance of the Northern Lights in nature's spectacular light show. Along the way, we'll stay in urban hotels in Helsinki, Levi (with in-room private saunas) and Rovaniemi, as well as modest digs in Kemi
and a very unique ice hotel in Yllas, all the while tasting regional specialties like
reindeer soup, local berries and grilled game. Pack your long johns and parka and join us to the most northern destination to which we have ever traveled (80 miles
north of the Artic Circle). Welcome to Finnish Lapland — TBE style!
Read all about it here!
2010 Group Destinations
Canada, with a French Kiss
Oct 7-13, 2010
Make no mistake. Visiting Montréal is a little like going to Paris… without the jet lag. Well, a little. True, the brooding
facades and crooked streets of Old Montréal feel distinctly European, and yes, the locals take their French seriously, but don't
confuse this cosmopolitan Canadian port city for a fusty, Old World wannabe. Freshened up by a wave of trendy new hotels,
shops and restaurants, Montréal sings its own tune — and it sounds more like Arcade Fire (their homegrown indie band) than La
Marseillaise. With the city's debilitating 1990's recession behind it (and the specter of Québécois secession all but forgotten), a
lively patchwork of gleaming skyscrapers, bohemian enclaves and high-gloss hideaways now outshines the city's gritty industrial
past. Given the recently improving American dollar against the Canadian dollar (now about even), Montréal is not the bargain
it used to be some ten years ago, but hey, it's cheaper than Paris… and it's way closer.
Read all about it here! (download PDF)
Chilies, Chocolate, Cactus and Mezcal
Aug 26 - Sept 2, 2010
Oaxaca, Mexico is every bit as complex as the mole sauce it is famous for — a mixture of ingredients that while very different, fuse into one amazing end product. It is stately and stands with proud Zapotec roots and a Spanish colonial gloss, yet the streets are filled with unmistakably indigenous Indian faces. Equally cosmopolitan, but far more tranquil than
Mexico City, Oaxaca is one of the country's best destinations for gastronomy and is also becoming the artistic capital of Mexico, drawing traditional artists from around the country. It is difficult to find a block in the Centro Historico without a fabulous café or an art gallery, many of them showcases for striking abstract and expressionist works, as well
as indigenous folk art, weavings, local black pottery, wood carvings, textiles, and other handicrafts. Oaxaca is also where celebrity chefs, Rick Bayless, Bobby Flay and Alice Waters, often come for inspiration.
Read all about it here! (download PDF)
Mile Whore Wallapalooza 2010
June 11-13, 2010
Red Lion Hotels and United Airlines have paired up to offer their loyal travelers 2,500 United Mileage Plus miles per
stay (through June 30, 2010). Conveniently, Butte County residents can take advantage of this offer by driving about
an hour north on Highway 5 to Redding. And that is exactly what we are doing!
Join us in June. Book one night at the Red Lion Inn in Redding ($140 including tax)? Check. 2500 miles. Book a
second night? Check. 2500 more miles. Dine in three different restaurants on the United Mileage Plus Dining list in
Redding and Mount Shasta during the weekend? Check, check, check. Each offers 5 miles for every $1 spent. To
round out the adventure, we're wine tasting at New Clairvaux Winery, spelunking at the Mount Shasta Caverns,
nature exploring at Turtle Bay Exploratory Park, strolling across the Sundial Bridge (designed by world-renown
architect, Santiago Calatrava), visiting a Frank Lloyd Wright building, and meandering through a sculpture park.
Read all about it here! (download PDF)
No Bull, We're Going to Istanbul
March 14 - 21, 2010
Optional 4-night extension to Cappadocia (in a "cave hotel") March 21- 25
Location. Location. Location. This is the story of Turkey – where east meets west, Europe meets Asia, Islam meets Christianity, and where the world’s oldest city was discovered. Alexander the Great was the first to meld the cultures, and then many followed suit. Across history Turkey was the place where empires frequently changed hands – the Greeks, Romans, Byzantines and Ottomans all left their mark on this land. It is here that whirling dervishes spun themselves into trances in a mystical search for a spiritual union with God. Today Turkey is a splendid mosaic, a thriving democratic country rich in Oriental history and European splendor and full of marvelous mystery and intrigue. It is a rapidly modernizing country with one foot in Europe and the other barely in the Middle East. A blend unto itself, the country is a spicy maelstrom of history knocking up against the present, the present bursting out all over the place, and the future peering back at the past. The cuisine is to die for, the coastline a dream, and its major cities and unique pockets in the country are dotted with majestic old buildings worthy of a good old-fashioned gasp. There is an enormous variety of things to see and do: from archaeology to night clubbing, hammam scrubbing to power shopping, mountain trekking to raki drinking, ferry cruising to horseback riding. Whether you leave Turkey with magnificent flying carpets, amulets to ward off evil, belly dancing tips, an appreciation of its history, or just a full belly of tasty nibbles of meze, you're likely to want to go back for more. I certainly did… hence this trip. Trust me on this one!
Read all about it here! (download PDF)
2009 Group Destinations
Sushi to Samurai, Godzilla to Geisha
Japan
November 5 - 19, 2009
Explore more than 2,000 years of Japanese history and culture, from ultra-modern Tokyo to the former imperial capital of Kyoto. In between, retrace the footsteps of the awe-inspiring Samurai Era along the revered Old Post Road (AKA Nakasendo Trail) to catch a rare glimpse of feudal Japan – yes, this means another fabulous four-day “trek” (through parts of Japan even the Japanese rarely see), so don’t put away your Nepal hiking boots quite yet! As a grand finale, “bathe” in the hot black sand baths at Ibusuki, then relax in a luxurious traditional Japanese style hot spring ryokan spa in the Kirishima Mountains. Along the way, stay in a snazzy modern 5-star Tokyo hotel as well as a variety of traditional Japanese-style ryokans and minshuku (local family-run guest houses) all the while tasting regional specialties like sushi and sake… Welcome to Japan – TBE style!
Read all about it here! (download PDF)
Guinness, Spuds and Leprechauns!
Dublin, Ireland
March 12-19, 2009 (St. Patrick’s Day!)
Young, trendy, chic… Dublin? Oh yes! Dublin might look like the old grey town of Europe, but don’t be fooled. It’s now a city on the move. In the wake of a remarkable economic boom
(ahem… theirs, not ours), fueled by banks, hightech companies and tourism, this compact Gaelic city is no longer the land of ramshackle pubs and baked potato pushcarts. Dublin's landscape has changed
immeasurably over the past decade. These days Dublin ranks among the top tourist destinations in Europe and this vibrant city hums with a palpable sense that is creating a new cultural heritage. The city's
burst of prosperity gave it a new confident sheen, but what remains special is the spirit of the people who ensure that, despite whirlwind changes, Dublin remains one of Europe's most down-to-earth, friendly,
fun and accessible cities.
Read all about it here! (download PDF)
See Where Else We've Been Lately...
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