.                   Explore Europe Small Group Tours

What Makes Our Tours Wonderfully Unique

                       (and answers to your Questions)

Dreaming of a trip to Europe? Then you likely have given a lot of thought to where you'd like to go and what you hope to see and do. There is a profusion of tour companies that offer good itineraries covering the astonishing wealth of sights that Europe has to offer. But few of them provide you with the "independent travel" feel our Pint-sized Tours Do!

Travel is more than what you see—it's how you experience it.... from the camaraderie of your group, to rubbing elbows with the locals, to hiking around "off the tourist map" destinations, to learning the meaning behind art and history (not just facts and dates), to having free time for exploring the backstreets and cafes of Europe on your own. These are just a few of the things that set TERC Small Group Tours apart from Big Bus tour companies.

Why take a small group tour?

Traveling on your own--independently--has its rewards as do Tours. TERC has combined these advantages in our Small Group Tours. Taking a TERC Tour gives you the opportunity to independently explore Europe while saving you time and stress, both before you leave and while you are there. You don't need to find and arrange for your charming local style hotels or local transportation connections in and between destinations. You don't need to hunt for the best regional restaurants and block buster or small unique museums. Thanks to your guide, you don't need to spend the many hours it takes to develop a meaningful grasp of Europe's rich and complex art and history or figure out how to pace your experience of them so they stay meaningful and engaging to your trip's end!

If time and calm nerves are important to you and if your sightseeing wish list matches one of our tour itineraries, if you like TERC's travel style, and you want to travel with a fun group of people... we have a great tour experience ready and waiting for you!

Your TERC Tour guide.

Your key to getting the most travel thrills out of every mile, minute and dollar in Europe is your tour guide. Our guides have spent years traveling Europe, sharing their knowledge, love of Europe, and have a commitment to giving you the most meaningful, fun, efficient, and safe trip Europe has to offer.

Your guide will fill your mind with an amazing amount of European art, history, culture, and up-to-date travel tips. She will help you sort through the many sightseeing options you'll have in each location, so you can tailor your free time to fit your own energy level and interests.

Tour Pacing: A balance of structure and freedom

To help you get the most from each day, your guide will keep things organized as well as flexible. There will always be time to stop and photograph the delightful surprises or find the "emergency toilet"! A big advantage of a small group Tour is being able to adjust quickly to the unexpected such as weather, museum closures, as well as new found "friends", sights or festivals.

We are aware that you are on vacation, and part of the magic of travel is having time to make your own discoveries. With the help of your guide, your tour handbook, and reference books, you'll have enough information on local sights so you can choose to make your free time as structured or free-flowing as you like... break away from the pack... sip a cup o' cappuccino... hike up to a castle... take in an extra museum... do some shopping... sketch a landscape..... entertain the locals with your phrasebook... or just doze.

Take a deep breath.... These are energetic tours. TERC tours are physically demanding. To enjoy the experience, you must be in good physical condition since you will be walking an average of 5+ "sight seeing miles" in a day (often over uneven paving stones). You will carry your own bag from train or car to hotel--and back. In addition some of our hotels may not have elevators, so it is important to meet the challenge of packing light to get up the stairs. Whether you are 20 or 70, get in shape before you leave for Europe. Travel can be intense -- particularly at first -- living with strangers and being jet lagged. Rooms may be triples if we have an odd number of participants. It is very important to pack your sense of serendipity, humor and Aloha. Fortunately these tours are designed to ease the stress of jet-lagged nerves. ($250-350 single suppliment is available if "privacy" keeps you happy--check your specific tour) Our physically-active, down-to-earth European travel style is great fun for some people, but a little too "athletic" for others. So be sure our tour is for you before signing up! Questions? Give TERC a call at (808) 395-2083 or toll free 1 877 581 6594. If you get a recording, please leave a message and we'll call you back!

Your Transportation

You will travel like a "temporary European" by train, car, bus, aerial trams or boat--depending on which is most appropriate for your tour and provides the most comfort! Long trips between destinations will usually use comfortable trains with lots of leg and move around (or snooze) room. Cars are used for short distances that require flexibility in scheduling and make it easy to reach "off the tourist map" destinations. TERC usually uses 2 cars when groups have 5 or more members.

In cities and villages, you will use local transportation be it subway, city bus, or vaparetto!

Your Accommodations

Your accommodations will be memorable part of your travel experience. We stay in quaint local hotels, friendly family run pensions and B&Bs usually in the historic center of each city we visit. Some times we will use a unique accommodation such as a Gite or a Castle.

Your room will usually have its own toilet and shower/tub with a bidette tossed in for good measure! Most bathrooms don't come with wash clothes so bring your own. Most of the accommodations don't have elevators--just Lots and Lots of Stairs--so you'll need to pack light and be in good shape.

If you're traveling solo, we don't charge you a "single supplement" typically required by most tour companies. You will be sharing a room for the entire tour with tour members of the same gender. As a single traveler, you'll usually have a twin room, but once in a while you may share a triple.

However, If `privacy" keeps you happy a $250 single supplement is available.

The people you'll travel with

One of the special bonuses of a TERC tour is the kind of travelers we attract. Your fellow travelers will generally be fun-loving, curious, flexible people who want to experience the real Europe. (We do a pretty good job of scaring away complainers and those who want to be pampered.)   No Grouches Allowed!

This is a physically-active, no grumps, carry your own bags, minimal shopping tour. In order to create a family atmosphere, we limit the number of people who can sign up for each tour (8 or fewer).

To sign up for any TERC tour, you must be in good health, a strong walker / stair-climber / stander, and willing to travel like a temporary European.

Teenagers traveling with their parents are a welcome addition to our tours. Families with pre-teen children are encouraged to "think less-structure"... and to consult with TERC regarding a Custom Private Tour.

How you'll see so much

We've learned hundreds of techniques to protect your time from the mundane so you can maximize what matters. We know how to tour Europe's most crowded sights and escape the mobs and long lines, even in summer. To maximize efficiency, we often use our trasportation time for history and orientation talks, so we can hit the ground running (so to speak) upon arrival. Your guide will also suggest time-saving ways to change money, do your laundry, and find the best gelato.

Health concerns

Prepare for a physically demanding tour. Age is not a concern as long as you are physically fit, a good walker, able to stand for long periods of time, and strong enough to climb hundreds of stairs with your luggage. The only unavoidable physical activity is carrying your bag from the transportation to the hotel, and then up lots of steep stairs at some hotels (taxis and city buses may be used from trainstations).

While we cannot take responsibility for those with special dietary needs or allergies, vegetarians and people with diet restrictions usually manage fine with a little flexibility, and willingness to supplement meals as needed.

Once in a while a tour member will catch a cold or something else and will want a private room for recovery. Should this become the case for you, your tour guide will try to arrange for a room.  Tour members are responsible for cost of such a room arranged in Europe.  If medical care is needed, your TERC guide will get you to the appropriate medical assistance--the cost also member's responsibility.

How you'll get there and back

You must reserve and buy your own airline ticket. A good travel agent can help you find the best value. Due to the length of the flight and the number of time zones crossed, you need to leave the USA at least one calendar day before your tour begins.

You'll meet your group at the tour's first hotel. Each trip begins and ends in a town that's easily reached by plane, train, boat or bus. You'll receive information on your first hotel at least three months before departure, along with easy-to-follow instructions on how to get there from the airport. We'll also give you instructions on how to e-mail, phone or fax hotels in Europe if you want to reserve a few days extra before or after your tour.

You'll fly home on the date of your choice. Your tour will officially end after breakfast on the tour's final day. The tour does not provide a room for the night of the last day. If you'd like to spend extra time in Europe either before or after your tour, it's a good idea to make your hotel reservations before the tour starts. We'll send you all the information you'll need to make these arrangements several months before departure.

How TERC Tours Compare with Typical Mainstream Tours

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