Understanding Escorted Tour Itineraries

Posted on Monday, October 31, 2011

Thinking about taking an escorted tour?  Here is a glossary of some common terms used in our itineraries:

Visit - Your coach will stop and you'll get to visit a specific site.
View - A brief stop and an opportunity to take photos.
See - Your Insight coach will drive by the site so that you can see it.
Sightseeing tour - A local city guide will accompany you on a tour of a city or site.
Orientation tour - Places of interest are pointed out, allowing you to go and explore them on your own.
'Why not see' or 'perhaps enjoy' - These phrases refer to optional excursions not included in the tour package, but are available for an additional fee.
Time to explore and discover - Free time on your own.
A day to relax - No planned activities; time for optional excursions or other independent activities.

Our tour specialists are always available to help you understand what is included on a tour vacation, so that you can plan how much money to budget on your European vacation.

Scandinavia and Russia

Posted on Sunday, August 21, 2011

Imagine yourself in a land where fairy tales spring to life amongst castles and heathered fields by a golden sun.  Rejuvenate the imagination with the geothermal wonders of Iceland.  Wander through the Fjords, waterfalls and verdant cliffs of Norway.  The ports of Scandinavia entice from Copenhagen's Tivoli gardens to the battlements of Harriet's Helsinger Castle.  With overnights in St. Petersburg, a glorious revolution of the senses awaits, from the grand palaces of the Tars and iconic cathedrals to the Hermitage, offering some of the most profound works of art ever revealed to the global traveler. 

St. Basils Cathedral

Posted on Saturday, July 16, 2011

Today marks the 450th anniversary of the breathtaking St. Basil's Cathedral located in the Red Square in Moscow, Russia! This Russian Orthodox beauty was built in 1555 by Postnik and Barma and became known as the Cathedral of the Protection of Most Holy Theotokos on the Moat. It marks the geometric center of the city, elaborate with 9 domes and 2 spires. It was completed by 1561 under the order of Ivan IV of Russia to commemorate Russia's capture of the Mongol states Kazan and Astrakhan.

St. Petersburg White Nights Festival

Posted on Sunday, April 10, 2011

During the summer months of the midnight sun, the White Nights Festival comes to St. Petersburg, Russia for its annual stay. The festival is full of ballet, operas, and classical music, as well as performances from Russian singers, musicians, actors, dancers, and even some famous international stars. Yearly, about one million people visit the festival, with the majority being students from schools and colleges all over the world.

The first appearance of the festival was in 1992, created by St. Petersburg’s first elected mayor, Anatoly Sobchak. The first held a schedule of 14 concerts and performances, including two ballets and three operas. The first went over so well that at the end of the festival, the next year’s event was already being planned. In 1993 at the second White Nights event, it was announced that it would be an annual occurrence. 93’s festival consisted of 27 performances, nearly doubling since the previous year. Not only have there been widely known operas performed at the festival, but there have also been productions of plays such as Othello, Un ballo in maschera, and Macbeth.

This year the White Nights Festival is scheduled to be from May 23rd to July 24th, and there is supposed to be quite a large schedule for entertainment. Unfortunately, the schedule containing the names of the operas, ballets, and music events has not been released yet. The only thing known is that there will be either a ballet or opera performed at the world-famous Mariinky Ballet and Opera theatre. I will be sure to update once the official schedule has been released, which is due sometime toward the end of the month.

TOMS Coupons For TOMS Shoes perfect travel shoes

Posted on Saturday, March 26, 2011

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