Cultural Travel to European Destinations

When you travel to a country or location that is not your own, you will experience that culture through the food, museums, entertainment, as well as basic interactions with the people who live there. I have sat on this post that was titled “Cultural Travel” for a couple of weeks because I’ve seen the designation of “cultural travel” floating around the travel sphere, but I couldn’t narrow down the definition. Understand that cultural travel is tourism that concentrates on particular niches - gastronomic tourism for the foodies, arts tourism for the museum lovers and theatre goers, heritage and history travel for the history buffs, etc… as well as a combination of all of the above. Typically, when the term “cultural travel” is floated, European destinations are highlighted. For the purpose of this blog post, we’ll stick with European destinations. I will highlight Indigenous and Community-Based tourism in a future post, even though I absolutely do also consider it “cultural travel.”

There is so much culture and history to experience in Europe. From the various cuisines, libations, museums, historic and heritage sites to the beautiful, natural scenery and the intricate architecture, there is just so much to see and do in Europe that I cannot even begin to touch on this inone blog post. I can explore the “How?”   How can people experience the various cultures of Europe? By land, by sea, by riverboat. 

By Land

• FIT - The industry lingo FIT (foreign Independent Travel) is traveling independently, absent of a tour or guide, requiring bookings for accommodations, logistics and transportation, day tours, experiences, and entrance into sites and attractions. This is definitely a way of seeing Europe, but ALL of the logistics must be considered. 
• Tour - Tours can have a bad rap, as it is assumed that all tours consist of rigid and overly scheduled itineraries with 40+ guests transported by coach bus, but this is not always the case. A private tour, consists solely of your travel party, with a guide and an itinerary that is often customized to meet the party's needs and interests. A small-group tour consists of an average of 10 guests that utilizes a variety of transportation and logistical options to move the group from place to place. The itinerary is predetermined, but the schedule is often fairly loose, leaving time in the day for independent exploration. 
• Note: I do lump “rail travel” in the land. I consider this to be a logistical component. There can be both tours and FIT’s that include rail.  

By Sea

• Mass Market Cruise Line - I won’t name names here, but I try my hardest to avoid this option because these ships carry over 2K passengers who inundate the port towns all at one time. This is probably the most inauthentic way to experience any destination, and unless your goal is to see the sites without actually experiencing the culture, I will never recommend a mass market line to Europe. Understand that cruises have so many add-ons these days with drink packages, extra dining experiences, and excursions and tours that your booked rate is often very different from what you will be paying in the end. Not to mention that this is the least sustainable way to visit Europe, often contributing to the over-tourism struggles some locations are facing.
• Small Ship, Expedition, and Yacht Cruise Lines - I do, however, understand the appeal of cruising to European destinations for logistical purposes of only needing to unpack once. There are many small boat operators ranging from basic to the epitome of luxury. These boats often have local experts, the food is often sourced locally, and the chefs include gastronomic experiences that align with the destination. Depending on the itinerary, the company, and various factors, inclusions for these experiences range from fully all inclusive (even the land experiences are included) to everything on the boat is included, but land experiences are not included. These boats range in size from carrying 12 guests to an absolute maximum of 500 guests for the largest of these small ships. No, you won’t find a casino or “broadway-style” shows on these boats. 

By River

• River cruising has become all the rage over the past couple of decades, and much like sea cruising, the appeal is that you unpack once, but get to experience several locations. River cruise vessels carry anywhere from 100 to 250 passengers. They typically have the feel of a boutique hotel that travels with you. Inclusions vary greatly from line to line. Some are pretty fully all-inclusive, while others, have a la carte components. 

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