We recently completed a survey of our alumni travelers on potential new tour locations. We asked them to rate each of 25 possible new tours as their Top Destination, Very Likely to Do, Somewhat Likely to Do, or Not Interested.
The Top Locations
The top locations in order were as follows:
Greek Islands Hiking Adventure: This seven-day tour includes hiking on one or two of the lesser-visited Greek Islands. We soak up the sun, admire the sea views, explore villages, and hike each day. Likely Schedule: May
New Zealand Trekking: The main feature of this 10-day tour is the world-renowned four-day Milford Track inn-to-inn trek. We supplement this amazing trek with additional hikes in nearby national parks on our mission to see some of the scenery that makes New Zealand an epic destination. Likely Schedule: February
Danube River Biking Adventure: We already set up this eight-day biking adventure but never ran it due to the pandemic. The cycling is mostly flat and takes place on both signs of the river, in Austria and Germany. Likely Schedule: Summer
Dolomites Hiking Adventure: This seven-day tour takes place in the Gran Paradiso National Park and the Dolomites including a hut-to-hut hike in the Alta Via area. Guided by our friend Giovanni. Likely Schedule: Summer
Nova Scotia Biking Adventure: This seven-day tour takes place in the southern portion of the Atlantic province of Nova Scotia in Canada. It features rural roads in agricultural areas, seaside views, and the exciting Bay of Fundy with its 10-foot tides. Likely Schedule: Summer
Scotland Distillery Hiking Adventure: This seven-day inn-to-inn hiking tour takes place on the island of Islay and features some of the top distilleries of Scotland. The hiking is moderate at about six miles per day on average. Likely Schedule: June or July
Least Popular Destinations
Equally interesting are those locations that rated as the least popular. These included a hiking tour based on the Flight of Chief Joseph & the Nez Perce; a Vermont Cross Country Skiing tour; a hiking tour centered around the Battle of the Little Bighorn; and an Iowa Inline Skating Tour.
Also interesting is that some of the more adventuresome locations we listed (Israel & Jordan Hiking, India Hiking, Vietnam & Cambodia Multisport, Uganda Gorilla Watching, Thailand Multisport, and Nepal Hiking) did not rate highly. We don’t know whether this is a hangover from pandemic fears or something else.
Our Plans
Our plan is to add three new tours each year over the next three years. Each year we’ll add at least one biking and one hiking tour, try to include at least one in North America and one in Europe, and also add tours for our Travel Montana brand.
We do recognize that some activities, like cross country skiing and inline skating, are naturally only going to appeal to certain people. So our Glacier National Park Snowshoeing trip, while rating in the middle, is also in our plans.
We will be releasing our 2023 schedule no later than September 1 and possibly earlier. Stay tuned!
What about a GOLF tour in either Scotland or Ireland??
Hi Marybeth,
At Zephyr Adventures we only do active vacations!
Allan