How to Pick a Zephyr Tour for 2025?

Our alumni know we release our schedule on September 1st for the following year and that they have until October 31st to receive a 10% Early Booking Discount. (You, too, can be eligible for that discount once you take your first tour with us.)

But sometimes that begins the difficult part of deciding which tour to join. I am here to help with a bit of inside information to help you decide, based on your activity interests. Keep in mind, we are a small company and only offer a limited number of fixed-date tours per year, which is what makes this little exercise even possible!

Hiking Adventures

• Mount Kilimanjaro February 5 – 13: This is more manageable than you might think, with the bulk of the hiking being a slow, enjoyable, and beautiful ascent up a slope of the mountain as we acclimatize to the elevation. But, ultimately, the summit climb and descent is tough. I recommend this for those of you in good shape, with hiking experience, and seeking a challenge.
• Liechtenstein June 4 – 9: The beauty of this tour is we are trekking from place to place, sleeping in inns, and with our luggage shuttled forward each day. We are not hiking in the mountains so much as the foothills and lower valleys so the hiking is relatively easy, although the day-after-day aspect can be challenging. I recommend this for those of you who have good stamina but are not interested in the big ups and downs of some of our other hiking tours.
• Beartooths (Montana) Introduction to Hiking July 26 – 30: This tour is just what we advertise: an introduction to hiking for those seeking to improve their skills. At the same time, don’t think this is easy. The hiking itself is still in the Beartooth Mountains above our hometown of Red Lodge, Montana – some of the prettiest scenery in the country. I recommend this tour for those of you have an interest in hiking but have not had the opportunity to get the experience you need to feel comfortable planning your own hikes.
• Georgia (The Country): September 25 – October 4: The hiking on this tour takes place in the Caucasus Mountains of Georgia but is actually quite moderate. It still involves ups and downs but we have options for more casual routes each day. The highlight here is truly the culture, food, and wine of the country, which are amazing. I recommend this for those of you looking for a travel adventure as much as an active adventure.
• Rocky Mountain National Park October 5 – 9: RMNP in northern Colorado is one of the most scenic national parks in the country. Why else would they pick this location to name as the Rocky Mountain National Park when the mountain chain is so huge? As typical, we have two or three hike options every day. But the hiking almost always includes uphills. I recommend this for experienced hikers looking for a great hiking vacation in the US.

Inline Skating Adventures

• Flaeming Skate (Germany) September 18 – 24: This is the only network of paved trails specifically designed and created for inline skating that we know of anywhere in the world. The trails are mostly flat and almost entirely smooth and car free plus we have multiple route options each day. Nevertheless, you should still be an intermediate skater to participate – able to stop, navigate basic challenges like curbs or gravel on a path, and skate 8 – 10 miles in a day. I recommend this for those who want to prioritize the skating on vacation – it is excellent.
• Iowa October 2 – 6: We know Iowa is not on your vacation list. Trust us you will like this destination. The skating it outstanding. While the network of paths in the area around Des Moines is not designed for skating as it is in the Flaeming region of Germany, the paths are still mostly flat and often concrete – even smoother than pavement for skaters. Plus we actually have two high quality hotels and two interesting overnight locations (the city of Des Moines and the small town of Perry) on this tour. I recommend this for inline skaters of most ability levels who are interested in a domestic vacation in 2025 that will exceed your expectations. This tour also works well for those of you wishing to do some skating and some biking on vacation.

Biking Adventures

• Dordogne (France) April 28 – May 3: The Dorgogne area of France is incredibly scenic. It has fascinating pre-historic caves. It has ten of Les Plus Beaux Villages de France, or The Most Beautiful Villages of France. It is one of the top cycling destinations in the world. It is also hilly. Most of those villages are perched on hills that you will be cycling up. The good news? We have e-bike rentals available. I recommend this biking tour for those of you who are okay cycling up and down hills, whether on a standard or e-bike, and are comfortable using low-traffic roads rather than paved bike paths.
• Danube (Germany) May 18 – 25: The Danube Biking Adventure is wildly different from Dordogne. It is a point-to-point ride that mostly stays on the banks of the Danube river on flat, car-free paths. We ride through quaint small towns and enjoy the local cuisine (which is quite good), beer, and wine. E-bikes are available. I recommend this tour for cyclists seeking an easier route on one of the most classic bike tour locations in the world.
• Flaeming Skate (Germany) September 18 – 24: Bikers are welcome on our inline skating tours, which tend to be highly popular for those of you bikers looking for the flat, car-free, and paved routes we search out for skating tours. The highlight of culture in this area of Germany is the gateway city of Berlin, so I recommend this tour for those of you wishing to visit Berlin or for bikers accompanying our inline skaters.
• Iowa October 2 – 6: This is similar to the Flaeming Skate region, in which the flat, paved or concrete, and car-free paths are perfect for biking. Although skating routes tend to be shorter than biking routes, this area has plenty of trails and opportunities to extend your biking mileage if you wish. I recommend this tour for cyclists who want a domestic tour (this is our only domestic bike tour on the schedule for 2025) without hills.

Other Adventures

• Yellowstone Snowshoeing February 17 – 21: We believe Yellowstone to be the single best national park in the world, thanks to the combination of geothermal features, beauty, outdoor activities, and wildlife. And we believe winter to be the best season to visit Yellowstone, since the number of travelers goes way down and the ability to see wildlife goes way up. I recommend this tour to everyone – snowshoeing is easy and Yellowstone in winter is truly something you’ll remember for the rest of your life.
• Croatia, Montenegro, and Albania Multisport May 5 – 13: Croatia has been hot on the travel market for a decade. Montenegro and Albania could be next. All three countries have beautiful Adriatic Sea coastlines, coastal mountain ranges, and interesting cultures. Our activities including biking, hiking, and kayaking. I recommend this for adventurous travelers looking to check off a few more countries on their list!
• Acadia Multisport June 10 – 14: Did you know Acadia National Park in Maine is the only national park in the entire 11-state region of the northeastern United States? It is a beauty of a park and nicely complemented by the cute small town of Bar Harbor where we stay. Our activities including hiking, biking, kayaking, and a fishing boat cruise. I recommend this tour for those of you interested in a domestic multisport tour – it is the only one we offer in 2025.
• Arizona Pickleball Adventure October 13 – 17, 2024: Okay, this tour is not in 2025 but this fall. Yet there is still time to join us on our first-ever pickleball adventure. The key to our pickleball vacation? It is not just about pickleball. We spend two hours a morning improving our pickleball game and enjoying the sport and spend the afternoons hiking, biking, kayaking, and seeing northern Arizona. I recommend this tour for anyone interested in pickleball, even if you have never played before.
• Private Adventures (Date Flexible): We (and our alumni) love the small-group camaraderie of our public, fixed date tours. It is a major motivation that keeps our alumni returning. However, there are multiple reasons to do a private tour: you can select your own date, you can travel with your own group, and you can choose one of our dozens of tour locations not listed on our 2025 calendar. Private Adventures have different group minimums, from two to ten travelers.
• Self-Guided Adventures (Date Flexible): Self-Guided Adventures are essentially Private Adventures without a guide. We provide you with hotel reservations, route directions, luggage transfer when needed, and usually a meeting with our local staff. Keep on the lookout for a new Self-Guided Adventures section of the Zephyr website coming this fall.

Lower Activity Adventures

• Serengeti Safari (Tanzania) February 13 – 17: A safari in Africa is truly one of the top must-do vacations of a lifetime. Even I, who have traveled to 70 countries and participated in some amazing activities, was wowed by my first African safari. This trip takes place immediately after our Kilimanjaro climb but you need not do the climb to participate in the safari.
• Chile & Argentina Wine Vacation March 17 – 25: This trip is offered by our partner Taste Vacations and so is a non-active version of our Chile & Argentina tour. The focus is on the local wine, with some amazing winery visits, educational tastings, delicious food, and a super fun blending session. We have a great local guide, Lorena, who will show you her favorite places in these two countries.
• India Food Vacation (November 10 – 18): Wow. India is an absolutely amazing place to travel (although difficult on your own without a guide) and focusing on Indian food and culture is the best way to do it. The trip is run by our partner Taste Vacations and has a TON of food and cultural events but no physical activity. We visit the cities of Mumbai, Goa, Jaipur, Delhi, and Agra, providing an amazing array of culture to go with our food experiences.
• Galapagos & Amazon (Ecuador) December 1 – 11: This is run by Zephyr Adventures but is lower on the activity scale. We do engage in hiking, kayaking, and snorkeling but the activities are all easy to moderate. But the benefit is we get to see two amazing regions of the world – the Galapagos and the Amazon – connected by overnight stays in the capital of Quito.
• Georgia (The Country) Food & Wine Vacation (Date Pending): In addition to our Georgia Hiking Adventure listed above, we will be adding a Georgia Food & Wine Vacation, likely in September or October of 2025. Georgia is currently the hottest thing going in the wine industry, thanks to both its historical evidence of being the oldest region in the world to make wine and its focus on its traditional wine making methods. The food is also outstanding, with an incredible variety of vegetables and nuts used to make their delicious cuisine, with most dinners eaten family style. Details coming soon.