With all travel’s rewards, people often joke how packed itineraries can leave you wanting a vacation after your vacation. Roam by Tauck has taken a different approach by designing flexible trips where an incredible mix of guided experiences, curated options, and free time coexist rather than compete.
Roam by Tauck handles all logistics before you arrive, so you can stay in the moment and give your full attention to everything happening around you. The company builds itineraries around three- to four-night stays with exceptional wellness amenities at nearly every destination, with activities on-site or nearby and at least one retreat-like setting per journey.
The itinerary-planning approach organizes half the trip around group activities, and the other half is yours to explore. Plus, plentiful optional excursions and choices allow you to experience the destination in a personal way, so there’s always something to do but never an obligation. With time to soak everything in, these itineraries give travelers a chance to breathe and fully appreciate their surroundings. These five journeys illustrate what that looks like in practice.
Explore Kyoto, Tokyo, and beyond in Japan with a local expert
The Ritz-Carlton is your home base in Kyoto.
Courtesy of Roam by Tauck
The best experiences in Japan consistently hide behind language barriers and unmarked doors, and Roam by Tauck designed this 10-day itinerary to provide the kind of access that would take years of knowledge and experience to arrange.
In Kyoto, a priest leads a private behind-the-scenes tour of Kiyomizu-dera temple, one of Japan’s most visited sites, at a pace that gives you time to drink in the panoramic city views. And at the famous Fushimi Inari Shrine, you can choose between a gentle walk or a more strenuous hike through thousands of vermilion torii gates, at a time of day when the path is quieter and less crowded. It’s all complemented by a sake tasting, plus ample free time to explore the Golden Pavilion at Kinkaku-ji and the Arashiyama Bamboo Forest, both close enough to reach on your own terms, if you so choose.
Explore the Seto Inland Sea by bike.
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In Tokyo, there’s more time to explore the city’s varied neighborhoods on your own, with nights spent at the Four Seasons Otemachi, which sits at the center of Tokyo with sweeping views and a skyline pool. Against the backdrop of the modern city, the trip features a traditional tea ceremony and kintsugi pottery workshop, two practices that have endured for centuries in Japan.
Then, find peace in charming Onomichi, with an optional morning hike to a local shrine for meditation with a monk. On another day, you might join a scenic bike ride across the islands and bridges of the Seto Inland Sea. You’ll also enjoy a traditional multicourse omakase dinner at Azumi Setoda, an intimate ryokan set in a restored traditional residence, which is your home base here.
Throughout the journey, the legendary food culture of Japan remains a consistent theme, with a sushi-making class at Tsukiji Market and a visit to a sake brewery on the itinerary.
Go on safari in South Africa and see the Indian Ocean in Mozambique
Stay in a villa on the Indian Ocean in Mozambique.
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This 10-day journey moves between two quite different landscapes in southern Africa, and the tempo changes with them. In Cape Town, the base is the One&Only Cape Town at the V&A Waterfront, a lively area of town that’s steps from the harbor and a natural starting point for exploring the city and beyond.
On one day of the trip in South Africa, you can choose your own adventure with a private jeep and driver at your disposal (options include a wine experience, foodie tour, or trip to the dunes for sandboarding) to explore at your own pace. Other days bring a sunset hike up Lion’s Head Mountain, a visit to see the penguins at Boulders Beach, and a cable car ride up Table Mountain.
The trip then takes you to Marataba Safari Lodge, a remote retreat in a private game reserve near Marakele National Park. With the Waterberg Mountains as your backdrop, game drives here happen in a reserve with plentiful wildlife and very few other vehicles. And dinner one evening is under the stars at the lodge, in the kind of unique setting that no other restaurant could ever replicate.
The last part of the journey takes the group to Benguerra Island off the coast of Mozambique, where private villas line a stretch of the Indian Ocean. The highlight is a castaway lunch on a deserted island nearby, while you can enjoy renowned diving or snorkeling for the rest of your time before returning to the mainland by helicopter.
Rome, Sicily, and Malta on an intimate 12-day trip
Visit Malta and Sicily in a single trip.
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A night at the Pantheon Iconic Rome Hotel, steps from the Pantheon and Piazza Navona, with a rooftop terrace that looks out over the city’s storied rooftops kicks off this 12-day itinerary. Travelers enjoy a private visit to see a collection of baroque masterpieces by legendary artist Caravaggio and a walk through the atmospheric neighborhood of Trastevere to sample a selection of traditional Roman dishes before boarding Star Legend, an intimate, all-suite ship, for the sea portion of the trip.
In Sicily, the group gets a private tour and dinner at Palazzo Francavilla in Palermo. And in the historic coastal town of Siracusa, there are opportunities to go truffle hunting and learn about the art of cheesemaking. Later, near the Doric temple of Segesta, an ATV tour winds through the landscape to a wine tasting.
Mt. Etna gets its own dedicated half-day, with a 4x4 drive followed by a hike on one of Europe’s most active volcanoes. You’ll also learn about the power of this natural force when the group enters a section of Pompeii that isn’t open to the public.
A boat tour around the northern coast of Sicily includes a stop to swim in the Tyrrhenian Sea, and the ship’s watersports platform means there are options at anchor too. Afternoons and evenings at port in the coastal villages of Lipari and Salina are free to explore on your own terms.
Kayak the Dordogne and explore Bordeaux’s wine country
Use free time in Bordeaux to explore on your own.
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The Dordogne itinerary takes travelers through some of the most gorgeous countryside in all of France, where medieval villages sit above river valleys. It opens in Bordeaux with a visit to the Cité du Vin, where a hands-on oenology experience draws you into the art and culture of wine, and leaves an open afternoon for you to explore the city at your own pace, with a city pass that covers public transportation and discounted entry to the city’s many museums and landmarks.
From there, the itinerary moves into the Dordogne. One signature experience takes you out onto the calm river waters by kayak, with châteaux clinging to the limestone cliffs above. Another is a private visit to a faithful replica of one of the original Paleolithic cave sites at Lascaux, where ancient paintings cover the walls of the Hall of the Bulls and the Axial Gallery in extraordinary detail. The itinerary also includes an ascent of the Dune du Pilat, Europe’s tallest dune.
And perhaps no visit to this region would be complete without an exceptional gastronomic experience. At Les Glycines, a Michelin-starred restaurant outside the village of Les Eyzies, chef Pascal Lombard has spent his career drawing inspiration from the fresh ingredients harvested from the landscape around him, and the result is a meal that feels perfectly rooted in this corner of France. Then, on the last full day, a private car and driver is yours to make the most of your free time and make sure you don’t miss anything you were hoping to see.
Hike the Douro Valley and explore Portugal’s wine region
Explore the Douro Valley with Roam by Tauck.
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The Douro Valley, consisting of steep, terraced vineyards above a winding river, is one of Europe’s great wine landscapes. And perhaps the most rewarding way to experience it is from the water.
The MS Andorinha is Roam by Tauck’s dedicated river ship, and if your image of a river cruise runs toward massive boats and regimented schedules, this is a different proposition. With just 84 guests, the ship feels like a floating base camp where you can unpack once and then let the valley come to you, along with the amenities and attentive service that travel with you the whole way.
One hike moves through the terraced vineyards above Pinhão, climbing toward the village of Provesende with views of vine-covered slopes and the river below. Another crosses the Arouca Geopark‘s pedestrian suspension bridge—the longest in the world—with the gorge falling away on both sides.
With the Douro as your backdrop, you’ll also sample the cuisine of chef Rui Paula during a multicourse dinner at DOC, where the kitchen reinterprets traditional Portuguese dishes with modern and inventive culinary techniques.
You’ll find the vibrant city of Porto is the perfect jumping-off point for this adventure. And it provides ample opportunities to explore, with or without the group. Optional activities are available for those who want to participate, including a cooking class and a wine-blending session. Like every Roam by Tauck itinerary, there’s enough structure to open doors that would otherwise stay closed, and enough room to make the trip your own.
