1. Irish Adventure: Dublin, Belfast & the Northwest Counties
NEW:
Our most popular slideshow by an O.A.T. traveler—created by Hugh Reeder, 41-time traveler from Austin, TX:
- 17-day O.A.T. Small Group Adventure
- Poet Connections: William Butler Yeats (Nobel Prize winner, 1923), James Joyce, and Oscar Wilde shaped Ireland's literary identity through poetry, prose, and wit.
- A Few Choice Words: "But I, being poor, have only my dreams / I have spread my dreams under your feet / Tread softly because you tread on my dreams." – W.B. Yeats
2. Scotland Revealed: Legends, Lochs & Highland Landscapes
NEW:
Our most popular slideshow by an O.A.T. traveler—created by Carol Peters, 18-time traveler from Carlisle, MA:
- 15-day O.A.T. Small Group Adventure
- Poet Connections: Robert Burns, Scotland's national poet, captured the spirit of Scottish culture in verses that resonate from Edinburgh to the Highlands.
- A Few Choice Words: "Oh, would some Power give us the gift / To see ourselves as others see us!" – Robert Burns
3. The Aegean Islands, Athens & Istanbul
NEW:
Our most popular slideshow by an O.A.T. traveler—created by Eric Zengota, 12-time traveler from Claremont, NH:
- 17-day O.A.T. Small Ship Adventure with 7 nights aboard the privately owned, 50-passenger M/V Arethusa or M/V Athena
- Poet Connections: Experience the Greek landscapes that inspired Homer's epic poems, foundational works of Western literature composed in ancient Ionia's oral tradition.
- A Few Choice Words: "Sing to me of the man, Muse, the man of twists and turns driven time and again off course, once he had plundered the hallowed heights of Troy." – Homer
4. Turkey's Magical Hideaways
NEW:
Our most popular slideshow by an O.A.T. traveler—created by Harriet Maglin, 12-time traveler from Aptos, CA:
- 17-day O.A.T. Small Group Adventure with 4 nights aboard a privately chartered, 14-passenger Turkish gulet
- Poet Connections: Rumi wrote his mystical poetry in Konya, transforming Sufi wisdom into verses that continue to inspire readers across cultures today.
- A Few Choice Words: "Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing, there is a field. I'll meet you there." – Rumi
5. Italy’s Western Coast & Islands: A Voyage from Rome to Valletta
Our most popular slideshow by an O.A.T. traveler—created by Roger Gee, 14-time traveler from San Diego, CA:
- 17-day O.A.T. Small Ship Adventure with 10 nights aboard the privately owned, 50-passenger M/V Artemis or M/V Athena
- Poet Connections: Visit Florence, birthplace of Dante Alighieri, whose Divine Comedy established Italian as a literary language and mapped the medieval cosmos.
- A Few Choice Words: "Midway upon the journey of our life / I found myself within a forest dark, / For the straightforward pathway had been lost." – Dante Alighieri
6. The Seine: Paris to Normandy
NEW:
Our most popular slideshow by a Grand Circle traveler—created by Robert Ruef, 33-time traveler from Crossville, TN:
- 13-day Grand Circle River Cruise aboard the privately owned, 120-passenger M/S Bizet
- Poet Connections: Visit Paris, literary capital where countless poets found inspiration. Charles Baudelaire revolutionized poetry with Les Fleurs du Mal, but he's just one among many—from Victor Hugo to Molière—who made Paris the City of Light and letters.
- A Few Choice Words: "The Poet is a kinsman in the clouds / Who scoffs at archers, loves a stormy day; / But on the ground, among the hooting crowds, / He cannot walk, his wings are in the way." – Charles Baudelaire
7. Cruising the Rhône: Lyon to Provence & the South of France
NEW:
Our most popular slideshow by a Grand Circle traveler—created by Steven dos Remedios, 29-time traveler from Oakland, CA:
- 13-day Grand Circle River Cruise aboard the privately owned, 86-passenger M/S River Chanson
- Poet Connections: Experience landscapes that inspired Frédéric Mistral (Nobel Prize winner, 1904) to preserve Provençal culture through poetry. The south of France has long been a haven for writers and artists, from medieval troubadours to modern expatriates seeking inspiration in its luminous beauty.
- A Few Choice Words: "To raise, revive in Provence the feeling of race... to move this rebirth by the restoration of the natural and historical language of the country... to restore the fashion to Provence by the breath and flame of divine poetry." – Frédéric Mistral
8. New! China’s Imperial Cities, Natural Splendor & Modern Marvels
Our most popular trip video:
- 21-day O.A.T. Small Group Adventure
- Poet Connections: Li Bai and Du Fu, Tang Dynasty masters, created China's greatest poetry while traveling the Yangtze River and mountain landscapes.
- A Few Choice Words: "We sit together, the mountain and me, until only the mountain remains." – Li Bai
9. Japan's Cultural Treasures
Our most popular slideshow by an O.A.T. traveler—created by Ray Perisho, 16-time traveler from Doylestown, PA:
- 15-day O.A.T. Small Group Adventure
- Poet Connections: Matsuo Bashō perfected haiku while journeying through Japan, immortalizing Mount Fuji, Kyoto temples, and the profound beauty of nature.
- A Few Choice Words: "On a withered branch / A crow has settled— / Autumn nightfall." – Matsuo Bashō
10. New! The Douro River: Lisbon to Porto
Our most popular trip video:
- 11-day Grand Circle River Cruise aboard the Douro Spirit, MS Miguel Torga, MS Gil Eanes, or MS Amália Rodrigues
- Poet Connections: Luís de Camões wrote Portugal's national epic Os Lusíadas, establishing himself as the country's greatest poet and literary icon.
- A Few Choice Words: "Love is a fire that burns unseen, / a wound that aches yet isn't felt, / an always discontent contentment, / a pain that rages without hurting." – Luís de Camões
