“On great fields, something stays. Forms change, pass; bodies disappear, But spirits linger to consecrate the Ground for the vision place of souls.” Colonel Joshua L. Chamberlain, 20th Maine Regiment Congressional Medal of Honor recipient who is best known for his unit’s stand on Little Round Top at Gettysburg     Visiting a battlefield brings the past to life in a way that learning history in the classroom cannot. As I write this, the 80th Anniversary of the Normandy Landings (D-Day) is just one month away. While it is likely too late for anyone to make travel plans for this year’s ..read more

Traveling to Paint After being a member of Slow Travel Tours for a year, I thought it would be a good time to Introduce myself and describe a bit about my career as an artist and what I do to share my passion for traveling to paint. I create and lead painting trip workshops. My career for the past 30 years has been built around my unique watercolor, mixed media, and oil paintings. I have traveled all over the south and east USA showing and selling my work at numerous outdoor art festivals. This involves driving a large cargo van, setting up my art tent and display, meeting and interacting w ..read more

Back in 2013 I made my first trip to Orvieto, Italy to participate in a photography workshop with Adventures in Italy.  Little did I know then this trip would be the start of a magical journey that changed the path of my life! We had a group of mostly first-time visitors to Orvieto, including our teacher.  Instruction was held in the library (I didn’t know until years later that there even WAS a classroom!) where we gathered to share, get inspiration and learn how to use photo apps to enhance our pictures. Because we were learning about capturing what we see, we spent most days out ..read more

The time will come when, with elation, you will greet yourself arriving at your own door, in your own mirror, and each will smile at the other’s welcome, and say, sit here. Eat… Give wine. Give bread… Sit. Feast on your life. –  From Love after Love by Derek Walcott. Early this Sunday while driving the country roads though colza fields hidden in the bucolic landscape of the Gers, I didn’t see another car for miles, I only passed cows gathered in communion. I was on my way to the hilltop village of Sos, a stone’s throw over the border into the department of the Lot-et-Garonne, to have lun ..read more

There is a place in Poland, where in only a few days one can experience unique tastes, artwork and craftsmanship from hundreds of Polish producers. That place is Boleslawiec – a small town in the south-western Poland, that became widely-known for its Ceramic Festival or commonly referred to as the Polish Pottery Festival. Polish Pottery Easter lambs sold at the Festival in Boleslawiec, Poland The Polish Pottery Festival has been held annually in August for almost 30 years now. It’s main theme, as the name suggests, is Polish ceramics at its finest. The infinite number of utility pieces and h ..read more

We loved Morocco… and especially the people! Earlier this month we hosted our first group for a new trip, The Morocco Experience, definitely our most unique Experience trip! The trip was designed, organized and led by Jennifer Dugdale, who joined our European Experiences team in 2020. Our 16 intrepid travelers and leaders Jennifer and Charlotte met first for two nights in Paris, where everyone got acquainted and enjoyed a full day of cultural training at the Arab World Institute and Paris Grande Mosque. We learned all about the history, religion, politics and lifestyle of our main destination ..read more

Anne & Kirk Woodyard – Music and Markets Tours Join us for a wander in the arriere-pays – the lesser-known inland villages, hills and valleys of the region where we owned a home for twenty years. From the heights of Béziers, the closest city to our home in Occitanie, formerly the Languedoc (sometimes called the OTHER or the REAL South of France),our gaze encompasses vineyards, the Canal du Midi, villages and winding roads blanketing the plain to the Montagne Noir in the distance. Cazouls-les-Béziers, our first stop, is one of the many places that include the big city in their name. It’s a ..read more

Walking the Camino in Spain is slow travel at its best. As a pilgrim, what you see each day is what you find along the trail on your own two feet (or wheels if you are cycling the Camino). One of the big challenges when planning your Camino trip is packing. What shoes should you wear? How cold will it get at night? Do you need walking poles? Each year we host three Camino trips. This year our trips are in April 2024, September 2024, and October 2024. The October Camino journey is our only all-genders trip. The others are women only adventures. Here are a few tips to help you pack for the Cam ..read more

Plan your 2025 Photo Tours in Europe now! It’s not too early to reserve your spot and start dreaming about creating your own masterpieces during your 2025 trip with Jim and Magrit of Photography Travel Tours (our 15th season) Photography and Travel – it doesn’t get any better than this! Click on each photo below to find more information about each respective tour. If you click through to this page, you will also find answers to several frequently asked questions like group size (small and personal), required skill level (all levels are welcome), and travel philosophy (slow travel). We’re looki ..read more

During the holidays references to the Christmas truces of 1914 are plentiful in newspaper articles and on television and radio. Many history buffs watch “Joyeux Noel,” the 2005 fictionalized account of a Christmas truce. Songs such as “Christmas 1915” by Celtic Thunder and the old classic, “Snoopy’s Christmas,” by The Royal Guardsmen are played on the radio. Yet all of these are fictitious accounts of the actual events of December 1914; much as the 1997 box office smash “Titanic” is a fictionalized account of the ship’s last voyage. (No Irish immigrant in steerage would ever have made it into ..read more