OUR MISSION:

Venice, Tuscany, Lausanne (Oct. 17-30, 2026)

Venice - Get lost on purpose in the maze of narrow streets and canals in this truly one of a kind city. Experience the mystical and majestic atmosphere of St. Mark’s Basilica, where the Eastern influence on Venice’s history is on full display. (3 nights)

Tuscany - This is perhaps the most beloved region in Italy by foreign visitors. A retreat center nestled among the vineyards and olive groves, half an hour outside Florence, will serve as our home base. From there we’ll take day trips into Florence as well as to two of the fabled Tuscan hill towns, Volterra and San Gimignano. One day will be spent just chilling, along with a tour of our friends’ vineyard and olive groves and a home cooked Italian meal. We might even arrange a wine tasting if there is enough interest. (5 nights)

Milan - On our way from Florence to Lausanne, we’ll make a one night stopover in northern Italy’s largest city. We’ll visit the city’s famous cathedral and explore the city center of one of the world’s fashion capitals. (1 night)

Lausanne, Switzerland - This will be one of the prettiest train rides you’ve ever had, as we make our way past Lake Maggiore and enter first the Italian then Swiss Alps. The trip will culminate in a ride along the north shore of Lake Geneva (also known as Lac Léman) to Switzerland’s third largest city (and home to the Durhams for a number of years). You’ll enjoy lakeside views of the French Alps on the other side, a [tentative] private tour of the city’s cathedral (the largest in the country), and a day trip into the mountains overlooking the lake. (3 nights)

Click here for complete info, including itinerary, cost and payment timeline, and requirements.

Once you’ve read through all the info, click here if you’re ready to pull the trigger! (Deposit will be fully refunded if tour does not make)

SPRING BREAK IN NEW ZEALAND

This will be our third time to organize a tour to Aotearoa, the Land of the Long White Cloud. This is the indigenous Maori name of this striking country, and we can safely say it is impossible to leave there indifferent! Your hosts, our longtime “mates” Neil and Jill White, who live on the North Island in the Bay of Plenty, will take you to various parts of both the North and South Islands. You’ll begin by basing out of their beautiful, secluded area called Tanners Point, where you’ll experience beaches (including a hot water beach and boat tour of Cathedral Cove), gorge(ous) hikes, sailing and or rowing (weather permitting), and an unforgettable visit to Hobbiton, the original movie set of Peter Jackson’s Hobbit movie series. Early March is technically late winter in the US, making it late summer in New Zealand, an ideal time to visit.

After a brief stop in the nation’s largest city of Auckland, you’ll head to the Northland, the area where New Zealand first became a nation with the signing of the Waitangi Treaty. There you’ll experience an authentic Maori presentation and learn how the European and the Maori learned to coexist. You’ll also visit Russell, the first permanent European settlement and seaport.

From the Northland you’ll fly to the South Island city of Christchurch, where you’ll hop into a rental van and drive to one of the most scenic spots in New Zealand, Lake Tekapo. The lake’s striking turquoise color comes from finely ground rock particles, known as glacial flour, that scatter sunlight. The area is also considered one of the best sites in the Southern Hemisphere for stargazing.

From Tekapo you’ll continue on to Queenstown, one of the jewels of the South Island. Set on the edge of Lake Wakatipu and practically surrounded by mountains, Queenstown is both a summer and winter playground. You’ll be presented there with a number of options, including hiking, boat excursions, bungee jumping (or just watching!) at the original home of the bungee jump, and a day trip to Milford Sound in the west coast area of Fjordland. That’s right — you’ll think you’re in Norway!

And did we mention that you’ll do anything but go hungry? New Zealand is a mighty fine culinary destination, and in addition, you might never look at coffee breaks the same way again!

At the end of the tour you’ll fly back up to Auckland to catch your flight home.

Interested? Just send a quick email to david@daviddurham.org and we’ll keep you up to date!

Space is extremely limited as we like to keep our groups small for a better experience, so let us hear from you and we’ll take it from there!

EXACT MARCH DATES COMING SOON