Locals’ Homes & Luxury Spas: Why Guided Touring Isn’t What You Think

We’d wager that dining with locals in their homes or getting pampered in a luxury spa aren’t the first things you think of when you hear the words ‘guided touring’. And that’s okay – but it does mean that you’re missing out on a world of incredible trips and experiences.

In case you didn’t know, Insight Vacations has two sister brands: Luxury Gold and Trafalgar Tours. The beauty of our portfolio is that there’s a tour for everyone and every budget – you just might not have found your perfect fit yet. We’re hoping we can change that. Discover the differences and delights of our sister brands Luxury Gold and Trafalgar below.

Introducing Luxury Gold

The clue is in the name. Luxury Gold is our most exclusive touring brand, perfect for big celebration trips and unique couple getaways. You can make the most of every moment in limited edition small group journeys, with an average of 18 guests per group for a more personal and tailored experience. From VIP access to after-hours visits, 5-star hotels to Michelin-rated restaurants, here are just a few things that make Luxury Gold special.

Magnificent Stays

Sit back and relax as you enjoy magnificent locations, glamorous properties, and superior service. From Irish castles to cozy mountain chalets and unique boutique accommodations, each day you’ll wake up somewhere exceptional. Relaxation is key, and in your free time you’ll be able to make the most of the amenities from luxury spas to top-rated hotel bars.

Exceptional Dining 

Discover your destination through fine dining in Michelin-starred and acclaimed restaurants. Each meal will be one to write home about, taking you across an entire breadth of food and flavors. From street food tours to breakfast in bed, and bespoke picnics to get away from it all, every meal is a discovery. 

Passport Moments 

When you travel with Luxury Gold, there will be some particularly memorable experiences that’ll stay with you – we call them Passport Moments, once-in-a-lifetime opportunities to immerse yourself in the people, culture, history and food of a place. These could be an adrenaline-fueled fjord safari in Norway to seeing sunrise at the Taj Mahal. 

Everything Included 

The price you see is the price you pay – that includes the basics like hotels, sightseeing, porterage, transport and meals, to luxury inclusions like VIP access, tips, local specialist guides, and MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experiences. 

MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experiences on 100% of itineraries 

MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experiences are conscious travel experiences, evaluated against a robust set of criteria directly tied to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals to ensure it brings a positive social or environmental impact. From visiting New Zealand’s National Kiwi Hatchery to exploring indigenous Cree culture in Jasper, Canada. With these experiences, you’ll protect, preserve and give back to the communities you visit, and understand your destination on a deeper level. 

Introducing Trafalgar Tours

There are some travelers who want to draw the curtain back on the authentic side of their destination – that’s Trafalgar comes in. Prioritizing expert-led sightseeing of the must-see icons and unique and authentic local encounters, with an average group size of 43 guests, Trafalgar tours are perfect for seeing and doing a bit of everything. 

There’s no one traveler for Trafalgar; you’ll find couples, families, mothers and daughters, and solo travelers on each trip, as well as first-time travelers to seasoned adventurers. Here to give you the key to unlock your destination, discover what makes Trafalgar different. 

Be My Guest 

The original local travel experience created 15 years ago, Be My Guest gives Trafalgar guests the chance to connect with locals. You’ll be welcomed into the homes of your hosts, including wineries, farms and more. You’ll share stories and hear about their history, with every Be My Guest experience centered around home-cooked, local food. With over 100 experiences worldwide, you could be dining anywhere from a historical Hungarian winery to the Australian Outback. 

Iconic Experiences 

From must-see sights to local secrets, Trafalgar covers it all. You’ll enjoy extra special treatment when you skip the lines at iconic sights, ticking off those bucket list stops. Meanwhile, local encounters will show you what the guidebooks can’t, as Local Specialists help you uncover local secrets in each destination. 

Stays With Stories 

In addition to the extensive trusted accommodation partners, on many tours, you will find yourself overnighting in accommodations with stories as rich as the destinations you’re exploring. From an Irish castle steeped in history to a South African safari lodge, or a traditional Japanese Ryokan. 

Everything taken care of 

When you book with Trafalgar, you can rest easy knowing everything is taken care of – so all you have to do is enjoy your holiday and the freedom of living in the moment. On tour, your Travel Director and Driver team handle all your logistics, bookings, tickets, transport and more. 

What real past guests have said

Don’t just take it from us – discover testimonials from real past guests on what they loved most about their experiences with each of our sister brands.

Luxury Gold:

“The entire tour exceeded my high expectations. The mix of programmed activities and free time was ideal. It allowed me to see and do things of particular interest to me while learning so much from all the talented guides and our concierge. There were ten of us on this tour. Everyone got on exceptionally well and participated enthusiastically in every thing. So much so that it was actually sad to say goodbye.” –  Helen, Harmony of Central Europe. 

“Having experience many tours around different parts of the world both my wife and I can say that our Travel Director was by far the most knowledgeable entertaining and pleasure to be with. He’s intimate knowledge of all parts of Ireland, including its complex and controversial history made our trip more enjoyable than we could have ever expected. The quality of transport and accommodation was outstanding and the timing of visits also worked well giving us ample leisure time which is important on such trips. Behind-the-scenes encounters such as visiting the homes of local residence was also a great feature of the trip. Obviously, the stay at Ashford Castle was an absolute highlight.” – Alan, Ultimate Ireland.

“Loved the Itinerary – just enough tour time and personal time to enjoy the sights and locations. The special touches provided by our tour director, who had such an amazing ability to individualize our trip to each of us on the tour. She was amazing, I can’t say enough. So many beautiful places we visited Barcelona, Valencia, Granada, Cordoba and our favorite Seville. Portugal was amazing with a lunch stop in a small town in Serpa where we were delighted by local musicians it was just a once in a lifetime experience. Like I said, we can’t say enough about this wonderful experience, we plan on future trips with Luxury Gold and would even consider revisiting Northern Spain with the hopes of having our director once again. We loved our tour group, lifelong friendships and hope to continue traveling in the future.” – Theresa, Spain and Portugal in Style.

Trafalgar Tours:

“Excellent itinerary. With the included activities combined with the optional experiences you get an excellent overview of Sicilian culture, history and the food and drinks in particular the excellent Sicilian wines.” – Philip, Colours of Sicily.

“The scenery, wildlife, and new acquaintances made the trip. Got to experience lots of places that I would never have been able to on my own. The people that I met will be with me forever.” – Jeffrey, National Park Wonders.

“Covered all sites and locations you would want to see. So organized and the individual attention given to everyone was first rate. This is my second trip with Trafalgar, they are simply the best. It was more than worth the fee.” – Shirley, Best of Ireland and Scotland.