If you’re a seasoned traveler who’s way beyond the “If it’s Tuesday than we must be in, (fill-in-the-blank)” type of tour, yet delight in learning more about a country’s food, wine, culture, architecture — whatever — then an InTouch Host is just what you need.
Based in Seattle, founder Andrea Nims finagled her years of experience in luxury tourism to create an elite cadre of over 75 English-speaking hosts strategically stationed round-the-world. These talented people are tops in their fields of expertise: wine and food writers, artists, teachers, consultants, and historians who are eager to share their knowledge with interested travelers.
Want to hobnob with a winegrower in Bordeaux? A Chef in Provence? A personal shopper in Milan? Just browsing through their Website, you can almost feel the generosity and enthusiasm of the hosts as you read through their unique itineraries, and suggested places to eat, shop or tour in their neighborhood.
For example, Ronald Holden, a director of InTouch Travel and an international journalist, specializes in food and wine and chronicles his gastronomic adventures at the very entertaining www.cornichon.org.
A sample host: James Lawther
P.S. James, touted as one of the World’s Top Wine Guides by Food & Wine Magazine, can arrange tastings at Chateau Mouton-Rothschild and many other exclusive private wine estates. One of his clients said “Two days in Bordeaux with James equals twenty years of collecting!”
Host profile
Host: James Lawther
Location: France: Bordeaux
Profession: Wine writer
Specialty: Wine, Local Culture
James has spent the last 20 years in France, moving steadily up the ladder in the world of wine, awarded the coveted Master of Wine diploma in 1993 and currently contributing editor for England’s leading wine magazine, Decanter.
A prolific writer, he lives in a farmhouse in the Entre-Deux-Mers, east of Bordeaux, making regular forays to vineyards, tastings, and lecture halls around the world.
What It Costs: (plus additional charges for some select guides )
A single traveler pays $600 for each day with an InTouch host.
For two people, the price is $325 per person per day.
For three or four people, the price is $250 per person per day.