Our search for a new name is complete!

Our blog is moving, and this is our final post at Celebrating 20 Years of Go. But all the same great stories and articles you’ve read here can be found at destination: go, Go Ahead Tours’ new travel blog. You might have received an email from us letting you know about our new name. We chose destination: go because we believe that the journey is the destination. Our travelers want to get out and see the world, and this blog name was inspired by their sense of exploration and adventure.

Congratulations to Gaetana Vanderleest of Burlingame, California! Gaetana submitted destination: go to our blog name contest, and now she’ll enjoy a free trip for two on any Go Ahead tour.

Remember to subscribe to destination: go for the latest in travel stories, tips and more contests from Go Ahead Tours. Keep reading, keep commenting, and keep those travel stories comin’! We love to hear from our travelers, and we look forward to becoming your online home for travel.

Travel Spotlight: Istanbul

Founded by Constantine the Great and once called Constantinople, this fascinating Turkish city is filled with unusual stories and surprising facts. Istanbul is the only city in the world which spans two continents. The western side of the city is in Europe, and the eastern side of the city is in Asia. Istanbul has been capital of the Roman Empire, the Byzantine Empire, the Latin Empire and the Ottoman Empire, and in 2010, it holds the status of a European Capital of Culture.

Here are some fun ways to explore this city at the center of two worlds:

Eat: Turkish food is invariably fresh and carefully prepared. Sourdough bread with sheep’s cheese and olives, as well as jam or honey, is typically eaten for breakfast. A midday meal or dinner often starts with a meze, a plate of varied appetizers, such as cheese pastry rolls, pickled vegetables and potato fritters. You will also see salads served with dips made of eggplant, beans or red caviar.

For a truly unique dining experience, head to Asitane in Edirnekapi, one of Istanbul’s most important historical neighborhoods. Meaning “Head Gate” in Farsi, Asitane, was also one of the many names given to Istanbul throughout the reign of the Ottoman Empire. This popular restaurant boasts an impressive menu of over 200 forgotten sweet and savory recipes from the Ottoman Empire, prepared with cooking methods from 500 years ago. Try the vişne yalanci dolmasi (vine leaves stuffed with morello cherries) and yufkada kuzu incik marmarina’li (baked lamb with pureed spinach and cheese on a plate of flaky pastry).

Learn: For a different type of art experience, visit the Mosaics Museum. Opened to the public in 1953, this museum houses the remains of the Great Palace of the Byzantine Empire built by Constantine the Great (324-337). You’ll see mosaics, columns and other architectural pieces depicting scenes with human figures, daily life in Byzantium, hunting expeditions, landscapes and animal figures, all once a part of the Great Palace.

Shop: Old, new, exotic, mundane, antique, kitschy—shopping in Istanbul is all these things and more. Everyone knows about the Grand Bazaar, built in the 15th century as a complex of 3,000 shops selling raw materials to be used in clothes manufacturing. Today, the Bazaar’s fine shops and exotic atmosphere, mingling the ancient and new, make it a “must-see” in Istanbul. But it’s just one of the great shopping areas in Istanbul. Built in the 17th century next to the Golden Horn, the Egyptian Spice Bazaar is the second largest covered bazaar in Istanbul. Originally housing shops selling medicine and spices, the Egyptian Spice Bazaar continues to fulfill its original function.

Don’t Miss: One of the truly can’t-miss experiences of a trip to Istanbul is a visit to the hamam for a Turkish Bath. Like the harem, this tradition was adopted and then perfected by the Selcuk Turks, for whom the public bath took on an important role. The hamam was not merely a place where believers could fulfill the Islamic precept of cleanliness. It was also a place in which to mingle, socialize and gossip. Today, you too can experience a traditional Turkish Bath in the land where it originated.

You can discover Istanbul for yourself on Go Ahead‘s Istanbul & Coastal Turkey and Grand Tour of Turkey.

Live on tour with Go Ahead

We talk plenty about how great Go Ahead is, but today, we’d like to let our travelers speak for themselves. Here’s a short video of some of our travelers on tour, talking about why they travel with Go Ahead. Enjoy!

Who was your favorite traveler? The man singing to the tune of “Danny Boy?” Kim from New York, who almost forgot to mention her name? The couple singing about a few of their favorite things? Let us know what you thought of the video and why you travel with Go Ahead by clicking “Leave a Comment” below.

Tours to Celebrate America

Each year, we pause before the unofficial start of summer to remember the men and women who have given their lives in service to our country. Memorial Day means more than backyard barbecues and a day off from work—it’s also a chance to reconnect with our past and to rediscover the people and places that make America great.

While you may spend today paying your respects or grilling with friends, you might want to check out some of Go Ahead’s tours of the country we call home.

U.S. National Parks Tour—12 days from $2,249
This journey through the American West will open your eyes to the majesty of the American landscape, from the adobe churches of Santa Fe to the granite peaks of the Grand Tetons.

America the Beautiful: Red Rocks to Mt. Rushmore—12 days from $2,149
Starting in Colorado’s Rockies and ending in South Dakota’s Black Hills, this tour highlights the natural wonder of Yellowstone and other national parks, with a dash of Wild West flavor thrown in.

Denali National Park & Wild Alaska (Southbound)—12 days from $3,139
Nothing in the lower 48 compares to the scale of Alaska, from the snow-covered slopes of Denali to the mountains of ice that meet the sea as glaciers. This Land & Sea tour brings you the best of the 49th state.

Do you have special memories of a trip to an American national park? We’d love to hear your stories and know which national park is your favorite. Leave us a comment, and have a happy Memorial Day!

Travel Moments from Italy to Egypt

When I was getting ready to travel on Go Ahead’s Egypt and the Nile tour this past February, I found myself thinking about a trip I’d taken with my father to the ruins of Pompeii. When I was little, I was fascinated by the story of Pompeii, the town that woke up one seemingly ordinary day and found itself covered in ash by sundown. The ash that preserved the town revealed to us a world we had previously only known through writings and artifacts.

I had reservations about visiting Pompeii when my dad and I traveled through Italy eight years ago. I pictured nothing more than a small cluster of ruins and broken-down columns. To my surprise, we found an entire city frozen in time, with its houses and theaters so well preserved that you felt you were walking through a living town. We strolled until the sun started to set and agreed that we could’ve spent days exploring the silent but expressive ruins of Pompeii.

I found myself having the same reservations leading up to my trip to Egypt. I wondered whether the Pyramids would live up to the expectations I’d been building since I was seven years old. A day after arriving, I learned that my concerns were completely unfounded. The first sight of the Pyramids is truly surreal. You look across rolling hills of sand and there are the Pyramids, standing watch as they have for more than 4,000 years. The blocks are the same color as the sand, and the structure seems to rise out of the desert like a mirage, but as you approach it and lay your hands on the hot stones, you realize your eyes aren’t playing tricks on you.

We were eager to have a closer look, so our group entered one of these ancient tombs. We hunched down and descended a wooden ramp slowly, inch by inch, in the dim light from electric bulbs. During this first visit, I experienced a feeling that I would have again later on tour at the Valley of the Kings. When you go into these dimly lit places that were never intended to receive visitors, you get a sense of the trepidation and excitement felt by the first Egyptologists and tomb robbers who made their way inside. You don’t know what surprises await you, but you move forward, holding your breath in the heat and looking around in wonder.

Despite my fears, I learned that seeing the actual monument you’ve built up in your mind is more inspiring and emotional than you could ever have imagined. The Pyramids of Giza have proudly stood the test of time, and their presence is an open invitation to see them and marvel.

Posted by Hannah Fisher, Travel Operations Coordinator

A Traveler and a Poet

Traveler Anneros Valensi (pictured here in a pink sweater) was so inspired by her journey on Go Ahead’s A Walking Tour of Tuscany that she wrote a poem about her travels! We love to see our travelers transform their passion for travel into creative pursuits, so without further ado, we present Ms. Valensi’s poem.

Walking through Tuscany
by Anneros Valensi

Our bus winds along the narrow roads keeping right.
At every turn we get a fantastic sight.
It’s Sunday, people to go church to attend a mass.
Later, they hang out the laundry to dry, not to stress.
Green mountains and valleys are everywhere.
The sights are amazing to see and to share.
Narrow shadowed streets snake through slopes in every medieval city
Like to Monteriggioni, don’t have on us pity.
The fruit of the olive trees and the red grape
Make sure we stay in shape.
Cypress trees and umbrella trees, olive groves and vineyards create the sight.
What a delight!
We visit walled cities, cathedrals and churches.
In our times now no danger lurches.
We walk and walk narrow country paths and cobblestone streets.
A rest was a treat for our feet!

*****

Have you been inspired by your Go Ahead tour?  Whether you’ve written a poem, painted a picture or put your creativity to other uses, we’d love to hear about them!  If you’d like to share your work, e-mail us at goahead@goaheadtours.com.

Video: A Taste of Tuscany in Boston

A few weeks ago, Go Ahead Tours hosted bestselling author Frances Mayes at our Cambridge, MA headquarters. The event was a fantastic success, with Frances sharing her travel experiences, signing books and joining our travelers in sampling Tuscan wines and delicacies. We’ve put together a short video of the event, which you can watch below.

If you couldn’t make it to A Taste of Tuscany in Boston, stay tuned for upcoming Go Ahead events. In the meantime, enjoy the video!

Five reasons to travel light

Traveling light is the single best way to ensure an enjoyable and stress-free travel experience. Why is that? Here are five reasons why less is more:

It’s more secure: Packing less lets you avoid checking your luggage. By keeping your bag in your possession, you’re instantly protecting yourself against theft, damage or baggage handling mistakes by airlines.

You’ll save money: The less you pack, the more money you’ll save. You won’t have to pay porters to help with your luggage at hotels or the airport, and you’ll eliminate extra baggage charges. Packing light also makes it easier to travel on public transportation rather than in expensive cabs. If you pack light enough, you might even be able to walk (which is good exercise, too!).

You’ll be more flexible: Packing light allows for greater mobility. You needn’t arrive at airports as early, and you’ll be among the first to leave the airport after your arrival while others wait at baggage claim.

Preserve your health and wellbeing: Traveling light is simply a better, more hassle-free way to go: you’ll expend less energy by not hauling a heavy bag with you, and you’ll spend less time searching through multiple bags to remember where you put that city map! With less to pack up at the end of your vacation, you can squeeze every last moment from your trip. Ultimately, you’ll spend less time worrying and more time enjoying your travels.

It’s Green: Traveling light is an important part of traveling in an environmentally friendly way. The less you bring with you, the more you are helping to preserve the Earth for others to enjoy it.  Traveling light results in lower fossil fuel consumption and fewer vehicles required to move travelers

May is Museum Month in Europe

May is Museum Month in Europe, an event co-sponsored by the Council of Europe and UNESCO.  All month long, museums across Europe will host special events and invite travelers to see the treasures inside their walls.  With Museum Month in mind, we wanted to share our Top Five Must-See museums in Europe.

The Louvre: The Louvre in Paris began as a fortress in the 12th century. The museum’s collection has fluctuated in size with the rise and fall of Napoleon and the French Republics, but today, the Louvre’s 35,000 pieces help make it the most-visited museum in the world. Some of the art world’s most recognizable works reside here, including the Winged Victory of Samothrace, the Venus de Milo and DaVinci’s Mona Lisa. You can visit the Louvre on a number of Go Ahead tours, including Paris City Stay, London & Paris City Stay, and Paris, Provence & the Riviera.

The Prado: The Spanish Royal Collection forms the core of the exhibits at the Museo del Prado in Madrid. The 1,300 paintings on display are just a small fraction of the Prado’s treasure trove of fine art. The Spanish masters are given their due at the Prado, with Velazquez’s masterful Las Meninas and Goya’s daring La Maja Desnuda anchoring the collection. Discover the Prado on a Go Ahead tour to Madrid, such as Grand Tour of Spain, Portugal, Spain & Morocco and Seville, Madrid & Barcelona.

The Uffizi: Florence’s Uffizi Gallery owns one of the most expansive collections of Renaissance art in the world. Among the Caravaggios, Titians, and Raphaels, you’ll find an early Rembrandt self-portrait and Botticelli’s brilliant The Birth of Venus. Paolo Uccello—one of Florence’s favorite sons—created a groundbreaking triptych depicting The Battle of San Romano in the 1400s; today, the middle panel of this work is housed in Uccello’s hometown at the Uffizi. You can explore the Uffizi on any of Go Ahead’s tours of Florence, including Grand Tour of Italy, Venice, Florence & Rome, and The Best of France & Italy.

The Hermitage: The history of the Hermitage and its collection is fascinating. Founded by Catherine the Great in 1764, the Hermitage boasts the world’s largest collection of paintings spread among six gorgeous galleries. The Modern and Impressionist collections are particularly impressive. The Hermitage’s collection of paintings might be even larger if not for the sale of several masterpieces by the Soviets in the early 1930s. Andrew Carnegie purchased 21 of those works and donated them to the American government, where they became the cornerstone of the Smithsonian’s National Gallery of Art. You can wander the halls of this former palace on St. Petersburg & the Baltics, Russian River Cruise, and on the optional post-trip extension of Scandinavian Heritage.

The Tate Modern: Highlighting works created after 1900, the Tate Modern is perhaps Europe’s finest gallery of modern and postmodern art. Housed in the cavernous shell of a former power station, the Tate’s enormous open spaces give modern artists the freedom to push the limits of their creativity. Works by Monet, Matisse, Rothko, Warhol and Picasso mark the Tate as perhaps England’s finest art museum. You can see this museum at the heart of the British capital on several Go Ahead tours, including London City Stay, The Best of England, Scotland & Ireland and London, Paris & Amsterdam.

Remembering the importance of family

“Families are the compasses that guide us. They are the inspiration to reach great heights, and our comfort when we occasionally falter.” -Brad Henry

Today is the International Day of Families, a holiday commemorated by the United Nations. It’s a little-known holiday, but a timely reminder of the importance of family.

A family can turn a house into a home. The big moments in life—births, your first high school dance, weddings—all involve family in some way. And we think that exploring the world with your loved ones is a great way to grow closer as a family.

If you’ve been thinking about your next family vacation, let Go Ahead handle the details. With Family Vacations to four destinations—The Grand Canyon and U.S. National Parks, Costa Rica, Venice, Florence & Rome and London & Paris we’ll help you find the tour that’s right for your family. Make this the year that you start to see the world as a family!