What is the European Experiences Approach?  How are we different from other tour companies?

This year marks the 20^th anniversary of European Experiences!  My husband Charley and I hosted our first two Luberon Experience groups in Provence in September 2006, a year after we returned from our family’s 14-month sabbatical in Europe.

When Charley and I developed those first Luberon tours back in 2006 and set up our first simple website, we defined some guiding principles… the approach we wanted to follow. We called our company European Experiences because we knew we eventually wanted to offer similar trips in other places in Europe that we loved.

In our early years we offered four Luberon weeks a year, two in May and two in September.  Twenty years later European Experiences now offer 25-30 trips a year to 22 different destinations.

In 1997 (our first full year) we welcomed 37 travelers on our four trips.  We now have 250-300+ travelers every year.

Charley and I led all the trips together through 2019.  He’s now retired, but I’m still going strong and I’ve build a small team of amazing leaders.

Despite many changes, those original guiding principles have stayed the same. And our commitment to the European Experiences Approach is even stronger.

Our approach seems to resonate with many people. Over 50% of our travelers every year are returning travelers… what we call our “Travelers Circle.”  About 10% are friends or family they bring with them. And many of our first-time travelers hear about us from a Travelers Circle member.  Over 1,400 people have now traveled with us, and almost 600 have been with us on at least two trips or have booked their second trip.  Our most-frequent traveler will be with us on her 15^th trip next month!

There are many choices for visiting Europe, on your own or with a group. So what makes our European Experience trips different and potentially right for you?

The European Experiences Approach

Charley and I designed European Experiences to provide a unique and very different kind of group travel experience. Before we started our company, we were independent travelers. We had never been on a tour, and we wanted our trips to be the type of tour we’d like to go on. We wanted a tour that didn’t seem like a tour.

In fact, I don’t even like to call it a tour!  We usually talk about a “trip,” a “week,” or an “Experience.” And you may notice that we don’t ever talk about “clients.”  The people in our groups are “travelers,” and they also become friends.

So here are the key elements of our European Experiences approach:

A small group of like-minded travelers

Our groups are small, usually 10 to 14 people on our seven-night trips, sometimes smaller, and never more than 18 in our largest groups. You’ll feel part of a community of friends, sharing experiences with supportive travel companions. And because our groups are small, we can visit special, intimate places that aren’t accessible to larger tours.

First night game of boules on the beach with Jennifer and JP – The Undiscovered French Riviera Experience

Helpful, knowledgeable and enthusiastic leaders

We design and lead our trips ourselves. We never subcontract trips!  We have a small team of experienced leaders, and one of us always personally leads each group.  Most trips have two leaders so we can best support our travelers.  Our leaders truly enjoy people, and we’re connected to the areas where we host our groups. We’ll get to know you before the trip even begins, and we’ll make extra efforts to meet your individual needs.

A silly moment at our March 2026 European Experiences retreat (Kelly, Charley, Kathy, Drew, Kristin, Jennifer, JP)

A Slow Travel philosophy

We choose areas rich with beauty, history, and distinct culture, areas that we know very well. All our seven-night trips base for one week in one place. We prefer an unhurried style of travel, one that allows us to genuinely engage with a place rather than simply pass through. More practically, staying in one place also means we spend less time packing, unpacking, and shuttling between hotels, and more time enjoying the things that make travel special: the people, places, cultures, and cuisines of a region.

Most of the week our explorations focus within 30-40 minutes of our home base, usually with a longer day trip or two to another special place in the region. Our shorter “Inside” trips, we base for four nights in a city. Our longer trips move locations, but we always stay several days in each place.

There’s always time for a break at a local cafe – Inside Paris

Unique experiences

Our approach shapes where we go and why. We design our trips around places we know intimately and care about deeply, and it’s that familiarity that allows us to develop itineraries that truly showcase a region and its people.

You’ll be surrounded by incredible natural beauty, very different from your home environment. And you’ll have unforgettable experiences that you couldn’t find on your own.

Our trips cover a broad range of interests: history, scenery, the outdoors, markets and shopping, museums, arts and crafts, music, food and wine. You may visit a small farm, trek across an island in the sea, watch a talented artisan at work, wander through a spectacular garden, or enjoy local music. But it’s the relationships we’ve built with locals, nurtured over time, which give our European Experiences trips their distinctly personal character.

We really enjoy connecting with friendly locals – The Morocco Experience

Memorable meals

An important part of our experience involves the local cuisine and food specialties. We enjoy meals in a variety of settings, including fine restaurants, small cafes, private homes, and outdoor picnics. We learn about local products, farming, wines and beers, dining customs, and cooking. The camaraderie with fellow travelers around the table is an important part of every meal!

Lunch at a goat farm – The Chianti Experience

Flexibility

Our schedule is stimulating and varied, but also relaxed and flexible to take advantage of each group’s interests, the weather, and special opportunities. We enjoy spontaneity.  We include some options for hiking on most trips, but there are always other interesting alternatives for those who prefer something less strenuous. And you always have the option to enjoy a day on your own if you choose not to join the group one day.

Some of our group hiked up to the high point at Cape Cornwall – The Cornwall Experience

Fun!

A vacation is supposed to be fun. We take care of the details and interactions that make foreign vacations stressful for many people. You can relax and enjoy each day. Every trip is different and we always plan some surprises, so expect the unexpected!

On the Douro River – The Portugal Experience

Outstanding value

We’re always sensitive to the investment of time and money our travelers have entrusted to us for their vacation. We’re not a luxury trip but we’re also not a budget trip… we’re committed to being a “high value” trip! Our prices include a highly-personalized trip in excellent accommodations with most meals included and many extras. Tips are always included. We offer discounts to returning travelers and their travel companions.

The wildflower garden at Kiftsgate – The Cotswolds Experience

European Experiences Travelers

Our trips attract travelers whose style and interests are similar: people who want quality over quantity and to do more than sightsee and check the boxes. Our travelers want to absorb the natural beauty in these special places and experience the unique culture.

We ask that everyone come with a sense of adventure and openness… and a good appetite too! We’re outdoors much of the time and physically active. Our travelers should plan to walk a mile or two a day in the course of daily activities, sometimes on uneven surfaces (though someone can always opt out if something is too strenuous).

We enjoy the variety of people who join us, ranging in age from early 20’s to active seniors. Our groups include solo travelers, couples, and pairs and small groups of family and friends. We offer a few all-women groups every year, but solo women travelers feel welcome in all our groups. Our travelers have joined  from all over the USA (44 states and counting!), Canada, Australia, South Africa and 10 other countries, and they often form connections that continue after the trip.

Our group discovers our home village of Bonnieux – The Luberon Experience

What our Travelers Say

A few months ago we surveyed our Travelers Circle members and asked them what they most enjoy about a European Experiences trip.  Their top responses (listed in order) reflect the approach I’ve described in this post:

1. Well-planned itineraries
2. Slower travel approach
3. Unique experiences
4. Trip leaders
5. Involvement with local people

The best way to learn about our approach is to hear from our travelers. Here are some excerpts from reviews posted on Google and JourneyWoman after trips earlier this year:

European Experiences is a truly special and different travel company for those looking for an authentic experience. Kathy and her team are outstanding and so knowledgeable about the area. As an experienced traveler, European Experiences exceeded my every expectation. The accommodations are first class, the food was excellent, the itineraries are expertly designed to give you the most of the area and the local connections Kathy shares with her guests are the highlight. Kathy made us feel like we were traveling with a close friend instead of a commercial tour company. The group is a perfect size and offered a great way to meet new and interesting fellow travelers. I have been to Italy several times and this was a wonderful new way to experience it again.  (Jennifer from New Jersey – Chianti Experience)

My husband and I joined Drew Fedorka on European Experiences’ Inside Lyon trip this spring. We had not been on a group tour for over 20 years and this was a great re-introduction to traveling with a group!  Drew planned a great itinerary that gave us a sampling of cultural experiences and sightseeing in the different neighborhoods of Lyon. He connected us to a few well-chosen local guides for the food and drink experiences and also for a day trip to… small villages where we enjoyed wine tasting at a small family vineyard.  Drew is upbeat, cheerful, and an energetic trip leader. He is extremely knowledgeable in French history and friendly and really made the tour a great experience for us! (Judy from Illinois – Inside Lyon)

Drew and group enjoying Lyon – Inside Lyon

I have now had two amazing adventures with Jennifer and European Experiences. Both trips were so beautifully planned and provided me with experiences of a lifetime. I left both voyages feeling that I really had been able to experience the culture. I was able to max the free time as Jennifer made sure we were well prepared with information and orientation as to where we were. I look forward to my next adventure with European Experiences. I know that when I travel with them I will have an inspiring journey with exquisite encounters. (Leigh from Maryland – Morocco Experience)

European Experiences Tours were created for travelers who’ve “done” the major tourist sites of Europe but yearn for a more enriching experience. In June 2026, our journey to the Cotswolds with European Experiences was yet another artfully crafted experience by this amazing company. This was our second trip with them, and once again Kathy Wood led us to interesting cultural and pastoral sites that are on and off the beaten path. We enjoyed the camaraderie of a small group of like-minded folks, ate delicious food, lodged in a family-run hotel that welcomed us as old friends, all at an insouciant but thoroughly fulfilling pace.  (Kent from North Carolina – Cotswolds Experience)

Typically I’m an independent traveler and didn’t think tours were my thing. Well, Kathy, Christian and Charley changed my mind. (They) took me places I’d never see on my own. I was free from planning, deciding or agonizing about details – they took care of everything in the most beautiful way. (Sue from Minnesota – Luberon Experience)

I’ve just returned from a delightful tour of Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. Kathy and Drew were wonderfully helpful, friendly, and kind. The itinerary was excellent – an interesting variety of places of historical significance, beautiful gardens, natural beauty, archeological sites, quaint villages and towns, and enjoyable cultural experiences. All of our meals were delicious! Because Kathy has cultivated relationships with people in the local communities, we were able to have experiences not usually offered by other tour companies. Traveling with a small group makes a difference, as you get personalized attention to your needs. (Sara from Massachusetts – Cornwall Experience)

Discovering unique ancient sites in Cornwall – The Cornwall Experience

I have traveled through Europe for many years and in many ways… but the three trips I have been involved with through European Experiences outshine them all! I love the small group camaraderie that I have experienced in each one… You feel like you are visiting friends, with friends! (Lynn from Oklahoma – Chianti Experience)

This was an excellent French Riviera experience. Everything, from the hotel, the restaurants chosen for meals, and each days planned activities exceeded our expectations.  Our leaders Jennifer and JP created this new and unique experience and worked tirelessly to provide this wonderful adventure. (Janalle from Minnesota – Undiscovered French Riviera)

My wife and I joined Kathy and Kristin for the Chianti tour and we had an exceptional experience! Kathy has a wonderful group of family wineries and olive oil orchards that she has developed very close relationships with and they all treated us like family. The food and wine and education we experienced is something we will never forget. (Tim from Illinois – Chianti Experience)

I usually travel alone but European Experiences is perfect for me. The people in the group are interesting, congenial and fun! Yet I like to go off on my own too. This is where Kathy’s knowledge of and connections with locals is a game changer because it gives me ideas and tips to venture out.  These are not a big bus or big cruise ship tours. If you like on-the-ground tours where you can imagine yourself a local, you will truly enjoy European Experiences tours. I have taken four tours and signed up for three more. (Mary from Massachusetts – Return to the Luberon)

An unexpected stop at a poppy field – Return to the Luberon

We had a great time on the Luberon Experience. The hotel in Bonnieux was charming and comfortable. We enjoyed being based in one hotel for the entire week. The daily experiences were unique and never felt rushed. Kudos to Kathy, Charley and Christian for all of their efforts to make this such a personal and memorable experience. We went on to join the Inside Lyon gastronomic tour with Drew. We sampled traditional Lyonnaise food and wine and visited local villages and major sights in the city. Drew’s knowledge of the history and culture of the area was extensive and he made everything fun! (Louis from California – Luberon Experience and Inside Lyon)

If our destinations and approach to travel appeal to you, we’d love to talk to you about joining us on a European Experience trip. We’re committed to making your Experience your best vacation ever!

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Enjoy other blog posts about the European Experiences Approach:

The European Experiences Story

European Experiences:  It Now Takes a Team

One Week in One Place: Experience Much More

We Loved Morocco… and Especially the People!

Experiencing a Village:  Bonnieux

Experiencing the Unique Cuisine of Puglia 

Along with her husband Charley, Kathy Wood founded European Experiences in 2006, offering week-long “slow tours” in some of the most beautiful areas of Europe. European Experiences' trips include The Luberon Experience in Provence, France, named one of the top 50 tours in the world by National Geographic Traveler magazine. Kathy has personally organized and hosted over 170 Experience groups. She hosts Experience weeks in the Luberon, the Chianti region of Tuscany, Puglia, Alsace, the Dordogne, Normandy, Cornwall, and the Cotswolds, Charley is now retired but will continue to occasionally be a "special guest" on trips with Kathy Kathy has been traveling in Europe for 30+ years and loves sharing her special places in Europe with other travelers. The Woods have a second home in their beloved village of Bonnieux in the Luberon. Read more about Kathy here. Slow Travel Tours is an affiliation of small-group tour operators who offer personalized trips in Italy, France and other European countries.