The European Experiences story

Today I want to share the European Experiences story.

We’ll soon complete our 2025 season of European Experiences tours… just one trip (The European Christmas Experience) to go! We’ll host 30 trips this year in seven different countries, with over 300 travelers, led by an outstanding team of seven leaders.

We’re especially proud of our Luberon Experience trip, seven nights based in the village of Bonnieux. This fall I hosted our 72^nd and 73^rd Luberon Experience trips!

Travelers often ask how European Experiences got started.  I’m feeling nostalgic, so today I want to go back to the beginning and share our story.

The prelude to the story

Despite a major in English and History, after college graduation I pursued a business career. A year later I headed more aggressively down that path, pursuing an MBA from a prestigious school.  Armed with my Wharton MBA, I spent the next 27 years in the corporate world.

In 1991 I met Charley, quite unexpectedly. I was a 35-year old Vice President of Human Resources in a growing company, single, and working 60 to 80 hours a week. Charley was divorced with two grown daughters, working in sales.

We were engaged six and a half weeks after our first date. We married the following spring and had our daughter Kelly 15 months later.

When we talked about our hopes for our married life, Charley and I both said we wanted to travel abroad. Our geographic interests were very compatible: we both dreamed of experiencing Europe.

Charley had been to the Caribbean, Mexico and Canada, but didn’t even have a passport.

My life path was a little different; I had lived abroad as a child. I was born in Munich, Germany and lived in Melbourne, Australia for four pre-teen years. As a college student and young adult, I always wanted to travel, but it just didn’t happen. So many excuses. I didn’t have the time, the money, anyone to go with. I had a current passport, but it had never been stamped.

Then in 1991, right after Charley and I got engaged, I went to Europe with two girlfriends. It was a trip planned before our whirlwind courtship. Cheap airfares and encouragement from my parents helped propel my friends and me across the Atlantic instead of to a beach or ski resort. It was a fast-paced two-week trip to Vienna, Salzburg, Munich, the Bavarian Alps, Lucerne, and Paris.

In the Salzkammergut – November 1991

I loved Europe! And I couldn’t wait to share it with my husband-to-be Charley, the traveling partner I had dreamed of.

We spent our honeymoon in London, and we’ve been traveling in Europe ever since. In Europe we’ve found everything we enjoy, in the most beautiful places we’d ever imagined.  But we had never imagined the direction our lives would take!

Honeymoon in London (May 1992)

Over the next ten years, with our young daughter in tow, our family vacations increasingly focused on European destinations, first one and then two trips a year. Our travels provided a much-needed break from my often-stressful corporate job and never-ending meetings, voice mails, and e-mails. Although there were many positive aspects of my HR career, I was happy to be thousands of miles from problems like layoffs, plant shutdowns, health care costs, union negotiations, and lawsuits… and a very demanding boss. I could relax 24/7 with the two people I loved in a totally different environment.

Walking tour in the Cotswolds (May 2002)

In 2002 something else happened that made dreams possible: one of my former companies went public, and I was still a shareholder. I made some money I hadn’t expected… not a fortune, but enough to give us the confidence to take some risks and pursue some major life changes. In early 2004 Charley and I shocked family and friends when we announced that we’d be going to Europe for 14 months. Kelly was 10 years old.

After giving five months of notice, I left my job of ten years in June. At the time Charley had a home renovation business that he put on hold. We took Kelly out of school for her 6th grade year. We rented our house, sold my new car, and put our personal possessions in storage. We left the USA with a duffel bag and a backpack each.

Our Grand Tour of Europe

We called our trip “Our Grand Tour of Europe.” Our 14-month trip involved nine countries (England, Scotland, Belgium, France, Spain, Germany, Italy, Austria, and Switzerland), where we stayed in 20 rentals and 34 hotels in a mix of big cities, small villages, and the countryside. We also did two long-distance hikes:  192 miles across England and 100 miles in the Swiss Alps. I had fun putting this trip together.

But we didn’t just travel.  We also wanted the experience of “living” in another country.  So for six-and-a-half months in the off-season (October through mid-April), we lived in the Luberon region of Provence France. We had been captivated by that area on a 2003 vacation and a rental cottage in the Luberon village of Saignon. The milder climate of Provence was appealing for an off-season stay. We found the perfect farmhouse rental just outside the village of Bonnieux, surrounded by vineyards and orchards. Kelly attended the small elementary school in the village, where she quickly became proficient in French.

At our Luberon farmhouse (October 2004)

For the first time in my adult life, I didn’t have a job, but my life was full. We explored, made new friends, shopped and cooked, studied French, hiked, hosted friends and family from home. We even took care of the owners’ dog and cat. I was one of the first people I knew to keep a blog.

In the Austrian Alps (July 2005)

“Our Grand Tour” was an amazing life-changing experience, significantly enhanced by the people we met and the many friends we made along the way.

In August 2005 we returned to Knoxville and our old house, but it was impossible to return to our old lives. Charley was approaching retirement, and after the freedom of a non-traditional lifestyle, I didn’t want to return to a demanding corporate job. Flexibility was more important to us than money. We wanted to stay in Knoxville for Kelly’s schooling and our families, but we also wanted to continue to spend time in Europe.

Our time in Provence was the impetus for European Experiences. During the time we lived in the farmhouse in Provence, we hosted seven groups of family and friends. It was like running a country B&B and acting as tour guides. We really enjoyed planning our friends’ visits, introducing them to the area, helping them understand the local culture, choosing just the right places to eat. That was the beginning of the idea. Charley and I began to talk about a special kind of small group tour that would help people get to know the real Provence, a week-long “experience” based in the Luberon.

The more we brainstormed ideas for The Luberon Experience, the more it became clear that this opportunity was an ideal match for us, bringing together our interests, experience, skills and dreams. We could use our knowledge and interests in history, literature, art, architecture, music, food, wine, and culture. We both had careers that involved working with people, and we could engage with people in a very positive way. We’d be outdoors surrounded by spectacular scenery.  And we could use our business skills to build something we were truly passionate about. Best of all, it was something we could do together, working as a team.

Our first Luberon Experience Tours (September 2006)

When we returned to the USA in August 2005, I organized two focus groups and then began to make plans for this small-group tour to launch in September 2006.  I printed out hundreds of brochures on my home printer and sent them to everyone I knew.  We also ran an ad on the travel website that hosted my blog.  I thought everyone would be eager to sign up for our trip… but we ended up with just three people in the first group and six people in the second.  Several other friends who were traveling independently in Provence joined us for a few activities during those two weeks.

First Luberon Experience group (September 2004)

Sometimes you’re just in the right place at the right time… serendipity! Our September 2006 trips took place just a few weeks before the Ridley Scott/Russell Crowe movie “A Good Year” was released.  The movie, based on a book by Peter Mayle, was filmed mostly in the Luberon, and the major filming location was a wine estate just outside Bonnieux. While we were in Provence with our groups, we were contacted by a USA Today travel writer working on a feature story about the Luberon, Peter Mayle, and the movie. She had found our blog on the internet. The writer Laura Bly and her husband ended up joining our second group for a full day.

We were mentioned in a sidebar to Laura’s article in USA Today in November 2006, with a link to our brand-new website.  What great fortune to have that kind of visibility just a few months after we started our trips! We had over 800 visits to our website the day the article appeared.  Later the article ran in other papers in Memphis and Phoenix. Our May and September 2007 trips filled quickly, and interest continued to grow and develop from that beginning.

USA article about the movie A Good Year with a beautiful photo of Bonnieux

Sidebar including The Luberon Experience

I didn’t go back to a corporate job.  A part-time teaching opportunity at the University of Tennessee in early 2006 led to another new career for me, one that complemented our travel business. My part-time role at the University soon became full-time, a nine-month appointment which provided summers off and a lot of flexibility.  My teaching focused mostly on international business, and I enjoyed working with and mentoring young people who were excited about international careers and experiences.

In 2009 we began to expand to offer trips to other areas of Europe that we knew well. Charley, Kelly and I spent every summer in Europe, hosting our trips and then researching and developing new trips. Our destinations expanded to include the Cotswolds, Chianti, the Périgord, Alsace. Cornwall, and our 12-night Christmas tour.

Research trip in the Perigord (July 2012)

In 2012 we had another important recognition. The Luberon Experience was named one of the top 50 tours in the world in National Geographic Traveler magazine!  This helped give our young company additional visibility and credibility.

We were named one of the top 50 Tours!

National Geographic Traveler – May 2012

After 10 years, I retired from the University of Tennessee in mid-2016 to focus full-time on European Experiences, and our business continued to grow. We had created a special designation for returning Travelers (our Travelers Circle) and welcomed many people on multiple trips.

The European Experiences Story – Changing Times

Charley is 10 years older than me, and he decided to mostly retire from leading trips at the end of 2019 to spend more time at home.  We had some fabulous retirement celebrations for him that year!  And later Charley was named an honorary citizen of Bonnieux by the mayor, Pascal Ragot.  Charley had been such a key part of European Experiences… as he announced his retirement, we began to identify other people who could take his place leading the tours with me.

Special “Luberon Celebration” group for Charley’s retirement

Little did Charley (or anyone) know that the world would come to a halt in March 2020 and that we’d spend lots of time together at home in 2020 and early 2021!

The time of COVID became a big opportunity.  Although we cancelled 23 European Experiences tours, we used that time at home to run webinars and cook special meals that we wrote about on Facebook.  During this time at home, and through regular Zoom meetings, I was also able to build a strong partnership with Jennifer Dugdale, an American expat living in Provence, who joined our team in 2022.  Jennifer has designed and led seven outstanding European Experiences trips: The Mediterranean Provence Experience, The Riveria Hillsides Experience, Inside Paris, The Paris Experience, Inside Bath, The Morocco Experience, and this year The Portugal Experience. In 2026 we’ll offer Return to Mediterranean Provence.   Jennifer is often joined by co-leader JP Lichtlé, another excellent addition to our team. Charlotte Bloch joins her as co-leader for The Morocco Experience and also sometimes for our Paris trips.

With Jennifer (September 2021)

We had offered some all-women groups in our early years, but this became a more important emphasis when Jennifer joined our team.  We both have a commitment to helping women travel and especially to encouraging solo women travelers.  We now offer about four all-women’s trips every year.

Inside Paris women’s group with Jennifer (September 2023)

After COVID we also developed and launched new tours in Puglia and Normandy.

In 2019 we hosted 13 groups.  In 2022, with the addition of Jennifer, we hosted 28 groups!

The European Experiences Story – A New Team

Drew Fedorka joined our team in 2022 and is now full-time with European Experiences. A recent PhD in French History from New York University, he’s  our Operations and Special Projects Manager and leader or co-leader for several tours, including Inside Lyon.  He coordinates most of our communications with travelers before and after their trip.

Our daughter Kelly is a doctoral candidate at New York University in French History, working now on her dissertation.  Kelly has been involved with European Experiences since our beginning, and she continues to be an important part of European Experiences as a trip leader and co-leader. She took the lead role in developing The Normandy Experience, developed our new Inside Bordeaux trip, and is now developing two new trips in Scotland that will be offered in 2027.

And I’m delighted that Kristin Meador is an exciting new addition to our team. Kristin was my student at UT and has a BS and MS in Accounting. She’s a CPA who owns an accounting firm and is an enthusiastic world traveler. She joins us as an advisor on Finance and Accounting issues and will be involved in leading our tours in Italy and Scotland.

With Kristin and local co-leader Vincenzo in Puglia (October 2025)

Other important additions to our team include Christian Linke (co-leader for The Luberon Experience), Zoe Corbett (co-leader for The Cotswolds Experience), and Tommaso Perrone and Vincenzo Di Modugno (local team for The Puglia Experience).

Learn more about our European Experiences team:  European Experiences: It Now Takes a Team

A Home in Bonnieux

Since December 2012 our family has a home in our beloved village of Bonnieux… a three-bedroom/two-bathroom village apartment right across from the hotel where we host our Luberon Experience groups.  We’re there two to three months a year, and we rent it out when we’re not there. Learn more about our Bonheur en Bonnieux apartment.

Our Bonnieux apartment

After all our time in Bonnieux over the past 21 years, we have friends and special relationships in the village, and Bonnieux is an important part of our lives. Charley and I will travel there after our Christmas tour to spend the last half of December, joined by Kelly over Christmas.

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Since our small beginning in September 2006, we’ve now hosted 232 tours involving over 1,330 different travelers. We’ve now had over 200 people who have joined us for four trips or more, and several who have joined us for more than 10 trips. Our travelers have come from almost every state in the USA , as well as Canada, Australia, and nine other countries.

We lead small group tours because we want to share places we love with other people. European Experiences is so much more than a job or a business, a way to make money or get a free trip to Europe. Our trips are very personal; they aren’t subbed out or led by hired guides. And the group is always an important part of the experience.  We have made so many wonderful friends on our trips, as well as the friends we’ve made in the places where we host our groups.

We’re passionate about creating unique experiences. We love sharing different, often simpler lifestyles and traditions. And we celebrate slowing down to savor some of the world’s most beautiful places.

Our story continues! We’re booking now for 2026… join us and become part of the next chapter of European Experiences story!

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You might enjoy these other blog posts about European Experiences:

European Experiences: It Now Takes a Team

One Week in One Place – Experience Much More!

An Autumn of Traveling Virtually

Poppies in Provence (a popular early blog post from 2012)

Kathy Wood is the co-founder and owner of European Experiences, offering week-long “slow tours” in some of the most beautiful areas of Europe, including The Luberon Experience in Provence, France. National Geographic Traveler magazine named The Luberon Experience one of their top 50 tours in the world in 2012. Kathy and her husband Charley launched European Experiences in 2006; Charley retired (mostly) at the end of 2019. Kathy now hosts Experience weeks in the Luberon, the Chianti region of Tuscany, Puglia, Alsace, the Dordogne, and the Cotswolds, The European Christmas Experience (12 days) and The Cornwall Experience in southwest England (10 days). Kathy has been traveling in Europe for 30+ years and loves sharing her special places in Europe with other travelers. She has hosted 165+ Experience groups since they launched in 2006. Kathy and Charley 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.